Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi will chair a high-level meeting to review development work in the Naxal-infested states here on Friday.
Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi will chair a high-level meeting to review development work in the Naxal-infested states here on Friday. Apart from senior officials from various central ministries, chief secretaries of seven worst affected Naxal states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Telangana and Maharashtra will also participate in the meeting.
Home minster Rajnath Singh also plans to hold a review meeting at a later date.
Home ministry sources said among the key issues that are expected to be discussed at the meeting are on improvement of communication services, particularly setting up more mobile towers in Naxal areas, expediting development of road network and giving a further push to rural infrastructure.
The government has already allocated additional funds for these projects with special emphasis on providing a safer environment to security forces for working in Naxal hit areas. Sources said construction of fortified police stations in the worst affected Naxal affected States will also be expedited. “The government is keen that security operations and development work in Naxal areas goes hand in hand. So, while there has been a considerable drop in Naxal violence in the last few months the government is keen that development activity is now put on fasttrack. The meeting will carry out a detailed analysis of the money allocated and spent by these states so far,” a senior official said.
The States will be asked that the money allocated by the Centre for various development activities is spent in a time bound manner. Security related expenditure for States like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa is likely to be enhanced further for raising additional battalions to tackle the Naxal menace, officials added.
