Chhattisgarh govt to provide houses to Naxalites surrendering arms
In a bid to encourage more Naxalites to surrender their arms, the Chhattisgarh government has begun building houses for those who are willing to give up their arms. So far, the project has been implemented in eight Naxal-infested districts of the state.
The state government has identified villages where units constructed under the Indira Awas Yojana were lying vacant. About a dozen Naxalites were allotted houses in those areas.
In Bastar— better known for being the country’s epicenter of left-wing extremism — work has begun in Kondagaon district, one of the seven districts in the region. The local administration, which is executing the plan, has requested the state government to sanction more funds. In the last two years, over 750 Naxalites belonging to all cadres had surrendered before the police in Bastar region.
Meanwhile, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), country’s largest iron-ore producer and exporter having major mining operations in Naxal-affected Dantewada district, will build over 200 units from its corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund in the district.
In other places, local authorities will be identifying villages and build houses from the fund allotted by the Centre to take up development activity in the red zone.
“The drive of Naxalites’ surrendering actually started from Kondagaon (about a year ago), which propelled us to work out the strategy for their accommodation,” Abhishekh Meena, a young Indian Police Service (IPS) and the brain behind the project, told Business Standard.
In terms of bearing the cost, Meena said that surrendered Naxalites would be asked to contribute 25% share. “If he would not be in a position, the administration would bear the entire cost.” The village would emerge as model as the rebels would also be provided land for agriculture and eligible youths would also be imparted skill development training for self employment, he added.
