Centre Retains Security Funding Cover For 38 Former Naxal-Hit Districts
Chhattisgarh has the highest number of Legacy and Thrust districts at 13: Reports
NEW DELHI: The Union home ministry will continue providing security-related assistance to 38 “Legacy and Thrust” districts across nine states to prevent the resurgence of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), although the government has declared that no district in the country is now categorised as LWE-affected.
The 38 districts have a history of Maoist violence and will remain covered under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme to consolidate security gains and prevent extremist groups from regrouping.
Chhattisgarh has the highest number of Legacy and Thrust districts at 13, followed by Odisha with nine and Bihar and Jharkhand with four each.
Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Mulugu in Telangana and Alluri Sitharama Raju in Andhra Pradesh have also been included.
The 13 districts in Chhattisgarh are Bastar, Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Dhamtari, Kabirdham, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, Kondagaon, Rajnandgaon, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Gariaband, Sukma and Dantewada.
The nine Odisha districts are Boudh, Sundargarh, including the Rourkela police district, Kalahandi, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada and Kandhamal.
Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui and Lakhisarai in Bihar and West Singhbhum, Bokaro, Chatra and Latehar in Jharkhand will also remain covered.
The other districts are Balaghat and Mandla in Madhya Pradesh, Gadchiroli and Gondia in Maharashtra and Jhargram in West Bengal.
West Singhbhum, which was previously classified as the country’s only District of Concern, was recently moved to the Legacy and Thrust category. With this revision, the Centre now has no district listed as either LWE-affected or a District of Concern.
In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said armed Naxalism had been curbed but warned against what he called “dimagi Naxals”, or people influenced by Maoist ideology.
Sources said the 38 districts would continue to receive assistance because they had suffered Maoist violence for several years. Continued surveillance, security measures and development interventions were necessary to prevent extremist groups from regrouping, they said.
The Centre has been implementing its National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left-Wing Extremism since 2015. The policy combines security measures with development initiatives and efforts to ensure the rights and entitlements of local communities.
The SRE scheme is a centrally sponsored programme under the Union home ministry. It reimburses state governments for certain recurring expenses incurred in counter-insurgency and internal-security operations.
