Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday urged the Centre to provide a dedicated helicopter for the security forces deployed in tackling Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in the state.
The demand for the helicopter was placed during a high-level review meeting on Left Wing Extremism held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union home minister Amit Shah.
Odisha finance minister Bikram Arukh, chief secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena and Director General of Police (DGP) Sunil Bansal participated in the meeting.
Sharing details, finance minister Mr Arukh informed that discussions were held on various aspects. It was also discussed how effectively we can tackle left-wing extremism with coordinated measures by the Centre and respective state governments.
“Odisha has placed a demand for mobile towers in Naxal-affected areas on a war footing. Apart from this, the state has sought a dedicated helicopter for transportation of security forces deployed in the Naxal-infested areas of the state,” said the minister.
Mr Arukh further informed that Odisha has done a remarkable job in containing LWE activities in the state. The left-wing extremism in Odisha is now limited to 10 districts against 21 districts in the past.
Earlier in the day, the Union home minister in a social media post had shared, “Naxalism is a curse to humanity and we are resolved to uproot it in all its forms. I look forward to chairing the review meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in New Delhi today to further our efforts to fulfill PM Narendra Modi Ji’s vision of an LWE-free nation.”
Some of the districts such as Koraput, Malikangiri, Rayagada, Gajapati and Nabarangpur in South Odisha and Kalahandi, Nuapara, Bargarh, Bolangir and Sundergarh in western part of the state have presence of the LWE elements.
According to experts, there has been a significant fall in the Maoist activities in Odisha due to a good rehabilitation process of the state government. Maoist cadres and sympathizers surrendering before the administration are getting an attractive rehabilitation package that among others include land and financial assistance to start their own businesses.
