Analysis of Sansad TV Discussion: Left-Wing Extremism

Relevance

”GS 3: Left Wing Extremism, Government Policies & Interventions, Linkages of Organized Crime with Terrorism”

Introduction

• A number of Left Wing Extremist outfits have been operating in certain remote and poorly connected pockets of the country for a few decades now.
• The Government has adopted a holistic approach to deal with Left Wing Extremism, in the areas of security, development, ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities, improvement in governance and public perception management.
• The National Policy Action Plan to address Left Wing Extremism was approved in 2015.
• These efforts have shown promising results over the years. Left-Wing Extremism related violence in the country has declined by 77% from all-time high of 2258 incidents in 2009 to 509 in 2021.
• Security Forces and civilian casualties due to these incidents has also declined by 85% from an all-time high of 1005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021.

Background

• A number of Left Wing Extremist outfits have been operating in certain remote and poorly connected pockets of the country for a few decades now.
• In a significant development in 2004, the People’s War (PW), then operating in Andhra Pradesh, and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI), then operating in Bihar and adjoining areas, merged to form the CPI (Maoist) Party.
• Between 2004 to 2020, 8380 people have been killed by the LWE in different parts of India.

Which are the States considered to be LWE affected?

• The States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala are considered LWE affected, although in varying degrees.
• The CPI(Maoist) are making forays into Southern States of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and planning to link up the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats through these states.
• The CPI(Maoist) are planning to expand their area of activities and carve out a base for themselves in the tri-junction of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

What is the policy of the Government of India to combat LWE?

• The Government of India believes in a holistic long-term policy in the areas of security, development, ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities, improving governance and perception management to combat LWE.
• Most of the security-related measures, apart from the deployment of CAPFs, are aimed at assisting capacity building by the State forces.
• On the development front, an Integrated Action Plan (now called Additional Central Assistance to LWE affected districts) covering 88 affected districts aims at providing public infrastructure and services and is under implementation since 2010.
• Further, an ambitious Road Development Plan has been envisaged for LWE areas.
• An Empowered Group of Officers closely monitors the progress of flagship schemes.
• Special emphasis is being laid on the implementation of Forest Rights Act and ensuring entitlement of local communities over Minor Forest Produce.

Important Initiatives For LW Affected States

• In order to holistically address the LWE problem in an effective manner, the Government has formulated a National Policy and Action Plan adopting a multi-pronged strategy in the areas of security, development, ensuring rights & entitlement of local communities etc.
• Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme
• Special Central Assistance (SCA)
• Special Infrastructure Scheme
• Scheme of Fortified Police stations
• Assistance to Central Agencies for LWE management Scheme:
• Civic Action Programme (CAP)
• Media Plan
• Road Requirement Plan-I (RRP-I) for LWE affected areas
• Road Connectivity Project for LWE affected areas (RRP-II)
• LWE Mobile Tower Project
• Aspirational District

Conclusion

Through a holistic approach focusing on development and security-related interventions, the LWE problem can be successfully tackled. An ideology based on violence and annihilation is doomed to fail in a democracy that offers legitimate forums of grievance redressal.

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