By IANS
New Delhi : Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday sought the central government’s help to tackle the leftwing extremism in the state.
Addressing the Chief Ministers’ Conference on Internal Security chaired by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here, Patnaik called upon the central government to evolve a holistic action plan for the areas affected by Maoist violence.
He underlined the need to develop and implement a composite socio-economic package for such areas.
He suggested a two-pronged approach to put an end to the spread of leftwing extremism. While there was a need for relaxation of existing norms of the ongoing developmental schemes, it was necessary to create a special fund for direct and immediate intervention to fill up the critical gaps, he said.
Patnaik suggested a comprehensive dialogue on the developmental issues in the areas hit by Maoist violence so that its further spread could be effectively checked.
He also sought five more India Reserve (IR) Battalions for the state.
He asked the central government to give Orissa a special grant of Rs.300 million for the Training Resource Centre (TRC) of the Special Operations Group, coming up near Bhubaneswar.
He also requested the central government to provide Rs.150 million from the Mega City Plan, 2008-09, under the Police Modernisation Scheme, to facilitate the launching of a commissionerate for the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.