By IANS
Patna : Bihar has decided to launch a drive against Maoist guerrillas by strengthening the police force and accelerating the pace of development in rebel-affected areas.
A high-level meeting of top officials was held here Wednesday to discuss the strategy for countering the rebels, in the wake of last week's Maoist attack in Rohtas district in which nine people, including five policemen, were killed.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the government planned to spend Rs.1.78 billion on police modernisation to take on the Maoists.
The state government has decided to appoint 11,500 jawans of the State Auxiliary Police (SAP), created to contain Maoist violence and criminal activities. This is in addition to 5,000 SAP jawans recruited last year.
State Home Secretary Afzal Amanullah said the central government has released two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to Bihar to fight the Maoists. Two days ago, the state government had sought 10 companies of CRPF from the central government to intensify combing operation against the Maoists.
Amanullah said all policemen working in the 14 Maoist-affected districts of the state would be given an insurance cover of Rs.100 million under the special security plan. This will be in addition to the Rs.10 million ex-gratia paid to the kin of each policeman killed in Maoist attacks.
"The policemen will get double insurance cover of Rs.200 million on the lines of the Special Task Force," Amanullah said.
The state government has also decided to build a 702-km-long road linking all the seven districts of the state along the international border with Nepal.
"The road, to be built at a cost of Rs.7.86 billion, will curb Maoist activities in these districts," Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav said.