By IANS
New Delhi : With Maoist violence again flaring up in parts of the country, the central government Monday took stock of the worsening situation in Maoist-hit states and the developmental schemes being carried out there.
A meeting on the issue, chaired by union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta, was held here and attended by secretaries and other senior officials of the ministries and departments of tribal affairs, rural development and primary education and environment and forests and panchayati raj.
A home ministry spokesperson said these ministries were directly responsible for the development of infrastructure, creation of employment opportunities and improvement in the quality of life in the rural areas and tribal belts that have been witnessing Maoist violence.
The spokesperson said: “Maoists on one hand seek to exploit real or perceived grievances and feelings of deprivation among rural and tribal communities to carry forward their agenda of violence and disruption, while on the other hand, they have been trying to stop developmental activities and cause damage to the existing social and economic infrastructure.”
The government’s aim is to see how various developmental schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojna, National Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes, Backward Region Grant Fund and other special schemes for tribal communities can be implemented and monitored in a focused manner in areas affected by Maoist violence, he added.
The ministry of home affairs has been working closely with the concerned state governments to develop action plans to take forward developmental schemes apart from continuing interactions and consultations for improving the security environment, the spokesperson added.