By IANS,
New Delhi : The government has offered surrendering Leftwing rebels a series of sops, including vocational training along with a monthly stipend of Rs.2,000 for up to three years and Rs.150,000 in fixed deposit.
Additional incentives up to Rs.25,000 for each surrendered weapon or ammunition has also been announced by the home ministry as part of its new surrender-cum-rehabilitation guidelines for Maoists finalised Aug 26.
“These guidelines are applicable to those Naxalites (Maoists) who surrender with or without arms and the eligibility for assistance under the scheme would be scrutinised by the screening cum rehabilitation committee constituted by the concerned state government,” a home ministry statement said Monday.
The surrender-and-rehabilitation guidelines for Maoists will apply to the hardcore, underground cadre, both with or without weapons, as well as to Dalam members. The overground supporters and sympathisers can avail of the benefits under the scheme “only in exceptional cases”.
At the internal security conclave held last month, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, while interacting individually with chief ministers of states affected by Maoist violence, called upon them to frame an attractive surrender and rehabilitation policy, put in place an effective machinery for grievance redressal and take steps to stop the flow of funds and supply of arms and ammunition to the rebels.
The central funds for these states are made available under the scheme for Security Related Expenditure (SRE), special infrastructure and modernisation of police forces schemes.
The rehabilitation scheme is part of the home ministry’s multi-pronged conflict management and resolution strategy.
However, there is a rider to these benefits accruing to those who have surrendered. While the stipend will be discontinued as and when a surrendered rebel secures a government job or gainful self-employment, the fixed deposit money too will not be transferred if those coming back to the fold get employment with the government ahead of three-year maturity.
There is also a gradation to surrendered weapons and ammunition. While each universal machinegun, general purpose machinegun, Picca, rocket propelled grenade or sniper rifle will fetch the surrendering rebel Rs.25,000, an AK series gun will get him Rs.15,000 each. The surrender of SAM missiles would earn a Maoist Rs.20,000 and that of a satellite phone, Rs.10,000.
While announcing this scheme, the home ministry has already drawn up an elaborate counter-offensive operation in Maoist strongholds across central India involving 26,000 personnel drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
The offensive against the Maoists is timed for a launch in October and the objective is to secure the Maoist belts and provide governance there.