By IANS
New Delhi : Maoist rebels, dubbed as the biggest internal security threat by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, have devised a budget of Rs.600 million to procure weapons and explosives for a two-year period, Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Prakash Jaiswal told the Lok Sabha Wednesday.
“An arrested Naxalite (Maoist), in his interrogation by Jharkhand police, revealed that they had made a budget of Rs.60 crore (Rs.600 million) during 2007-2009, allegedly for procurement of weapons and explosives,” Jaiswal said in a written reply to the house.
The minister, however, said no other information was available.
Just a few days ago, the police in Bihar had seized 6,000 kg of gelatine sticks and detonators, reportedly meant for use by Maoists, from a truck in Nawada district and arrested seven people.
In India, the number of violent incidents blamed on the Maoists fell from 1,509 in 2006 to 1,285 until Oct 31, 2007, the minister said. He added that the number of security personnel killed by the rebels, had risen from 157 the previous year to 188 until October 2007.
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal are some of the states hit by Maoist violence.