The Supreme Court is to be commended for its order banning the Salwa Judum. But the Salwa Judum was already a thing of the past; its worst phase was in 2005-06. The violence now in the amoral war in Chhattisgarh is being conducted as part of Operation Greenhunt. When will …
The Naxalites are expanding their tentacles into the tiger territory. Thirty per cent of India’s tiger reserves are already under their control. Indian forest officials, from the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, present at the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP), complained of increasing Naxal infiltration in India’s heartland. The tiger …
The Centre on Thursday cleared a Rs 8500-crore project under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to connect 6000 habitations in the 78 naxalite-affected districts of nine states. The Union Cabinet cleared the project, under which the money will be utilised for new connectivity and upgradation of these habitations, which …
The Centre will be providing separate funds under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) for enhancing road connectivity in the six border districts of Punjab. The proposed move would benefit Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Taran Taran and Pathankot, according to Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh. Also, the condition …
A day after Maoists killed six CISF personnel and a driver inside the biggest iron ore mining facility in the country, the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) complex here remained unguarded. Locals dropped in, “examined” the damaged Bolero, went through belongings of the deceased, noted the bullet marks and clicked …
We condemn the attack by the Maoists on 21 April near Kerlapal village in Sukma district (in Chhattisgarh) in which they killed two security guards and abducted the Sukma district collector, Alex Paul Menon. At the time of this attack, Menon, accompanied by security guards, was in the process of …
The Union rural development ministry is setting up a body called “Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation’ (BRLF) with a `1,000-crore corpus with the help of India Inc, to promote economic and social empowerment in 170 districts, including those affected by Naxal violence. “I have already written to the Tatas, Reliance, Infosys, …
Days after Naxalites ambushed CRPF personnel in Gadchiroli, Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh in a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has sought empowering gram sabhas in the district with rights to market forest produce, including lucrative bamboo used in making paper. Mr Ramesh said that war against …
Tribal displacement, without rehabilitation, has led to growth of Naxalism: Tribal ministry With spurt in Naxal attacks, the Centre has decided to ask governors to use special powers in tribaldominated areas and consider cancelling mining leases given to state agencies and corporates. The first such recommendation is likely to be …
The name may have stuck, but it’s the Chhattisgarh part of the densely forested Naxal hotbed that is really ‘Abujhmaad’. As one drives on to Maharashtra, the first half of that name — abujh or “unknown” — falls by the wayside, thanks to policies pursued by successive governments in this …
BHUBANESWAR: The State Cabinet on Wednesday framed rules for the appointment of a person from the family of police personnel who die in the Naxalite and extremist violence in the Maoist-affected areas. The decision has been taken to rehabilitate the family of police personnel, who die in such cases. The …
Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt and others (“Land Acquisition and Dispossession: Private Coal Companies in Jharkhand”, EPW, 11 February 2012), touch on several important issues, but with a sophistication which is expected from academics. The piece, however, portrays only the tip of the iceberg; the grass-roots situation is much more serious and tense. …
The government – both at the centre and the state (Odisha) – has reduced adivasis into mere exhibition items in attempts to lure domestic and foreign tourists. On the other hand, they invite multinational capitalists to plunder natural and mineral resources in the adivasi heartland and repress voices of resistance …
A national workshop in Hyderabad deliberated on adivasi rights and the organisation of legal clinics, addressing the issues faced by the vulnerable communities among them.
After the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for Naxal-hit districts, Congress-led UPA government is planning to introduce another ambitious plan to provide livelihood to the affected people through the civil society interface in 170 districts. The rural development ministry and the Planning Commission have formulated a new policy under Bharat Rural …
In Bihar, where Naxals often present obstacles before government projects involving roads, bridges and buildings, even of schools, one project has clicked remarkably well in the districts that these Naxals dominate. It is the showpiece health card scheme for children and adolescent girls, Nayi Pidhi Swasthya Guarantee Karyakram, which the …
Contradicting the claims of the Centre which blame the Naxals for the loss of forest cover, the latest report of the AP forest department says that around 130 sq. km. of forests have vanished in a year. The state report says that the loss of forest cover is due to …
For long, industrialised states were looked upon as the ones trading forest cover for development. However, a recent report by the Forest Survey of India showed five of the nine most industrialised states were able to increase their green cover in 2011, compared to 2009. Between 2001 and 2010, these …
Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday cleared the decks for a huge fund outlay which is set to bolster Bihar's rural infrastructure. Speaking to journalists here, Mr. Ramesh said the Union Rural Ministry would pump in Rs. 2,500 crore for laying of over 6,500 km of rural roads …
