New Delhi / AMN
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that the government was keen to enhance participation of locals including tribals in the security forces for deployment in Left Wing Extremist districts.
Mr Singh informed the members of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs here today that 743 Scheduled Tribes candidates from four most affected LWE districts of Chhattisgarh-Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Sukma have been recruited in Bastariya Battallion.
“This is to enhance local representation in security forces,” official source said here. At the meeting, Mr Singh also referred to the opening of Kendriya Vidyalayas and Skill Development Centres in LWE affected districts are other development measures.
He informed that 1,789 new branch post offices, 405 bank branches and 818 ATMs have also been opened in 35 most LWE affected districts during the last two years. He also informed the members about the security related measures which included the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces battalions in the LWE affected states, use of 56 Specialized India Reserve Battalions or India Reserve Battalions mainly to strengthen the security apparatus.
The Home Minister also informed the committee members Kirti Azad, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Thokchom Meinya and Bhubaneswar Kalita (both Congress) and Mukul Roy (Trinamool) about other security related measures such as UAVs, helicopters, Unified Command and Joint Command and Control Centres at Jagdalpur and Gaya.
The Home Minister also maintained that as compared to data of 2010, in the year 2016 there was a decline of 53 per cent in number of violent incidents and 72 per cent decrease in resultant deaths. Mr Singh further informed the members that this year overall situation so far also indicates a declining trend and the number of violent incidents has declined by 25.6 per cent as compared to corresponding period of 2016. The Union Ministers of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir and Kiren Rijiju, Officer on Special Duty Rajiv Gauba and other senior officers central armed police forces were also present in the meeting, the source said.