Addressing a day-long meet on naxalism-hit areas here he said there was a need for ensuring that monitoring takes care of any wrongdoing in the process of development.
“As an administrator, we must have zero tolerance for corruption. We must demolish the invisible wall between them (people of naxalism-affected areas) and us,” Singh told collectors of 60 naxal-hit districts gathered at the meet.
He stressed the need for winning the “trust of people” in Left Wing Extremism-affected areas and said the lessons learnt from the grassroots should be the key elements in the 12th Five Year Plan.
Dr Manmohan Singh unveiled the new policy which aims at dealing with Naxalism through a five year integrated plan. He said the Panchayati Raj institutions have an important role to play in dealing with Naxalism. He said that grass root level development is a must to win the battle against Left wing Extremists.
Stressing on the need for inbuilt flexibility in the Integrated Action Plan, Dr Singh said that there can not be a uniform structure for implementation of government programmes in these regions. He said that ground realities must be kept in view while implementing the programmes.
The Prime Minister said that people’s participation in planning and implementation of various programmes is necessary for their success. Dr Singh said that lack of development in naxal affected regions leads to a sense of alienation among the people of these regions. He said that there is an urgent need to demolish this invisible wall. Prime Minister said that no amounts of development funds will do unless the trust of people is won.
In his inaugural address Home Minister P Chidambaram said that establishing governance in the naxal affected districts is the greatest challenge the country faces today. He said that Left Wing Extremism poses a greater threat to the country than terrorism or insurgency.
The Home Minister said, the Government is contemplating to bring 20 more naxal affected districts under the Integrated Action Plan. He also stated that a specialised batallion is being raised to ensure security and development in these districts.