With an aim of tackling Naxalism through development, the government has unveiled a special Rs3300 crore action plan in 60 affected tribal and backward districts across nine states.
The Integrated Action Plan (IAP) is intended to provide immediate redressal to problems of the people in tribal and backward districts in the sector like healthcare, drinking water, education and roads.
The IAP would be given as an additional central assistance scheme on 100% grant basis to be implemented in two years, home minister P Chidambaram said about the decision taken at the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs held last evening.
"In the current year (2010-11), a block grant of Rs25 crore will be made available to each of the 60 districts for which the schemes will be decided by a committee headed by the distrcit collector with district SP and district forest officer as members," Chidambaram said here.
The projects would have to be completed by March in a "concrete" and "visible" manner, he said.
The works would be taken up by district collectors by December 1, he said, adding the block amount of Rs25 crore will have to be utilised in the remaining four months of the current fiscal.
Elaborating on the action plan, he said the grant would be utilised by a committee headed by district collectors of the state to undertake doable projects like construction of link roads, Panchayat Ghar (office building) etc.
The government, he added, proposes to call a meeting of the collectors of the 60 districts shortly to apprise them about the scheme and also the urgency to complete projects within the stipulated time frame.
During the financial year 2011-12, the block grant will be raised to Rs30 crore per district and it will be reviewed for implementation in the 12th Plan at a later stage.
"Construction of roads and schools and proper implementation of public distribution system will take place in all these Maoist-hit areas," Chidambaram said.
The IAP scheme will focus on improvement in governance and specific pre-conditions will need to be complied with by the states before availing of the second tranche of the proposed additional financial assistance in 2011-12 under the state component of the IAP.
However, these conditionalities will not apply to the district components of IAP, Chidambaram said.
The existing Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi (KBK) plan under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) will continue as before with annoual allocation of Rs130 crore for all eight districts in Orissa put together.
"The eight KBK districts have also been included under IAP and will get additional block grant of Rs25 crore per district in the current year and suitable additional amount under both state and district components of IAP in the subsequent years," he said.
Naxals have destroyed a lot of infrastructure over the years with 362 telephone towers, many school buildings, roads and culverts being targeted in 2009 alone.
Government is also implementing an ambitious development scheme for 35 worst Naxal-affected districts in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. According to an estimate, about 40,000 sq km areas in Naxal-affected states are under the control of Maoists.
Naxal violence has claimed the lives of over 10,000 civilians and security personnel in the last five years.
Out of a total of 10,268 casualties between 2005 and May 2010, 2,372 deaths have been reported in 2009 as against 1,769 in 2008 and 1,737 in 2007.
Integrated Action Plan for 60 Naxal-hit districts
The Hindu, Nov 27, 2010
Vinay Kumar
| Each to be given a block grant of Rs. 25 crore |
Schemes to be decided by a panel, headed by Collector
Scheme will focus on improvements in governance
NEW DELHI: With the aim of giving a fillip to development schemes in tribal and backward regions, mostly affected by Naxal violence, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Friday approved the commencement of an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) in 60 selected tribal and backward districts.
The IAP would be given as an additional central assistance scheme on 100 per cent grant basis. It is aimed at quick resolution of problems concerning healthcare, drinking water, education and roads.
In 2010-11 alone, each of the 60 districts will be given a block grant of Rs. 25 crore, with the total coming to a whopping Rs. 1500 crore. In 2011-12, the grant will go up to Rs. 30 crore each.
“This is in pursuance of the Finance Minister's announcement in his budget speech of 2010-11 and the Prime Minister's address to the National Development Council on July 24. The scheme will, to begin with, be implemented over two years – 2010-11 to 2011-12,'' Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters.
Schemes would be decided by a committee, headed by the district collector. The superintendent of police and district forest officer would be its members. The IAP would be reviewed for implementation in the 12th Plan at a later stage, Mr. Chidambaram said.
The existing Kalahand-Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) plan would continue, with an annual allocation of Rs. 130 crore for all the eight districts in Orissa put together. The eight KBK districts have been included in the IAP. They would get an additional block grant of Rs. 25 crore each in the current year and suitable additional amount under both State and district components of the IAP in the subsequent years.
The IAP would focus on improvements in governance and the States would have to comply with specific preconditions before availing of the second tranche of the proposed additional financial assistance in 2011-12 under the State component of the IAP. However, these conditionalities would not apply to the district components of the IAP, according to the CCEA decision.
The scheme would focus on effective implementation of the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (Forest Rights Act). While the district component would be administered by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the State component will be administered by the Planning Commission.
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