Will take steps to curb Maoist menace: Assam CM

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday admitted that Maoist outfits "have made some headway" in the state and sought the Centre's economic and technical assistance to wean away youths.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Gogoi said he had apprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the issue during the latter's trip to Guwahati on April 20.

"They (Maoist) have made some headway and got in touch with some local organisations. They will grow if we do not take preventive steps", he said.

The Centre had recently raised an alert about growing Maoist presence in some parts of the state.

"To defeat them (Maoist) we need schemes to generate employment among youths not only in Maoist affected districts but all backward and rural areas. I have apprised the Prime Minister about the issue and sought his help", Gogoi added.

The Centre had recently raised an alert about growing Maoist presence in some parts of the state, mainly in the upper Assam districts of Jorhat, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur.

Gogoi said a proposal has been placed before the Centre and the Planning Commission for land reclamation in Brahmaputra in line with similar projects in Bangladesh.

"While flood is a temporary problem, the problem of erosion is a permanent one. Assam has lost over four lakh hectares of land due to erosion since the 1950s", he said.

The state government has already tied up with the Asian Development Bank for anti-erosion projects.

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