New Delhi: Even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for an all-party meeting on the Naxal strategy, the Rural Development Ministry has launched a new programme in 24 districts that are badly affected by left-wing extremism. Named 'Roshni', the programme aims to provide training and employment to 50,000 youths in these districts.
Sukma, Bijapur, Kanker and Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh, Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, Latehar in Jharkhand, Malkangiri and Koraput in Odisha and Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh are some of the districts where these training centers will come up. Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh is taking the development offensive right to the doorstep of Naxal stronghold with the aim of weaning the youth away from Maoist ideology.
The programme will focus on particularly vulnerable tribal groups. It will target youth in conflict areas between 18 and 35 years of age.
It targets class 10th and 12th dropouts and 50 per cent of those selected will be women. Private organisations will be roped in for training, while state governments will be responsible for providing security....
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11:04 PM, Jun 07, 2013
New Delhi: Two weeks after the Bastar bloodbath, the government on Wednesday held an all-party meet to firm up its anti-Naxal strategy. Sources say that Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde proposed Andhra Pradesh's model of policing and improvement of local level police stations. There were also proposals to crack down on funding for Naxals and illegal mining in Jharkhand. The Maoist-hit states resolved to take a uniform approach to deal...
09:28 PM, Jun 05, 2013
New Delhi: Ten days after the deadly Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister inaugurated the internal security meeting of Chief Ministers on Wednesday. Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister said the Centre and state governments must work together to combat Naxalism. He said the government has instituted measures in 34 Naxal-hit areas. "We are meeting today in the aftermath of Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh. Such violence has no place in...
11:33 AM, Jun 05, 2013
Khammam: A woman Maoist leader and another suspected ultra were remanded in 14-day judicial custody by a court in Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, on Tuesday. K Mothibai (40) alias Madhavi or Radhakka, south and West Bastar division committee secretary of CPI (Maoist), and Pridhvi and his father Dharmaraju were taken into custody on Monday after a chase near Palvancha in Khammam. Dharmaraju, who was found to have no Maoist links, has...
05:27 PM, Jun 04, 2013
New Delhi: Chief ministers of Naxal-affected states will meet in New Delhi on June 5 to formulate strategy on how to check unabated violence by Maoists and tackle the menace. The special session of nine chief ministers will be held on the sideline of the Chief Ministers conference on internal security convened by the Home Ministry next week. Chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,...
06:14 PM, May 31, 2013
New Delhi: BJP on Thursday hit back at Congress accusing it of "always adopting" a soft approach on Naxalism and said the entire party was confused on the issue of tackling the problem. Under attack over killing of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh, BJP also rejected suggestions that the Raman Singh government and Maoists in Chhattisgarh were working closely to serve each other's purpose, saying Congress leaders who have made these...
05:56 PM, May 30, 2013
On Face the Nation tonight: CNN-IBN's Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose discusses the issue of Naxalism in India and role of politicians and human rights activists around it. ...
07:26 PM, May 27, 2013
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and founder of the Salwa Judum anti-Naxal movement, Mahendra Karma, was on Monday laid to rest along with another party MLA who succumbed to their injuries after the deadly Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh on Saturday night. The two leaders were cremated at Dantewada. Elsewhere in Raipur, Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh, who were abducted by the Naxals and killed, will...
05:03 PM, May 27, 2013
New Delhi: National Investigation Agency's (NIA) teams are expected to reach Darba Ghati on Monday to begin their probe in the deadly Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh that killed 24 people and left 27 injured. What the NIA needs to probe now is why the Congress' rally route was changed at the last minute, who took that decision and why. The funeral of Salwa Judum founder and Congress leader Mahendra Kumar...
11:24 AM, May 27, 2013
Ahmedabad: Condemning attack on Congress rally in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for "a policy of zero tolerance" towards terrorism and Naxalism. "Gruesome attack in Chhattisgarh is an attack on democracy. Time has come to adopt policy of Zero Tolerance towards Terrorism & Naxalism," Modi tweeted. Twenty-seven people, including senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma, state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh were killed...
07:51 PM, May 26, 2013
Banka: Cracking the UPSC is a difficult proposition, especially for aspirants who live in Naxal-infested areas, with no access to proper coaching facilities. But all that has changed in Bihar's Banka district due to the efforts of District Magistrate Dipak Anand and his deputy Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mithilesh Mishra. Together, they conduct free coaching sessions for students taking the UPSC exam from this region. With no proper guidance, the youth in...
11:02 PM, May 15, 2013
Bhopal: Amid growing clamour to declare Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate of BJP, party vice president Uma Bharti on Sunday said that people look at him as a strong leader, as they want someone who can tackle issues like terrorism, naxalism. "Though I am not eligible to say whether Modi should be declared as BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate or not, I understand the psyche of...
12:20 PM, Apr 21, 2013
The Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Monday said that corruption is India's biggest problem and it is making the country weak. "Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi sacrificed their lives for country's independence but today politicians are misusing their powers. Common people are facing corruption in there daily life," the Tibetan leader said. ...
03:01 AM, Mar 12, 2013
The VHP passed a number of resolutions at the Maha Kumbh in Allahabad on Thursday, demanding sacking of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde for his 'Hindu terror' remarks and sought death penalty for rapists. ...
02:46 AM, Feb 08, 2013
Ahead of the Republic day, the Centre has asked the Naxal-affected states to intensify vigilin all sensitive areas to foil any attempt by the extremists to carry out violence. In an advisory, the Home Ministry said CPI (Maoist) would observe January 26 as "black day" and the observance is likely to be marked by hoisting of black flags, desecration of the national flag and other subversive activities in Bihar, Chhattisgarh,...
06:20 PM, Jan 24, 2013
Former Army chief General VK Singh on Monday blamed successive governments at the Centre and states for the rise of Naxalism in the country, noting that a host of issues like lack of development and violation of people's rights helped strengthening base of the ultras in the country. ...
05:47 PM, Jan 07, 2013
Observing that 19 out of 24 districts in Jharkhand are affected by Naxalism, Chief Minister Arjun Munda today made a strong pitch for granting a special status to the tribal state along with a central package to effectively deal with its various problems. Addressing the 57th National Development Council (NDC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Munda said, "The state should be provided with a special central package, without...
03:48 PM, Dec 27, 2012
Pune: Well-known character actor and comedian Paresh Rawal created a flutter when he said he felt frustrated by corruption and sometimes felt like picking up a gun. "Sometimes, I want to become a Naxalite, take a gun and shoot these politicians. They are third-rate, shameless people without any morality," Paresh declared. Paresh was speaking after a felicitation here Tuesday night where he was honoured by the Pu.La. Smruti Sanmaan at...
05:47 PM, Nov 07, 2012
Mumbai: Stating that rebellion is the right of every artist, veteran actor and filmmaker Girish Karnad today said reading or possessing books on Naxalism is not a crime. The 74-year-old playwright said Aseem Trivedi, the political cartoonist who was charged with sedition by Mumbai Police, and human rights activist Binayak Sen, accused by the Chhattisgarh Government of having links with Naxals, received different treatment in the cases in which they...
06:45 PM, Oct 05, 2012
New Delhi: HRD and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal slammed spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for his comment that government schools were a breeding ground for Naxals. "Sorry to hear his comments and this is not true. I studied in a government school and I am not a Naxalite," Sibal said. Earlier Sri Sri Ravi Shankar came out with a bizarre statement. The spiritual leader said that government schools were...
02:06 PM, Mar 21, 2012
