MUMBAI: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said Maharashtra has achieved great success during the MahaYuti government tenure in breaking the supply chain of Maoists, and that not a single person has been recruited into their outfits and no member of the security forces has been martyred.
In his address at the meeting convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi to review the security and development in the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas, CM Shinde said the number of armed Maoist cadres which was 550 in 2013 is projected to decrease to 56 in 2024.
In the last six years, 96 armed Maoists were killed, 161 arrested and 70 surrendered making their leadership ineffective. "For the first time, North Gadchiroli has become free from armed Maoists. The Maoists' expansion plan from Abujhmad to MMC Zone has also suffered a major setback. A total of 19 villages in the Bhamragad area adjacent to Abujhmad, considered a stronghold of the Maoists, have imposed a village bandh on the Maoists. This is a big success of our development policy, " said the Chief Minister.
CM Shinde assured the state government’s support for the Centre’s strategies in tackling the LWE saying that the state government will also extend support to the neighbouring Chhattisgarh government in its action against Maoists. "Along with tackling Left-Wing Extremism, fear and terror have been controlled by implementing health, education and employment schemes to win the confidence of the local people. For the first time, state transport service will be started in vulnerable areas like Gardawada. Despite Maoists’ call to people not to vote by displaying banners and posters on a large scale, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Gadchiroli district topped the entire Maharashtra with a 71.88 voting percentage. The people rejected the Maoists’ call and expressed their faith in democracy, " he said.
The Chief Minister said that effective development work has been done in the areas of road infrastructure, Internet network, industry, health and education in the Maoist-affected areas. He further stated that an MOU has been signed with Lloyd Metals Limited, which will invest Rs 20, 000 crore in Khonsari of Gadchiroli district. This will create 10, 000 jobs.
According to the Chief Minister, Surjagad Ispat Limited is going to establish an Integrated Steel Plant in Aheri Tehsil with an investment of Rs 10, 000 crore and the project will generate 7, 000 jobs for the local people. Surjagad Mine, which has been in operation since 2021, will provide the material for the new project. To promote investment and employment, six more iron ore mines have also been auctioned, he said.
"With the aim to skill our tribal youth, a state-of-the-art Centre for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training has been started in Gadchiroli in collaboration with Tata Technologies. The Centre, which was inaugurated in November 2023, will train 4, 800 students annually, " said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister appealed to the Centre to provide financial assistance under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme and also additional funds to set up more Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in the Maoist-affected areas. He also said there is a need for special training programmes for Maharashtra Police in counter-insurgency and anti-Maoist operations. Besides, he demanded additional deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and new armed posts in these districts.