Jairam's Priority: Development In Naxal-Hit Zones
Author:
First published in Sanctuary Asia,
Vol. 31
No. 7,
July 2011
The Rural Development Ministry under Jairam Ramesh is moving fast to use development as a tool to fight Naxalism. After his visit to the Naxal-hit districts in Chhattisgarh, the minister was face to face with the harsh reality.
"The situation is very grim, very serious in Narayanpur, Bijapur, Kanker. In large number of panchayats, anywhere between 30 to 50 per cent there are no rural development programmes taking place," Ramesh said.
Naxal-hit areas are in deep forests, far from state capitals, mineral rich and tribal dominated. The trust deficit only adds to the problems of implementing development programmes which in turn adds to the alienation of people. Read the full report here.
Source: Rupashree Nanda, CNN-IBN, IBN Live, New Delhi.
