While claiming that the influence of Naxalites was limited to Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts, Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharitha said their number came down to just 50 as reforms initiated by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy facilitated development of tribal areas though a lot more remained to be done.
Speaking to mediapersons after taking part in a review meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Sunday, Ms. Sucharitha said that welfare schemes were reaching remote tribal areas through village secretariats.
The Naxals used to hold sway there previously but their influence had reduced in recent years. It was a known fact that Naxalism had gained ground due to the backwardness of tribal areas, she said.
The erstwhile People’s War Group and CPI (Maoist) were flourishing at that time, which is no longer the case as governments focused on improving the lives of tribal folks.
The A.P. government laid emphasis on infrastructure creation, health and education, which were crucial to wean away disgruntled elements from joining the banned organisation, she observed.
Ms. Sucharitha said she requested Mr. Shah to give necessary approvals for laying roads through the tribal areas and for providing 4-G mobile connectivity.
She also wanted sanction for a larger number of Eklavya residential schools to provide tribal youth access to education, the lack of which had been their bane.
Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das and Director General of Police D. Gautam Sawang also took part in the deliberations.
