What are the determinants of left-wing extremism in Eastern part of India? What strategy should the Government of India, civil administration and security forces adopt to counter the threat in the affected areas?.(UPSC IAS Mains 2020 General Studies Paper – 3)
Left Wing Extremism (LWE) organizations are the groups that try to bring change through violent revolution. They are against democratic institutions and use violence to subvert the democratic processes at ground level.
Determinants of Left-Wing Extremism in Eastern Part of India
- India’s land reform policy: The land reform policies of India could not be successful in some parts of the nation post-independence, which led to the growth of Maoists and Naxals in India.
- Tribal issues: Tribals face exploitation and harassment from government and corporate bodies to extract resources since eastern region is rich in natural resources including forests, minerals and mines. Also, issues of trafficking of women and girls are mostly seen among tribal groups.
- Development deficit and forced displacement: In this region, people are solely dependent on the primary sector since the region has significant natural resources. Exploitation of the natural resources for economic progress has led to the forceful displacement of tribal which results into the alienation of tribal community.
- Government deficit: Government is unable to provide sufficient education facilities, basic healthcare facilities, employment, etc. in eastern part of India. Also, there are issues related to law and order and grievance redressal. Poor implementation of special laws and mismanagement of schemes like PDS.
Strategies to be taken to counter such menace:
- Innovative measures are required to be employed in preventing IED (Improvised Explosive Device) related incidents which have caused significant casualties in recent years.
- States play a vital role in maintaining law and order. So, emphasis should be laid on the capacity-building and modernization of the local police forces. Local forces can efficiently and effectively neutralize the LWE organizations.
- States should rationalize their surrender policy to bring innocent individuals caught in the trap of LWE in the mainstream.
- Rehabilitation plans for surrendered Naxalites.
- National Policy and Action plan to address LWE.
For the holistic last-mile development of “New India”, it is necessary to get rid of the menace of such radicalized groups and the synergized efforts of the Centre and the States are crucial in achieving the same.
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