Causes:
Political Factors
- Nature and apathy of the political system towards tribals remained one of the most important factors that led to such uprisings.
- Inability of political authority in India to provide avenues for structural uplift to the deprived sections of society in the affected states.
- Lack of political participation by the tribal community
- Poverty and economic inequality and underdevelopment in the naxal affected regions.
- Entry of mining companies in Tribal lands and forests, posing threat to the livelihood of the tribals.
- Indigenous tribal population deprived of their lands, uprooted from their traditional source of livelihood.
- The benefits of the resource exploitation are not passed on the tribals.
Environmental Degradation
- Environmental degradation in the form of destruction of land and water resources due to mining and industrial activates.
Lack of basic facilities
- Lack of basic facilities like education, freedom, sanitation and food.
- The socially backward tribals form the major support base for Naxalites because of inequality, illiteracy and lack of opportunities.
Reasons for the reversals faced by CRPF in fight against Naxals
- Lack of a common plan across the states
- Lack of coordination between state police and Central forces.
- Inadequate training and combat capability of forces in Maoism affected states.
- Lack of institutionalized intelligence sharing between states and regions.
- Naxalites are well versed with terrain which gives them a substantial upper hand in armed struggle.
- Operation Green Hunt: started in 2010 and massive deployment of security forces was done in the naxal-affected areas. From 223 districts that were affected due to naxalism in the year 2010, the number has come down to 90 in nine years.
- Aspirational Districts Programme
- The Government’s approach is to deal with Left Wing Extremism in a holistic manner, in the areas of security, development, ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities, improvement in governance and public perception management
- ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ being State subjects, action on maintenance of law and order lies primarily in the domain of the State Governments.
- Filling up critical infrastructure gaps under the Scheme for Special Infrastructure in Left Wing Extremism affected States.
- ‘National Policy and Action Plan to address Left Wing Extremism’, aimed at eliminating the menace in the shortest possible timeframe.
- Anti-left-wing extremism (LWE) policy to enhance the deployment of central forces in the Naxal infested areas in the state.
Ways to end Naxalism in India
- Good governance
- The presence of Naxals in the country also reveals the loopholes in the law and order of the country which has failed to curb the menace.
- Central government needs to implement a coherent national strategy to end Naxalism.
- Dialogue
- a) Dialogues between the Naxal leaders, and the government officials can be a way work out a solution.
- b) The government should initiate sincere dialogue with Naxalites.
- Generate more employment and increase wages
- a) Insecure livelihood and unemployment in the areas have left the people with no option but to join the Naxals.
- b) If we are actually thinking of ways to end Naxalism, we’ll first have to provide the people of the area with proper employment opportunities with increased wages
- Rehabilitation and resettlement
- mining grounds, irrigation areas, industries, etc., in the area without any provision for the resettlement of the displaced people has only added to the woes of the poor
- There needs to be more emphasis on rehabilitation of these affected population
- Remove disparity
- Economic disparity and the growing distance between rich and the poor is one of the main problems that has contributed to the growth of Naxalism
- This distance needs to be filled to an extent hastily to stop Naxalism
- Take steps for welfare of the tribals
- The socially backward tribals form the major support base for Naxalites because of inequality, illiteracy and lack of opportunities.
- It’s important to prevent these people from falling in the Naxal trap.
- Modernize law enforcement agencies
- the major policing lies in the hands of the state governments
- At federal level, many agencies are under the command of Union Ministry of Home Affairs
- Central government must inroads into these disturbed states with their agencies well-equipped with modern artillery and assist the usually poorly-equipped agencies of the state.
Need of the Hour:
- Central and State governments, the administration and the security establishment need to recognise that the movement cannot be approached from a purely law and order point of view.
- The process of improving the conditions of the poor and the tribals clearly need to be speeded up if the movement is to be effectively checked.
- Winning the hearts and minds of the tribal population and other marginalised groups will lie at the core of the counter-insurgency strategy
- Providing incentives and alternate life support system to those surrendered
Conclusion:
- Through a holistic approach focusing on development and security related interventions, the LWE problem can be successfully tackled.
- An ideology based on violence and annihilation is doomed to fail in a democracy which offers legitimate forums of grievance redressal.
