The Union Home Minister described Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) as one of the nation's key internal securityc hallenges during a review meeting on LWE. These extremists target the police, schools, and other government institutions as symbols of the country's power.
Determinants of left-wing extremism in eastern India:
1. Land related issues: Evasion of land ceiling laws, poor implementation of 5th schedule, displacement and forced eviction.
2. Livelihood related factors: Disruption of traditional occupation, food security issues, etc
3. Social exclusion: Denial of dignity, untouchability, poor implementation of special law such as Scheduled Caste and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
4. Governance related issues: corruption, no last mile connectivity, ill-trained and poorly motivated public personnel, misuse of power, unsatisfactory working of PRIs, etc.
Strategy that should be followed by the Government of India, civil administration and security forces.
1. Government of India:
● Inclusive development- A larger share of the revenue generated by mining activities must be set aside for local development.
● Ensuring accountability and transparency - auditing actual scheme implementation of the schemes along with local grievance redressal.
● Perception management - through civic action plans and media programs.
2. Civil Administration
● Improved governance- Ensuring proper implementation of the policies such as Van Bandhu Kalyan Scheme, PM Gram Sadak Yojana, etc.
● Ensuring right and entitlements of forest dwellers by proper implementation of acts like Forest rightsa ct, PESA etc.
3. Security Forces
● Modernisation and Improved Training- Training in cyber-forensics, data gathering, counter offensiveo perations.
● Localised response and better intelligence sharing.
● The involvement of government at all levels in combating left-wing extremism is critical for effective reaction. It is important to eliminate the threat of such extremist groups for the holistic last-mile development of ‘New India’.