Recently DG CRPF has made a statement saying that
the Naxals are our own people, they are not from outside and CRPF is operating
within the country and not facing the enemy as a border guarding force. So that
is why we have to be selective in our action against Maoists. He meant to home
on to the point that these are our own misguided people and thus
the strategy to conduct operations against our own people has to be different. In
a sense we keep talking to them to find solutions to their purported grievances
while at the same time deal with their armed cadres firmly to contain and defeat
them thus bringing them to the negotiating table when our forces have an upper hand. This is normal strategy.
Naxalism is not a challenge only for the present day governments
at center and state alone but for our
entire polity. There is no doubt that
the tactics of these groups to grab maximum attention they resort to very barbaric
tactics which are not only inhuman which deserve the maximum condemnation. It
is well known that they have no respect for human and democratic values and
they needed to tackle with all the might at our command. But at the same time
since they are so well entrenched in their areas of operations it is obvious
that naxals cannot be merely treated as a law and order problem alone.
Therefore force is not the only answer but surely more concerted efforts are
required to eradicate reasons for growth and proliferation of the naxalite
ideology. The need is to hit at its support base and thus reduce the breeding
grounds of their cadre. Taking this argument to an actionable scale is the key
to solution and which may ultimate game changer in our fight against Naxals. The
solution is initiating a new process which is dynamic and gets results in quick
time frames. This solution has to be two pronged instead of not the usual immediate hit back as hard response. The one
of the two prongs will be an effort to eradicate the causes and build
confidence in new programmes to solve problems faced by locals by being proactive all the time and the second
prong will be to contain and corner them
so that they come to the negotiating table.
THE NEW MODEL
The major reason for the disgruntled elements to form these
groups to militarily challenge the lawfully established and elected governments
is our skewed development model of distributing development goodies
inequitably. This model started by our leaders with all good intentions
actually failed to be flexible enough to meet the emerging challenges. This
model was never challenged or audited by independent bodies so as to bring its
fault lines to anybody notice. If at all any auditing of the development model
has been done- it has been actually done by the promoters of this very model
hence there is always a tendency not to
find fault and let the same system carry
on with minor cosmetic changes. The system has been allowed to continue because the persons
operating have a premeditated thought
process that it is not required to change the established system and let it stay thereby actually glossing over all the noticed flaws and fissures. If some bold,
intelligent and a person thinking beyond the immediate pay earning syndrome has
tried to bring about the need to change the system radically he has always been
in minority.
Keeping this as the backdrop -What next should be our agenda
action plan to meet the challenge thrown by Maoists? Everybody knows that this
war against our own people has to be
waged not for their bodies but for their hearts and minds. Time has now come to
understand the disparity of distribution of development spectrum or the
development sunshine across the country. Most naxalite affected areas are
basically those in which there has been development drought resulting in
glaring disparity and deficiency when compared with developed areas of our
country. These areas lack in basic infrastructure of education, health and
communications. They are totally devoid
of any development activity therefore they breed contempt against the state as
local people perceive that their areas
are being constantly exploited by the state by mining and tapping of the rich
mineral resources while giving nothing or very little to them in return in form
of development.
Time has now come to dump the old
development model and look for a new model or a process. We need to formulate
and initiate this new model post haste. The first step which needs to start the
process is to immediately bring excellent governance to the people who have
been deprived of it from long.
As most of these areas are remote
time has now come to reverse the present model and process of development. In the
present model the administration is delivered from already developed cities and
towns as these provide the cushy places for the state administrative echelons
to operate from.
To achieve this the next logical step is to gather voluntary
human resource in addition to one which is already posted in these areas. This
human resource has to be enthusiastic, morally upright, hard working and which
is ready to take calculated risk. This can be done by asking for volunteers pan INDIA from amongst all
India services like IAS ,IPS and allied services to serve in these affected states thus not
limiting the numbers which want to participate in this national effort which
otherwise would have been limited to the
cadres of these affected states only. We can ask volunteers who are
willing especially from amongst young technical from IIT’s and non technical educated graduate/post
graduates from management institutes like IIM’s and other top ranking management
institutes who are willing to be part of
this process. These persons so selected can be on contract to be later absorbed in the services depending upon
their merit, dedication, application of mind , results and delivery of
programs. Mind you there are thousands educated youth unemployed wanting to
participate in this honorable national task with honesty. Let us be optimistic
in assuming that our youth are interested and willing to take risks while participating
in the process of in national building .
Let the government also ask volunteers from military and corporate world who
would be willing to participate in this process of re-establishing the new
development model in these difficult areas. As this model has to be
established, run and settled in the most difficult terrain areas, interiors of jungles,
inaccessible and remote areas to provide good governance it will not be very
easy or a cushy job. We are sure that we still have 20% people from the above
mentioned human resources who have the honesty and intellect to be the
harbingers of this change while ushering in this new model. Next we will need
to give administrative and judicial powers to the cutting edge cadres of this
change. Also they need to be provided with basic amenities
and incentives to build motivation and morale amongst these volunteers need to operate and perform in very harsh conditions
.
It will be far wiser to spend and establish infrastructure
in these remote places than spend on raising more para - military battalions
which actually will be a wasteful expenditure without yielding the desired
results. It is of no use raising armed battalions without removing the causes which
propel, breed and encourage the maoist/ naxal activities and leading to the
vicious cycle of training para military
cadres-encounters- training more cadres and more encounters and cadre training.
Now let us look at the scenario which
is there . There are what are called remote areas - to simply put these remote
areas are places which are far removed in time, distance and communications of
all types from already developed areas . These remote areas are lacking in administrative,
judicial and legal support infrastructure and other amenities which are
otherwise is being enjoyed by residents
of the developed areas .
Time has now come actually to leave
the well established administrative set ups in the developed areas in the hands
of junior officials. This can be done because in these developed areas they
have well established executive, judicial and legislative systems .In
these seats of power at district/tehsil level the government be it central or
state has already put lot of development funds to provide all types of
amenities. The people of these areas are generally educated, well versed and
more aware of their rights and they have access to judicial remedies against
repression like RTI. But such is not the case with the residents of the remote areas.
The time has now come for the top echelons of the
district/tehsil officials to go and establish their new offices in midst of the
remote places to provide just and fast administrative succor to the so far
deprived masses. In doing so the state will be cutting the root of the naxalite
propaganda tree which thrives on such lines like that there is no government
representative to listen and solve your problems or the government in the
centre/state is not sincere in solving your problems etc. In this there will be
a need to allocate extra funds for development in the hands of the newly formed
task force which should honestly spend these funds to kick start and speed up
the development process avoiding typical red tape delays.We need to make a blue print and act
on it fast before more and more districts of our country come under the
category of disturbed areas.
TIME HAS COME TO MAKE THE AREAS
TERMED "REMOTE" BECOME AS “NEAREST" BY PROVIDING ALL THE BASIC AMENITIES,
INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS . All this is achievable because the
systems to establish these facilities have become very fast, sure and very
developed due to scientific innovations as compared to the methods and
facilities available when we started our development journey six decades back.
We need to dovetail these new methods and processes in our new development
model for faster , surer and timely delivery of these in these hitherto fore
deprived and remote areas.
This requires prompt action as delay to deliver development
models on part of administrative authorities normally leads to suspecting
governments intentions. The basic focus should be to bring in programmes to act
on the heart and minds of people which are fertile grounds for sowing the seeds
of naxalism or otherwise. Speedy and transparent actions with good intentions
will be the essence of this model.
This has to be done on a war footing as actually we are
fighting a war where we are trying to just limit or eradicate a well
established thought process. This new model will provide tools for amelioration
of the genuine grievances of the area populace and thus these actions will
deprive this naxal propaganda machine the reasons of the very being or basis of
the outlawed organisation.
The need is to make the new district
headquarters in remote and inaccessible areas permanent cannot be
overemphasized. This has to be done so that people here do not view these as
methods which are temporary and emergency/knee jerk reactions to naxal menace
but they should actually believe in the redesigned model which has been
customised to address their area's specific needs rather than a template method
which is otherwise the case in all our development models.
What will be the most important
element of this EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of the earlier development model will be
the reversal of present model TO MAKE THESE remote areas into the BEEHIVES of
development activity and centers of excellent governance. In addition of course
will be the WILL ,COURAGE, PERSONAL COMMITMENT AND MORALE OF THE CHANGE MAKERS
of these volunteers.
As this model actually will be the
model of future so that country ‘s growth process is equality driven,fair and
just. We need this because in our country which has millions who are still
illiterate, poor,living in remote/faraway places , living in tribes and people
dependent on jungle for their livelihood . This model will cater to the needs
of these deprived people who have lost the will to raise their voice against
the atrocities perpetuated on them by the system as well as by the their so
called protectors from the abusive system - the politicians and bureaucrats.
Today there are naxals/ Maoists’ in some areas tomorrow
there will be some others who are dissatisfied . What we need to do is to set
our own house in order and do it fastest before it is too late. As pointed out
by evidence that Pakistan supplied or procured weapons are with naxals and this
goes on to prove our charge that there are elements in Pakistan who in a
clandestine manner are supporting our home grown insurgencies. All the above
entails that we start the new process on an emergency basis and quickly as if
we have to do something before an expiry date!
Lt Col (Retd) Jasjit Singh Gill
09872458161
43 Defence Colony
B R S Nagar
Ludhiana 141012
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