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In the worst-affected Naxal areas, govt schemes are the hardest hit by Amitabh Sinha, Ravish Tiwari

As states get together to launch security operations, official data from the first-ever study done of the country’s 33 districts hardest hit by Naxalites, shows an abysmal record of government expenditure on basic amenities, including health, education, roads, electricity and child care.

In fact, the evidence couldn’t be more stark: the expenditure in a state’s Naxal-affected districts is merely a fraction of the figure for the rest of the state (see chart).

Worst figures are in four states which account for 28 of the 33 worst-affected districts, officially called LWE (Left Wing Extremism) districts: Jharkhand (10 districts), Chhattisgarh (seven), Orissa (five) and Bihar (six). This is the classic vicious circle, say officials.

The security situation in these districts is the key hurdle to government schemes and because these schemes can’t be implemented, there’s lack of development and governance which, in turn, helps Naxalites to step in and use to their advantage.

Data also shows that state governments have been lackadaisical in awarding forest titles to tribals under the ST & Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. In the Naxal-affected districts in Bihar, for example, titles were distributed to just a third of all claims filed by tribals; in Jharkhand, that figure was only 15 per cent.

Some telling examples:

• Gumla district, Jharkhand: Institutional delivery of babies is just 10 per cent, minimum among the 33 worst Naxal-affected districts, and yet the utilisation of funds under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is just above 20 per cent while the overall figure for the state is above 50 per cent.

• Kanker district, Chhattisgarh: The SC/ST population is over 60 per cent and yet the utilization of funds under the rural job guarantee scheme less than five percent despite the fact that, nationally, SC/STs account for the most beneficiaries under the scheme.

• Malkangiri, Orissa: Literacy levels are less than 25 per cent and yet utilization of funds under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) is less than four per cent.

• Aurangabad, Bihar: Fund utilization under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is less than 10 percent while the state’s corresponding figure is almost 110 per cent.

A high-level Central team led by Secretary, Planning Commission, Sudha Pillai held three videoconference meetings (in September, November, and January) with Chief Secretaries and senior state officers. “We are monitoring these schemes and will remain focused on state governments. Though this is data on financial expenditure, it gives a fair idea of progress of these schemes. We will very soon visit the field for a physical review of progress,” Pillai told The Sunday Express. “Naxal violence has been a constant irritant in rolling out these schemes but with increased security cover, we hope to bridge this development deficit as swiftly as possible.”