-IANS   Citing non-development as the main reason why maoists are flourishing, union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Saturday said the government needed to focus on growth, political dialogue and police action to tackle the guerrillas. "The maoists and Naxals have flourished here because these areas have remained undeveloped for long. A lot needs to be done for the people there so that they get their basic needs. The key focus should be...

-The Telegraph   The Supreme Court today diluted its July order asking the Centre and states to stop using special police officers in their war against Naxalites or other internal terror, clarifying it would now be confined only to Chhattisgarh. The Centre had urged the top court to clarify or modify its July 5, 2011, order saying it would “hamper” internal security measures in states and lead to “chaos”. Besides Chhattisgarh, there are SPOs...

Bench modifies July 5 judgment, on Centre's plea The Supreme Court has modified its July 5 order banning appointment of special police officers (SPOs) in naxal-affected States and said it would apply only to Chhattisgarh. The Centre, in its application filed in August, sought recall of the order insofar as it pertained to references against the Union Government in paragraphs 75 (ii) and 76 on the ground that they were against the...

-The Telegraph Assam has managed to secure an exclusive meeting with the Planning Commission wherein it would make a strong case for a state-specific development strategy. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi revealed this here today during an interaction with reporters. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured him of arranging a full-fledged meeting with the plan panel during his meeting with the former in Delhi early this week. According to a senior official of...

-The Telegraph   The Bengal government today pulled out of its hat Jagori Baskey, once a feared member of the maoist action squad and a purported ace shot, saying that the woman and her husband had surrendered this morning. Conflicting versions flew about Jagori’s current status in the maoist outfit and the actual time of the surrender, the announcement of which at Writers’ this afternoon coincided with a dramatic escalation in hostilities between...