Odisha Has Achieved Remarkable Success in Tackling LWE under Leadership of CM Naveen Patnaik: Arukha

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Odisha has achieved a remarkable success in tackling Left Wing Extremism (LWE) under the strong leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said State Finance Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah today chaired a high-level meeting on LWE in New Delhi. Finance Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha attended the meeting on behalf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena and DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal were also present in the meeting.

The Odisha Finance Minister said that due to the people-centric policies and developmental initiatives of the State Government, there has been a significant change in the situation of the most affected areas.

The sphere of influence of the CPI (Maoist) has been reduced from 21 districts to limited pockets of 10 districts, he said.

The intensity of violence has decreased and the recruitment of local cadres into the Maoist organizations has decreased due to the massive popular support to the Government, he further stated.

The LWE-free areas have seen significant changes due to the proactive development initiatives and welfare policies of the State Government, the Finance Minister said.

The security forces have brought complete control and dominance to Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri district, once a stronghold of the Maoists. The region has been part of the socio-economic-political mainstream by making remarkable progress in all areas of development. There has been a visible change in the life and livelihood of people following the construction of Gurupriya Setu, Arukha said.

At the LWE review meeting, the Finance Minister has demanded the Centre to provide dedicated helicopter for the security forces deployed in tackling LWE in the State. He also demanded to speed up installation of mobile towers in various mobile connectivity schemes.