Environment Min blamed for spread of Naxalism
New Delhi: After Union Minister Kamal Nath, it's the turn of Union Minister Jairam Ramesh to invite criticism from the Planning Commission. The Commission has blamed the Environment ministry for the spread of Naxalism in the nation.
The Commission says the Environment ministry is not clearing numerous developmental projects in the Naxal-affected areas even as the National Development Council says the Environment clearances are taking too long and projects take anywhere between three to five years to get clearance.
Sonia's sandesh that Naxalism can be tackled if development reaches the aam tribal is now a message that the Plan panel is hearing loud and clear. The National Development Council meeting on Saturday, called by the Prime Minister, is all set to rap states for paying lip service to tribal development. CNN IBN has accessed a Planning Commission note on Naxalism which says not a single state has notified the rules for the all powerful Panchayat Extension of Scheduled Areas Act which will help develop tribal areas. The act was passed in 1996.
The report says the failure to implement PESA has proved to be fertile ground for the spread of Naxalism in the country. The 11th Plan has reached out to only a fifth of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups against a target of 110 lakh beneficiaries. And, only one fourth of the tribals have so far got land title deeds, with Jharkhand being one of the worst offenders.
Political reactions are predictable as they blame the Opposition. CPM leader Brinda Karat says the Trinamool has not allowed tribals to collect tendu patta leaf. However, the Congress says it is committed to the aam aadmi.
As the debate on how to tackle Naxalism heats up, even the ruling Congress is not shying away from heaping the blame on the Home ministry for getting its strategy all wrong. But going by the Plan panel' statistics on what successive governments have done to improve the lot of our tribals, it appears that the debate is limited to paying lip service.
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