Centre announces Rs 6bn package
for Bihar to combat extremism
The Centre today announced a Rs6 billion package for Bihar to help the state government adopt a three-pronged strategy to combat the menace of extremist groups and private armies that has taken a toll of more than 100 lives in the past few months.
The package was finalised during a five-hour meeting Union Home Secretary B P Singh had with Bihar Chief Secretary Vijay Shanker Dubey and Director General of Police T P Sinha to review the law-and-order scenario in 11 violence-torn districts of the state.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the home secretary said Rs2.5 billion would be released immediately to the state government for modernisation of the police force and initiation of developmental schemes in the troubled areas.
The Centre has also promised to give Rs1 billion exclusively for Jehanabad district, scene of four recent massacres, for construction of 33,000 small dwelling units for those living below the poverty line. This is essentially to dissuade those joining the private armies and extremist outfits and to provide them with livelihoods.
Singh said that once the Centre receives the funds usage certificate from the authorities concerned, another sum of Rs2.5 billion would be made available to the state.
Conceding the state government's requests for more central forces, Singh announced that in addition to the 10 companies already being despatched to Bihar, the Centre would send 10 more.
He said the state government should not have any grievance now as the Centre has made available 54 companies of paramilitary forces. He said the Bihar administration had now been asked to concentrate more on generating rural employment, expediting the pace of development, and implementing land reforms.
Singh promised that the Centre would not hesitate to give more funds once it receives a concrete action plan for implementation in the eleven affected districts of the state.
He said the state government had informed the Centre that it had sanctioned Rs1.2 billion so far for construction of 115 different roads adding up to 4,500km, but faced a funds crunch, and said the Centre would like to provide funds in consultation with the road construction agencies.
Bihar Chief Secretary Dubey said the government had decided to set up special courts for speedy disposal of land-related cases. This, he said, would help the district magistrates to settle all land disputes in the next six months.
UNI
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