Day 75 – Q 4.How can skill development and promotion of rural entrepreneurship address the challenge of Naxalism in the tribal pockets of India? Examine.
4. How can skill development and promotion of rural entrepreneurship address the challenge of Naxalism in the tribal pockets of India? Examine.
कौशल विकास और ग्रामीण उद्यमिता का संवर्धन भारत के आदिवासी क्षेत्र में नक्सलवाद की चुनौती को कैसे हल कर सकता है? जांच करें।
Introduction:
The Maoist problem has been identified by many experts and leaders, including the Prime Minister, as the most serious internal security challenge that the country is faced with. In this regard, improved governance and effective implementation of development schemes, in the form of skill development, can help overcome the challenge of Naxalism.
Body
- The Maoist/Naxal movement in India is among the longest and most lethal homegrown insurgencies that the world has seen. While the origin of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in India goes back to the Telangana peasant rebellion (1946-51), the movement took the young republic by storm in 1967.
- It was formed to fight for the cause of peasants and the landless, the armed militia launched a series of daring attacks, assassinations and bombings targeting landlords, upper-caste leaders and politicians. The movement has seen many periods of ups and downs where its spread across India progressively increased into the tribal regions of central India.
Map – Current spread of CPI-Maoist
TLP Phase 1 – Day 75 Synopsis
- To address issues of education and employment in Maoist affected regions, the Ministry of Skills Development & Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) launched two new schemes, namely, ‘Skill Development in 47 LWE affected districts’ and ‘Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)’ for creating infrastructure and providing employment linked skill training to youth in affected areas.
- Further, undertaking “Skill Development Programme”, which includes inhouse training, aimed at equipping tribal youth to acquire the necessary knowledge, skill and proficiency in the operation of Mine/Plant to help them in seeking employment can help in attracting the youth.
- Paying appropriate stipend during the period of the programme and offer free/subsidised breakfast, lunch, uniforms, tool kits, etc along with establishment of ITI/ Polytechnic Colleges exclusively for tribal youth providing entire infrastructure facilities, including residential quarters and hostel buildings for students, to develop local talent suiting to the needs of the industry.
- These measures can help towards leaning away the tribal youth from the clutches of naxalites as many analysts have shown that in the absence of viable employment opportunities, youth tend to take up arms. Also tribal youth form the foot soldiers of Naxal/Maoist movement where ideological motivations are minimum.
- Such an approach can be seen to have succeeded in Andhra Pradesh where the core component of the counter-insurgency strategy was what is called “winning hearts and minds”: cutting down the influence of the Maoists by undertaking development and good-governance measures to address the grievances of the civilian population sympathetic to the insurgent cause, including the tribal communities.
- The Andhra Pradesh state succeeded in stamping out left-wing extremism by combining police action with socio-economic programmes implemented by an effective service delivery mechanism.
- In present times too, at the national level such an approach has helped in controlling the Naxal movement. The chart clearly shows it.
Chart – Rapid decline in Maoist-related fatalities
TLP Phase 1 – Day 75 Synopsis
Conclusion
After many years of indifference, half-steps and ad hoc measures, both India’s central and state governments have found their foothold against the Maoist insurgency that at its pinnacle may have seemed invincible. This seems to have been possible due to Indian state’s combined both population-centric and enemy-centric approaches in dealing with the Maoist insurgency where skilling tribal youth is playing an important role.
