Odisha: CM seeks waiver of central force deployment charges

BHUBANESWAR: In the wake of the Covid-induced economic slowdown, depletion of revenue and requirement of more funds to address the healthcare crisis, the state government on Thursday urged the Centre to waive the charges of Rs 4,561.23 crore towards the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in the Maoist-affected districts of Odisha.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested him to direct the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to waive the pending charges towards the deployment of the central forces in the districts affected by Left-wing extremism (LWE).
Currently, 10 of the 30 districts in Odisha are affected by Left-wing extremism (LWE). These include Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Bargarh, Balangir, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Kandhamal, and Sundargarh. At present, about 48 companies of Border Security Force (BSF) and 34 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are stationed in these districts.
Naveen said the LWE should be dealt with by both the Centre and the state. “Naxal violence has spread to large areas of our country. LWE is a national issue and poses grave internal security threat to the integrity of the nation. This major challenge has to be address by both the Centre and the state governments jointly,” Naveen wrote to Modi. He said the state government has been spending from its own scanty resources to create and deploy security forces amid its tight fiscal situation. Around 15 battalions have been raised and 30,000 posts in the state police cadre created to fight the LWE menace.
“Considering the fact that addressing LWE is an issue of joint responsibility, the state government has been doing a lot to combat the menace. The Centre may appreciate the difficulties of states like Odisha while charging for such deployment of central forces for dealing with LWE. I request you to kindly consider the matter and direct the MHA to waive the amount,” he said.
All states except the few special category ones such as the northeast, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are required to bear the full charges for deployment of CAPFs in their states.