HYDERABAD: A new scheme has been finalised to develop "remote and interior" villages affected by naxalite activity by laying roads and electricity and helping families rise above the poverty line through income-generating initiatives.

This is part of a two-pronged strategy adopted by the Government to wean the rural youth from the influence of naxalites -- to intensify combing operations on one hand and provide benefits of development to them on the other. A new Remote and Interior Areas Development Department has been created in the Secretariat to oversee the implementation of the scheme, which will be grounded shortly.

Fifteen districts have been identified under the scheme on the basis of the naxalite-related incidents so far. They are Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Anantapur, Kurnool, Mahaubnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Khammam. Nellore may be dropped from the list as the presence of ultras in this area is relatively less and instead, Medak, Nalgonda, and Cuddapah may be included.

About five lakh families in 3,000 villages across 280 mandals in these districts have been identified for the scheme for which Rs. 400 crores is proposed to be spent. It will be drawn from connected departments like Panchayat Raj, Roads & Buildings, AP Transco, etc.

Unique features

According to J. C. Mohanty, Principal Secretary of the new department, the scheme will have two unique features--a family-level action plan going to the very roots of the individual poverty, and village-wise action plan which aims at providing facilities like roads, electricity, drinking water and education.

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