Bihar's progress slow in developing Naxal-hit areas

The IAP seeks to boost development activities in naxal affected districts in order to stop people from being lured in anti-national activities

The government of Bihar has many claims on raising the state’s economic growth but the Planning Commission has expressed concern over under-utilisation of funds meant for development schemes in districts affected by the left-wing extremists there.

Officials in the know said the state had spent 65.3 per cent of the total funds allocated under the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for such districts, much lower than the 75 per cent utilisation criterion.

The IAP seeks to boost development activities in Naxal-affected districts to stop people being lured into such activity. Started in 2010-11, it covers 82 districts in nine Naxal-affected states. The states are Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. It was scheduled to end after three years. In Bihar, 11 districts are covered under the IAP.

Officials said the Commission expressed its displeasure on IAP progress in Bihar at a recent review with senior officials from the state. Such meetings are also due with officials from other affected states.

Officials said so far around Rs 635 crore had been released to Bihar under the IAP. The state government had utilised 414 crore till last month. Of the 17,590 projects sanctioned, 13,815 projects had been completed, about 80 per cent.

In all, the central government has till date sanctioned around Rs 6,090 crore for IAP in the 82 impacted districts, of which Rs 4,637 crore or 76.1 per cent has been used. Bihar’s record is less than this overall average.

In all across the Naxal-hit states, the Centre has sanctioned 113,672 projects, of which 88,544 projects have been completed in the past three years.