Rajnath to review security in Maoist-hit states

Nearly a fortnight after Maoists killed 25 CRPF troopers in Chhattisgarh, the Centre will hold a ministerial-level review meeting on Monday to discuss security issues in Maoist-affected states.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the meeting at the Vigyan Bhavan here, to be attended by Chief Ministers of 10 Maoist-hit states and other union ministers, a Home Ministry official said.

"Operational issues, infrastructure and logistics requirement to combat the Maoists will also be taken up at the meeting," the official added.

At least 106 districts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are affected by Maoist violence.

Officials of the ministry's Left Wing Extremism Division -- which monitors the situation in Maoist-hit states -- will also participate.

On April 24, 25 Central Reserve Police Force men were killed in Sukma area of Chhattisgarh. Twelve CRPF men were killed in Maoist attack in Sukma earlier on March 11.

The Minister had convened a meeting of Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra and Jharkhand in February 2015 to review security in the three worst affected districts of Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh.

--IANS

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