top of page

By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated,...

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated, highlighting the dramatic turnaround. He revealed that from approximately 100 Maoist cadres on record in January 2024, the number has plummeted to barely 10 individuals whose movements are now confined to a very small pocket of the Bhamragad sub-division in South Gadchiroli, near the Chhattisgarh border. “North Gadchiroli is now free of Maoism. The Maoists have to surrender and join the mainstream or face police action... there is no other option.” The SP attributes this success to a meticulously executed multi-pronged strategy encompassing intensified anti-Maoist operations, a robust Civic Action Programme, and the effective utilisation of Maharashtra’s attractive surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy. The Gadchiroli Police, especially the elite C-60 commandos, have achieved significant operational milestones. In the last three years alone, they have neutralised 43 hardcore Maoists and achieved a 100 per cent success rate in operations without police casualties for nearly five years. SP Neelotpal highlighted that the security forces have aggressively moved to close the “security vacuum,” which was once an estimated 3,000 square kilometres of unpoliced territory used by Maoists for training and transit. The establishment of eight new police camps/Forward Operating Bases (FoBs) since January 2023, including in the remote Abujhmad foothills, has been crucial in securing these areas permanently. Winning Hearts, Minds The Civic Action Programme has been deemed a “game changer” by the SP. Through schemes like ‘Police Dadalora Khidaki’ and ‘Project Udaan’, the police have transformed remote outposts into service delivery centres, providing essential government services and employment opportunities. This sustained outreach has successfully countered Maoist propaganda and, most critically, resulted in zero Maoist recruitment from Gadchiroli for the last few years. Surrender Wave The state’s progressive rehabilitation policy has seen a massive influx of surrenders. “One sentiment is common among all the surrendered cadres: that the movement has ended, it has lost public support, and without public support, no movement can sustain,” the SP noted. The surrender of key figures, notably that of Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias ‘Bhupathi,’ a CPI (Maoist) Politburo member, and his wife Sangeeta, was a “landmark development” that triggered a surrender wave. Since June 2024, over 126 Maoists have surrendered. The rehabilitation program offers land, housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and employment. Surrendered cadres are receiving skill training and are successfully transitioning into normal life, with around 70 already employed in the local Lloyds plant. A District Reborn The transformation of Gadchiroli is now moving beyond security concerns. With the decline of extremism, the district is rapidly moving towards development and normalcy. The implementation of development schemes, round-the-clock electricity, water supply, mobile towers, and new infrastructure like roads and bridges is being given top priority. He concludes that the police’s focus is now shifting from an anti-Maoist offensive to routine law-and-order policing, addressing new challenges like industrialisation, theft, and traffic management. With the Maoist movement in “complete disarray” and major strongholds like the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zone collapsing, the SP is highly optimistic. Gadchiroli is not just getting rid of the Naxal menace; it is embracing its future as a developing, peaceful district, well on track to meet the central government’s goal of eradicating Naxalism by March 31, 2026.

Manufacturing Menace

Updated: Nov 12, 2024

Manufacturing Menace

Every two in five workers employed in the formal manufacturing sector were on contract in Financial Year 2023, thus showing an increasing trend of contract-based employment in the country’s labour force. According to the additional Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), in 2023, a total of 14.61 million workers were employed by 2,53,000 factories across India. Of them, 5.95 million workers (40.7 per cent) were on contract the highest ever as compared to only 40.2 per cent in the preceding financial year. These workers are distinct from regular employees who have permanent or long-term employment status with social security benefits. Most of the contract labourers are underpaid and are being exploited in various ways. No government or political party has shown any interest to intervene in this grim issue.


Contract workers are employed by an industrial establishment through contractual agreements for a specified period or task. In the pre-Covid year, the share of contract workers stood at 38.4 per cent — only 5.02 million of the total 13.05 million workers were employed through contractors. Besides, data also showed that among the remaining directly employed workers in these factories, the share of women stagnated at 18.42 per cent.


But the government policies and the various amendments in to the Labour Law has made things more difficult for the working class. Centre as well as all the state governments including Maharashtra are taking advantage of the new laws. Employer friendly legislations are allowing the loot of the labourers.


As per the new labour laws notified on September 29, the Industrial Relations (IR) Code, 2020, companies can now convert permanent jobs into fixed-term contracts. The new guidelines have also permitted companies to hire contract workers directly through a fixed-term contract, which initially required companies to hire contract workers through a contractor. As mentioned above, according to the new labour law code of 2020, companies can omit the process of hiring fixed-term contract workers through a contractor. This will cut the middle man process, which was seen as an expensive and cumbersome process. According to industry experts, by eliminating the dependence of companies on contractors to hire fixed-term contract workers, permanent jobs in the market will be looked down upon. Under this enactment, contract workers will not only receive equal compensations as received by their permanent counterparts but also companies will hold the authority to hand out contractual jobs to their existing permanent workforce.


The amendments made by the government in the Act are favourable for employers. Employees are the most affected part of the economy, especially after the coronavirus outbreak. Most of the workers and labourers are at the receiving end. As no option is left before them, helpless employees have been pushed in a lurch.

Comments

bottom of page