Introduction :- 

Democracy has been hailed as the true and authentic voice of people, working for both their tangible and intangible interests. In a meaningful democracy, political stability and working within the conventional framework of law and ethics are the two most desired virtues. People across continents have long cherished the dream of living under healthy governance, which has led to their reaffirming the mandate for constitutionally approved governments irrespective of their efficiency levels or experience. Sometimes there is a limit to all that people can brook. Their faith in legal system fails them, the popular government becomes a toy in the hands of industrial bourgeoisieand capitalist entrepreneurs, they lose the power to govern even the aspects of their own lives and there is a sense of simmering anarchy. This is not a passing mood- it has been born out of a strong sense of being wronged and alienated amidst their land and property.

Naxalism : Expression of Socio-Economic View / Law & Order Problem The year was 1967. The place, Naxalbari. The young and fiery ideologies of the Marxist-Leninist movement in India formed the CPI(M-L), envisioning a spontaneous mass upsurge all over India that would create a 'liberated zone'. The Naxalite movement was born.

The year was 2008. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned, “Naxalism is the greatest threat to our internal security.” The credit for the survival of the movement for over 40 years must go to the Government, which has failed abysmally in addressing the causes and conditions that sustain the movement. The problem has been in the Indian state's perception of the causes of the Naxal movement.

Social Iniquity and Exploitation :- 

The oppressed classes were not only exploited as sharecroppers and landless labourers by the landlords - they also fell prey to money lenders. The groups constituting the sharecroppers and the landless laborers wanted a new social order with equity and the landed classes wanted to retain the prestige and  status that was associated with the zamindars under the old system. Also, in India, since there wasn't any distinction between class and caste relationships at that time, class conflict was manifested as caste conflict. The manifestations of the caste struggle as part of the Naxal movement is region specific. In Srikakulam, a government sponsored study noted that “Chronic poverty and destitution have become the patterns of tribal life”.

Alienation of Forest Land :- 

Alienation of Tribal land was a major issue that crippled their economic welfare. This was evident in good measure in the Srikakulam Naxal movement. By the time of the uprising only one third of the tribals owned land. Alienation happened largely because of the money-lenders' trap but also because of the government's restrictions of access to forest land, traditionally the exclusive domain of the tribals. In implementing government regulations on forest access, government officials resorted to harassment of the tribals . Loss of access to forest produce which had constituted a significant part of their income and was also an integral part of their way of life, led to deep discontentment among the tribes. The people who were most affected by the status quo, therefore, were the fuel for the Naxalist fire.

Urban: Middle Class Youth :- 

The Naxalist movement found enormous support among the educated youth. These young men and women belonged to the petty bourgeoisie. Many of the young Naxalites who went off to the forests were medical and engineering graduates . Universities became hotbeds of radical ideology. Some went to rural areas to mobilize the people there and some stayed back in Calcutta, perpetrating acts of violence in an attempt to overthrow the state. Ironically, they were precisely the section of the student community who were the most difficult to bring into any kind of student movement and struggle.

They shunned politics, disdained going in for the drudgery of mobilizing and organizing fellow students. With the onset of the recession, which signalled the coming of the general crisis of the capitalist path of development, that India had been placed upon for the past two decades, the problem of employment and of careers loomed large for these sections of the student community for the first time .

Their sense of disillusionment and the fiery idealism of youth directed them to Naxalist ideology. The repression of Naxalism during the emergency also attracted a large number of youth to Naxalism as a rebellious reaction to the government's oppression . Naxalism appealed to each of these groups for different reasons.

Tackling Naxalism :- 

The government has constituted an 'Empowered Group of Ministers' to counter the problem of Naxalism headed by the Home minister and select chief ministers . The government under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967 amended in 2004 has banned the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) - People's War and all its associated formations, and the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and its front organizations.

The government has also constituted a Task force which will comprise of Nodal officers from the Naxal affected areas and officers from the IB, SSB and the CRPF.27 There is also a Coordination Centre that was set up in 1998 headed by the Union home minister with Chief Secretaries and DGPs of the Naxal affected areas for the coordination of steps taken to control Naxal activities .

The government has laid down a clear plan to tackle the left wing extremism. It has formulated a two pronged strategy to solve the problem of Naxalism.

Law and Order approach :- 

• Modernizing the Police Force  : The government has launched a Police Modernization Scheme in areas affected by Naxal movements. Under this scheme huge sums of money have been provided to the state governments by the central government to modernize their equipment and tactical gear including latest communication, vehicles and infrastructure facility. States have also been told to determine police stations 30 and outposts that are susceptible to Naxal attacks and have to be fortified. Due to increased use of IED by the Naxalites and the increased number of casualties the government has decided to provide the forces with Mine Protected Vehicles (MPV). Central Para Military Forces have been deployed on a long term basis by the government to help the state governments to fight against the Naxals.
• The states have also been relieved from paying the charges involved in deploying these forces for about 3 years which nearly is about Rs.1100 crores. The government, also to discourage the youth from the path to militancy, has revised the recruiting guidelines to permit 40% recruitment in Central Para Military Forces from areas affected by Naxalism30. The government has also raised a special force of 14,000 personnel consisting of Central Paramilitary Forces, state police and ex- servicemen from areas affected by Naxalism.
• At present 36 battalions of Central Para Military 33 Forces are deployed in Naxalite affected areas. The government, to strengthen the security network in the states, has set-up the Indian Reserve (IR) battalions. These forces along with providing additional security provide youth with employment opportunities.
• The Centre has also raised the amount provided to each battalion to Rs.20 crores from the previous Rs.13 crores.33 In April 2006, the government authorized the formation of nine more Indian reserve battalions of 1000 35 personnel each. In order to ensure that the activities by the Nepalese Maoists don't affect India, SSB has been deployed along the Indo-Nepal border.
• They have been given a massive fund of Rs.444 crores for their modernization.35 The revision of the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme in 2005 which included many security related items which were not included in the Police Modernization Scheme like insurance scheme for police personnel, community policing, expenditure incurred on publicity to counter propaganda of Naxalites, rehabilitation of the Naxals who surrender and the level of imbursement which 37 was raised from 50% to 100%.36 Presently 76 districts in 9 states which are badly affected by Naxal activities are covered in this scheme.37 Plans have been set in motion for the formation of three to four specialized Anti-Maoist Centres at critically important locations at inter-state boundaries which will be equipped with five helicopters each and would be manned by the CRPF and the pilots would be called from the Army/BSF/Air Force.
• The use of UAV's for reconnaissance missions and collection of intelligence from Naxal affected areas has been authorized by the Centre. Ex-servicemen have also been called for the formation of an auxiliary force which will primarily be supervising the work of detecting mines and explosives laid by Naxalites. Around 4,800 ex-servicemen have already joined the fight and an expected 5,000 are expected to join.
• The government of Chhattisgarh started the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Kanker imparts training to counter the well trained and motivated guerrilla force of the Naxals, where police personnel are given rigorous training in guerrilla warfare and are made to live in the open and taught how to live off the land. Even the Army who as such are not very interested in getting themselves dragged into tackling Naxalism have been training 16 companies of paramilitary and state personnel in counter Naxalism operations.States have also established their own special security force like Andhra Pradesh has formed the Greyhounds which are said to be one of the most effective police force to combat the Naxal problem and the government of Uttar Pradesh has also raised a battalion of the Provisional Armed Constabulary 40 consisting of the local youth.Even the Central government has formed the COBRA which is a special force formed to deal with Naxalism in any state.

Social Integration approach :- 

• Social Economic Development :-  The government started the Backward Districts initiative in 2003-2004 and the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) under which 55 of the worst affected areas in 9 states were to be provided with funds to the tune of Rs. 2475 crores to tackle the problem of Naxalism. Around 250 districts have been included the BRGF scheme to accelerate socio-economic development in these districts which is to be administered by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Various state governments have allocated funds to the areas affected by Naxalism.
• The government of Bengal allocated Rs.50 crores for the underdeveloped rural areas of the state. A separate fund of Rs.5 crores was set aside for Paschimanchal comprising of 74 blocks of Bankpura, Purulia, West Midnapore, Burdwan and Birbhum districts.
• They also created a separate department for Paschimanchal development to expedite the implementation of poverty alleviation programs. The government of Karnataka also allocated special funds for development in villages affected by Naxal activities.
• Grama panchayats were provided with Rs.10 lakhs a year for two years to develop the villages within their jurisdiction. Other grants from the government, zilla and taluk panchayats were also included to be used in the development of these villages. The government also requested the planning commission to include other Naxal affected areas under the Scheme of Backward Regions Grant Funds for which Rs.5000 crores have been set apart.
• The government of Chhattisgarh has also announced houses worth Rs.1 lakh and employment to the kin of who got killed in the Maoist violence and the Jharkhand government increased the insurance amount to be given to the kin of jawans to 21.5 lakhs 45 from the 10 lakhs. Various schemes launched have been launched by the government like the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) which offers tremendous opportunities for rural road connectivity.
• For certain districts affected by Naxalism which have a population of 500 and above in plain areas and 250 and above in tribal areas 3 years perspective plans are being formulated to cover all habitations. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) is being implemented in 330 districts affected by Naxalism so as to universalize the demand-driven programme for wage-employment. Other schemes which are in addition to the above mentioned schemes are Bharat Nirman, National Rural Health mission (NRHM), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and other income generating and social security schemes of the Ministry of Rural Development, Agriculture, Panchayati Raj and Tribal affairs.
• The central government will also provide 100 percent assistance in the formation of Ashram schools and hostels for girls and boys in 46 tribal areas.  States like Jharkhand and Orissa have offered huge incentives to the Naxals who surrender themselves.
• Further, the government has offered cash equivalent to the price of the weapon surrendered. They will provide them with life insurance cover, vocational training, agricultural land, health and  educational facilities for their children.

Conclusion :-

The state has to do much more than plan counter-insurgency operations or support violent vigilante groups to suppress the Naxalite movement. After close examination of the historical and ideological origins of the movement, it is clear that the movement thrives on the dissatisfaction of the marginalized and alienates the population. The socio-economic perspective of Naxalism talks about how the rebel movement is shaped due to the failure of the institutional mechanisms and frameworks to deliver socio-economic justice. This article outlines the steps taken by the government, but concedes that it is not enough to over-emphasize the 'law and order' approach

Close examination of the movement will enable to understand that the marginalized take up arms only to break down the insensitive establishment, which has failed to deliver an egalitarian society. The Naxalite leaders may talk about 'deliverance of the proletariat from the neo-liberalist bourgeoisie, and the dawn of New Democracy', but such phrases mean little to the tribals and landless labourers who find themselves at the receiving end of statesponsored and non state-sponsored exploitation. They are in the battle only because of their disillusionment with the status quo.

It is clear that there is a wide chasm between promises and their eventual deliverance. Until the government implements employment, poverty alleviation and land reform programmes, counterinsurgency measures cannot achieve much. Social justice and inclusive growth are the planks on which the government must build its programme. Only with consolidated efforts on the part of the legal and political framework socio-economic reforms can be implemented, and the problem of Naxalism tackled.