A high-powered committee suggests holding peace talks with the Maoists; Reports allege that Maoists were grooming teenagers in Orissa
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    • Admitting that the rise of Naxalism was a ‘political movement with a strong base among poor peasantry and Adivasis’, a high-powered committee set up by the Planning Commission in 2006, has ascribed its growth to people’s discontent and complete failure of the system. It has also asked for the immediate winding up of the Salwa Judum. The committee asked the government to first deal with the problem of landlessness, ensure livelihood and have an effective land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement policy. It also asked the government to hold peace talks with the Naxalites. The committee further recommended that the tribal sub-plan be brought under the Fifth Schedule and forest produce be provided protection of minimum support price1.

    The government of Orissa has reacted sharply to reports that the Maoist outfit - Bal Sangam, was grooming teenagers as cadres in Malkangiri district. The matter gained prominence following a TV channel which showed video clippings of a recent Bal Sangam rally in which about 2,000 children between 8-10 years had participated. Sources said the rebels were training children to collect information, handle sophisticated weapons like AK-47’s and SLRs and plant mines. They were also being taught Maoist and Leninist ideology and the history of the Maoist movement. The recruits have also reportedly been engaged to collect intelligence inputs, deliver messages and procure food from the market2.

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