The recent neutralisation of hardcore Maoists, including one of its top leaders, in Gadchiroli District serves as a major setback for CPI (Maoist)’s expansion in the Maharashtra–Madhya Pradesh–Chhattisgarh tri-junction region. A judicious mix of security and developmental interventions would go a long way in tackling Maoist threat.
The notification regarding modification of area of jurisdiction of the BSF focuses on prevention of illegal migration and cross-border crimes. It is important that the BSF trains its personnel about various Acts and sections of the CrPC and work towards better coordination with the other agencies.
The inter-state border disputes in the Northeast have persisted for long. Efforts need to be redoubled to find a political solution, mediated by the Union government, which is binding on all the states concerned in the Northeast.
Taking positive measures to address the core issues of misgovernance and corruption and ensuring fair and rightful distribution of resources will help in the revival of the political process in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the larger national strategic discourse, identifying and prioritising the internal security issues and challenges is very crucial. India has been grappling with multiple ‘identity-centric’ and ‘grievance-driven’ challenges that have impacted its security and national fabric for more than seven decades now. While there is no gainsaying that the country has been largely successful in managing these conflicts well below the threshold levels, a durable peace—a prerequisite for national security and development—is as elusive as ever in most of these conflicts.
Northeast India continues to be an industrially underdeveloped and infrastructurally deficient region. The poor condition of infrastructure in the region demands serious attention. Studies in the region reveal that a people’s perspective of development, i.e., roads, electricity, telecommunications and water, falls rightly within the ambit of critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure is directly linked to economic development, national security, access and availability of educational and health infrastructure.
Ladakh is one of the largest administrative units in India, in terms of its territory. Due to its contiguity with Xinjiang and Tibet and its close proximity to Central Asia, and enjoying a central position in the network of overland caravan routes that were linked to the Silk Route, Ladakh acted as an important gateway in the Indo-Central Asian exchange of men, materials and ideas through the ages.
With reduced levels of violent incidents and overall death tolls, the security situation in the Northeast has indubitably improved. However, there remain areas of concern that need to be addressed in a timely and suitable manner.
CPI (Maoist) and the MMC Zone
The recent neutralisation of hardcore Maoists, including one of its top leaders, in Gadchiroli District serves as a major setback for CPI (Maoist)’s expansion in the Maharashtra–Madhya Pradesh–Chhattisgarh tri-junction region. A judicious mix of security and developmental interventions would go a long way in tackling Maoist threat.