PRESS RELEASE:GOVT. OF ORISSA

GOVERNMENT OF ORISSA
PRESS RELEASE
New Delhi
February 29, 2008

Shri Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Orissa met Shri Shivraj Patil, Union Minister, Home Affairs today and requested for considering the State Government proposal for long term deployment of 02 Battalions of CRPF in Orissa to deal with the left wing extremism. Further, he sought Central Government assistance in raising additional five India Reserve (IR) Battalions. Home Minister agreed to the demand of giving adequate CRPF force and 05 IR Battalions. Raising of these battalions for the State will not only enable the Sate Government to combat Naxal and extremist activities effectively, but also provide substantial employment opportunity to the local youth.

The Chief Minister also informed the Union Home Minister that the State Government is recruiting over ten thousand Police personnel within a few months. Chief Minister asked him to provide services of experienced para-military personnel of different categories on deputation basis from Assam Rifles, Indo-Tibetan Border Protection Force, BSF or CRPF for interim deployment and training of the newly recruited personnel. The Chief Minister urged the Centre to include 06 more districts namely, Deogarh, Kandhamal, Jajpur, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal, and Nayagarh under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme. He also requested the centre to increase the scale of allocation of funds to at least Rs.20 crore per annum. The Home Minister agreed to provide necessary support for training of the Police personnel and increase the allocation of funds.

The Home Minister was also requested to increase allocation under the Police Modernizations scheme for Orissa from Rs.27 crore to Rs.60 crore and sanction at least Rs.10 crore for the Commissionerate of Police set up for the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recently. The Home Minister agreed to look into the demands early.

The Chief Minister also reminded the Union Home Minister to release 1.87 lakh MT of food grains to the state for undertaking relief Employment Work in the flood affected districts without further delay in view of the ongoing working season. Home Minister agreed to release cash assistance in lieu of food grains for the purpose early. Home Ministry is the nodal Ministry for the National Calamities Contingency Fund (NCCF).