Road Connectivity Project for LWE affected areas (RCPLWE)

Syllabus :GS 3/Internal Security 

In News

The Centre has doubled the allocation of funds under the Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) for financial year 2024-25, 

• Earlier, the Union Home Minister announced that Left Wing Extremism will be “completely eradicated” in the country before March 2026.

About RCPLWEA

• It is a separate vertical under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
• It  is aimed at providing all-weather road connectivity with culverts and cross-drainage structures in 44 worst-affected Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) districts and adjoining districts in nine states, which are “critical from security and communication point of view”.
• Covered states :Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh
• Major allocations include:
  • Chhattisgarh: Rs 200 crore
  • Jharkhand: Rs 200 crore
  • Andhra Pradesh: Rs 150 crore
  • Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh: Rs 140 crore each.
• Objectives : The project aims to drive socio-economic development, strengthen rural livelihoods, and address strategic security needs in LWE-affected areas, which have historically lacked infrastructure.

Other related Efforts 

• Constitutional Framework : Police and Public Order are state subjects, but the Indian Government supplements state efforts against Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
• National Policy: Approved in 2015, it includes security measures, development interventions, and ensuring local rights.
  • Measures include providing Central Armed Police Forces, training, modernizing state police, and infrastructure support.
•  Other initiatives include instilling confidence in development and calling on LWE-affiliated youth to abandon violence and join national development efforts.
• Development Initiatives: Road Network: 14,395 km roads built, with 11,474 km in the last 10 years.
  • Telecom Connectivity: 5,139 towers installed.
  • Financial Inclusion: 1,007 bank branches, 937 ATMs, and 5,731 post offices opened.
  • Skill Development: 46 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and 49 Skill Development Centres (SDCs) established.
  • Education: 130 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in tribal areas.
• Progress : Violence Reduction: LWE incidents down 73% from 2010 levels; deaths reduced by 86%.
  • LWE-affected districts reduced from 126 in 2013 to 38 in 2024.
  • Reporting LWE violence decreased from 465 in 2010 to 89 in mid-2024.
  • The security forces have significantly impacted LWE’s financing and operational capacities.
  • Significant reductions in violence and spread of LWE, with continued progress in infrastructure and development.

Source: IE