Six more districts in red belt

HYDERABAD: The Centre has considered to include six more districts of the state to the existing 35 districts in the country under the Integrated Action Plan (IAP). The state government has received a communication to this effect from the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday. The six districts are Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Vishakapatnam, East Godavari, Warangal and Karimnagar. This apart, Khammam and Adilabad districts were added to the list last year. Of the total 18 districts chosen this year, six are from Andhra Pradesh. This decision comes in the wake of Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy taking up the issue at the recently held Chief ministers’ conference on law and order and Naxalism under the chairmanship of Prime minister Manmohan Singh. He also met the Union Home minister P Chidambaram and requested him to consider his suggestion. Under the scheme various developmental activities will be taken up in these districts. Laying of roads, construction of school buildings, hostels, anganwadi centres, hospitals, rural electrification works will be taken up. The scheme which is already being implemented in Khammam, already has road works to the tune of Rs 1,000 crores being taken up under the assistance of central government.  The “Integrated Action Plan” will pave the way for all-round development in these eight districts. It will also result in weaning away disgruntled elements belonging to the poor and downtrodden from being attracted to Naxal ideology. The programme has already proved to be a success in the districts where it is being implemented. These eight districts are expected to scale to great heights in terms of development once the plan is implemented.