Govt admits trust deficit in naxal areas

New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) Admitting "trust deficit" in
naxal-affected areas, Indian government Tuesday said the
hearts of people living in such regions needed to be won, with
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasising the need for "zero
tolerance" for corruption in schemes in such places.
Reviewing development in the 60 Left Wing Extremism-hit
districts here at a day-long workshop, Singh underlined that
the inhabitants of such areas should get "equitable share" in
the country's progress through honest implementation of
schemes which should be "sensitive" to their needs.
Noting that lack of security is the biggest constraint in
development of the LWE areas, he said "practical and
pragmatic" steps need to be taken to meet this challenge.
"As an administrator, we must have zero tolerance for
corruption. We must demolish the invisible wall between them
(people of naxalism-affected areas) and us," Singh told
collectors of 60 naxal-hit districts gathered at the meet.
Coining a new slogan -- 'people's development in the
hands of people --, he said, the sense of alienation is to
be converted into a sense of belongingness."
He emphasised the need for winning the "trust of people"
in Left Wing Extremism-affected areas.
His remarks came after Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram
said, "The villagers are not yet on our side...the government
side or at least not all villagers are on our side because of
trust deficit, governance deficit and development deficit".
Though he described Left Wing Extremism as the "most
violent movement", Chidambaram said the fight against Naxalism
cannot be won unless villagers are on the side of the
authorities.