Good mineral policy can curb Naxalism, Chhattisgarh CM tells PM

The proposed national mineral policy can help contain the Naxalite menace, a letter by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh to the prime minister has said. The letter seeks greater powers to the states over use of minerals to benefit the people.

With the prime minister identifying Naxalism as the biggest internal security concern, the worst-affected state of Chhattisgarh sees the policy as one of the means of creating jobs and prosperity in all three mineral-rich states that are hit by the menace.

"As your good self is aware, the mineral-owning states of Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand continue to be the poorest states of the country and worst affected by Naxalism," Singh wrote to the prime minister on July 12. The mineral-based processing industry, he said, could help improve living standards. "

Removal of regional imbalance and containment of Naxalism in these areas are among the priority tasks before the nation," Singh added.

"It is therefore extremely necessary that our mineral-owning states should in no way be denied their rights to utilise their resources for the economic uplift of the people suffering poverty in the mineral-bearing areas," he said, urging the prime minister to meet the chief ministers of the mineral-rich states before finalising the policy.