PIB Summary- 26th September, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Left-wing Extremism (LWE)

Context: Union Minister of Home Affairs chaired a review meeting in New Delhi on Left Wing Extremism.

Details

• The minister opined that LWE which had claimed the lives of more than 16000 civilians in the past 4 decades has now reached its end and that this needs to be accelerated and made decisive.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has promulgated a ‘National Policy and Action Plan’ since 2015 to address the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) menace holistically and the progress & the situation is being monitored rigorously and this Policy consists of a multi-pronged approach.
• The significant features of the policy are zero tolerance towards violence coupled with a big push to developmental activities so that benefits of development reach the poor and vulnerable in the affected areas.
• Pursuant to the Policy, the Ministry is supporting the State Governments for Capacity Building and strengthening of Security Apparatus by:
  • deployment of CAPF Battalions
  • provision of helicopters and UAVs
  • sanction of India Reserve Battalions (IRBs)/Special India Reserve Battalions (SIRBs)
  • funds provided under Modernization of Police Force (MPF)
  • funds provided under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme and Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) for modernization and training of State Police
• For the development of LWE Affected States, the Government of India has taken several developmental initiatives such as the construction of roads, enhanced mobile connectivity, financial inclusion through more post offices, bank branches, ATMs, etc.
• For imparting quality education to the youth in areas affected by LWE, special focus is given to the opening of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS).
• LWE Current Status:
  • The incidents of LWE violence has come down by 70% from an all-time high of 2258 in 2009 to 665 in 2020.
  • The resultant deaths have also come down by 82% from an all-time high of 1005 in 2010 to 183 in 2020.
  • The area under the Maoist’s influence was also constricted with the geographical spread shrunk from 96 in 2010 to just 53 districts in 2020.
  • Currently, only 25 districts account for about 85% of the LWE violence in India.

Military Engineer Services Day

Context: 26 September is observed as Military Engineer Services (MES) Day in India. This is the 99th Raising Day of the MES.

About Military Engineer Services

• The Military Engineer Services (MES) is the premier construction agency and one of the pillars of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army which provides rear line engineering support to the Armed Forces.
• It is one of the largest construction and maintenance agencies in India.
• It is responsible for creating the strategic and operational infrastructure other than major roads, as also the administrative habitat for all three Services and the associated organisations of the Ministry of Defence.
• It has a pan-India footprint to provide engineering support to various formations of Army, Air Force, Navy and DRDO.
• The MES was formed in December 1923 with the Engineer-in-Chief as the Head although the organisation had its origins over 200 years ago.
• The MES functions under the overall control of the Engineer-in-Chief, who is the advisor to the Ministry of Defence and the three Services on operational and peacetime construction activities.
• The Military Engineering Services are responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of all infrastructure assets of the Army, Navy and Air Force.