Latest news with #Left-wing
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Detonators, Maoist literature recovered in Jamui forest
Patna: A joint team of Special Task Force (STF) and police in Jamui on Monday recovered 46 detonators, Maoist literature and uniforms during a raid in the forest area of Jamui district. Meanwhile, in another operation in Purnia district, an arms dealer was arrested by the joint team of police and STF. They seized a German pistol, a rotating bolt of an AK-47 assault rifle, and 440 cartridges of different pistols and rifles from his possession, said a press statement issued by the police headquarters on Monday. According to the press release, "In the forest and hilly area of Pachkatiya within the jurisdiction of Chihra police station in Jamui district, 46 detonators and other items, including Maoist literature, were recovered, which were hidden by the Left-wing extremists. The recovered items also include receipts, handwritten and computer-generated documents and files. A case was registered at Chihra police station in Jamui, and further action is being taken. " In another incident in Purnia district, the Patna STF and K Hat police station team conducted a joint raid and seized a large consignment of arms and ammunition late Sunday night. Arms smuggler, Kunal Singh, was arrested during the operation. "Based on the identification, the illegal firearms were recovered from a vegetable vendor's shop in the K Hat area. In this context, a case was registered at the K Hat police station, and further action is being taken. A country-made pistol, a .47 calibre revolver, 345 rounds of .32 calibre, 40 rounds of 8 mm, 25 rounds of 7.62×25 calibre, five rounds of 7.62×25 calibre, and 25 rounds of 6.35 calibre cartridges were recovered from him," said the press release. Kunal has a criminal record and was jailed earlier for arms smuggling. The police are investigating the source of the arms and the purpose for which they were meant to be used.
Hans India
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
How fish farming is transforming former Naxalites in J'khand
Gumla: Former insurgents in eastern Jharkhand are trading guns for fishing nets under a central government scheme that has helped transform a once violence-torn region and contributed to its removal from a list of Naxalite-affected areas. Jyothi Lakra, 41, was once part of a Naxalite group before abandoning the Left-wing insurgency in 2002. Today, he runs a fish feed mill that earned him Rs 8,00,000 in net profit last year under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme. "There were no shops selling fish feed nearby. Villagers had to travel 150 km to buy fish feed," said Lakra, who received Rs 18 lakh grant to set up his mill in Gumla district's Basia block. "So I decided to set up a fish feed mill," he told PTI. The PMMSY scheme, launched in 2020-21 with joint central and state implementation, has trained 157 individual beneficiaries in Gumla district over four years. About 25 per cent of the 8,000-9,000 families in the district now engaged in fish farming were former Naxalite supporters or participants, according to District Fishery Officer Kusumlata. Gumla district was removed from the Union Home Ministry's list of Naxalite-affected areas in May 2025, alongside Ranchi district, marking a significant decline in Left-wing extremism in the region. The transformation is stark in areas where "eight out of ten families" once supported what they called a "revolutionary" way of life, according to local officials. Deserted villages have been repopulated, schools and hospitals reopened, and agricultural activity resumed. Ishwar Gop, 42, another former Naxalite who joined the anti-Maoist Shanti Sena group, now harvests eight quintals of fish annually worth Rs 2,50,000 from a government pond he leases for Rs 1,100 per three-year period. "I make a profit of Rs 1,20,000 after expenses," said Gop, who owns 25 acres of farmland but found fish farming more profitable than traditional agriculture. The fish farming initiative began in 2009 when State Fishery Extension Officer Mugda Kumar Topo was posted in the region despite security concerns. "It was difficult to enter Basia block of Gumla district as Naxal activities were at their peak," said Topo, now based in state capital Ranchi. "After speaking to 50-odd families, a pilot was launched." The government leased 22 tanks to interested families, including one in a remote forest area that required convincing a former Naxalite to operate due to security fears. Om Prakash Sahu, an active Naxal supporter until 2007, now operates six fish ponds and harvests 40 quintals annually. In 2024, he received assistance for three ponds with advanced Recirculatory Aquaculture System technology.
Deccan Herald
27-06-2025
- Business
- Deccan Herald
From guns to gills: How fish farming is transforming former Naxalites in Jharkhand
Jyothi Lakra, 41, was once part of a Naxalite group before abandoning the Left-wing insurgency in 2002. Today, he runs a fish feed mill that earned him Rs 8,00,000 in net profit last year under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme.
NDTV
27-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
How Fish Farming Is Transforming Former Naxalites In Jharkhand
Gumla: Former insurgents in eastern Jharkhand are trading guns for fishing nets under a central government scheme that has helped transform a once violence-torn region and contributed to its removal from a list of Naxalite-affected areas. Jyothi Lakra, 41, was once part of a Naxalite group before abandoning the Left-wing insurgency in 2002. Today, he runs a fish feed mill that earned him Rs 8,00,000 in net profit last year under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme. "There were no shops selling fish feed nearby. Villagers had to travel 150 km to buy fish feed," said Lakra, who received Rs 18 lakh grant to set up his mill in Gumla district's Basia block. "So I decided to set up a fish feed mill," he told PTI. The PMMSY scheme, launched in 2020-21 with joint central and state implementation, has trained 157 individual beneficiaries in Gumla district over four years. About 25 per cent of the 8,000-9,000 families in the district now engaged in fish farming were former Naxalite supporters or participants, according to District Fishery Officer Kusumlata. Gumla district was removed from the Union Home Ministry's list of Naxalite-affected areas in May 2025, alongside Ranchi district, marking a significant decline in Left-wing extremism in the region. The transformation is stark in areas where "eight out of ten families" once supported what they called a "revolutionary" way of life, according to local officials. Deserted villages have been repopulated, schools and hospitals reopened, and agricultural activity resumed. Ishwar Gop, 42, another former Naxalite who joined the anti-Maoist Shanti Sena group, now harvests eight quintals of fish annually worth Rs 2,50,000 from a government pond he leases for Rs 1,100 per three-year period. "I make a profit of Rs 1,20,000 after expenses," said Gop, who owns 25 acres of farmland but found fish farming more profitable than traditional agriculture. The fish farming initiative began in 2009 when State Fishery Extension Officer Mugda Kumar Topo was posted in the region despite security concerns. "It was difficult to enter Basia block of Gumla district as Naxal activities were at their peak," said Topo, now based in state capital Ranchi. "After speaking to 50-odd families, a pilot was launched." The government leased 22 tanks to interested families, including one in a remote forest area that required convincing a former Naxalite to operate due to security fears. Om Prakash Sahu, an active Naxal supporter until 2007, now operates six fish ponds and harvests 40 quintals annually. In 2024, he received assistance for three ponds with advanced Recirculatory Aquaculture System technology. The scheme has created a "three times multiplier effect" in local employment generation and helped reduce migration from the region, according to government data. Lakhan Singh, 51, a former Naxal supporter with 150 acres, shifted from paddy cultivation to fish farming across five ponds on his property. "Fish farming is much better than paddy cultivation. Each pond is a revenue generator to pay for my children's school education," Singh said. The district has about 4,000 privately owned ponds and 360 government-owned ponds across 12 blocks. While Gumla and Ranchi have been removed from the Naxalite-affected list, West Singhbhum remains the most-affected district in Jharkhand. Districts, including Bokaro, Chatra, Garhwa, Giridih, Khunti, Lohardaga, and Seraikela-Kharsawan are considered partially affected. The Naxalite insurgency, also known as Left-Wing Extremism, has affected parts of eastern and central India for decades, with insurgents claiming to fight for the rights of tribal communities and against economic inequality. The success in Gumla demonstrates how targeted development programmes can provide economic alternatives to insurgency, contributing to broader counter-terrorism efforts in the region.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
From guns to gills: How fish farming is transforming former Naxalites in Jharkhand
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Former insurgents in eastern Jharkhand are trading guns for fishing nets under a central government scheme that has helped transform a once violence-torn region and contributed to its removal from a list of Naxalite-affected Lakra, 41, was once part of a Naxalite group before abandoning the Left-wing insurgency in 2002. Today, he runs a fish feed mill that earned him Rs 8,00,000 in net profit last year under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme."There were no shops selling fish feed nearby. Villagers had to travel 150 km to buy fish feed," said Lakra, who received Rs 18 lakh grant to set up his mill in Gumla district's Basia block. "So I decided to set up a fish feed mill," he told PMMSY scheme, launched in 2020-21 with joint central and state implementation, has trained 157 individual beneficiaries in Gumla district over four years. About 25 per cent of the 8,000-9,000 families in the district now engaged in fish farming were former Naxalite supporters or participants, according to District Fishery Officer district was removed from the Union Home Ministry 's list of Naxalite-affected areas in May 2025, alongside Ranchi district, marking a significant decline in Left-wing extremism in the transformation is stark in areas where "eight out of ten families" once supported what they called a "revolutionary" way of life, according to local officials. Deserted villages have been repopulated, schools and hospitals reopened, and agricultural activity Gop, 42, another former Naxalite who joined the anti-Maoist Shanti Sena group, now harvests eight quintals of fish annually worth Rs 2,50,000 from a government pond he leases for Rs 1,100 per three-year period."I make a profit of Rs 1,20,000 after expenses," said Gop, who owns 25 acres of farmland but found fish farming more profitable than traditional fish farming initiative began in 2009 when State Fishery Extension Officer Mugda Kumar Topo was posted in the region despite security concerns."It was difficult to enter Basia block of Gumla district as Naxal activities were at their peak," said Topo, now based in state capital Ranchi. "After speaking to 50-odd families, a pilot was launched."The government leased 22 tanks to interested families, including one in a remote forest area that required convincing a former Naxalite to operate due to security Prakash Sahu, an active Naxal supporter until 2007, now operates six fish ponds and harvests 40 quintals annually. In 2024, he received assistance for three ponds with advanced Recirculatory Aquaculture System scheme has created a "three times multiplier effect" in local employment generation and helped reduce migration from the region, according to government Singh, 51, a former Naxal supporter with 150 acres, shifted from paddy cultivation to fish farming across five ponds on his property."Fish farming is much better than paddy cultivation. Each pond is a revenue generator to pay for my children's school education," Singh district has about 4,000 privately owned ponds and 360 government-owned ponds across 12 Gumla and Ranchi have been removed from the Naxalite-affected list, West Singhbhum remains the most-affected district in Jharkhand. Districts, including Bokaro, Chatra, Garhwa, Giridih, Khunti, Lohardaga, and Seraikela-Kharsawan are considered partially Naxalite insurgency, also known as Left-Wing Extremism, has affected parts of eastern and central India for decades, with insurgents claiming to fight for the rights of tribal communities and against economic success in Gumla demonstrates how targeted development programmes can provide economic alternatives to insurgency , contributing to broader counter-terrorism efforts in the region.
