Maoism: Need to amend laws to overcome the menace

Anniversaries are generally moments of celebration and looking ahead. It is notable then that at the dinner marking the eight anniversary of the UPA, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke of his government's lack of success at surmounting the Naxal 'menace'.

In some measure, the government's lack of success can be attributed to its inability to gain the confidence of the tribal population in these Naxal-affected areas. It hasn't been able to counter the stories of exploitation, alienation and neglect of the tribal population.

The human mind thinks in terms of narratives, often their reaction to situations is based on stories of their own and those of others. The confidence of a large group tends to revolve around stories.

The Naxals know this, and the Indian state appears to have forgotten the vital role that stories play in building confidence. In the vast forests of Dadakaranya, stretching from eastern Maharashtra to southern Chhattisgarh to western Odisha, the Naxals have retained their dominance by reinforcing the story of the exploitative and alienating state.

A few interventions, such a slightly higher return on forest produce or instances of 'instant justice' in resolving land-related disputes served to create a positive story, allowing Naxals to first build base and then retain their dominance.

In the last year, the government has attempted to craft its own positive narrative . It has focused on development strategies as part of its effort to contain Maoist dominance and influence: providing roads, infrastructure, social and basic amenities.

The aim, it would appear, is to build the largely tribal and extremely poor local population's confidence in the Indian state's ability and willingness to deliver in a manner that promotes their well-being and a better life.

But it takes time to establish that the state is ready to redress decades of neglect and alienation. Clearly , given the spread of Maoist dominance , the attempt to reclaim will be slow and piecemeal.

After all, it takes time and effort to counter the collective narrative of alienation, marginalisation and neglect. It is here that the government needs to step up its efforts to strengthen the local tribal population's control over the local economy.

At the same time, it needs to improve on provision of services - such as health, education and skills training - to help ensure wellbeing and improve the quality of life. The local economy of these areas is largely dependent on forest produce like tendu patta and bamboo culm.

Help from the government and its agencies to organise the local tribals into cooperatives dealing with forest produce could see the locals competing for tenders floated by the state each year.

A move that could see it go up against the contractor , who is more often than not working with the Naxals to retain economic dominance over the tribals . Success with such efforts has the effect of a confidence multiplier.

At the same time, it serves to undermine the Naxal stranglehold over the tribal populations. The government also needs to address in a proactive manner issues like amending outdated provisions of law.

Consider this: during the negotiations for the release of Sukma collector Alex Paul Menon, the Naxals demanded that tribals wrongfully jailed should be set free. The government responded by agreeing to speedy investigation and prosecution of all cases. The Naxals presented themselves as the voice of the powerless and oppressed tribals.
The fact is that a large number of the cases against tribals related to trespassing in forests or taking out forest produce from the area. The law in force in the Indian forests was legislated in 1927. It sets a limit of Rs 50 to which fines for minor offences can be compounded. This low limit is all too easy to breach and it fosters a system of foisting cases to harass tribals and locals who go into the forest to meet their daily livelihood needs.

In March last year, the Cabinet approved two amendments to the 1927 Act that would drastically reduce the number of tribals who are jailed while meeting their subsistence requirements. The first increased the limit up to which fines could be compounded to Rs 10,000 and, second, forest officials to involve the gram sabha in deciding whether or not the violations were deliberate or simply a matter of subsistence.

It took the government one full year and three days to introduce the Bill in Parliament. This delay provided the Naxals yet another opportunity to reinforce a story that presents it as the defender of the tribals. The Bill will be passed at the earliest in the monsoon session. In the mean time, more hapless tribals in search of firewood or food would be incarcerated, reinforcing the story of the exploitative and oppressive state.

As children, we set a lot by stories, we believe in them. However, as grownups , we often fail to recognise or forget the power of stories, even though stories and retelling of stories is fundamental to human knowledge. These stories have to be based on ground realities . Over time, the stories, in their telling and retelling, and sharing through reciprocal storytelling will act as confidence multipliers.
Source http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/maoism-need-to-amend-laws-to-overcome-the-menace/articleshow/13508392.cms?curpg=2