Centre plans media blitz to defeat Maoists

After launching sustained security operations in the Maoist dominated hinterland spread over six states, the Centre is now virtually assembling all creative resources under its command to launch one of the biggest audio-visual and print War against the Maoists. The motive of the sustained media campaign will be to wean tribals away from the Maoists and also effect surrenders in all ranks of their cadres. "As Maoists usually use the monsoon season and post monsoon time to spread their base by inducting youth, this is the best time to launch such a campaign on sustained basis," said sources.

The Information and Broadcasting ministry in close coordination with the union home ministry firmed up an elaborate plan on July 16. It would involve use of posters, advertisements and articles in newspapers and magazines, street plays, jingles and reformative stories on AIR and private FM stations and films and programmes on Doordarshan. Sources said that the related departments – DAVP, Song & Drama division, AIR and Doordarshan – have been told that money would not be an issue as state coffers have plenty of funds for the cause.

The home ministry has already undertaken funding a couple of magazines directly from its resources to present a people friendly face of the state. The Union home ministry in conjunction with the ministry of I&B has been doing similar programmes in J&K and the northeast states with reasonable success and now want to replicate the same on a bigger scale in the key Maoist affected states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Telangana and Maharashtra.

Through these sustained campaigns the Centre wants to show a generous and people friendly face of the state administration by showcasing various social and developmental schemes like MNREGA, Awas Yojna, PMGSY, Aangabadi, old age pension, widow pension, free education for girls, mid-day meals. The government has chosen Nukkad Natak or street theatre, which also has been used successfully by the Maoists for propaganda against state atrocities, as a key ingredient in the campaign to depict brutalisation of the society by the Maoists and a good life that they can choose through ongoing schemes and rights and entitlements.

Forty-four well-trained theatre troupes will conduct street plays and cultural programmes in 35 most worst affected Maoist districts in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. They said these performances will be persuasive as well as informative, while being entertaining. The nukkad natak troupes will be paid from the government budget for each performance.

Home ministry wants the district administration under DM, SP and DFO to be the central decision maker in these activities, said sources. 

Jingles and reformative stories in local language and dialect with ample doses of violence-affected people and families through interviews are also being looked at keenly by the government as weapons for bloodless counter coup. Contents for most of the programmes will be decided and cleared by the union home ministry to see if they are carrying out the intended message or not, said sources.