Now, professionals to thwart Maoism

With some help from professionals, the government plans to reduce the trust deficit with people, especially those in backward areas, and improve its relationship with them.

Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh will on Saturday launch a unique programme that hires professionals from engineering, management and other streams to monitor government’s flagship programmes in the 78 districts declared affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE).

The Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellows Scheme (PMRDFS) will be formally launched in Hyderabad on Saturday. At least 156 professionals have selected out of almost 6,000 applicants. These professionals in the age group of 21 to 30 years, will be initially paid Rs 50,000 per month during their training period and thereafter the salaries will touch Rs 75,000.

Two professionals will be posted in each of these districts for two years where the government has launched a special programme called Integrated Action Plan (IAP). They will be attached with the district collectors and help them in improving delivery of government schemes. There job is also to liaison with people, work with local officials and ensure effectively of the flagship programmes and see how bottlenecks can be removed.