PATNA: The Bihar government has asked for a special package of more than Rs1900 crore from the Centre to develop Maoist-hit areas in the state.

The demand was raised during a high-level Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) meeting of the union home ministry in Patna on Monday. This was the first such meeting held in Patna to discuss strategies to face the challenge posed by increasing Maoist violence in the state. Maoists have been creating havoc in neighbouring states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, AP and Orissa.

“The IMG meeting concluded on the note that the Centre and the state should work together to fight Maoists. It was decided to use the police force as well as developmental works to counter them,” said Vinay Kumar, additional secretary. Kumar chaired the meeting attended by eight central government teams along with top officials.