EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ndia is today proudly proclaiming an above 9 percent growth rate and striving to achieve double digit growth. But it is a matter of common observation that the inequalities between classes, betweenI town and country, and between the upper castes and the underprivileged communities are increasing. Such inequalities in the class, caste and income is manifesting itself in various forms and the most prominent, contextual and visible form in extremism which has gripped the country. The extremism supported by various social factions is extending its arms in a rapid manner and almost one quarter of the geography and population now commonly referred to as the “red corridor” is affected by it. Of the one quarter which is now affected in some form, 33 districts in the country are severely affected and these districts are referred to as being affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE). Keeping in view the growing menace of Left Wing Extremism, the Government of India along with the support of the states is planning to put in place a spate of measures to effectively tackle the problem. This includes a two pronged strategy of strengthening security and policing measures and focusing on socio-economic development of the masses. The approach is simple- it harps upon the fact that to combat extremism effectively, rapid transformation in the lives of people by providing them ample opportunities of livelihood, food security, skill upgradation, education health facilities and poverty alleviation is required. With this objective, the planning commission is supporting the 33 LWE districts to develop response plans which can yield results quickly. Over the next Two years (2010 – 2012), planning commission aims at doling out Rs. 100 crores to improve the living situation of people. The district of Latehar in Jharkhand, one of the severely affected LWE districts, aims at combating the LWE menace with the support of Planning Commission effectively by utilising the funds being provided to it. After due deliberations and series of consultations with multi - stakeholders, crucial sectors have been identified, investment in which will yield positive and quick results. The identified sectors are: Improving rural connectivity, Rural Electricfication, storage of foodgrain, Renovation of Lift Irrigation schemes, Improvement in Water Resources and water supply, promoting fisheries in conjunction with integrated farming and other allied activities, facilities, improving health facilities by increasing outreach and access and investing in capacity building for long term skill development, Infrastructure enhancement for employment opportunities, Housing scheme for rural poor, Bicycle Distribution to school level boys and girls, Strengthenig of Block level Administrative buildings/ Govt. quarters Strengthenig of AWC & Creation of Sports Infrastructure and other sports facilities. The proposed outlays required over the next two years under different sectors are as follows: Rural Connectivity: Rs. 351.07 crore, Minor irrigation schemes: 26.03 crores, Drinking water supply schemes: 13.70 crores, Fisheries and Integrated Farming: 5.04 crores, Dairy Development Programme: 4.54 crores, Mobile health van for improving access and outreach of health services: 3.0 crore, capacity building: 1.0 crore, Promotion of handicraft and weaving sector 2.00 crores, Housing scheme for rural poor: 13.50 crores, Rural Electricfication 14.70 crore, Construction of 500 MT Godown for storage of foodgrain: 1.75 crore, Bicycle Distribution to school level boys and girls: 2.25 crore, Strengthenig of Block level Administrative buildings/ Govt. quarters: 10.38 crores, Creation of Sports Infrastructure and other sports facilities: 4.25 Crores & Contingent Expences including consultancy, supervision & monitoring: 1.00 crore. The funding of various schemes under various sectors will be phased out in a manner which will yield visible results in a short span of time. Thus, it is envisaged that, over a period of next one year, investment in the above sectors in a planned manner will lead not only in infrastructure development but also overall human development. The expected outcome of such an effort will be distraction of masses especially youth from anti- national and anti-social activities and engagement in productive and meaningful activities. This will ultimately help in curbing the growing menace of extremism in the district. 1 CHAPTER - I 1. OVERVIEW LATEHAR has been named after the village of the same name on Ranchi -Daltonganj road. It is 120 km away from Ranchi, the state capital of Jharkhand. Latehar is known for its rich natural resources, scenic beauty, forest and their traditional culture and religion. Latehar remained as an integral part of Palamu District as sub division since 1924. It got elevated from sub division status to a district status as on 4th April 2001 vide Jharkhand Government Notification No 946 dated 04.04.2001. There are nine Community Development Blocks in the District within which distantly located villages are scattered amidst the dense forest, hilly terrains and agriculture fields. The number of Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Ccast is predominantly high in the district due to high population of Tribal and Schedule Cast. Latehar District comes under Tribal Sub Plan area. Latehar is located 105 km north-west of the state capital, Ranchi. Latehar “A Land of Garden and Forest” is an important district of the Jharkhand state. Latehar is a famous foe its forest and natural resources. It is situated at a height of 1,073 ft. above sea level. It has an excellent climate and beautiful scenery all around it in the midst of dense forest. It is rich in flora and fauna too. Area Altitude Latitude Longitude 379068 Ha 327 mt 84 N 31 E 23 N 0 E The district of Latehar is situated in the 23°45′N 84°30′E / 23.75°N 84.50°E / 23.75; 84.50. It has an average elevation of 327 m (1,073 ft). The district headquarter is a part of medium plateau, which is situated at the height of about 1,073 ft from the sea level. Except the western part of the medium plateau, the whole area is surrounded by the dense forest. The height of lower plateau is about 802 ft above the sea level. 2. BOUNDARIES Latehar is surrounded by Ranchi, Lohardaga, Gumla, Palamu and Daltonganj District apart from Chhattisgarh State. The district is about 100 km. away from the state capital Ranchi. Except the western part of the medium plateau, the whole area is surrounded by the dense forest. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION OF LATEHAR The district has only one sub division namely Latehar. The district at the time of 2001 census had 7 CD blocks which now has increased to 9. The district is divided into 115 panchayats and 1 Nagar Panchayat of Latehar Sadar. The district is the part of one Lok Sabha constituency namely Chatra lok sabha constituency and 2 assembly segments comprising of Latehar & Manika. Table 2.1 : Administrative divisions of district Latehar No. of Sub-divisions 2 No. of Blocks 9 No. of Gram Panchayats 115 No. of Nagar Panchayat 01 No. of MP 01 No. of Assembly segments 02 2 4. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS Latehar is newly created district out of Palamau district in 2001. As per 2001 Census, the total population of the district is 5,58,831 persons with a male population constituting nearly 51% and female population nearly 49%. The sex ratio of the district is 961 females per thousand males which favours well with the national average. The district is predominantly rural with 95% of its people residing in rural areas. The decadal growth rate is 26.80 percent which is slightly higher than the state and national average. The Scheduled caste population comprises more than 23 percent and the scheduled tribe population comprising nearly 43 percent. The literacy rate of the district is 41 percent, which is lower than the state and national average. The female literacy rate is particularly a matter of concern as it is only 27 percent. One of the factors that can probably explain this is the fact that the district is predominantly rural. Table 2.2 : Demographic indicators of district Latehar Total Area 336047 Hac. Total Population 558831 Persons Total Population (male) 284949 Total Population (female) 273852 Rural Population 532566 (95%) Urban Population 26265 Sex Ratio(female per 1000 Males) 961 Literacy rate 41.21 Male 54.76 Female 27 Percent of SC Population to total Population 23 Percent of ST Population to total Population 43 (b) Block wise population: Population Literacy Non Literate S.N. Block Male Female Total Male Female Total (15-35 years) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Latehar 54,612 52,454 1,07,066 60.14 28.52 44.72 15,530 2 Chandwa 41,554 39,925 81,479 54.91 26.58 41.06 13,870 3 Balumath 68,872 67,138 1,36,010 47.80 20.88 34.51 31,099 4 Manika 32,806 31,827 64,633 47.92 18.43 33.45 15,698 5 Garu 13,012 12,495 25,447 50.42 21.76 36.52 5,335 6 Barwadih 40,398 37,639 78,037 54.31 26.32 40.93 13,871 7 Mahuadar 33,695 32,464 66,159 67.83 46.36 57.30 7,922 Total 2,84,949 2,73,882 5,58,831 54.76 26.98 41.21 1,03,325 5. INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC AMENITIES IN THE DISTRICT The details of the infrastructure and basic amenities accessible to people are presented below in Table3.1. The district has 773 villages which are characterized as inhabited villages. The district has nearly 1250 primary and upper primary schools, 01 degree college and one Inter College. There are 06 community health centres, 01 primary health centres and 97 sub health centres.