Operations will now be co-ordinated by a joint command
The Indian government has announced it will increase financial and logistical support for security forces fighting Maoist insurgents in several states.
It says 400 police stations will be built or upgraded, more helicopters will be provided and operations will be co-ordinated by a new joint command.
Authorities say more than 200 security forces and over 300 civilians have been killed by the rebels so far this year.
The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of rural poor.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the insurgency as India's biggest internal security challenge.
The government has asked the states of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal to set up a joint command to take on the rebels.
A government offensive involving 50,000 troops against the Maoists - widely referred to as Operation Green Hunt - began last October across five states.
Ministers in Delhi have always accepted there is a need to tackle the root causes of the rebellion, such as poverty and the absence of effective local government.
- Published29 June 2010
- Published28 May 2010
