Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday reiterated Odisha’s demand for inclusion of Nuapada, Bargarh, Balangir and Kalahandi districts in the centrally sponsored Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme.
In a letter to Union home minister P Chidambaram, Naveen pointed out that there has been a significant rise in naxal violence in parts of Chhattisgarh bordering Odisha as well as Nuapada, Balnagir and Bargarh districts. “Maoists are building up a base in Sunabeda reserve forest of Nuapada and its adjoining areas. They are also trying to spread their network along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border by creating and consolidating bases in Nuapada, Baragrh, Balnagir and Kalahandi districts of western Odisha,” he said.
