LECTURE 6

INTERNAL SECURITY – LINKAGES

BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT AND
EXTREMISM
Linkages between
Development and
Extremism
• ‘No one in this world can be comfortable or
safe when so many people are suffering and
deprived’. Therefore, suffering and deprivation
due to under-development are bound to have
implications on issues of internal security.
Class Agenda
• Major components of Development

• Factors Responsible for Growth of

Extremism
• Jal-jangal-jameen – and other issues

• Constituitinal and legal safeguards

• Fifth Schedule
• Ninth Schedule
• PESA act
• Forest Rights Act
• SC/ST Act
Major components of
Development
• Economic development: Employment,
per capita income, industrial development
• Social development: Gender equality,
women empowerment, pluralism, respect
for diversity, education of children, social
security, etc.
• Political development: Democracy,
political rights, civil liberties
• Sustainable development: Ecological
safety, environmental protection,
biodiversity preservation
• Human development: Health, education,
human rights, life with dignity and self-
esteem
• Infrastructure development: Transport,
communication, highways, rail network,
telephone connectivity, cyber broadband
network
• Administrative development: Good
governance, time bound delivery of public
services, public participation in
government, transparency, accountability,
pro-people governance.
Factors Responsible for
Spread of Extremism
• The factors responsible for the spread of
extremism are:
• 1. Jal-Jangal-Jameen: Disruption of age-old
tribal–forest relationship, violation of traditional
land rights, land acquisition without appropriate
compensation and rehabilitation

• 2. Economic: Unemployment, poverty,

infrastructure deficit like poor transport, lack of
health facility, lack of education, communication
and electricity, rising gap between rich and poor
 • The first three factors are
development deficit related
3. Social: Social inequality, discrimination, factors that directly cause
denial of human rights, abuse of dignity of
life extremism. The fourth and fifth
4. Political: Lack of people’s participation in
government
factors are not the root causes but
5. Governance deficit: Lack of routine give impetus to the already
administration, complete absence of
government machinery in remote areas, existing extremist feelings and are
poor implementation of laws,
mismanagement and corruption in thus used by extremists to
government schemes
propagate their nefarious designs.
 • Tribals may feel alienated if a specific model of
1. Jal-Jangal-Jameen development is imposed upon them, without their
consent. Such an imposition of ‘modern’ model of
Issues (Disruption of development upon ‘primitive’ tribals, is one of
main factors why Naxals are able to garner
Age-old Relationship) support from tribals of central India. For centuries,
tribals have a natural co-existential relationship
with their natural habitat, i.e. forests.

• The Forest Act, 1927 and the Forest Conservation

Act, 1980 along with stringent Supreme Court
orders and developmental activities like mining,
power projects and industrialisation have taken
away sources of their basic livelihood. The most
important being the Forest Conservation Act,
1980. As per the Act, their traditional rights have
been curtailed and they can no longer make a
livelihood out of their habitat (forests).
 • Poverty, unemployment and lack of
education continue to be portrayed
2. Economic Issues as fundamental drivers of
extremism. Poverty and
unemployment are often blamed for
creating feelings of hopelessness and
desperation. Poor economic
conditions foster lack of
opportunities, resulting in a limited
number of options for gainful
employment. The unemployment
pushes the youth towards the lure of
extremist ideas.
Social Issues

• High levels of social

fragmentation, perception of
exclusion and marginalisation
in some segments of society act
as push factors for extremism.
Relative deprivation and
frustrated expectations for
economic improvement and
social mobility are also major
drivers of extremism.
 Political issues
• Political Issues Political factors are also an indirect
cause for spread of extremism. In places where
human rights and democratic values are lacking,
disaffected groups are more likely to opt for a path
of violence. Extremism also flourishes due to severe
restrictions on civil liberties and political rights. Civil
liberties include freedom of expression, association,
movement, and the press; freedom of, and from,
religion; the right to due process; protection for
individuals against unwarranted use of state power;
and protection for minorities against potential
encroachment on their fundamental rights that may
result from majority rule.
• Governance Deficit Ungoverned or poorly
governed places may enable extremists to
establish sanctuaries or safe havens. Poorly
governed places may also create passive or
active support for extremists among
communities that feel ignored by the
government. Where no government agency is
able to provide for security and the rule of
law, extremists may be able to impose their
own order, and they may be able to extract
money or recruits from the population.

• But unfortunately, in India, over the years, the

government has not been proactive in this
regard. It ignored the legitimate grievances of
the tribals of the North-east and
Dandakaranya region.
• Tri-junction Theory
• According to this theory, areas
situated around the tri-junction of
borders of three states have the
problem of governance-deficit.
These areas lack transport,
communication and other
infrastructure. Dandakaranya—the
worst affected Maoist area in the
country is a perfect example of tri-
junction theory.
• Dandakaranya is a historical region
in India. It is identified with a territory
roughly equivalent to the Bastar
division in the Chhattisgarh state in
the central-east part of India.
• The Balaghat district of Madhya
Pradesh and Bhandara, Gondia and
Gadchiroli districts of Maharashtra are
part of the ancient region
Dandakaranya.
 • The Fifth Schedule states briefly that
Constitutional and all scheduled areas of the country
which are forest reserves and
Legal Safeguards for inhabited by scheduled tribes are to
Tribal Population be administered by the governors of
the states by appointing tribal
advisory councils from among the
tribal community of a particular
forest reserve or a scheduled area.
But, this has not happened in India.
In this vacuum, these forests have
been leased for mining, thereby
displacing the tribal communities.
 • Politically, the PESA (Panchayats
Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996
PESA ACT gives radical governance powers to the
tribal community and recognises its
PESA Act is for rural areas, but a similar
legislation for urban scheduled areas was traditional community rights over local
never debated and enacted. State natural resources. It not only accepts the
governments are taking advantage of this to
give speedy clearances to mining and
validity of ‘customary law, social and
industries in tribal areas. Their modus religious practices, and traditional
operandi is simple: they upgrade rural management practices of community
panchayats in scheduled areas to urban resources’, but also directs the state
panchayats to bypass PESA which mandates
village council’s approval for such projects. In
governments not to make any law which
the past few years, more than 600 village is inconsistent with these. Accepting a
panchayats, many of them in scheduled clear-cut role for the community, it gives
areas, have been converted into urban local
bodies, and these areas have major industrial
wide-ranging powers to Gram Sabhas,
investment proposals. which had hitherto been denied to them
by the lawmakers of the country.
• Forests Rights Act, 2006
recognises and vests the forest
rights of occupation to the
Scheduled Tribes and other
traditional forest dwellers who
have been residing in such
forests for generations but
whose rights could not be
recorded. The Act is an
important instrument for
improving the livelihoods of
people dependant on forests
by securing land rights.
 • Our mission should be to end left wing
extremism by ending extreme poverty
What should be done? and rampant unemployment. Anger,
resentment, and despair are a volatile
combination in the minds of young men
and women who see little hope for
escaping their situation. The goal of
development is to eradicate poverty,
promote inclusion and social justice, to
bring the marginalised into the economic
and global mainstream. Building of
capacity is the essence of development
and is a long-term process. The following
are some of the steps required:
• Sensitisation to local context and customs,
and addressing the critical needs of conflict-
affected communities
• Giving more emphasis to topics like
community development, governance,
service delivery, human rights, and political
grievances
• Effective implementation of protective
legislation
• Intense dialogue, so as to arrive at
conclusion
• Improved infrastructure and large
investment in infrastructure
• Protecting tribal rights
• Employment opportunities through tax
holidays to investments in those areas
• Ensuring social security, livelihood security
• Food security and education
• Land reforms and equitable distribution of
infrastructure projects
• Constructive dialogue with
extremists
• Prosperity for all people
• Anti-corruption efforts
• End of political marginalisation,
social discrimination, cultural
humiliation, violence by state
functionaries, human rights abuses,
and social oppression
• Ensuring minimum wages and
proper implementation of labour
laws.