841 people killed by Maoists till Oct 31

NEW DELHI - A total of 841 people, including 264 security personnel, were killed by Maoists till Oct 31 this year, parliament was told Tuesday.

While the maximum number of civilian casualties have been reported from West Bengal, the greatest number of security personnel have lost their lives in Chattisgarh, Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

“Central government reimburses an ex-gratia payment of Rs.3 lakh to the next-of-kin of security forces killed in the Naxal (Maoist)-affected areas and Rs.1 lakh to civilians killed in Naxal attacks, he said.

There are also various plans to develop the area affected by Maoist violence, with 69 development schemes of various ministries being implemented for comprehensive development of Maoist-affected areas, Maken added.