As development reaches naxal affected Gadchiroli of Maharashtra, villagers laud SP Ankit Goyal for brightening up their lives
New Delhi, September 7
The lives of numerous villagers in the remote villages of Gadchiroli district have changed after consistent efforts of IPS officer Ankit Goyal who has not only brought lights and smile and life into this village but set an example of top notch policing with care.
His persistent efforts in community policing have fetched IPS officer Goyal with the prestigious IACP award 2022 and the recently presented FICCI SMART Policing Award 2021.
In an exclusive interview with BW PoliceWorld, SP Gadchiroli, Ankit Goyal, talks about the initiative ‘Dadlora Khidki’ to ensure entitled benefits and welfare services reach the last man in the village. In last one year, 2,26190 villagers of Gadchiroli availed aide from the entitled benefits after persistent efforts of SP Goyal and his team.
1) Please tell us what inspired you to initiate welfare services for the villagers in Gadchiroli?
Gadchiroli bordering Chhattisgarh and Telangana remains one of the worst affected districts in the country,
suffering from violent Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) since decades. There is a grave mistrust of government agencies among its local population, especially the remote villages due to false propaganda spread by the Naxal.
Recognizing the issues prevailing in the tribal areas of the district and countering anti-naxal operations, Gadchiroli
Police successfully established several community police initiatives in the district and eliminated obstacles preventing local tribals from accessing their entitled benefits and welfare services. Maharashtra is s developed state and the government has many welfare schemes for people from all walks of life. However, in remote areas, where services don’t reach, we thought of building a bridge. The villagers not only develop trust in the administration but also start availing benefits that they have been longing for. 9390 caste certificates were distributed under ‘Project Pragati’ from January 2021 to August this year while 364 were given in August.
2) How did you start helping the villagers to get the entitled schemes?
These remote areas where others didn’t have access, we as police have access due to our area domination patrol and ensuring law and order. Hence, I thought that we should use the same access to bring benefits for people. We began with provision of Aadhar cards. We ensured that every citizen has the ID cards first. As the identification process was completed, we started providing caste certificates, certificates for specially abled citizens, widows, senior citizens and more in specially organised camps. We then followed up with the concerned departments to ensure the benefits they are entitled to, reaches them. The widows who are entitled to pensions were ensured pension starts reaching them. 126448 villagers received their Aadhar cards, Ayushman bharat cards, Pan Cards, QR Code cards, job cards, E-Shram cards and morewhile 5743 citizens received the same in August.
3) You took several steps for the specially abled citizens in the district. Tell us more on that.
When a district is affected and many citizens, mostly tribals are not even aware of the entitled benefits, the situation of the specially abled citizens gets more grave. These villagers did not have even basic access to transport that specialy abled citizens have in bigger cities and districts. Since they are entitled to state transport facilities, we ensured that once they received the specially abled certificates, they get the benefit to travel. This made them more accessible to other benefits, jobs, skill development and exploring more opportunities. The specially abled citizens in the country have benefits under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Scheme which they were unaware of. They were briefed about the same in specially organised sessions and they were enrolled for the same where they can get financial assistance, pension and other benefits.
Under ‘Project Shakti’ for specially abled citizens, 1686 citizens availed benefits from receiving three wheeled bicycles, MR kit, sticks, sewing machines for unemployed girls and other equipments. Under ‘Project Vikas’ that includes various benefits schemes, 58831 villagers befitted last year while 3511 benefitted in August alone.
4) The farmers in Maharashtra often face difficulties in far flung districts. How did you smoothen the process of bringing in benefits for them in district like Gadchiroli?
As compared to the farmers in other districts, the farmers here are completely ignorant and do not even known that a world exists beyond their village or tribe. There is a small village called Bhamragadh where the farmers haven’t even seen Gadchiroli district. While some of them have been struggling to even make ends meet, some cannot reach the authorities to get their entitled benefits. The agriculture and farming has progress at great extent and when farmers are availing agriculture scheme benefits, we ensured they also start getting the same. Some of them have been farming with such age old techniques that it gives them hardly any income for survival. By enrolling them for the present day schemes, they are getting machines, tools, tractors, bank accounts for financial aides and pension. This has helped them become self-sufficient and learn newer techniques of farming.
Under Project Krushi Samruddhi, they received agriculture seeds, fish seeds, fruit seedings, krishi darshan trips and more. 12918 farmers have availed benefits of the same.
5) How is your project helping the youth in Gadchiroli who are the soft targets for Maoism?
The tribal youth are soft targets in Gadchiroli and many Maoist and Naxal affected states. The Maoists have been raising an anti-government slogan in such areas to boost youth to join their naxal army. We decided to chalk out a programme for the youth who are above 18 years of age for various skills and jobs. We started job plus skill development programmes for them with free residential courses that can training them for special skills and abilities. From nursing to hospitality, security to farming, they are learning everything professionally. After receiving the said training, 1000 youth got placed in government and non-government jobs.
So far, 6000 youth have undertook training and out of them, 2500 got self-employment. Those who are self-employed, we are proving them with required tools and machines so that they don’t have to struggle to get the same and start working as soon as they finish their training. I would quote a few examples were the youth who wanted to run food joints were given food trucks, tool kit for automobile sector related work, sewing machines who wanted to get into tailoring and design.
6) With such an inclusive approach to uplift the citizens in Gadchiroli, do you think this has helped the police fight against Maoism?
It has. This project or initiative was conceptualised for dual benefits. The idea was to uplift them and make them self-sufficient, which in return would beat naxalism and the very agenda of Maoists that brainwashes the tribals on how government is anti tribals or anti poor. The Maoists work on the agenda of inciting youth and giving them arms to rebel against the government by citing examples of how development never reached their villages. However, when these areas develop and villagers become a part of the system, the very idea of Maoism gets defeated.
I would like to specially mention here that a large group of naxal women surrendered to police. We accepted these women and ensured they are also trained into skill development. These transformed women now manufacture disinfectants and sell it to bigger stores. In fact, the disinfectants are being sold at all the Reliance outlets after we tied up with them to sell these products. I would call this a real growth story.
The success stories from Gadhchiroli are numerous that have made ‘Dadlora Khidki’ an example of community policing in the country.
SP Ankit Goyal credits the success of the project to his team of police officials who left no stone unturned to aide citizens beyond their specific work of policing.
A native of Indore in Madhya Pradesh and an electrical engineer, Goyal also worked in an MNC in Pune for two years before taking up UPSC.
An officer of 2010 batch of Maharashtra cadre, he started his career as additional SP Kolhapur, SP Wardha then serving as DCP Ulhasnagar, DCP Bhiwandi, DCP Mumbai (Zone IV) during the first wave of Covid. He was then posted as SP Gadchiroli where his work has made Maharashtra Police proud of their officer.
