Bhubaneswar, September 26: Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in Delhi and sought Central assistance to tackle the Maoist menace in the state.
During his meeting with Chidambaram, Patnaik asked for at least seven battalions (about 7,000 personnel) of central para-military force and a chopper for tackling the menace.
Besides Chidambaram, Patnaik, who left for Delhi on September 23, met Defence Minister A K Antony, Forest and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, Sports Minister M S Gill and Tribal Affairs minister K L Bhuria, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said.
He also met chairman of the 13th finance commission Vijay L Kelkar.
“The Chief Minister discussed issues relating to recruitment of tribals from Orissa in defence forces during his meeting with Antony,” the sources said, adding he also demanded establishment of two Branch Recruitment Offices in the tribal-dominated districts.
–PTI