A sense of alienation springing from a perceived inequitable developmental process coupled with its active aiding and abetting by certain forces hostile to the interests of this country, saw the rise and sustenance of the Kamtapur Liberation Organization (KLO), operational in North Bengal since December 1995.

The KLO demands an independent state carved out of some of the areas of North Bengal and the state of Assam and has not flinched from using violent means for the achievement of its objectives. After the Bhutan flush-out, many of the KLO militants landed in Jalpaiguri correctional homes and a need was felt to evolve a special programme for their rehabilitation.

With a view to responding positively to this situation and reaching the fruits of development to such persons and such areas, some encouraging steps and endeavours have been planned under the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana (RSVY). The RSVY is an initiative of the Planning Commission of India to address the problems of high poverty, low growth and poor governance by putting in place programmes that would accelerate the developmental process. It offers adequate flexibility to tailor projects and schemes compatible with the socioeconomic and cultural context of the region.

The project document on the RSVY observes, "The district, along with the surrounding districts is facing a rise in militant activities in the form of the so-called 'Kamtapur Movement'. In the last few years, the militants allegedly belonging to the KLO have targeted political leaders and school teachers who are very important in the panchayati raj institutions. If the militant activities gain ground and engulf more areas in the district or intensify their activities, it is likely to severely lower the moral (sic) of the panchayati raj institutions, political activists, and the common public, thereby hampering the developmental process. In fact, if people get involved with the militant movement, it is likely to completely derail the development process in the district."

Large numbers of such militants have over the years, preferred to join the mainstream and work towards a constructive living. The local district administration has planned and organized a couple of initiatives for the estranged youth which have had a positive impact. As a result, the number of such persons inclined to lead a normal family life is constantly rising. The panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) have shown willingness in integrating them into society and in offering all possible institutional support. For instance, the district administration of Jalpaiguri created a special programme called 'Mission Nava Disha' to rehabilitate approximately 1,200 such socially alienated persons (SAPs)/surrendered militants and bring them into the mainstream. The strategy inter alia included identification and selection of the SAPs/surrendered militants, organization of training for reorientation and capacity building, hand-holding support in the field and actual implementation.

In this light, the district regarded the RSVY as an opportunity to offer a constructive alternative to the SAPs/surrendered militants by channeling their creative energies towards productive initiatives and activities. The district administration decided to play the role of a facilitator towards the realization of this goal. The RSVY components are well within their envisaged scope of serving the requirements of the SAPs in their rehabilitation. The capacity building inputs have been well designed and fine tuned to meet their special requirements of firing the imagination, creating sensitivity and arousing creativity.

The 'Mission Nav Disha' adopts a multi-pronged approach whereby different agencies are involved in the design and implementation of the programmes. The Jalpaiguri police joined hands with the district administration to share the rehabilitation responsibilities so as to preempt divisive tendencies through constructive, pro-active measures. The police, as an indispensable law and order instrument, have a fairly good understanding about the dynamics leading to youth going astray. They offered to share their experience and learning in orienting the youth towards adopting constructive development programmes. Other agencies, line departments and NGOs also joined in with their inputs, expertise and resources.

The basic approach here has been to provide a supportive environment for a holistic development rather than programmatic learning. Many of the socially alienated youth were married and had children and family to look after. The programme components also related to supporting their wives, children and parents who were deemed to be significant for offering emotional anchorage to these militants. The training was organized under the joint collaboration of the Zilla Parishad, the District Administration, the District Rural Development Cell, the Jalpaiguri Police and a local NGO, the Center for the Development of Human Initiatives (CDHI).

Talking about the overall impact of the rehabilitation programme under the RSVY, one can say with certitude that this was one of the most successfully-run rehabilitation programme for socially alienated persons anywhere in the country. The whole Kamtapur movement for the establishment of a separate state comprising some areas of North Bengal has been almost peacefully brought back to the national fold and rehabilitated. Similar initiatives need to be developed for other parts of the country affected by extremist violence.