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New Delhi, Aug 25 (ANI): Admitting that the conflict with Maoists would be long-drawn, Home Minister P. Chidamabaram on Wednesday said that “patience is the key” to resolution of the conflict.

Addressing Director Generals of Police and Inspector Generals of Police of different States at their annual conference here, Chidamabaram said: “We made it clear (to the states in November 2009) that it would take several years before we were able to contain the CPI (Maoists) and roll back their offensive,” said Chidambaram.

“I think the people of India understand - even if the critics do not - that the conflict will be a long drawn one, that patience is the key, that mistakes will be made and the security forces need material and moral support to carry out their tasks,” he added.

He said the government had made an offer for talks if Maoists gave up violence. But there has been no direct and credible response from the Naxals to the government’s offer, he added.

He further said: “Last year, I dwelt at length on the challenge of Left Wing Extremism. It is often forgotten that it is the State Governments that have been, and continue to be, in the forefront of fighting the menace of Left Wing Extremism.

” As far as I know, all State Governments are committed to the two-pronged strategy of development and police action,” he added.

“We obtained the concurrence of the Chief Ministers concerned to a new plan that includes creation of an Unified Command in four States, provision of helicopters for logistics support, establishment or strengthening of 400 police stations, appointment of additional SPOs and implementation of an Integrated Action Plan with emphasis on road connectivity, primary education, primary health care and drinking water in the affected districts,” he said.

He further said the security forces had been able to reassert state control despite setback in Naxal-affected areas such as Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.

“We have augmented training for security forces and also raised the level of support to the states affected with Left-wing extremism,” he said.

“We have also decided to set up one Central Academy for Police Training (CAPT) at Bhopal, two Central Detective Training Schools (CDTS) at Lucknow and Ahmedabad and 20 Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorist (CIAT) Schools of which three are operational and 12 more are likely to become operational in the current year,” he added.

“We have sanctioned the raising of an additional 38 Battalions in the CRPF, 29 Battalions in the BSF, 32 Battalions in the SSB, and 14,259 personnel in the CISF,” he said.

He regretted that 424 civilians have been killed this year alone and 192 were killed after they were named as police informers.

“While the loss of every life is a matter of grief and regret, nothing is more painful than the killing of innocent civilians after naming them as ‘police informers’,” he said. (ANI)