CRPF gets record applications for jobs from Maoist-hit areas
For the 4,568 constable post vacancies the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) advertised in six Maoist-dominated states last year, it received 1.15 lakh applications. That is, about 25 applications per post.
Sources said this was the first time the CRPF had received such an overwhelming response from the states and their tribal belts.
Among the applicants from Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, the CRPF has recruited 2,207 men (against 4,257 vacancies) and 90 women (against 311 vacancies).
"The remaining posts are vacant as the applicants did not meet the educational or physical requirements. But the record number of applications showed the tribals are no longer scared of the Maoists and want to join the CRPF to fight them," an officer said.
Another encouraging aspect was the number of woman applicants. As many as 545 and 559 women from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand alone applied for constable posts. (The corresponding figures among men were 4,228 and 19,739.)
An officer said most woman applicants were from places such as Dantewada, Narainpur and Bijapur. "CRPF officers helped these women fill in application forms and gave them physical training before they took the qualification tests. A crash course in general knowledge was also given to some women to help them clear the written examination. A total of 2,002 women had sent in applications," an officer said.
This was also the first time so many women from the Maoist areas applied for CRPF jobs. "The trend shows people in Left-wing extremism-affected areas are fed up with Maoist activities," Ajay Chaturvedi, the CRPF spokesperson in Delhi, said.
The infusion of locals in the CRPF, an officer said, was expected to help the force make inroads into the Maoist dominated areas and win the fight against the extremists.