30 youths, including girls from Maoist hot beds visit Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: Over 30 youngsters, including girls, from remote areas of Pedabayalu, Munchingput and Paderu mandal in Vizag Agency had a chance to visit scenic hill station and Himachal capital Shimla as part of an all-India tour under the banner of the 9th Tribal Youth Exchange Programme (TYPE) organised by CRPF and Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK).

This is the third batch from Vizag Agency to go on such a tour under the exchange programme. Earlier, over 30 youngsters from Vizag Agency visited Chennai and Lucknow. “Several times, I heard Vizag is a beautiful city with beaches etc and never expected to come to Vizag, but what I heard was less, and now I am going to visit Shimla with the initiation of the CRPF,” says M. Konda Babu, a native of Ramulapuram area under Paderu mandal in Vizag Agency.

Narrating their eagerness, some youngsters said visiting cities like Vizag and Shimla will be a life-time experience for them as they are living in remote areas where development is still a mirage. Commmandant of 198 Battalion of CRPF, Kulvir Singh Deswal, said in Agency areas, most of the children and youngsters are school dropouts and they become ideal recruits for Maoists.

Though the tribal youngsters are intelligent, they have little understanding of the outside world, as they are mostly confined to the hills. Visiting Vizag and Shimla would give them ample opportunity to see life outside their tribal habitats. Creating awareness among the tribal youngsters and to educate them on self-growth and development are am-ong the objectives behind organising the tour, said Ramprasad of NYK.