Mineral Resources, Poverty, Naxalism!

Isn't it strange that in our country, the region that is abundant in mineral resources like coal, iron-ore, etc., is the region that is economically most backward. Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and the surrounding areas are blessed with the richest mineral deposits. Yet poverty is rampant in many parts of these states. And these are the regions that are writhing under the stranglehold of Naxalism. For the past six decades, the successive governments at the Centre and at the State level have been unable to eradicate poverty in these areas. Why has there been so little development in these areas? It is such a shame. This shameful neglect leading to impoverishment of hundreds of thousands of our countrymen is one of the reasons why the Maoists are able to move about in these regions with impunity, spreading their venomous ideology.