The Centre on Friday played its much belated development card to wean away the poor from the naxals and maoists in 60 poverty-stricken and backward districts under their strong influence.

The decision to finance these districts for rapid improvement in schooling, health care and drinking comes nine months after finance minister Pranab Mukherjee listed the drive in his union budget to ensure the poor and tribals do not fall for the naxals for help.

Prime minister Manmohan Singh has been harping for long on a dual strategy of rapid development side by side with a no-holds barred war on the naxals as the only way to eliminate the biggest threat to India's internal security.

It was, however, on Friday that he chaired the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) and put its stamp on an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) to provide 100 per cent additional grant in the selected 60 tribal and backward districts.

Home minister P Chidambaram later told reporters that the plan would improve people's life with social programmes and infrastructure projects. "By March next year, we must see some concrete change in these districts," he affirmed.

The plan envisages spending of Rs 25 crores in each of the districts in the first year (2010-11) and Rs 30 crores next year to empower the people with the necessities of life, deprivation of which led to the naxals acquire strong foothold in the areas as the alternate governments.

In the 12th five year plan, a more detailed action plan will be worked out with focus on the long term, Chidambaram said.

Since the plan is being put into operation when only four months are now left for the financial year to end, the beneficiary districts will be awash with large money that would have been otherwise spent in 12 months.

The plan envisages focus on improving governance in the naxal-affected districts, through effective implementation of the Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006 and the Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996.

Under the plan, a mechanism will be worked out for procurement and marketing of the minor forest produces (MFPs) that benefits the tribals and other forest dwellers. The onus on enforcement of the minimum support price for these produces and the administrative network will be on the state government.