Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, Satya Pahadi has said that the regrouping of the Maoist combatants has reached the final phase.
Speaking in a press conference organised on Friday, Minister Pahadi said a special development program is being implemented in the conflict affected areas so as to build a foundation for lasting peace.
Coordinator of the Secretariat of the Special Committee on Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist combatants, Balananda Sharma has said that a total of 16,996 Maoist combatants took part in the regrouping that completed in various cantonments across the country.
Of the total, some 9,000 have chosen integration while 7,000 have opted for voluntary retirement and only six chose rehabilitation.
The regrouping was carried out at the cantonments in Chulachuli of Ilam, Dudhauli, Shaktikhor, Jhyalthungdanda, Dahaban, Dasarathpur and Talband.
The Special Committee will take a decision if the actual number of combatants opting for integration is higher than the agreed 6,500 and those who fail to do so would again get an opportunity to choose between voluntary retirement and rehabilitation, he added.