New Delhi, August 29 : The Government of India has decided to provide assistance to raise ten CoBRA Battalions (Commando Battalions for Resolute Action) in the Central Reserve Police Force to combat the growing Left-wing extremism in the country.

Each of these Battalions will have 1057 personnel. And in next three years, more than 10,000 strong force of Commandos will be available. For effective and immediate response, these Battalions will be located in the main theatres of action in the affected States.

The CoBRA personnel will be provided specialized training and equipment for guerilla tactics and jungle warfare. For their training, an expenditure of more than Rs. 1300 crore has been approved by the Centre.

An additional financial assistance of three crore rupees per company will be provided to the States that are facing problems of militancy.

Assistance to States is proposed separately under the Eleventh Five Year plan to provide training in counter insurgency and anti-terrorism by setting up 20 training centers in five States.

Four existing training centres of the Central paramilitary forces will be upgraded for providing training in guerilla warfare and jungle survival to the personnel of CoBRA Battalions by creation of additional infrastructure to train about 2800 persons per year.

K Durga Prasad, a 1981 batch IPS officer from Andhra Pradesh and an expert in handling the anti-naxal operations, is likely to take charge of the CoBRA.

The CoBRA personnel would be imparted special training in terrain and topography of their area of operation.

The CoBRA will be headquartered in Delhi and will have battalion headquarters in every Naxal-affected state.

Naxalites have carried out several attacks this year which includes gunning down of more than two dozen personnel of Andhra Pradesh''''s elite force "Greyhounds" last month, killing of Orissa police personnel, political leaders and their kin. (ANI)