Patna: There is good news for Bihar on Maoist violence as the state has dropped to the fifth place this year in the country in comparison to the third position it clung to in 2017.

In a letter written to Bihar chief secretary Deepak Kumar, Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba has lauded the efforts of the state and has stressed the need to maintain the momentum.

He has also recommended various steps that the state government should take for it, including action against "front organisations" of the Maoists.

The ranking of states with regard to Maoist violence is based on the half-yearly review (January-June 2018), which shows that only 33 such incidents occurred in Bihar during this period, leading to a drop in its ranking. It now stands below Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra.

"Other positive developments during the year include further reduction in civilian deaths and seizure of property of prominent CPI (Maoist) leaders. However, the state needs to take note of the formation of the so-called 'unified command' of the Bihar regional committee of CPI (Maoist) and plans to expand their area of influence," the letter by Gauba states.

The Union home secretary has also expressed concern about the increase in violence in Lakhisarai in south Bihar.

The measures recommended for Bihar to maintain the momentum achieved during the first half of this calendar year, the Union home secretary has recommended concerted operations in the remaining pockets of CPI (Maoist) influence and collaboration with Jharkhand to ensure denial of safe zones along the state borders.

He also asked the state to continue exerting pressure on the senior leadership of Maoists by seizing their property and financial assets. "Choking of funds to the CPI (Maoist) must become an essential part of anti-LWE strategy."

Bihar has also been asked to revisit the surrender-and-rehabilitation policy to make it more attractive to the ideologically vulnerable leadership and also to prevent recidivism.

It has also been told to reiterate safety precautions against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to the security forces to prevent casualties.