In a bid to encourage young left-wing rebels to rejoin the society, the government in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has decided to impart skill development training to surrendered Naxalites.

Officials said the state government has even relaxed the academic criterion for the surrendered Naxalites so that they can get skill development training and in turn be ready for jobs to earn a livelihood.

"The state government has already set up five Industrial Training Institutes and 10 Skill Development Centres in Naxalite-affected districts," the state's top skill development official Sanjay Singh told the media.

Another senior official said Friday that the "move to relax eligibility norms is aimed at rehabilitating almost all rebels who are willing to give up arms and return to the mainstream of the society so that they can lead a happy family life."

Odisha is among the seven Indian states hit by Naxalite violence, but of late some rebels are giving up arms before the police.

The rebels say they are fighting for land rights for tribal people and the rural poor. Their insurgency began in the eastern state of West Bengal in late 1960s, spreading to more than one-third of India's administrative districts.

Hit-and-run attacks are still common, though major offensives by security forces have pushed the rebels back to their forest strongholds and the levels of violence have fallen in recent years.