New Delhi [India], October 29 (HBTV): In a major milestone toward achieving the Modi government’s vision of a ‘Naxal-free Bharat,’ the Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that the number of districts classified as ‘most affected’ by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) has reduced from six to just three.
According to MHA data, only Bijapur, Sukma, and Narayanpur districts in Chhattisgarh now remain in the ‘most affected’ category. The number of LWE-affected districts overall has also seen a sharp decline, dropping from 18 to 11, marking a significant contraction in the geographical spread of Naxal influence.
The Ministry further stated that the Union government has set an ambitious target to completely eradicate the Naxal menace by March 31, 2026. It added that 836 cadres have been arrested, while 1,639 have surrendered and joined the mainstream, including one Politburo member and one Central Committee member.
The Centre attributed this success to the effective implementation of the National Action Plan and Policy, which adopts a multi-pronged strategy combining security operations, development initiatives, and improved coordination between central and state agencies. The plan focuses on intelligence-based, people-friendly counter-LWE operations, swift area domination, targeting senior leaders and overground workers, countering extremist ideology, infrastructure expansion, and cutting off financial support channels.
Once described as India’s biggest internal security challenge by the then Prime Minister in 2010, Naxalism is now in visible retreat. The Maoists had once envisioned a so-called ‘Red Corridor’ stretching from Pashupati in Nepal to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. In 2013, 126 districts across various states reported Naxal-related violence; by March 2025, this number had fallen to 18, with only six earlier classified as ‘most affected.’
The MHA said that sustained security operations and continuous development efforts have decisively weakened Left Wing Extremism, marking a major step toward ending decades of insurgency in India’s heartland.
(ANI)