NEW DELHI: In the past 10 years, 85% of Left-wing extremists’ strength in Chhattisgarh and 14 top CPI(Maoist) leaders across the country have been eliminated, home minister Amit Shah said on Monday, enlisting the support of Naxal-hit states for a final blow to end LWE by March 2026 and enable locals to taste the fruits of development blocked by ultras.
Shah’s statement — made at a review meeting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) chaired by him here and attended by CMs or their nominees from seven affected states — came days after 31 Naxalites were eliminated by counter-Naxal forces in a two-day operation in Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmad area. With this, the total number of Maoists killed so far this year has climbed to 237.
Addressing CMs of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana; deputy CM of Bihar; Andhra Pradesh home minister; Union ministers; deputy NSA; chief secretaries and DGPs of the states concerned; and central para-military heads, Shah said Naxalites have not only been violating human rights by targeting tribals but were also the biggest obstacles to development in remote areas, denying locals, including eight crore tribals, benefits like education, healthcare, connectivity, and financial inclusion.
As LWE-affected states work together to eliminate Naxalism by March 2026 and realise PM Narendra Modi’s goal of making India a developed nation by 2047, the home minister said, “darkness created by Left-Wing Extremism shall be replaced with the constitutional rights, heralding a new era of development and trust instead of the violent Left-wing ideology”.
“With a zero-tolerance approach towards LWE and 100% implementation of govt schemes, we want to fully develop LWE-affected areas,” he said. Shah said that apart from pushing central flagship schemes, the focus of the Modi govt would be on three Cs — road connectivity, telecom connectivity and financial connectivity (inclusion).
Shah said the govt’s multi-pronged strategy, focusing on addressing the security vacuum and pushing development as this vacuum is filled, with the affected states on board, has seen violent LWE incidents dipping 53% between 2014 and 2024 as compared to 2004 and 2014. Deaths of civilians and security forces too declined by 70%, and the total districts reporting LWE violence fell by 57%.
The home minister said the reimbursement to affected states under the Centre’s security-related expenditure scheme had gone up three times to Rs 3,006 crore during 2014-24, as compared to 2004-14. Under the special central assistance scheme, Rs 3,590 crore was spent in the last 10 years.
“A total of Rs 14,367 crore has been approved so far, out of which Rs 12,000 crore has been spent,” he added.
The home minister 280 central para-military forces’ camps have been set up since 2019, even as the NIA works to choke funding of Maoists. Long operations, often stretching to 12 days, have helped block escape routes of Naxalites.
Commending the Chhattisgarh govt for the “inspiring” successes against Left-wing extremists, Shah said 237 Naxals were killed this year, 812 arrested and 723 surrendered. He appealed to the youth involved in Naxalism to give up arms and join the mainstream.
Shah suggested that CMs of affected states review anti-Naxal strategy and development efforts every month, and DGPs review the progress of counter-Naxal operations every fortnight.
Shah’s statement — made at a review meeting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) chaired by him here and attended by CMs or their nominees from seven affected states — came days after 31 Naxalites were eliminated by counter-Naxal forces in a two-day operation in Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmad area. With this, the total number of Maoists killed so far this year has climbed to 237.
Addressing CMs of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana; deputy CM of Bihar; Andhra Pradesh home minister; Union ministers; deputy NSA; chief secretaries and DGPs of the states concerned; and central para-military heads, Shah said Naxalites have not only been violating human rights by targeting tribals but were also the biggest obstacles to development in remote areas, denying locals, including eight crore tribals, benefits like education, healthcare, connectivity, and financial inclusion.
As LWE-affected states work together to eliminate Naxalism by March 2026 and realise PM Narendra Modi’s goal of making India a developed nation by 2047, the home minister said, “darkness created by Left-Wing Extremism shall be replaced with the constitutional rights, heralding a new era of development and trust instead of the violent Left-wing ideology”.
“With a zero-tolerance approach towards LWE and 100% implementation of govt schemes, we want to fully develop LWE-affected areas,” he said. Shah said that apart from pushing central flagship schemes, the focus of the Modi govt would be on three Cs — road connectivity, telecom connectivity and financial connectivity (inclusion).
Shah said the govt’s multi-pronged strategy, focusing on addressing the security vacuum and pushing development as this vacuum is filled, with the affected states on board, has seen violent LWE incidents dipping 53% between 2014 and 2024 as compared to 2004 and 2014. Deaths of civilians and security forces too declined by 70%, and the total districts reporting LWE violence fell by 57%.
The home minister said the reimbursement to affected states under the Centre’s security-related expenditure scheme had gone up three times to Rs 3,006 crore during 2014-24, as compared to 2004-14. Under the special central assistance scheme, Rs 3,590 crore was spent in the last 10 years.
“A total of Rs 14,367 crore has been approved so far, out of which Rs 12,000 crore has been spent,” he added.
The home minister 280 central para-military forces’ camps have been set up since 2019, even as the NIA works to choke funding of Maoists. Long operations, often stretching to 12 days, have helped block escape routes of Naxalites.
Commending the Chhattisgarh govt for the “inspiring” successes against Left-wing extremists, Shah said 237 Naxals were killed this year, 812 arrested and 723 surrendered. He appealed to the youth involved in Naxalism to give up arms and join the mainstream.
Shah suggested that CMs of affected states review anti-Naxal strategy and development efforts every month, and DGPs review the progress of counter-Naxal operations every fortnight.
You may also like
Wayne Rooney points finger at Jim Ratcliffe following Man Utd owner's Erik ten Hag claim
Liverpool forces Premier League title rethink after Arne Slot ends 'two-horse race' talk
Assam police seize 10,000 Yaba tablets worth Rs 1 cr in Karimganj, one held
Vinted shoppers hit by huge error with hundreds of vendors' personal details exposed
