India Eliminates Left-Wing Extremism; No District Now Classified as Naxal-Affected: Centre
New Delhi, July 29 (TNT): The Centre on Wednesday said India has eliminated Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) after nearly six decades of violence, with no district in the country now classified as LWE-affected, following sustained security operations and development initiatives.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the number of Naxal-affected districts had declined from 126 to 90 in 2018, 70 in 2021, 38 in 2024, eight in December 2025 and zero by March-April 2026.
He said 37 districts have now been categorised as “Legacy and Thrust” districts, where continued security and development support will be provided to consolidate gains, while one district has been placed in the “District of Concern” category despite the dismantling of the Maoist organisational structure.
Shah attributed the achievement to the implementation of the National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left-Wing Extremism, 2015, which adopted a multi-pronged strategy combining security operations, development initiatives and measures to protect the rights and entitlements of local communities.
The minister said the Centre has released ₹3,805.04 crore since 2014-15 under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme to support operational expenses, training, rehabilitation of surrendered Maoists and compensation for families of security personnel and civilians killed in LWE violence.
He said surrendered Maoists are provided rehabilitation assistance of ₹5 lakh for senior cadres and ₹2.5 lakh for other cadres, besides vocational training with a monthly stipend of ₹10,000 for three years.
Under the Modernisation of Police Forces scheme, projects worth ₹1,761 crore have been sanctioned for strengthening special forces, intelligence units and police infrastructure, including the construction of 663 fortified police stations, Shah said.
He added that ₹1,303.68 crore has been provided to central agencies since 2014-15 under the Assistance to Central Agencies for LWE Management scheme for security camps and helicopter support.
On the development front, Shah said 15,189 km of roads have been constructed under LWE-specific road schemes, while 9,497 mobile towers have been commissioned to improve telecom connectivity in erstwhile Maoist-affected areas.
The government has also established 47 Industrial Training Institutes, 49 Skill Development Centres, made 179 Eklavya Model Residential Schools operational, opened 6,025 post offices with banking services, besides setting up 1,804 bank branches and 1,321 ATMs in these areas, he said.
The minister said one-third of security camps in LWE-free areas are being converted into Jan Suvidha Kendras to provide livelihood support, digital services, healthcare, skill development and access to government welfare schemes. The first such centre has been established at Netanar in Chhattisgarh.
He said the Centre has released ₹4,289.20 crore since 2017 under the Special Central Assistance scheme to bridge infrastructure gaps in erstwhile LWE-affected districts, while over 21.26 lakh land title deeds have been distributed under the Forest Rights Act.
Shah said 37,655 tribal youth have participated in the Tribal Youth Exchange Programme since 2014, while ₹221.88 crore has been released under the Civic Action Programme to support welfare activities in former LWE-affected areas.
He said the government’s focus in the post-LWE phase will be on saturating welfare schemes, strengthening local self-governance, rehabilitating surrendered cadres, preserving tribal identity and expanding governance and public services in remote regions.
TNT TS
