In a massive achievement for India and the Modi government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the number of districts affected by left-wing terrorism or Naxalism had come down from 12 to 6. While boasting the “giant stride”, Minister Shah also declared that India will be free from Naxal-Maoist terrorism within a year.
Taking to X, Home Minister Amit Shah said, “Taking a giant stride towards building a Naxal-free Bharat, today our nation achieved a new milestone by significantly reducing the number of districts most affected by left-wing extremism to just 6 from 12. The Modi government is building a Sashakt, Surakshit and Samriddh Bharat with a ruthless approach to Naxalism and relentless efforts for all-pervasive development. Bharat is determined to uproot Naxalism for good by 31st March 2026.”
Taking a giant stride towards building a Naxal-free Bharat, today our nation achieved a new milestone by significantly reducing the number of districts most affected by left-wing extremism to just 6 from 12. The Modi government is building a Sashakt, Surakshit and Samriddh Bharat…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 1, 2025
From 106 Naxal-affected areas in 2015 to just 18 in 2025: The Modi government’s iron hand against Left-wing extremism yielding remarkable results
This is a massive leap and demonstrates the commitment of the Central government to end the deadly menace of Naxalism. It must be recalled that until 2015, around 106 districts in 10 states were marked naxal-affected. By 2024, this number came down to 38 and then to 18. Of these, 12 were most naxal-affected, however, this number has further dropped to just 6.
These 6 “most affected districts” include Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Gadhchiroli in Maharashtra.
Similarly, the number of “districts of concern” has also plummeted to 6 from 9. These 6 districts are: Andhra Pradesh (Alluri Sitarama Raju), Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat), Odisha (Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri), and Telangana (Bhadradri-Kothagudem).
In a press statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said, “Due to persistent action against Naxalism, the number of Other LWE-affected Districts has also decreased from 17 to 6. These include districts from Chhattisgarh (Dantewada, Gariaband, and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki), Jharkhand (Latehar), Odisha (Nuapada), and Telangana (Mulugu).”
The Government of India provides financial assistance of Rs. 30 crore and Rs. 10 crore, respectively, to the most affected districts and districts of concern under a special scheme, Special Central Assistance (SCA), to fill the gaps in public infrastructure. Special projects are also provided for these districts as per need.
The rapid improvement in the LWE scenario in the last year is primarily due to the establishment of new security camps in the insurgency-affected core areas and development-oriented works such as expansion of roads, transport facilities, water, electricity and other welfare schemes of the government reaching the villagers.
From bolstering security infrastructure in former Maoist strongholds, including setting up numerous security camps to restrict Naxalite movements and enable development projects, to launching initiatives like Bastar Olympics housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the central government and the security forces are working tirelessly to reintegrate the LWE-affected locals and crush Maoist appeal.
As the fight against left-wing terrorism intensifies, Naxalites surrendering in large numbers, Centre committed to bringing former Naxalites to the mainstream
A team of security forces recovered the body of a female Naxalite, carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh, along with an INSAS rifle, ammunition and other items of daily use from an encounter site of Dantewada on 31st March 2025.
The security forces under the DRG area had gone on an anti-Maoist operation in the areas of Geedam police station of the Dantewada district and Bhairamgarh police station of the Bijapur border villages –
Nelgoda, Akeli and Belnar. The woman, identified as Renuka alias Banu alias Chaite alias Saraswati, a resident of Kadvendi district, Warangal, was shot in the firing that took place at the encounter site.
Notably, on 30th March, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that 50 Naxalites surrendered in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. He assured them that they would be rehabilitated and integrated into the mainstream. “It is a matter of great joy that 50 Naxalites in Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) surrendered, abandoning the path of violence. I welcome those who leave violence and weapons and join the mainstream of development. Modi ji’s policy is clear that any Naxalite who leaves weapons and adopts the path of development will be rehabilitated and connected to the mainstream,” Amit Shah wrote on X.
Just a few days back, security personnel gunned down 16 Naxals and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in a what the police called “the biggest encounter” in the Kerlapal area of Sukma district. Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan confirmed the recovery of 16 Naxal bodies from the site and said, “Two of our jawans sustained injuries during the operation and are being evacuated for medical attention.” He said that security forces also seized a large cache of sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), and INSAS rifles from the area.
Earlier in March 2025, 15 Naxalites surrendered before the Dantewada police. The local police said that all 15 individuals would receive the benefits provided by the state government under the rehabilitation policy. Similarly, in Sukma, 9 Naxals surrendered in the presence of Superintendent of Police Kiran Gangaram Chavan last month. The success of security forces and the Central government in ensuring surrenders from Naxalites willing to redeem and join the mainstream as well as eliminating the unrelenting terrorists, especially in Sukma, is an excellent achievement since Sukma is one of the worst-affected districts in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, which has seen several Naxal attacks in the past.
Notably, 30 Naxalites were neutralised by security personnel in two different operations in the Chhattisgarh districts of Bijapur and Kanker. OpIndia reported earlier that at least 19 Naxalites turned themselves in on 17th March in the Bijapur area, and nine of them had cash prizes totalling ₹28 lakh on their heads.
Last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Parliament that by March 31st, 2026, Naxalism will be eradicated from the country. The Union Home Minister stated that between 2004 and 2014, there were 16,463 violent incidents, but in the last ten years, this number has decreased by 53 per cent.
He mentioned that from 2004 to 2014, 1,851 security personnel were martyred, but in the past ten years, the number of security personnel killed dropped to 509, a reduction of 73 per cent. The number of civilian deaths decreased from 4,766 to 1,495, which is a 70 per cent reduction.
The Union Home Minister stated that from 2014 to 2024, 11,503 kilometres of highways were constructed in Naxal-affected areas. The minister added that 20,000 kilometres of rural roads were built. In the first phase, 2,343 mobile towers were installed, and in the second phase, 2,545 towers were set up. The work of installing 4,000 mobile towers is still ongoing. Shah mentioned that the entire Naxal-affected region will be equipped with mobile connectivity by December 1st.
In February this year, 4 Naxals were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district killed at least four Maoists, all of whom were women. Police found three rifles in their possession: an INSAS (Indian small arms system), a self-loading rifle and a 3o3 rifle. On 9th February, a well-planned intelligence-based operation in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, around 400 kilometers south of Raipur, which borders Telangana and Maharashtra, eliminated 31 Maoists, including 11 women, in one of the largest strikes against Naxalism. On 1st February, security forces in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh conducted an anti-Naxal operation that resulted in the deaths of eight Maoists. Their hideouts yielded weapons, including a Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL) Launcher and an INSAS rifle.
On 31st January, ten Naxalites, five of whom possessed a total reward of ₹6 lakh on their heads, surrendered in the district of Bijapur. At least 16 Maoists were slain in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband area on 21st January and 12 of them bore a reward of over ₹3 crore. In another incident on the 12th of January, 5 Naxalites were shot dead by security troops in Bijapur’s Madded area. On 16th January, a violent clash with security forces in the Bijapur area of Chhattisgarh claimed the lives of at least 12 Naxalites. On 29th January, security forces and the CPI (Maoists) clashed in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, killing two Maoists. Six Maoists, who were active in Karnataka surrendered before Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on 9th January.
Notably, on 26th March, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai informed that more than 325 Naxalites have been eliminated and over 2,000 of them have either been arrested or surrendered in just one-and-a-half months in the state. These numbers are remarkably high, taking into account the short span of time. In October last year, the Home Ministry had said that around 94 Maoists were killed in the last nine months, more than 800 Naxals were arrested, while 738 surrendered.
It must be called that in an interview with IndiaToday earlier this year, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Modi government devised a four-pronged strategy to “replace weapons and violence with development and trust in the so-called Red Corridor that extended from Pashupatinath in Nepal to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.”
This four-pronged approach included targeting and neutralising Naxal leaders, disrupting their funding, promoting development in LWE-affected areas, and encouraging surrenders. The effective implementation of this multi-faceted strategy has yielded positive results for the country, although this progress is not devoid of challenges and sacrifices. With the continued efforts of the government and security forces, the menace of Naxal/Maoist/Left-wing terrorism is most likely to end for good by 31st March 2026. A Naxal-free India will definitely be a game-changer, unlocking doors of development, education, trade, jobs for the local people and former Naxalites, offering them a peaceful and dignified life free from terrorism and fear.
