Why in news?

Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the final battle against Maoists is imminent and will be ruthless, with the goal of eradicating Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in India by March 2026.

After a meeting in Raipur with officials from Chhattisgarh and neighboring states, the minister emphasized the need for a strong strategy to deliver a decisive blow to LWE, which he described as the biggest challenge to India's democracy.

What’s in today’s article?

• Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)
• India To Be Free Of Naxalism By 2026

Left Wing Extremism (LWE)

• Left-wing extremism is the single internal security threat that affects the largest number of States in India.
• LWE aims to overthrow the existing democratic state structure with violence as their primary weapon, and mass mobilization and strategic united fronts as complementary components.
  • They plan to usher in So-called ‘New Democratic Revolution’ in India.
• Left-wing extremists are popularly known as Maoists worldwide and as Naxalites in India.

Reasons for the spread of LWE

• Land Related Factors:
  • Encroachment and occupation of Government and Community lands (even the water-bodies) by powerful sections of society.
  • Lack of title to public land cultivated by the landless poor.
  • Poor implementation of laws prohibiting the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals in the Fifth Schedule areas.
  • Non-regularisation of traditional land rights.
• Displacement and Forced Evictions:
  • Eviction from lands traditionally used by tribals.
  • Displacements caused by irrigation and power projects without adequate arrangements for rehabilitation.
  • Large scale land acquisition for ‘public purposes’ without appropriate compensation or rehabilitation.
• Livelihood Related Causes:
  • Lack of food security – corruption in the Public Distribution System
  • Disruption of traditional occupations and lack of alternative work opportunities.
  • Deprivation of traditional rights in common property resources.
• Social Exclusion:
  • Denial of dignity.
  • Continued practice, in some areas, of untouchability in various forms.
  • Poor implementation of special laws on prevention of atrocities, protection of civil rights and the abolition of bonded labour etc.
• Governance Related Factors:
  • Corruption and inadequate provision/non-provision of essential public services including primary health care and education.
  • Misuse of powers by the police and violations of the norms of law.
  • Perversion of electoral politics and unsatisfactory working of local government institutions.

Current LWE situation in India

• Maoist violence came down
  • According to the Ministry of Home Affairs:
    • Maoist violence in the country has gone down by 77% since 2010;
    • The number of resultant deaths (security forces + civilians) has come down by 90 % from the all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 98 in 2022.
• Number of districts declared to be Naxal-affected
  • The government has cut the number of districts declared to be Naxal-affected from over 200 in the early 2000s to just 90 now.
  • It claims that the geographical spread of violence is actually restricted to just 45 districts.
    • According to the MHA, the arc of violence has been considerably restricted with just 25 districts accounting for 90% of the LWE violence.
  • The presence of Naxals is said to be minimal to zero in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Bihar, which were at one time their strongholds.

Response by Centre

• Different schemes to support LWE states
  • Security Related Expenditure (SRE) - focuses on equipping security forces to fight Maoists;
  • The Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) - aims to strengthen local police and intelligence set ups;
  • Special Central Assistance for building infrastructure such as roads in LWE districts.
• Massive presence of the CRPF
  • The Centre has maintained a massive presence of the CRPF in the affected states for almost two decades.
• Erection of mobile towers
  • Centre is pushing for the erection of mobile towers in the interiors, which would help the local people connect with the mainstream, and also generate technical intelligence.
• Maoists sympathisers on the radar of Centre
  • The Centre has also unleashed the counter-terrorism National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate on CPI(Maoist) cadres, leaders, and sympathisers with the aim to choke their funding.

India To Be Free Of Naxalism By 2026

• About the news
  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a target to eliminate Maoist activities in India by March 2026.
  • He emphasized the need for a strong and ruthless strategy for the final assault against these groups.
• Decline in Maoist violence
  • The minister highlighted the significant decline in Maoist violence over the past decade, with incidents dropping by 53% and related deaths by 70%.
  • The number of LWE-affected districts has decreased from 96 to 45, and the number of LWE-hit police stations has reduced from 495 to 176.
• Factors behind this decline
  • The minister noted the government’s efforts to address the security vacuum in LWE-affected areas through coordinated operations and development work.
  • He credited the joint efforts of state and Central Armed Police Forces, the National Investigation Agency, and the Enforcement Directorate for their role in combating Maoist extremism.
  • The Home Ministry's LWE Division, established in 2006, plays a crucial role in this effort, monitoring the situation and implementing countermeasures.