‘Only 3 districts now most-affected by Naxalism’, says govt

Naxalism, once prevalent in 126 districts across states in 2013, has now dipped to just 18 districts, with only six classified as 'Most Affected Districts'.

The government on Wednesday said that only three districts - Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh - are now in the list of the most affected districts by Left Wing Extremism, down from six earlier.

District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel patrolling during a simulation exercise at their base in Dantewada, in Bastar division of India's Chhattisgarh state. (AFP)(HT_PRINT)

Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Kanker in Chhattisgarh have now been removed from the list of the most-affected districts by Naxalism, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.

The government also said that the districts affected by the Left Wing Extremism have been brought down to just 11 from 18. The Narendra Modi-led NDA government has announced that it will completely eradicate Naxalism from the country by March 31, 2026.

"In a giant stride towards the Modi government's vision of building a Naxal-free Bharat, the number of districts most affected by Naxalism has been brought down to three from six," an MHA statement said.

The government said that 312 Left Wing Extremists have been killed, while 836 members have been arrested, and 1,639 members have surrendered and joined the mainstream. Those killed include CPI (Maoist) General Secretary and eight other polit bureau members. Meanwhile, the surrendered Naxalites include one polit bureau member and a Central Committee Member.

"Under the Modi government, unprecedented success has been achieved in combating the Naxal menace through rigorous implementation of National Action Plan and Policy which envisages a multi-pronged approach. The National Action Plan and Policy include precise intelligence - based and people friendly counter Left Wing Extremism (LWE) operations," the statement stated.

"Once called India’s “biggest internal security challenge” by the then Prime Minister in 2010, Naxalism is now visibly retreating. Naxals had planned a Red Corridor - stretching from Pashupati in Nepal to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh," it added.

Naxalism was once called India’s “biggest internal security challenge" by then Prime Minister in 2010, the statement further said.

It added that Naxals had planned a Red Corridor, from Pashupati in Nepal to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

Naxalism, which was once prevalent in 126 districts across states in 2013, has now dipped to just 18 districts, with only six classified as 'Most Affected Districts'.