• During the last 10 years, incidents of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence — which were 1091 in 2014 — have reduced to 374 in 2024, a reduction of 65.7 per cent, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in a reply in the Lok Sabha.

• The total number of deaths (civilian + security force) has also reduced by 52 per cent during this period — from 310 deaths in 2014 to 150 in 2024.

• There has also been a sharp decline in the number of districts affected by LWE.  The LWE affected districts have been reduced from 126 to 90 districts by April 2018, further to 70 by July 2021 and then to 38 by April 2024.

Multi-pronged strategy to address Left Wing Extremism

• The government of India (GoI) has adopted a comprehensive and multi-pronged strategy to address Left Wing Extremism (LWE), also known as Naxalism, under the ‘National Policy and Action Plan to Address LWE’ approved in 2015. 

• This strategy focuses on security measures, development interventions, and ensuring the rights and entitlements of local communities. 

Security-Related Measures

The GoI has implemented several security-focused initiatives to strengthen the capacity of LWE-affected states:

• Deployment of CAPF battalions to assist state police forces.

• Funds provided for training, equipment, arms, and intelligence sharing.

• Fortified Police Stations (FPSs): Construction of 621 FPSs, including 221 under the Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS).

• Security-Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme:

i) Provides financial assistance for operational and training needs of security forces.

ii) Supports rehabilitation of surrendered LWE cadres, community policing, and village defense committees.

iii) Rs 3260.37 crore released under SRE from 2014-15 to 2024-25.

• Assistance to Central Agencies for LWE Management (ACALWEM) Scheme:

i) Rs. 1120.32 crore allocated for helicopters and critical infrastructure in security camps (2014-15 to 2024-25).

Development Interventions

The Centre has undertaken significant development initiatives in LWE-affected areas to address the root causes of extremism:

• Road Connectivity: Construction of 14,607 km of roads to improve accessibility.

• Telecommunication: Commissioning of 7,768 mobile towers to enhance connectivity.

• Skill Development: Establishment of 46 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and 49 Skill Development Centres (SDCs).

• Education: 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) made functional to provide quality education in tribal areas.

• Financial Inclusion: Opening of 5,731 Post Offices with banking services. Establishment of 1,007 Bank Branches, 937 ATMs, and 37,850 Banking Correspondents (BCs) in LWE-affected districts.

• Special Central Assistance (SCA): Rs. 3563 crores released since 2017 for filling critical gaps in public infrastructure.

Key Achievements:

• Strengthening of state police forces, intelligence branches, and special forces.

• Expansion of road and telecom networks in remote areas.

• Increased access to vocational training and quality education for tribal communities.

• Greater access to banking services in LWE-affected regions.

• Rehabilitation of surrendered LWE cadres and promotion of community policing.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)