• Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the security forces have achieved a historic breakthrough in the resolve to make the country Naxal-free with the killing of 31 Naxalites in the Karregutta hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.

• Karregutta hills was the unified headquarters of big Naxal organisations such as People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) battalion No. 1, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), Telangana State Committee (TSC), and Central Regional Committee (CRC), where along with Naxal training, strategies and weapons were also developed.

• Central and state security forces eliminated at least 31 Naxals in a 21-day-long comprehensive operation carried out in the dense forests around Karregutta hills.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the killing of 31 Naxalites underscores the government’s campaign to root out Left-Wing Extremism is moving in the right direction.

Naxalite movement

• In 1967, a peasant uprising took place in the Naxalbari police station area of Darjeeling hills district in West Bengal. Beginning from the Naxalbari police station, the peasant movement spread to several states of India and came to be referred broadly as the Naxalite movement.

• The supporters of the Naxalite movement advocated the use of violent means to achieve their political goals. 

• According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Communist Party of India (Maoist), is the major Left Wing Extremist (LWE) outfit responsible for a majority of incidents of violence and killing of civilians and security forces. The Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of CPI (Maoist), resorts to guerrilla warfare.

• Over the years, governments have taken stern measures in dealing with the Naxalite movement. 

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.)