Introduction

Left Wing Extremism (LWE), or naxalism, is a Maoist-inspired insurgency concentrated in India’s ‘Red Corridor’, posing security and developmental challenges. Its footprint has sharply declined, with affected districts reducing from 126 (2018) to 38 (2024), showing significant progress in containment.

Body

Impact of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) on People

• Loss of Lives and Perpetual Fear: Civilians often fall victim to brutal vigilante justice, being accused of aiding security forces or refusing extremist demands.
  • Eg: In Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, Maoists recently killed two villagers suspected of being police informers.
• Disruption of Public Services and Isolation: LWE violence blocks essential services like healthcare, education, and transport, leaving people cut off from development and governance.
  • Eg: Katezari village in Gadchiroli finally received its first state-run bus after 77 years of insurgency.
• Forced Displacement and Loss of Livelihoods: Extremist activities or counterinsurgency operations often displace villagers, forcing them into temporary shelters, disrupting livelihoods.
• Breakdown of Local Governance and Coercive Control: Extremist groups impose parallel governance, levy taxes, and resort to coercion, undermining local democratic institutions.

Measures Taken by the Government to Eliminate LWE

Policy Measures

• National Policy and Zero-Tolerance Vision: India adopted a comprehensive National Policy and Action Plan (2015) to tackle LWE through a multi-pronged framework, combining enforcement, development, and rights protection, all geared towards complete elimination by March 2026.
• Targeted Financial Aid to Affected Districts: The government provides ₹30 crore to “most affected” districts and ₹10 crore to “Districts of Concern” via the Special Central Assistance scheme, aiming to plug critical infrastructural gaps.

Security Measures

• Security-Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme: Under SRE, the Centre reimburses states for training, operations, ex gratia to affected families, cadre rehabilitation, and community policing efforts. This raises state capacity to combat LWE effectively.
• Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS): The SIS provides resources for bolstering policing strength, constructing fortified police stations, supporting specialized forces and intelligence branches, to toughen security infrastructure in LWE zones.
• Strengthening Central Capabilities: The government supports states with CAPFs deployments, India Reserve battalions, helicopters for operations, and inter-agency intelligence sharing, upgrading tactical and operational readiness.

Developmental Interventions

• Expanding Connectivity: To bind these regions to the mainstream, the government has constructed 14,469 km of roads and commissioned ~6,500 telecom towers, vastly improving mobility and communication.
• Financial and Social Inclusion Infrastructure: Efforts include the opening of more than ~5500 post offices, 1,007 bank branches, 49 skill centres, and 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools to boost education and livelihoods.
• Civic Outreach Programmes: Through Civic Action Programmes (CAP) and Tribal Youth Exchange Programs, the government promotes trust-building and social integration between security forces and local tribal communities.

Conclusion

India’s multi-pronged strategy combining security, development and rights-based empowerment has drastically weakened LWE. With sustained political will and community participation, the goal of a LWE-free India is now within reach.

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