New Delhi: In a major achievement toward eliminating Left Wing Extremism (LWE), the government has reduced the number of districts most affected by Naxalism to just three — Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh. This marks a sharp decline from six districts earlier classified under the “most affected” category.
Similarly, the total number of LWE-affected districts across the country has come down from 18 to 11, signalling the steady retreat of the Naxal movement, once described as India’s biggest internal security challenge. The government has set a target to completely eradicate the Naxal menace by March 31, 2026.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the year 2025 has witnessed record operational successes. Security forces eliminated 312 LWE cadres, including the CPI (Maoist) General Secretary and eight other politburo or central committee members. In addition, 836 cadres were arrested, and 1,639 surrendered to join the mainstream. Among the surrendered were one politburo member and a central committee member.
Officials said the remarkable decline in Naxal activity reflects the success of the ‘national action plan and policy’, which adopts a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy to counter extremism. This approach combines precise, intelligence-based operations with people-friendly initiatives to win public confidence in affected areas.
Key elements of the strategy include filling security vacuums, targeting leadership and overground networks, countering extremist ideology, accelerating infrastructure development, ensuring saturation of welfare schemes, cutting off financial channels, and strengthening coordination between central and state governments. The policy also emphasises swift investigation and prosecution of Maoist-related cases to dismantle support systems for the insurgency.
A decade ago, Naxalism had spread across a ‘Red Corridor’ envisioned by Maoist groups to stretch from Pashupati in Nepal to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. In 2013, as many as 126 districts across multiple states reported Naxal-related violence. By March 2025, that number had fallen dramatically to just 18, underscoring the effectiveness of sustained counter-insurgency and development efforts.
With security consolidation and rapid socio-economic progress in previously affected regions, the government’s campaign to create a Naxal-free Bharat has entered its final phase — marking a decisive turnaround in India’s decades-long battle against Left Wing Extremism.