Discuss the contribution of the SAMADHAN doctrine in transforming India's counter-LWE campaign.

Q. Discuss the contribution of the SAMADHAN doctrine in transforming India's counter-LWE campaign. (15 marks, 250 words)

Enunciated by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2017, SAMADHAN converted a scattered, reactive anti-Naxal effort into a unified, measurable and technology-driven campaign — a shift credited with India being declared "effectively free" of Left-Wing Extremism by 31 March 2026 [1][5].

A unified strategic framework - The acronym — Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation/training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard KPIs, Harnessing technology, Action plan per theatre, No access to financing — welded short- and long-term policy into one doctrine [5]. - Dashboard-based KPIs made outcomes measurable across the Centre, states and CAPFs, replacing ad-hoc coordination [5].

Sharper security operations - "Aggressive strategy" enabled Forward Operating Bases of CRPF/CoBRA deep in Maoist cores, culminating in the Karreguttalu Hill operation neutralising 31 cadres [2][4]. - "Harnessing technology" — UAVs, satellite imagery, biometric databases — improved actionable intelligence [5].

Choking finances and easing surrender - UAPA proscription of CPI (Maoist) and its fronts throttled funding under "No access to financing" [5]. - The SRE Scheme funded surrender-cum-rehabilitation, aiding 3,927 surrenders during 2024–March 2026 [1][5].

Measurable transformation - Most-affected districts fell from 36 (2014) to 3 (2025); total LWE-affected districts from 126 to 11 [1].

By fusing kinetic force with development and clear metrics, SAMADHAN supplied the operational spine for the later Vishwaas-Nirman-Jan Kalyan framework. Sustaining these gains now demands deepening tribal self-governance through PESA and FRA, converting security success into durable constitutional legitimacy [4].

(~250 words)

Sources: 1. PIB Backgrounder — Naxal-Free India: Integrated Strategies Defeated Left-Wing Extremism (2026) — end-state declaration; district decline; surrender data 2. PIB — Karreguttalu Hill operation, 31 Naxalites neutralised — biggest anti-Naxal operation 3. PIB — "Before March 31, 2026, we will eliminate Naxalism" — declared deadline 4. PIB — From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat: A Decade of Decisive Gains (2014–2025) — FOBs, decadal transformation, way-forward 5. PIB / MHA — SAMADHAN doctrine, SRE Scheme, LWE Division — doctrine elements, financing, rehabilitation