LEFT-WING EXTREMISM

1. At a Glance

• Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), popularly called Naxalism/Maoism, is an armed insurgency by CPI (Maoist) and affiliates aimed at overthrowing the State through a "protracted people's war"; concentrated in the tribal-forest belt of central-eastern India ("Red Corridor"). [S1][S2]
• Under the Seventh Schedule, Police and Public Order are State subjects; the Centre only supplements State efforts via the MHA's LWE Division. [S1][S2]
• High UPSC salience — straddles GS-III (internal security), GS-II (federalism, tribal rights) and GS-I (regional movements).

2. Why in the News

• PIB release of 4 Feb 2026 reiterated the multi-pronged strategy under the 2015 National Policy & Action Plan. [S1]
• HM Amit Shah's deadline to make India Naxal-free by 31 March 2026; "most affected" districts cut to 3 (down from 12). [S3][S4]
• Lok Sabha discussion (2025) and "Bharat Manthan-2025: Naxal Mukt Bharat" valedictory address. [S4]

3. Background & Evolution

• 1967 — Naxalbari uprising, West Bengal: peasant revolt led by Charu Mazumdar & Kanu Sanyal — origin of the name "Naxal". [S2]
• 2004 — merger of PWG + MCCI to form CPI (Maoist) — banned under UAPA, 1967. [S2]
• 2006 — PM Manmohan Singh called LWE the "single biggest internal security threat". [S2]
• 2015 — National Policy & Action Plan to address LWE approved. [S1]
• 2017 — SAMADHAN doctrine enunciated by HM. [S2]
• 2026 deadline — Naxal-free Bharat target. [S3]

4. Core Static Facts

• Nodal ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs — LWE Division (created 2006). [S2]
• Banned outfit: CPI (Maoist) under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. [S2]
• Umbrella framework: National Policy & Action Plan, 2015 — three prongs: Security + Development + Rights/Entitlements. [S1]
• Doctrine — SAMADHAN: Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation & training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard-based KRA/KPI, Harnessing technology, Action plan per theatre, No access to financing. [S2]
• Key schemes (all MHA-funded):
• Security Related Expenditure (SRE) — reimburses States for security operations; ₹3,331 cr released over last 11 yrs (155% rise vs. previous decade). [S2]
• Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) — Special Forces, SIBs, Fortified Police Stations (FPS); ₹620 cr for 246 FPS + ₹140 cr for 56 additional FPS. [S2]
• Civic Action Programme (CAP) — by CAPFs to win hearts & minds. [S2]
• Media Plan, Bastariya Battalion, Black Panther Combat Force (Chhattisgarh). [S2]
• ROSHNI — skill-training scheme for tribal youth of 27 LWE districts in 9 States, sub-scheme of DDU-GKY, launched June 2013 (Min. of Rural Development). [S2]
• Aspirational Districts Programme — many LWE districts overlap; NITI Aayog (2018). [S2]
• Affected districts: brought down to 18 → 11; "most affected" category reduced to 3 (Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur; later Kanker, West Singhbhum, Gadchiroli reclassified). [S3][S4]
• 586 Fortified Police Stations constructed since 2014. [S2]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Administrative / Federal - Police & Public Order are State List items — Centre's role is supplementary (CAPFs, IR Battalions, helicopter support, intel sharing). [S1] - Inter-state coordination critical — overlapping borders of Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand-Odisha-Maharashtra-Telangana.

Social / Tribal - LWE thrives where Fifth Schedule areas, PESA 1996 and FRA 2006 are poorly implemented; tribals form recruitment base. [S2] - ROSHNI addresses livelihood deficit via skilling. [S2]

Economic / Developmental - "Development deficit" thesis: poor road density, mobile connectivity, banking. Counter-measures: Road Connectivity Project for LWE Areas (RCPLWEA), LWE Mobile Tower Project, expansion of bank branches/ATMs/post offices. [S2]

Legal / Constitutional - UAPA, 1967 (banning); Article 355 (Union duty to protect States); Seventh Schedule entries 1 & 2 of State List. [S1][S2]

Security / Strategic - Use of UAVs, NETRA, satellite imagery, joint task forces; raising of India Reserve Battalions and Specialized IR Battalions. [S1][S2]

Ethical / Governance - Balancing counter-insurgency vs. tribal rights (Salwa Judum SC verdict, 2011 — declared unconstitutional). [S2]

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• Feb 2026 — PIB reaffirms multi-pronged LWE strategy. [S1]
• 2025 — Bharat Manthan-2025: Naxal Mukt Bharat event. [S4]
• 2025 — "From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat: A Decade of Decisive Gains" factsheet released by MHA. [S2]
• 2024-25 — Most-affected districts reduced from 12 → 6 → 3. [S3]
• HM Shah's review meetings in Raipur with Chhattisgarh + neighbouring states. [S4]

7. Prelims Hooks

• LWE Division is housed in Ministry of Home Affairs, created 2006. [S2]
• National Policy & Action Plan to address LWE approved in 2015. [S1]
• SAMADHAN is an operational doctrine — N stands for No access to Financing (not "Naxal"). [S2]
• ROSHNI is a sub-scheme of DDU-GKY (Min. of Rural Development), NOT Saubhagya (which electrifies households). [S2]
• CPI (Maoist) formed in 2004 by merger of PWG + MCCI. [S2]
• Naxalbari is in Darjeeling district, West Bengal (1967). [S2]
• Salwa Judum declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court in Nandini Sundar v. State of Chhattisgarh, 2011. [S2]
• 586 Fortified Police Stations constructed since 2014. [S2]
• ₹3,331 crore released under SRE in the last 11 years. [S2]
• "Most affected" LWE districts cut to 3 by 2025. [S3]
• Naxal-free Bharat target date: 31 March 2026. [S3]
• Police & Public Order — State List, entries 1 & 2, Seventh Schedule. [S1]
• Bastariya Battalion — CRPF unit raised from tribal youth of Bastar region. [S2]
• CPI (Maoist) is listed as a terrorist organisation under the First Schedule of UAPA, 1967. [S2]

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-III — Linkages between development and spread of extremism; Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
• GS-II — Government policies for vulnerable sections (tribals); Centre-State relations.
• GS-I — Post-independence consolidation; regional movements.

Probable stems: 1. "The decline of Left-Wing Extremism in India is a function of force-multipliers in development rather than firepower." Critically examine. 2. Discuss the SAMADHAN doctrine as a holistic counter-LWE strategy. To what extent has it achieved its objectives by 2026? 3. Examine the tension between counter-insurgency operations and protection of tribal rights under PESA and FRA in the Red Corridor.

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• UAPA, 1967 — statutory backbone for banning Maoist groups.
• PESA Act, 1996 & Forest Rights Act, 2006 — root-cause levers in Schedule V areas.
• Aspirational Districts Programme — heavy overlap with LWE geography.
• Salwa Judum & Nandini Sundar (2011) — SC jurisprudence on vigilantism.
• Central Armed Police Forces — CRPF, COBRA, BSF roles.
• Insurgency in North-East — comparative internal-security canvas.
• Fifth & Sixth Schedules — tribal governance architecture.
• National Investigation Agency (NIA) — federal counter-terror investigative arm.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• ROSHNI ≠ Saubhagya — ROSHNI is skilling for LWE tribal youth, NOT rural electrification. [S2]
• LWE is a State subject area (Police/Public Order, Seventh Schedule); Centre supplements, does not directly control. [S1]
• SAMADHAN's "N" is No access to financing, not "Naxal". [S2]
• CPI (Maoist) is banned under UAPA, not under a separate "Maoist Prevention Act" (no such Act). [S2]
• Naxalbari (1967) is in West Bengal, not Andhra Pradesh — Andhra is the cradle of PWG (1980).
• "Most affected" vs. "districts of concern" vs. "other LWE-affected" are three distinct MHA categories — easy to conflate. [S3]

11. Sources

• [S1] LEFT-WING EXTREMISM (PIB, MHA, 4 Feb 2026) — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2223092 — (tier 1)
• [S2] Union Government's Comprehensive Strategy against Naxalism / From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat (PIB Factsheet, 2025) — https://www.pib.gov.in/FactsheetDetails.aspx?Id=150426 ; https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2203440 — (tier 1)
• [S3] Most affected LWE districts reduced to 3 (PIB) — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2179459 — (tier 1)
• [S4] HM Amit Shah, Lok Sabha reply on LWE & Bharat Manthan-2025 (PIB) — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2247134 ; https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2172513 — (tier 1)