Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah chairs a security review meeting on Left Wing Extremism in Raipur, Chhattisgarh

1. At a Glance

• Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah chaired a security review meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, reiterating the deadline to make India Naxal-free by 31 March 2026 [1][2].
• Anchors the broader "Naxal Mukt Bharat" campaign combining security operations, surrender-rehabilitation policy, financial-network strikes, and saturation of welfare schemes in tribal/Bastar geography [1][3].
• Relevant for GS-III (Internal Security — LWE) and GS-II (Centre-State coordination, governance in tribal areas).

2. Why in the News

• Raipur review meeting (May 2025) followed sharp reduction of "most-affected" LWE districts to 3 — Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur (all Chhattisgarh) [4].
• Forms part of a sequence of high-level LWE reviews chaired by HM Shah in 2024-25 (Delhi, Raipur Inter-State meets with Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, MP, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha) [2].

3. Background & Evolution

• LWE/Naxalism traces to the Naxalbari uprising, 1967 (West Bengal); CPI (Maoist) formed in 2004 by merger of MCC & CPI(ML)-PW [5].
• CPI (Maoist) banned under UAPA, 1967 [5].
• National Policy and Action Plan against LWE, 2015 — three-pronged: security, development, rights/entitlements [5].
• SAMADHAN doctrine, 2017 — Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation & training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard-based KPIs, Harnessing technology, Action plan per theatre, No access to financing [5].
• Affected districts trajectory: 126 (2013) → 90 → 70 → 38 (2024) → 11 (2025); "most affected" down from 36 → 6 → 3 [3][4].

4. Core Static Facts

• Implementing ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs — LWE Division [5].
• Nodal agency for operations in Chhattisgarh: CRPF (incl. CoBRA battalions); state police "DRG" (District Reserve Guard) and "Bastar Fighters" [2].
• Key schemes:
• Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme — reimburses states for LWE-related security expenditure [5].
• Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) — fortified police stations, special forces [5].
• Special Central Assistance (SCA) — for most-affected districts [5].
• Road Connectivity Project for LWE Areas (RCPLWEA) & LWE Mobile Tower Project (Phase-I & II) [5].

• Aspirational Districts Programme overlap with LWE geography [5].

• Target deadline: 31 March 2026 for a Naxal-free India [1][3].

• Violence reduction: incidents down ~81% between 2010 and 2024; LWE-linked deaths fell below 100 in 2022 — first time in 30 years [2][3].
• New/fortified police stations: 41 newly established in LWE theatres [2].

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Administrative / Federal

• LWE is a state subject ("Public Order" — List II, Entry 1) but Centre coordinates via MHA, CAPFs, intelligence and SRE funding [5].
• Inter-State Coordination meetings of DGPs/ADGPs of CG, AP, Telangana, MP, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha institutionalised under HM [2].

Security / Strategic

• Squeeze on "Red Corridor" via fortified police stations, joint task forces, drone & tech-enabled surveillance under SAMADHAN [5].
• Strikes on Maoist financial network (extortion, levy, hawala) flagged as decisive lever [1].

Social / Tribal

• Bastar geography overlaps Schedule V tribal areas; surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy, ration shops, schools, mobile towers, road connectivity (Aspirational Blocks) [1][5].
• Risks: human-rights complaints, displacement; need for PESA, 1996 and FRA, 2006 compliance [implicit/static].

Economic / Developmental

• Saturation of welfare (Jal Jeevan, PMGSY, banking correspondents, post offices) used as counter-insurgency tool — "clear-hold-build-develop" doctrine [5].

Legal

• UAPA, 1967 (ban on CPI-Maoist & front organisations); CrPC/BNSS provisions for unlawful assembly; state PSAs [5].

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• 2024: HM Shah review in Delhi & Raipur; declared "most affected" districts cut from 12 to 6 [2].
• March 2025: "Bharat Manthan-2025: Naxal Mukt Bharat" valedictory address in New Delhi [2].
• May 2025: Raipur security + development review — focus on Bastar, surrender policy, financial strikes [1].
• Aug 2025: HM reply in Lok Sabha — affected districts down to 11; "most-affected" to 3 (Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur) [2][4].
• Operational: large-scale neutralisations in Bastar division 2024-25; senior Maoist Central Committee cadres surrendered/eliminated [2].

7. Prelims Hooks

• Naxal-free India target date: 31 March 2026 [1].
• SAMADHAN introduced by MHA in 2017 — 8-pronged strategy [5].
• CPI (Maoist) banned under UAPA, 1967 [5].
• National Policy & Action Plan against LWE — year 2015 [5].
• Most-affected LWE districts (2025) — 3: Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur (all Chhattisgarh) [4].
• LWE-affected districts down from 126 (2013) to 11 (2025) [4].
• Violence incidents fell ~81% between 2010-2024 [3].
• Below-100 LWE deaths first achieved in 2022 [2].
• CoBRA = Commando Battalion for Resolute Action — CRPF jungle warfare unit [5].
• DRG = District Reserve Guard; Bastar Fighters — state-raised forces [2].
• Centre's reimbursement scheme: SRE (Security Related Expenditure) Scheme [5].
• "Red Corridor" historically spanned AP, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, MP, Bihar, West Bengal [5].
• Naxalbari uprising — 1967, Darjeeling, West Bengal [5].
• LWE nodal authority: MHA — LWE Division [5].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Internal Security — "Linkages between development and spread of extremism"; "Role of external state and non-state actors".
• GS-II: Governance — Centre-State coordination, special category funding to LWE/tribal districts.
• PYQ-style stems: 1. "Critically examine how the convergence of security and development has hastened the decline of Left Wing Extremism in India." (GS-III) 2. "The SAMADHAN doctrine has moved India's anti-Naxal strategy from a security-only approach to a multi-pronged one. Discuss." (GS-III) 3. "Eliminating LWE requires addressing tribal alienation, not just neutralising cadres. Comment in light of PESA and FRA." (GS-II/III)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• PESA Act, 1996 — tribal self-governance overlaps LWE belt.
• Forest Rights Act, 2006 — addresses tribal alienation.
• UAPA, 1967 — statutory tool against Maoist outfits.
• Aspirational Districts/Blocks Programme — development saturation in LWE areas.
• Schedule V & VI areas — constitutional protection framework.
• CAPFs structure (CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB) — deployment logic.
• Insurgency in NE India / J&K — comparative internal-security study.
• NCRB Crime in India — LWE statistics chapter.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• SAMADHAN ≠ a scheme; it is an 8-pronged doctrine (2017) — don't confuse with SRE/SIS which are schemes.
• LWE nodal ministry is MHA, not MoTA (Tribal Affairs) — though MoTA handles tribal welfare overlap.
• CoBRA is CRPF, not a separate force; Greyhounds are Andhra/Telangana state police, not central.
• "Most-affected" (3 in 2025) is a subset of "LWE-affected" (11 in 2025); aspirants conflate them.
• CPI (Maoist) formed in 2004 (merger of MCC + CPI-ML-PW); not 1967 — that was Naxalbari, a precursor.
• Naxal-free target year is 2026 (March 31), not 2025.