RAIPUR: The time has come to deal a “ruthless final blow” to left-wing extremism and liberate the country from this scourge by March 2026, Union home minister Amit Shah said in Raipur on Saturday.
Shah, who arrived in the Chhattisgarh capital on a two-day tour to review security operations and development strategy in Maoist-affected states, said: “Between 2019 and 2024, many states have been liberated of the LWE tag — Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and, to an extent Maharashtra.Only one district in Maharashtra is still affected. This is a massive achievement for Govt of India.”
He said it was “particularly satisfying” to see Chhattisgarh home minister Vijay Sharma visiting Maoist commander Hidma’s village (Puwarti, Sukma district) and distributing Aadhaar cards and Ayushman Bharat cards to villagers.
Due to PM Narendra Modi’s strategy, people in Madhya Pradesh’s Chandameta village and six villages in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma could vote in the elections for the first time in 40 years, he said. “This is a victory for security forces and for democracy. Today, central forces are not only fighting Maoists but also monitoring development activities,” Shah added.
Despite August being part of the period under review, 189 Maoists have been “neutralized” in Chhattisgarh, which accounts for 90% of LWE-affected area, Shah said, adding that the setting up of police camps in areas where Maoists are still active helped fill the security vacuum.
Chhattisgarh is the best performing state in tackling Maoists this year, he said. Praising Chhattisgarh CM Vishnudeo Sai and his deputies Vijay Sharma and Arun Sao, he said ever since BJP formed govt, they have worked in a determined manner to root out Maoist insurgency. Apart from the Maoists eliminated, 559 have been arrested and 540 surrendered this year, he said, adding that 47 special forces camps have been set up.
Sixteen more camps will be set up in the coming months as the distance between police and locals has decreased. The credit for this should be given to the better implementation of the policies run by the Sai govt,” Shah said.
While only 219 Maoists were killed in five years during the tenure of the previous govt, the continuous encounter and surrender of Naxalites in just eight months is being considered a major achievement of the Vishnu Deo Sai govt, the Union home minister said.
Shah said that the Niyad Nellnar scheme in the state is being considered a milestone for development in the Maoist-affected area. Under this scheme, the availability of 53 public welfare and 28 community schemes of 17 departments is being ensured.
Shah urged Maoists to take up the “new-look surrender policy” that will be unveiled by Chhattisgarh govt in one or two months.
The DGPs and chief secretaries of all states that share a border with Chhattisgarh are attending the review meeting with the home minister. “States connected to Chhattisgarh are part of this because neighbouring states also need to have an equally strong ecosystem to tackle Maoists and speed up development,” Shah explained. Heads of all paramilitary forces also attended the discussions.
The aim is to have 100% saturation of welfare and development programmes of the state and Centre in areas affected by Maoist insurgency, and to remove hurdles, he added.
“I believe the time has come to deal a ruthless final blow to Maoists with a strong battle plan,” Shah said, adding: “We all agree that LWE is the biggest challenge to India’s democratic system… The battle is in its final stages. Under PM Modi’s strategy, it will be eradicated completely by March 2026.”
The Union home minister said that 17,000 people have been killed due to the insurgency in the last four decades. “Ever since BJP formed govt at the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this problem was taken up as a challenge. Our aim was to establish rule of law in these areas by getting Maoists to give up arms, and engaging those who don’t,” he said.
The objective was to ensure that development activities saturate the regions that had fallen behind due to Maoist insurgency so that they can be brought on a par with the rest of India, Shah said, adding that he is very happy with the development on both fronts.
“The Centre is committed to developing the region, from Bastar to Bijapur, and Dantewada to Dhamtari, and liberating them from Maoist extremism,” he reiterated. A State Investigation Agency (SIA) has been set up on the line of NIA and it will be strengthened, he said.
Listing the achievements of the anti-Maoist operations, he said that in 2022, the number of deaths dropped below 100 for the first time in four decades. “The 2014-2024 period saw the least acts of Maoist violence and 14 top Maoist leaders were neutralized. We succeeded in generating people’s trust in ‘vikas’ (progress),” Shah added.
Putting the govt’s success in numbers, the Union home minister said that there were 16,463 incidents of violence from 2004-14, which dropped by 53% to 7,444. In the earlier period, 6,617 security personnel lost their lives, which has been reduced by 70%, he added.
“In 2010, 96 districts reported violence. Eleven more districts were created since then, but now only 42 districts report such cases. In 2010, 456 police stations registered acts of Maoist violence. Around 100 new ones were set up. Out of these 565 police stations, only 171 now have such cases,” he said.
“Since 2019, 277 new police camps have been set up, filling the security vacuum, 90 cases have been registered under a new NIA vertical, 64 chargesheets have been filed and a severe blow has been dealt by Indian agencies to LWE finance ecosystem. ED played a big role in this,” the home minister added.
In the past year, home ministry has strengthened its air wing by adding 14 pilots solely for LWE areas, Shah said.
The Chhattisgarh administration, collectors and SPs have a huge role in 100% saturation of welfare schemes in Maoist-affected areas, the home minister said.
“In the last 10 years, central govt has improved lives in all LWE-affected states. With funds of Rs 21400 crore and 15,300 telephone towers, the connectivity problem has been resolved. To solve road connectivity issues, Rs 21000 crore was sanctioned to build 17,500km of roads, of which 11,500km has already been completed,” Shah said.
To promote financial inclusion in 25 worst-affected districts, 2,796 bank branches have been opened, along with 2,061 ATMS. As part of the plan to have a post office every 3km, 4,903 post offices have been opened. This is a first in the country,” the home minister said.
To upscale skilling in these parts, 48 ITIs were to be opened, of which 46 are already operational, he said, adding: “In the last four years, 165 Eklavya schools have been opened. Compare this with only 38 in the last 40 years. Eleven Kendriya Vidyalayas and four Navodaya Vidyalayas have been opened, he said.
At Saturday’s meeting, the home ministry decided to launch a campaign, in coordination with states, to educate those who were forced to remain illiterate because of the Maoist insurgency, Shah said, assuring that tendu patta rates will be revised.
Earlier in the day, Shah began his Chhattisgarh visit with a darshan at Vallabhacharya temple in Champaran, some 50km from Raipur. On Sunday, he will inaugurate an office of Narcotics Control Bureau in Raipur and hold a meeting on expansion of the cooperative sector in Chhattisgarh.
According to officials, the chief secretaries and DGPs of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal attended the meeting.
Replying to a question, Union home minister Amit Shah said Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, will “never be restored”. Asked about census, Shah said it will be carried out at an appropriate time.
Shah, who arrived in the Chhattisgarh capital on a two-day tour to review security operations and development strategy in Maoist-affected states, said: “Between 2019 and 2024, many states have been liberated of the LWE tag — Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and, to an extent Maharashtra.Only one district in Maharashtra is still affected. This is a massive achievement for Govt of India.”
He said it was “particularly satisfying” to see Chhattisgarh home minister Vijay Sharma visiting Maoist commander Hidma’s village (Puwarti, Sukma district) and distributing Aadhaar cards and Ayushman Bharat cards to villagers.
Due to PM Narendra Modi’s strategy, people in Madhya Pradesh’s Chandameta village and six villages in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma could vote in the elections for the first time in 40 years, he said. “This is a victory for security forces and for democracy. Today, central forces are not only fighting Maoists but also monitoring development activities,” Shah added.
Despite August being part of the period under review, 189 Maoists have been “neutralized” in Chhattisgarh, which accounts for 90% of LWE-affected area, Shah said, adding that the setting up of police camps in areas where Maoists are still active helped fill the security vacuum.
Chhattisgarh is the best performing state in tackling Maoists this year, he said. Praising Chhattisgarh CM Vishnudeo Sai and his deputies Vijay Sharma and Arun Sao, he said ever since BJP formed govt, they have worked in a determined manner to root out Maoist insurgency. Apart from the Maoists eliminated, 559 have been arrested and 540 surrendered this year, he said, adding that 47 special forces camps have been set up.
Sixteen more camps will be set up in the coming months as the distance between police and locals has decreased. The credit for this should be given to the better implementation of the policies run by the Sai govt,” Shah said.
While only 219 Maoists were killed in five years during the tenure of the previous govt, the continuous encounter and surrender of Naxalites in just eight months is being considered a major achievement of the Vishnu Deo Sai govt, the Union home minister said.
Shah said that the Niyad Nellnar scheme in the state is being considered a milestone for development in the Maoist-affected area. Under this scheme, the availability of 53 public welfare and 28 community schemes of 17 departments is being ensured.
Shah urged Maoists to take up the “new-look surrender policy” that will be unveiled by Chhattisgarh govt in one or two months.
The DGPs and chief secretaries of all states that share a border with Chhattisgarh are attending the review meeting with the home minister. “States connected to Chhattisgarh are part of this because neighbouring states also need to have an equally strong ecosystem to tackle Maoists and speed up development,” Shah explained. Heads of all paramilitary forces also attended the discussions.
The aim is to have 100% saturation of welfare and development programmes of the state and Centre in areas affected by Maoist insurgency, and to remove hurdles, he added.
“I believe the time has come to deal a ruthless final blow to Maoists with a strong battle plan,” Shah said, adding: “We all agree that LWE is the biggest challenge to India’s democratic system… The battle is in its final stages. Under PM Modi’s strategy, it will be eradicated completely by March 2026.”
The Union home minister said that 17,000 people have been killed due to the insurgency in the last four decades. “Ever since BJP formed govt at the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this problem was taken up as a challenge. Our aim was to establish rule of law in these areas by getting Maoists to give up arms, and engaging those who don’t,” he said.
The objective was to ensure that development activities saturate the regions that had fallen behind due to Maoist insurgency so that they can be brought on a par with the rest of India, Shah said, adding that he is very happy with the development on both fronts.
“The Centre is committed to developing the region, from Bastar to Bijapur, and Dantewada to Dhamtari, and liberating them from Maoist extremism,” he reiterated. A State Investigation Agency (SIA) has been set up on the line of NIA and it will be strengthened, he said.
Listing the achievements of the anti-Maoist operations, he said that in 2022, the number of deaths dropped below 100 for the first time in four decades. “The 2014-2024 period saw the least acts of Maoist violence and 14 top Maoist leaders were neutralized. We succeeded in generating people’s trust in ‘vikas’ (progress),” Shah added.
Putting the govt’s success in numbers, the Union home minister said that there were 16,463 incidents of violence from 2004-14, which dropped by 53% to 7,444. In the earlier period, 6,617 security personnel lost their lives, which has been reduced by 70%, he added.
“In 2010, 96 districts reported violence. Eleven more districts were created since then, but now only 42 districts report such cases. In 2010, 456 police stations registered acts of Maoist violence. Around 100 new ones were set up. Out of these 565 police stations, only 171 now have such cases,” he said.
“Since 2019, 277 new police camps have been set up, filling the security vacuum, 90 cases have been registered under a new NIA vertical, 64 chargesheets have been filed and a severe blow has been dealt by Indian agencies to LWE finance ecosystem. ED played a big role in this,” the home minister added.
In the past year, home ministry has strengthened its air wing by adding 14 pilots solely for LWE areas, Shah said.
The Chhattisgarh administration, collectors and SPs have a huge role in 100% saturation of welfare schemes in Maoist-affected areas, the home minister said.
“In the last 10 years, central govt has improved lives in all LWE-affected states. With funds of Rs 21400 crore and 15,300 telephone towers, the connectivity problem has been resolved. To solve road connectivity issues, Rs 21000 crore was sanctioned to build 17,500km of roads, of which 11,500km has already been completed,” Shah said.
To promote financial inclusion in 25 worst-affected districts, 2,796 bank branches have been opened, along with 2,061 ATMS. As part of the plan to have a post office every 3km, 4,903 post offices have been opened. This is a first in the country,” the home minister said.
To upscale skilling in these parts, 48 ITIs were to be opened, of which 46 are already operational, he said, adding: “In the last four years, 165 Eklavya schools have been opened. Compare this with only 38 in the last 40 years. Eleven Kendriya Vidyalayas and four Navodaya Vidyalayas have been opened, he said.
At Saturday’s meeting, the home ministry decided to launch a campaign, in coordination with states, to educate those who were forced to remain illiterate because of the Maoist insurgency, Shah said, assuring that tendu patta rates will be revised.
Earlier in the day, Shah began his Chhattisgarh visit with a darshan at Vallabhacharya temple in Champaran, some 50km from Raipur. On Sunday, he will inaugurate an office of Narcotics Control Bureau in Raipur and hold a meeting on expansion of the cooperative sector in Chhattisgarh.
According to officials, the chief secretaries and DGPs of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal attended the meeting.
Replying to a question, Union home minister Amit Shah said Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, will “never be restored”. Asked about census, Shah said it will be carried out at an appropriate time.