New Delhi: Going ahead with its mission to make India Naxal free by 2026, the Centre has freed 60 districts from the menace of Left-Wing Extremism in the last five years. Earlier this year, Home Minister Amit Shah announced the eradication of the Naxal menace from India in the next two years.
"At present, 38 districts are affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in the country. During the last five years, 60 districts have been freed from the menace of Left-Wing Extremism,” said Minister of State for Nityanand Rai in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
He said that during the last five years between 2019-20 to 2023-24, Rs 4350.78 crore have been released for capacity building of the LWE-affected states under the Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), Security Related Expenditure (SRE) and Special Central Assistance (SCA) schemes.
At present, 38 districts in 11 states are affected by LWE in the country. The majority of the districts (16) are in Bihar followed by 14 in Jharkhand, and seven in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana each.
The districts affected by Naxalism in Bihar include Arwal, Aurangabad, Banka, East Champaran, Gaya, Jamui, Jehanabad, Kaimur, Lakhisarai, Munger, Muzaffarpur, Nawada, Nalanda, Rohtas, Vaishali, West Champaran.
Whereas districts like Bokaro, Chatra, Dhanbad, Dumka, East Singhbhum, Garhwa, Hazaribagh, Khunti, Koderma, Palamu, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Simdega, Saraikela-Kharaswan in Jharkhand are affected in Jharkhand.
To address the LWE problem holistically, a "National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE" was approved in 2015. It envisages a multi-pronged strategy involving security-related measures, development interventions, ensuing rights and entitlements of local communities etc.
Rai said that the number of LWE-related violent incidents has come down by 73 per cent in 2023 in comparison to 2010. The number of resultant deaths (security forces + civilians) has also reduced to 138 in 2023 from 1005 in 2010, a reduction of 86 per cent. Due to the improved LWE scenario, the number of LWE-affected districts has reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018, to 70 in July 2021 and further to 38 districts in April 2024, Rai informed.
“While on security front, the Government of India assists the LWE affected States by providing Central Armed Police battalions, training & funds for modernization of State police forces, equipment & arms, sharing of intelligence, construction of Fortified Police Stations etc; on development side, apart from flagship schemes, Government of India has taken several specific initiatives in LWE affected States, with special thrust on expansion of road network, improving telecommunication connectivity, skilling and financial inclusion,” said Rai.
He said that Rs 560.22 crore has been given to central agencies during the last five years (2019-20 to 2023-24) for helicopters and addressing critical infrastructure in security camps in LWE-affected areas, under the Assistance to Central Agencies for LWE Management (ACALWEM) Scheme.
On the development front, several specific initiatives have also been taken by the Centre. “For the expansion of the road network, 14529 km of roads have been constructed so far in LWE-affected areas. To improve telecom connectivity, 6524 towers have been commissioned. For financial inclusion of the local population in the LWE-affected districts, 5731 post offices have been opened. Further, 1007 Bank Branches and 937 ATMs have been opened in 30 most LWE affected districts,” said Rai.
He further said that for skill development 46 ITIs and 49 skill development centres (SDCs) have been made functional in LWE-affected districts. “For quality education in tribals in LWE-affected districts, 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) have been functional in LWE-affected districts,” the minister stated.
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