New Delhi: Asserting that the Central government’s people's outreach programme has been able to keep people away from the Maoists, Chhattisgarh Governor Ramen Deka on Monday reiterated that Naxalism will be eliminated from India by March 2026.
“The government’s people outreach programme is a success. Along with such a programme, the government's initiative to develop infrastructure and roads in remote areas has also been able to win the hearts of the people,” Deka told ETV Bharat here.
Referring to the Central government’s intention to eradicate Naxalism from the country by next year, Deka said, “Centre and States are working in the same direction. We will achieve the target of Naxal elimination by March next year,” said Deka.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has recently reiterated his government’s target to eliminate Naxalism by next year. Deka said that as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governors are working on a 20-point agenda of development.
“As advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are working on all-round development, including education, health, infrastructure and communication among others,” said Deka.
Deka said that his government in Chhattisgarh has set up several mobile towers, besides setting up post offices and health centres in the remote areas of the State.
To address the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) menace holistically, the Government of India approved the ‘National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE in 2015. The policy envisages a multi-pronged strategy involving security-related measures, development interventions, and ensuring the rights and entitlements of local communities.
A senior official in the Home Ministry said that the resolute implementation of the policy has resulted in a consistent decline in violence and constriction of geographical spread.
“The LWE violence incidents have reduced by 73 per cent from the high level of LWE violence incidents in 2010. The resultant deaths (Civilians + Security Forces) have reduced by 86 per cent from an all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 138 in 2023. In 2024, there has been a sharp reduction of 25 per cent in LWE-perpetrated incidents,” the official said.
Significantly, the geographical spread of LWE violence has also constricted substantially with a reduction of LWE-affected districts from 126 across 10 states in 2013 to only 38 districts in 2024 (with effect from April 2024) across nine states.
The number of police stations reporting LWE-related violence has significantly reduced from 465 police stations in 2010 to 171 Police Stations in 2023. “As the government is approaching in the right direction, Chhattisgarh will also be naxal-free very soon,” said Deka.
Read more: Five Naxals Killed In Encounter In Bijapur Carried Total Bounty Of Rs 15 Lakh
