7 october 2024 : On Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a review meeting with chief ministers from states affected by Left-wing extremism (LWE) and senior security officials to discuss future strategies and the ongoing crackdown against Maoists, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Chief ministers in attendance included Eknath Shinde (Maharashtra), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh), Mohan Charan Majhi (Odisha), and Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh). The meeting also included Union ministers focused on development support for LWE-affected states and top officers from the central government, state governments, and Central Armed Police Forces.
This meeting came shortly after security forces killed 31 Maoists in a coordinated operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh. Shah had previously chaired a similar meeting with chief ministers of affected states in October last year. He visited Chhattisgarh in August, where he instructed security forces to ramp up operations against Maoists. The government aims to eradicate LWE by March 2026.
According to the Union home ministry, “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s guidance, the Central government is committed to completely eliminate Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026. The government is providing all possible assistance to the state governments affected by LWE in combating Naxalism.”
The ministry highlighted the Modi government’s strategy, noting that LWE violence has decreased by 72%, with an 86% drop in deaths in 2023 compared to 2010. They asserted, “LWE is fighting its last battle today.”
Furthermore, the ministry stated that security forces have achieved significant success in 2024, eliminating 202 LWE cadres this year. “In the first nine months of 2024, 723 LWE cadres have surrendered, and 812 have been arrested. The number of LWE-affected districts has reduced to just 38 in 2024.”
The Union government has also focused on enhancing road and mobile connectivity in these areas, with 14,400 km of roads constructed and nearly 6,000 mobile towers installed in LWE-affected regions to date.