NDA government on track to wipe Naxalism by 2026 under PM Modi’s leadership. Bharat News

This is the first time in the history of India that the country has set a deadline for wiping Naxalism from every nook and corner of its land.

For decades, leftist extremism (LWE), commonly known as Naxalism, was one of India’s largest internal security challenges. At its peak in 2010, Naxalite violence spread over several states, affecting more than 200 districts. However, in the last decade, India’s response has taken an aggressive form. The Union Home Ministry (MHA) claims that India is on the path of being “Naxal-free”, combining tremendous security measures with deep developmental interventions.

Home Minister Amit Shah has credited the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decisive steps of India to end Naxalism. Shah said, “Under the leadership of PM Modi, we will free India.”

Fast decline in dissemination and violence

Data reveals a dramatic decline in both geographical proliferation and intensity of violence. In August 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Parliament that “the strong implementation of the National Policy and Action Plan 2015 has led to a steady decline in violence and geographical proliferation. LWE-related violence incidents and the resulting deaths of citizens and security forces have fallen below 81 percent and 85 per percentage of 2010, high levels of 2010.

Retreat appears in district level data. In 2013, 126 districts were officially listed as Naxalism affected. By April 2025, the number had shrunk in only 18 districts. Similarly, the government told Parliament in December 2024 that “three reviews of LWE affected districts have been done in the last six years with a shortage of 126 to 90 districts, 70 in July 2021 and then from 38 in April 2024.

Violence, also, has fallen into historical climb. Compared to 2010, in 2023, LWE incidents were 73 percent lower, while citizens and security personnel died to 86 percent. In only 2024 (by mid -November), violence fell to 25 percent compared to the previous year.

From hotbands to isolated pockets

The effect of these joint measures appears at the ground level. The states are once synonymous with Naxal violence -Reporting rigorous cuts in parts of Shaktisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and Maharashtra.

For example, official figures suggest that Sukma fell from 70 in 2023 to 66 in 2023 to 66 in 2023, with civil and security deaths nearly half. In West Singhbham, Jharkhand, one of the worst affected districts, the incidents fell from 72 in 2023 to just 14 in 2024.

This shrinking footprint explains why the Ministry of Home Affairs announced in 2025 that LWE has “compressed for only a few pockets”.

2015 National Policy: A Diversion Point

The major point of this change is ‘to address the National Policy and Action Plan LWE’, which was approved in 2015. This was the first comprehensive, multi-level national strategy to integrate security, development and right-based measures. As the Ministry of Home Affairs explained, the plan “envisages a multi-dimensional strategy to ensure safety measures, development intervention, rights and rights of local communities”.

On the security front, the Government of India has complemented state police forces with Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFS), helicopters and stronghold infrastructure. Since 2014, 543 of the 621 stronghold police stations have been created in the affected states. Funds for modernization, intelligence-sharing systems and special operation units have strengthened local abilities. Between 2019 and 2024, more than Rs 4,350 crore was released for the capacity building of states under schemes such as Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), Safety Expenditure (SRE), and Special Central Assistance (SCA).

There is an attempt to choke equally important Maoist funding. MHA said: “The knee of money is an important part of the overall strategy for the elimination of LWE. Efforts are being made by central and state agencies to ensure cuts in sources of funding.”

Road, School, Bank: Development as Safety

Along with safety shock, Vikas has been a parallel and important column of India’s anti-Naxal strategy. The government has repeatedly emphasized that extremism cannot be eliminated by force alone; The vacuum of governance and opportunity was to address.

Road connectivity has expanded rapidly. “For the expansion of road networks, 14,928 km has been constructed under 2 LWE specific schemes, which means road requirement scheme (RRP) and road connectivity project for LWE affected areas (RCPLWEA).” In Chhattisgarh alone, more than 3,500 km of roads were kept, which were earlier reaching isolated villages.

Telecom penetration has dramatically improved, with 8,640 mobile towers commissioned in LWE regions. About 5,900 new post offices and 1,007 bank branches have been opened after banking and postal services, as well as 937 ATMs in the most affected districts.

For education and skills, the state has invested for tribal children in 46 new industrial training institutes (ITIs), 49 skill development centers and 179 Eklavian Residential Schools (EMRS). By 2024, 178 EMRS were already functional in Naxal-Hit districts.

The government has given funds to fill significant intervals in public infrastructure in most LWE affected districts under the “Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme with around Rs 3,769 crore released after 2017.

Winning communities back

Beyond the hard infrastructure, the Center has worked to win back the confidence of the local population – often the weakest for Maoist threats. As the Ministry of Home Affairs said, “The poor and marginalized classes of the society, especially the tribals have created the brunt of this violence … The irony is that it is the same tribal and the economically disadvantaged sections, due to which Maoists claim Espos (Joe) (who) are the greatest victims.”

To bridge this trust deficit, Central Armed Police Forces have run civil action programs in affected villages – to build small community projects, to run health camps and support education drives. Similarly, tribal youth exchange programs organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan have exposed young people out of their extremist-affected environment.

Rehabilitation of surrender cadres has also been preferred, providing financial assistance, housing and livelihood aid. The funds of the SRE scheme have included “East-Greetia for the families of citizens killed in LWE violence/martyred security forces personnel.”

Endege towards

In 2013, from 126 districts in 2025, only 18, India’s fight against Naxalism is one of the fastest changes in the internal security story of the country. The Union Home Ministry credited it to the twin emphasis of strong security and quick development. Nityanand Rai, as the Minister of State for Home Affairs, told Parliament, “LWE, which has been a serious challenge for the nation’s internal security, has been largely curbed in recent times.”

While there are challenges in some remote areas, the trajectory is clear. Once India’s “biggest internal security threat” is now in its dignity, within the end with the possibility of a Naxalism-free India.