Naxal Violence Plummets 53% in a Decade Amid Integrated Security and Development Push: Naxal-Free India by March 2026
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Institutions: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) | National Investigation Agency (NIA) | Enforcement Directorate (ED)
The Union Government has announced its commitment to achieving a Naxal-free India by March 2026 through a comprehensive strategy that seamlessly blends security, development, and rehabilitation. The effectiveness of this approach is validated by a 53% reduction in Naxal-related violent incidents over the last decade (2014–2024), with the number of most-affected districts shrinking significantly.
The strategy is underpinned by a “Trace, Target, Neutralise” approach, which has been successful in reclaiming long-held insurgent areas and breaking the Naxal command structure. This is complemented by targeted financial enforcement, with agencies like the NIA and ED seizing over ₹92 crore worth of assets to dismantle the extremist funding networks. Crucially, vast developmental programs, supported by the Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme, have been deployed to build over 12,000 km of roads and expand mobile and financial access, ensuring social and economic inclusion for communities once isolated by conflict.
This sustained, multi-pronged counter-LWE strategy demonstrates the institutional capacity of Indian governance to resolve deep-seated internal security challenges by balancing kinetic action (security operations) with a socio-economic approach (infrastructure, financial inclusion, and rehabilitation schemes).
What is Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in the Indian context? → LWE refers to the Maoist-inspired insurgency in India that attempts to overthrow the state through protracted armed struggle, primarily targeting state infrastructure, security forces, and democratic processes. It is often driven by radical ideologies combined with perceived issues of local land alienation, forest rights, and displacement.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: As LWE violence declines, what long-term institutional mechanisms will be deployed to ensure sustained economic and administrative governance in these newly reclaimed, resource-rich districts?
Follow the full news here: Union Government’s Comprehensive Strategy against Naxalism