Government says 29 top Naxal commanders neutralised since 2019, LWE confined to three districts

The Centre told the Lok Sabha that 29 top Naxal commanders have been neutralised since 2019 and only three districts remain “most affected” by LWE. Maoist violence has dropped 81 per cent, with the government targeting complete eradication by March 2026

New Delhi: Giving a major jolt to Maoists, the security forces have neutralised 29 top Naxal leaders since 2019, with 14 Central Committee Members (CCM) and Politburo members (PBM) killed this year alone, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Responding to a supplementary during the Question Hour, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the number of effected States have gone down from 10 in 2014 to 5 in 2025 (till October) showing a reduction of 50 per cent while the number of districts affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) has witnessed a sharp decline of 91 per cent from 126 to 11 during the period.

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He said the number of districts affected by left-wing extremism has decreased from 126 in April 2018 to 90 in July 2021, 70 in April 2024, 38 in April 2025, and further to 11 in October 2025, with only three districts now considered to be the “most affected” by left-wing extremism.

“However, to prevent the CPI (Maoist) from re-establishing itself in areas recently freed from the influence of left-wing extremism, 27 districts have been included under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme as ‘Legacy and Thrust Districts’,” the Minister said.

He said under the leadership of the Prime Minister and the successful guidance of the Home Minister, left-wing extremism will be “eradicated by March 2026, and there is no escape for them now”. “Previous governments considered left-wing extremism a state problem, due to which the central government did not formulate any concrete policy against it. But the Modi government has formulated a comprehensive and effective policy against left-wing extremism, where the central government has resolved to eliminate it. This campaign is being made successful in collaboration with the State governments,” he said.

Underlining the outcome of the zero-tolerance policy of the central government against Naxals, Rai said that from the highest level of Maoist violence witnessed in 2010, the incidents have seen a massive decline of 81 per cent in 2024.

The minister said Maoist violence had resulted in 6,508 deaths from 2004 to 2014 (till May that year), which included 4,684 civilians and 1,824 security personnel. Rai said in the following decade, between 2015 and 25 (till May), the number of deaths dropped by 71 per cent to 1,868, which included 1,404 civilians and 464 security personnel.

He said 44 deaths have been reported between May and November this year. “This indicates that their capacity to engage with our security forces has been completely diminished. Therefore, they now have no option but to surrender with their weapons,” he said.

The minister added that left-wing extremists who surrender are being provided with immediate grants and other financial assistance, such as Rs 5 lakh for high-ranking cadres, Rs 2.50 lakh for other cadres, additional financial incentives for surrendering with weapons, and a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 for three years for training.

He said that besides improving security infrastructure in such States, schools, ITIs, Kaushal Vikas Kendras, banks, and ATMs have been set up as part of the overall development.

To ensure all-round development, the Modi government adopted a “Whole of Government” approach in 2015 and formulated a comprehensive policy and action plan, Rai said.

Under this plan, various security and development measures have been undertaken, with states being provided with CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) battalions as needed, he added.

“Currently, 574 companies are deployed in the Left-Wing Extremism-affected areas,” he said. The minister said the left-wing extremists have no faith in the Constitution of India, nor in Indian democracy.

They have no belief in the founding principles of the Indian nation, and these left-wing extremists have murdered thousands of innocent people, orphaned thousands of children, and widowed thousands of women, Rai said.

He said the “problem of left-wing extremism” has persisted since 1967, and at one point, the entire region from Pashupatinath to Tirupati was known as the “Red Corridor,” but it has shrunk considerably since then.