Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the number of most affected Left-wing extremism-hit districts has been reduced to six from 12, calling it a giant stride towards building a Maoist-free nation. In a post on X, he reiterated the determination to uproot Maoism from the country by March 31, 2026.
“Taking a giant stride towards building a Naxal-free Bharat, today our nation achieved a new milestone by significantly reducing the number of districts most affected by left-wing extremism to just 6 from 12. The Modi government is building a Sashakt [strong], Surakshit [safe] and Samriddh [prosperous] Bharat with a ruthless approach to Naxalism and relentless efforts for all-pervasive development,” he wrote without providing further details.
The comments came against the backdrop of heightened anti-insurgency operations in a Left-wing insurgency-hit Chhattisgarh that has left over 100 rebels dead this year. Over two dozen Maoists have been killed in gunbattles in Chhattisgarh since last week. There have been a series of anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh as part of the Union government’s target to end Left-wing insurgency by March 31, 2026. In 2024, 219 Maoists were killed in Chhattisgarh, compared to 22 in 2023 and 30 in 2022.
Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, and Sukma in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division are known as the epicentre of Maoist insurgency. Thousands of forces have been deployed there for the anti-Maoist operations in what is known as the “Red Corridor” to push back rebels, take over their hideouts in forests and cripple their fortifications.
A broader government strategy against the Maoists includes the construction of roads and developmental projects in Left-wing insurgency-hit areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Chhattisgarh on Sunday to launch infrastructure projects, said the government was committed to ending Maoism by developing the areas that were once insurgent strongholds, as he accused the Congress of “encouraging” Left-wing extremism.
Modi said the situation was rapidly changing and a new era of peace was taking shape in the Maoist-affected areas due to development and welfare efforts.
A day earlier, security forces killed 18 Maoists in separate places in Chhattisgarh, taking the number of Maoists killed in the state this year to 131. Hours before Modi’s visit, 50 Maoists, including top rebel leaders, surrendered in the state’s Bijapur district.
Security forces have created 17 new camps in previously core Maoist-controlled areas, including a 4,000 square kilometre forested area straddling Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra—Abhujmad, which remains unmapped. Difficult terrain, lack of infrastructure, and Maoist fortification have frustrated attempts to survey the region since 2017.
Bastar is referred to as the last Maoist bastion because of an administrative vacuum. Top Maoists, including the politburo and the central committee members, are believed to be holed up there.