81 per cent reduction in naxal violence in 14 years: MHA tells Parliament

New Delhi [India], March 26 (ANI): There has been 81 per cent reduction in Naxal violence in the last 14 years, since the 2010 menace touched its peak with maximum of 1,936 such incidents, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Citing data collated by the ministry, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the number of naxal violence reduced to 374 in 2024.
The number of "deaths (civilians + security forces) has also reduced by 85 per cent during this period from 1,005 deaths in 2010 to 150 in 2024."
MoS Rai further said, "Incidents of violence by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) which were 501 in 2019 have reduced to 374 in 2024-- a reduction of 25 per cent."
In 2023, 485 cases of Naxal violence were registered, compared to 413 in 2022, 361 in 2021, 470 in 2020, and 501 in 2019.
As per MHA data, there was a drastic reduction in the naxal violence in Jharkhand from 166 LWE perpetrated violence in 2019 to 69 in 2024. Bihar has the similar data where naxal violence decreased from 48 in 2019 to two in 2024 followed by Maharashtra where 48 such cases were registered in 2019 and it remained 10 in 2024, and Odisha from 34 in 2019 to six in 2024.
MHA says its employs multiple efforts to address the LWE menace holistically, including approval of 'National Policy and Action Plan' in 2015, and the resolute implementation of the policy has resulted in consistent decline in naxal violence.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a target to eliminate Naxalism from India by March 2026. His recent statement in the Rajya Sabha last week, Shah had made the statement-- a reflection of the government's commitment to ending LWE through a combination of security operations, development initiatives, and improved intelligence networks.
Naxalism emerged from the Naxalbari uprising in West Bengal in 1967, as a peasant movement inspired by Maoist ideology. Over the decades, it spread to several states, forming what was called the Red Corridor, covering parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Bihar. The insurgency involved guerrilla warfare, attacks on security forces, destruction of infrastructure, and extortion from local communities. It posed a significant internal security challenge to India.
The Indian government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to counter Naxalism -- intensified security operations and development efforts in affected regions. (ANI)