Oct 07, 2024 12:15 PM IST
Union home minister Amit Shah called the meeting days after the security forces gunned down 31 Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur in a coordinated operation
Union home minister Amit Shah was on Monday chairing a review meeting with the chief ministers of Left-wing extremism (LWE)-hit states and top security brass to discuss the future strategy and ongoing crackdown against Maoists, people familiar with the matter said.
Eknath Shinde (Maharashtra), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh), Mohan Charan Majhi (Odisha), and Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) were among the chief ministers attending the meeting.
Union ministers, involved with providing development support to the LWE affected states, and top officers from the Centre, states and Central Armed Police Forces were also part of the deliberations.
The meeting was being held days after the security forces gunned down 31 Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur in a coordinated operation.
Shah chaired a similar meeting in October last year with the chief ministers of affected states. He visited Chhattisgarh in August and directed the security forces to accelerate operations against the Maoists. The government has said that it is hoping to eliminate LWE by March 2026.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Central government is committed to completely root out the menace of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026. The Central government is providing all possible assistance to the LWE affected State governments in fighting the menace of Naxalism,” the Union home ministry said in a statement last week.
The ministry cited the strategy of the Modi government and said LWE violence has come down by 72% while there was an 86% decline in deaths in 2023 as compared to 2010. “…LWE is fighting its last battle today.”
It added security forces have achieved unprecedented success in 2024 with the elimination of armed LWE cadres. The ministry said 202 LWE cadres have been eliminated this year. “…723 LWE cadres have surrendered in first 9 months of 2024 while 812 have been arrested. The number of LWE-affected districts has come down to just 38 in 2024.”
The ministry said the Union government has given impetus to road and mobile connectivity and taken developmental schemes to the remotest areas of the affected states. “14400 km roads have been constructed and nearly 6000 mobile towers have been installed in LWE-affected areas, so far.”
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