Shah’s vows to end Naxalism by March 2026: Which are the Left-Wing Extremism-affected districts?

Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday assured that the Modi government will uproot Naxalism from India by 2026. He further added that the number of Left-Wing Extremism-affected districts has been reduced to six from 12.

“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 six from 12. The Modi government is building a Sashakt, Surakshit and Samriddh Bharat with a ruthless approach to Naxalism and relentless efforts for all-pervasive development,” Shah announced in a social media post.

Shah attributed the achievement to PM Modi’s vision and determination to build a “Sashakt, Surakshit and Samriddh Bharat.”

The union home minister said that the NDA government would adopt a ruthless approach to end Naxalism and promised relentless efforts for all-pervasive development.

What are LWE-affected districts?

As per the Union home ministry data, Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts are those where Naxal activities and violence continue.

The LWE-affected districts have been further sub-categorised as ‘most-affected districts, ‘ a terminology brought in in 2015, and ‘districts of concern,’ which was coined by the home ministry in 2021.

There were 12 ‘most-affected districts’ according to the last review.

As per official records, there were 35 such districts in 2015, 30 in 2018 and 25 in 2021.

Amit Shah to visit Chhattisgarh, Kashmir this week

Amit Shah will visit Chhattisgarh on April 4 and 5 to take stock of the anti-Naxal operations in the state. Shah may also visit Jammu and Kashmir on April 7 and 8 to review the security situation there, PTI reported citing sources.

During his visit to Chhattisgarh, Shah will chair a high-level meeting and review the ongoing operations, sources said.

The home minister has set a target of March 31, 2026, to end the Naxal menace in the country. He has repeatedly appealed to the Maoists to surrender and join the mainstream and assured them that the government will rehabilitate them properly.