New Delhi, Oct 07, 2024, TRIPURATIMES Desk

New Delhi, Oct 7: Describing Naxals as the biggest hurdle to development, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that security forces are now carrying out offensive operations instead of defensive operations against the ultras.

Shah said this at a meeting here to 

review Left Wing Extremism (LWE). Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh participated in the meeting where Union Ministers from various ministries, who are cooperating with the states to accelerate developmental works in LWE-affected areas, were also present.

Union Home Secretary, Director Intelligence Bureau, Deputy National Security Advisor, senior officers of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the central government, Chief Secretaries, Director Generals of Police, and senior officials from LWE-affected states also participated.

Naxals, Shah said, are the biggest human rights violators who have been depriving over eight crore people of development and basic welfare opportunities.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all LWE-affected states, working shoulder to shoulder, are committed to completely eliminate Naxalism by March 2026.

He mentioned that Prime Minister Modi has set the goal of making India a developed nation by the year 2047, and our 8 crore tribal brothers and sisters have a very important role in it.

Shah said that the true meaning of a developed India is that development reaches the 140 crore people of the country, He said that the biggest obstacle in bringing development to remote areas and tribal communities today is Naxalism.

He said that Naxalism prevents education, healthcare, connectivity, banking, and postal services from reaching villages.

Shah emphasized that in order to ensure that the development reaches the last person in the society, we must completely eliminate Naxalism.

The Union Home Minister said major success has been achieved in the fight against Naxalism from 2019 to 2024. He stated that through the joint efforts of the central and state governments, we aim to replace the darkness created by left-wing extremism with the constitutional rights and start a new era of development and trust instead of the violent ideology of left-wing. 

Shah emphasized that with a zero-tolerance approach towards left-wing extremism and 100% implementation of government schemes, "we want to fully develop the LWE-affected areas".

He said that the government had laid down two rules of law to fight left wing extremism. First, to establish the rule of law in Naxalism-affected areas and completely stop illegal violent activities. Second, to quickly compensate for the loss in those areas which were deprived of development due to the long Naxalite movement.

The Home Minister said that for the first time in 30 years, the number of casualties due to Left Wing Extremism (LWE) was below 100 in 2022, which is a significant achievement. He mentioned that from 2014 to 2024, there has been a substantial decline in Naxal-related incidents.

Shah said 14 top Naxal leaders have been neutralized, and the government welfare schemes have been better implemented to reach to the last man in the queue. 

He  said that the fight against LWE is in its final phase, and by March 2026, with everyone's cooperation, the country will be completely free from this decades-old menace.

He added that 85 per cent of the LWE cadre strength in Chhattisgarh has been eliminated, and now the need is to deliver a final blow to Naxalism.

Shah said that since 2019, the Modi government has implemented a multi-pronged strategy, under which vacuums were identified for the deployment of CAPFs. As a result, more than 194 camps were established in just one year, leading to significant success.

He mentioned that the filling of security vacuums through 45 police stations, strengthening state intelligence branches, and the excellent performance of state special forces contributed to the success of the strategy.

He also said that the provision of helicopters has drastically reduced the number of casualties among our troops. Earlier, there were only two helicopters deployed for the service of the forces, but today, 12 helicopters, 6 from BSF and 6 from the Air Force, are operational.

The Union Home Minister complimented Chhattisgarh government for its success in combating Naxalism. He mentioned that since January 2024, a total of 237 Naxalites have been killed, 812 arrested, and 723 have surrendered in Chhattisgarh.

He appealed to the youth involved in Naxalism to abandon the path of violence and join the mainstream of society to contribute to the country's development and noted that more than 13,000 people from the Northeast, Kashmir, and LWE affected areas have renounced violence and joined the mainstream.

Shah asked the youth engaged in Naxalism, that all states have developed beneficial rehabilitation schemes for them. He emphasized that it has now been fully proven that no one benefits from Naxalism.

He said that Rs 1,180 crore was spent under the security related expenditure scheme from 2004 to 2014, which the Modi Government has increased almost 3 times to Rs 3,006 crore between 2014 to 2024.

He said Rs 1,055 crore has been given under the scheme of assistance to central agencies for managing LWE.

Shah said that Special Central Assistance is a new scheme under which the Modi Government has spent Rs 3,590 crore in the last 10 years. He said that a total of Rs 14,367 crore has been approved so far, out of which Rs 12,000 crore has been spent.

Union Home Minister said that 66 fortified police stations were built between 2004 and 2014, whereas 544 fortified police stations have been built between 2014 to 2024. In the 10 years before 2014, 2,900 km of road network was constructed, which has increased to 14,400 km in the last 10 years.

He added that no efforts were made for mobile connectivity in the last 10 years from 2004 to 2014, whereas during 2014 to 2024, 6,000 towers have been installed and the work of converting 3,551 towers to 4G has also been completed. Before 2014, only 38 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) were approved, now in the last 10 years, 216 schools have been approved, out of which 165 EMR schools have come into existence

The Home Minister said that all these efforts show "with what intensity we have worked to accelerate development".

Shah said that in the 10 years between 2004 and 2014, 16,463 incidents of violence had occurred which have now come down to 7,700 with a reduction of about 53%. Similarly, the deaths of civilians and security forces have reduced by 70%, 96 districts reporting violence have now come down to 16 with a reduction of 57 percent. Police stations reporting violence have also come down to 171 from 465, out of which 50 police stations are new.

He said that this success is the result of joint efforts of all the states and the central government and added that there was need to take it forward with more determination and vigor.

The Union Home Minister said that the success achieved in Chhattisgarh against Naxalism inspired all.

The Union Home Minister stated that in order to completely eradicate Naxalism, it is essential to give a final push to eliminate this menace once and for all. He urged the Chief Ministers of all affected states to review the progress of development and anti-Naxal operations at least once a month, and requested the Director Generals of Police to conduct such reviews at least once every 15 days.

"We must work towards the complete elimination of Naxalism," he said and emphasized that by April 2026, through the collective strength of the people, "we should be able to announce that the states and central government, working together, have fully eliminated the menace of Naxalism".

He added that once this is achieved, there will be no obstacle to development, no human right violations, and no violence in the name of ideology.