Amit Shah chairs meeting of chief ministers of Naxal-hit states

PTI, Oct 7, 2024, 11:40 AM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reviewed the security situation in Naxal-affected regions with the chief ministers and top officials of the insurgency-hit states, officials said, days after security forces killed 31 ultras in the forests of Chhattisgarh.

The states affected by the menace include Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The crucial meeting, which discussed anti-Naxal operations and development initiatives carried out in the affected areas, comes days after at least 31 Naxalites were gunned down by security forces in Chhattisgarh in one of the most successful operations against them in recent times.

Due to the strategy of the Modi government, the Left Wing Extremism violence has come down by 72 per cent while there is 86 per cent decline in deaths in 2023 as compared to 2010 and naxals are fighting their last battle now, officials said.

Union ministers closely involved with providing development support to the LWE-affected states are also attending the meeting, along with senior officers from the Centre, states and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of the home minister, the central government is committed to completely root out the menace of the LWE by March, 2026, the home ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The central government is providing all possible assistance to the LWE-affected state governments in fighting the menace.

Shah last chaired a LWE review meeting with the chief ministers of the affected states on October 6, 2023.

During that meeting, the home minister had given comprehensive directions with regard to eliminating LWE.

In the year 2024, more than 230 LWE cadres have been eliminated so far, 723 LWE cadres have surrendered, while 812 have been arrested. The number of LWE-affected districts is just 38 now.

The central government has taken many steps, including impetus on road and mobile connectivity, to take developmental schemes to the remotest areas of the affected states.

A total of 14,400 km of road length has been constructed and nearly 6,000 mobile towers have been installed in LWE-affected areas so far, the statement said.