Most Affected Districts By Left-Wing Extremism Down To Six, Amit Shah Reiterates 'Naxal-Free Bharat' By 31 March 2026

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday (1 April) declared that the number of districts most affected by left-wing extremism (LWE) has come down to six from 12.

Calling this 'new milestone', "a giant stride towards building a Naxal-free Bharat," Shah reiterated the determination to uproot Naxalism by 31 March 2026.

"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 said in a post on X.

Notably, in 2015, 106 districts were considered Naxalism-affected. The total number of districts affected by Naxalism in the country was 38 till last year, which has come down to 18.

Among these, the number of most affected districts has reduced to six from 12. This includes four districts in Chhattisgarh (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Sukma), one in Jharkhand (West Singhbhum), and one in Maharashtra (Gadchiroli).

The number of 'Districts of Concern' has also come down to six from nine. These six districts are in Andhra Pradesh (Alluri Sitarama Raju), Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat), Odisha (Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri), and Telangana (Bhadradri-Kothagudem).

Due to persistent action against Naxalism, the number of Other LWE-affected Districts has also decreased from 17 to six. These include districts from Chhattisgarh (Dantewada, Gariaband, and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki), Jharkhand (Latehar), Odisha (Nuapada), and Telangana (Mulugu).

The most affected Districts and Districts of Concern are given financial assistance of Rs 30 crore and Rs 10 crore respectively by the Government of India under a special scheme, Special Central Assistance (SCA) to fill the gaps in public infrastructure.

"The rapid improvement in the LWE scenario in the last year is primarily due to the establishment of new security camps in the insurgency-affected core areas and development-oriented works such as expansion of roads, transport facilities, water, electricity and other welfare schemes of the government reaching the villagers," the press release said.