Thursday, 02 May, 2024
The highest number (481) of incidents of killing were reported in 2010 as it was one of the worst years affected by the naxal insurgency. Image Source: IANS
On the development front, apart from flagship schemes the Government of India (GoI) has taken several specific initiatives in LWE affected States, with special thrust on expansion of road network, improving Telecom connectivity, skill development and financial inclusion.
According to the local police, security personnel shot and killed a Naxalite on Friday in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. According to the official, the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men were conducting an anti-Naxal operation when they came across an encounter in a forest within the boundaries of the Kirandul police station. Based on information that Maoists were present in the areas of Purangel, Badepalli, Doditumnar, and Gampur, the operation was launched on Thursday. Following the cessation of hostilities, a weapon and the body of a male Naxalite were found nearby. Since the operation is still in progress, more information is awaited," he stated.
As a result of this event, the official stated that 47 Naxalites have been slain this year in various confrontations in the seven districts of the Bastar region. In the Bijapur area of the region, thirteen Naxalites were neutralised in a clash with security forces on Tuesday.
Apart from this incident, the security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Saturday, gunned down three Naxalites in an encounter and recovered arms and ammunition from the scene, a senior police official here said.
A unit of Greyhounds, Telangana's elite anti-Naxal force, was out on an operation when there was an exchange of fire at around 5:30 am near Dolliguda village under the Usoor police station area along the interstate border, he added. He added that a Chhattisgarh police squad was also there to provide the Greyhounds team with further support. Three Naxalites' bodies, an AK-47 rifle, a light machine gun, and a cache of more weapons and ammo were found at the scene after the gunfight ceased.
The Government of India and the state governments have been taking concrete efforts to wipe out the evil of naxalism from the Indian soil and ensure safety and security of the citizens. In terms of development, the Central Government has undertaken a number of initiatives, such as building roads, installing mobile towers, and enhancing the network of banks, post offices, health care facilities, and educational institutions in the LWE areas. On the security front, the Central Government supports the State Governments impacted by LWE by providing battalions of the Central Armed Police Forces, training, and funding through programmes like Security Related Expenditure (SRE) and Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), funds for modernization of State police forces, equipment & arms, sharing of intelligence, construction of Fortified Police Stations etc.
Source: Press Information Bureau
*The figure ’98’ in the year 2022 also includes deaths of civilians.
Violence associated with left-wing extremism (LWE) has decreased by 77 percent from an all-time high of 2258 events in 2009 to 509 incidents in 2021. Similarly, resultant deaths (Civilians + Security Forces) have declined by 85 percent from an all-time high of 1005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021. The number of LWE violence episodes and related deaths has decreased by 24 percent and 27 percent in the past two years, respectively. The geographical spread of LWE violence has also been constricted and the districts reporting violence also reduced from 96 (2010) to 45 (2022).
The vacuum areas have been shrinking and since 2019, around 195 new camps of the CAPFs have been established and 44 new camps will be established. The ex-gratia amount for the victims of LWE has been increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh in the year 2017 and now it has been further increased to Rs 40 lakh. The Central Government has launched more than 14,000 projects under the Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme to accelerate development in the districts most affected by Left Wing Extremism.
On the development front, apart from flagship schemes the Government of India (GoI) has taken several specific initiatives in LWE affected States, with special thrust on expansion of road network, improving Telecom connectivity, skill development and financial inclusion. Around 13,324 km of roads have been constructed in the LWE affected areas. 2,324 mobile towers have been installed in phase I of the mobile tower project.
Under phase II, 2,542 mobile towers are under installation. Since April 2015, 927 bank branches, 944 ATMs and 27,513 banking correspondents have been made available in the 30 most LWE affected districts. Around 4,903 new post offices have been opened in 90 districts during the last 8 years. In order to ensure skill development, 43 ITIs and 38 skill development centers have been made functional in LWE affected districts.
Source: Press Information Bureau
The highest number (481) of incidents of killing were reported in 2010 as it was one of the worst years affected by the naxal insurgency. Seventy Six CRPF policemen were killed in a naxal attack in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada in 2010. This is one of the deadliest attacks carried out by the naxalites in the 21st century. The year 2010 also registered the highest number of civilian casualties as 630 lost their lives due to naxal violence. The highest number of security forces were killed in 2009 as 319 security personnel lost their lives. Highest numbers of naxals (343) were killed in 2006.
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs
The districts reporting LWE related violence incidents reduced from 96 in 2010 to 45 in 2022. The number of Police Stations reporting LWE related violence incidents also reduced from 465 in 2010 to 176 in 2022. It should be noted that though the naxal violence has decreased in the past few years, there are some strongholds where naxals continue to dominate. They have also been regularly indulging in violence against security forces.
From a peak of 465 Police Stations of 96 districts in 2010 to just 191 Police Stations of 46 districts reporting LWE-related violence in 2021, the geographic distribution of violence has dramatically decreased over time. Seventy-three police stations from 333 districts reported LWE violence in 2014. The fewer districts included in the SRE Scheme is another indication of the decline in geographical dispersion. From 126 to 90 SRE districts in April 2018 and then to 70 in July 2021, the number of SRE districts decreased. In a similar vein, the number of districts that account for over 90 percent of LWE violence—dubbed the Most LWE Affected Districts—dropped from 35 in 2018 to 25 in 2021.
