2 months ago
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The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has re-categorised the full fig of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts successful the state replacing the earlier classification of “most affected” with “LWE affected,” “districts of concern” and “legacy and thrust districts.”
While the fig of districts successful the LWE class remains unchanged astatine 38 compared to 2024–25, the classification present reflects shifts successful the severity of unit reported successful these areas. The reddish corridor has importantly contracted – from implicit 200 districts successful 2005 to conscionable 2 successful 2026 – and its explanation has besides been revised.
On March 27, 3 days earlier Home Minister Amit Shah declared successful Lok Sabha that the state is present “Naxal-free,” the Ministry reviewed the “categorisation of districts affected by Left Wing Extremism” and sent the caller database to the Home Secretaries and Director-General of Police (DGP) of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal.
While Bijapur successful Chattisgarh and West Singbhum successful Jharkhand are the lone 2 districts that person been characterised arsenic “LWE affected”, Kanker successful Chhattisgarh is simply a “district of concern” and determination are 35 different “legacy and thrust districts” crossed 9 States.
These districts are Alluri Sitaramraju successful Andhra Pradesh; Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui, Lakhisarai successful Bihar; Bastar, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Bijapur, Dhamtari, Kabirdham, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Gariyaband, Sukma and Dantewada successful Chattisgarh; Bokaro, Chatra and Latehar successful Jharkhand; Balaghat and Mandla successful Madhya Pradesh; Gadchiroli and Gondia successful Maharashtra; Boudh, Sundargarh (Rourkela constabulary district), Kalahandi, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada, Kandhamal successful Odisha; Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Mulugu successful Telangana and Jhargram successful West Bengal.
Till November 2025, Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur, each successful Chhattisgarh were included successful the class of “most affected” LWE districts.
In its missive to the States, the MHA said that the National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism was approved and implemented successful 2015 and that the Union and State governments person been moving intimately to “tackle this menace.”
It said that a fig of interventions – some information and developmen-related – are being undertaken, starring to a marked betterment successful the LWE scenario.
“The categorisation of districts provides the ground for deployment of resources nether assorted schemes. The evolving LWE concern necessitates a periodic reappraisal of the districts successful bid to guarantee that the absorption of anti-LWE efforts remains aligned to the crushed realities,” MHA said.
It added that the districts covered nether the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme person been comprehensively revised again. “After the review, the SRE districts person been kept successful 3 wide categories i.e. 02 districts are categorized arsenic ‘LWE Affected Districts’, 01 arsenic ‘Districts of Concern’ and 35 arsenic ‘Legacy & Thrust (L&T) Districts’,” MHA said.
Under SRE, the Centre reimburses to the States, the expenses incurred connected grooming and operational needs of information forces, ex-gratia outgo to the household of civilians/security forces killed/injured successful LWE violence, rehabilitation of surrendered LWE cadres, assemblage policing, colony defence committees, publicity materials, etc.
According to a written reply by the MHA successful Parliament, ₹1,685.65 crore was released to LWE-affected States implicit 5 years nether the SRE Scheme up to 2023–24.”
