12 years of Modi govt: India declared ‘Naxal free’ after decades of Left Wing Extremism
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "12 years of Modi govt: India declared ‘Naxal free’ after decades of Left Wing Extremism")
CRPF personnel stand atop the debris after demolishing a memorial built by Naxals for CC member Ramanna at Gogunda, in Sukma Photograph: (ANI)
Home Minister Amit Shah made the announcement in the Lok Sabha on March 30, 2026, describing the transformation of former conflict zones into what the government now calls “Green Growth Zones.”
As the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government completes 12 years, India has achieved what once seemed impossible: the country has been officially declared free from Left Wing Extremism (LWE). Union Home Minister Amit Shah made the historic announcement in the Lok Sabha on March 30, 2026, and the Ministry of Home Affairs subsequently informed all states that as of April 2026, not a single district in the country remains on the LWE-affected list.
The announcement formally marks the end of the notorious Red Corridor, a vast stretch of insurgent violence that once ran from Pashupati to Tirupati. "Where there was once the echo of bullets, there are now songs of development," Shah told Parliament, describing the shift of former conflict zones into what the government now calls Green Growth Zones.
A Strategy that delivered results
The final push against Naxalism was built on coordinated tactical operations launched since 2023. Security forces killed more than 750 Naxals, arrested 3,150 and brought 4,800 to surrender. In 2024 alone, 290 Naxals were neutralised in Chhattisgarh, the highest single-year count in that state.
In 2025, Operation Black Forest swept across a stretch of hills along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border spanning 50 km in length and 37 km in width. Shortly after, the Karegutta Hills Operation ran for 21 days, destroyed the PLGA battalion headquarters and eliminated 31 Naxals without losing a single security personnel.
Between 2024 and 2026, 11 Politburo members of the Naxal movement were killed and 5 returned to the mainstream, effectively gutting the ideological core of the insurgency.
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Numbers That Tell the Story
The scale of the turnaround becomes clear through data. In 2014, there were 126 LWE-affected districts across India. Today, that number stands at zero. Fortified police stations grew from 66 to 663. Annual surrenders jumped from 421 in 2014 to 6,558 by 2026.
Development as the Real Game Changer
Security operations cleared the ground, but development cemented the peace. Under the SAMADHAN framework, over 15,132 km of roads were built in former affected areas compared to just 2,900 km before 2014.
More than 9,600 mobile towers brought 4G connectivity deep into forest regions. The government opened 1,800 new bank branches and 6,000 post offices.
Around Rs 4,000 crore was released under Special Central Assistance, with an additional Rs 3,700 crore set aside for operations and rehabilitation. A total of 221 Eklavya Model Residential Schools were built to guarantee quality education for tribal youth.
Prime Minister Modi summed up the achievement in straightforward terms. "Every decision we take is guided by a single benchmark: Nation First," he said, calling it the fulfilment of a multi-decade dream of internal security victory.
