What are the determinants of left-wing extremism in Eastern part of India? What strategy should Government of India, civil administration and security forces adopt to counter the threat in the affected areas?
Approach · directive: “what / what strategy”
What it asks · Explain why left-wing extremism persists in eastern India (land, forest and livelihood grievances, governance gaps, terrain) and set out a coordinated strategy for the Centre, the civil administration and the forces.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Explain the determinants of left-wing extremism in eastern India
- Set out the strategy that the Government of India, the civil administration and the security forces should adopt in the affected areas
Open with · Left-wing extremism has taken root in the forested, mineral-rich tribal belts of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states, where the state's presence has been thin.
Cover
- Land and forest grievances: displacement by mining and projects, poor rehabilitation, alienation of tribal land, and weak recognition of forest rights.
- Development deficit: poverty, thin schools, health services, roads and mobile connectivity, youth unemployment, and exploitation by contractors and moneylenders.
- Governance gaps: absent or corrupt local administration, weak policing, and poor implementation of PESA, 1996 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
- Terrain and tactics: dense forests and hills give cover; extremists extort, coerce and exploit grievances, and move across state lines.
- Security: coordinated operations by CAPFs and state police, intelligence sharing, fortified police stations, technology, and the SAMADHAN doctrine of 2017.
- Development and rights: roads and mobile towers, special central assistance to worst-hit districts, schools and skilling, financial inclusion, and full application of FRA and PESA.
- Roles: Centre funds and coordinates; states police and deliver services; civil administration reaches every village; forces hold ground; surrender and rehabilitation build trust.
Close with · Security operations create the space, but lasting peace comes from land and forest rights, roads, schools and responsive local governance.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2020, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 246 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
Left-wing extremism (LWE) has taken root in the forested, mineral-rich tribal belts of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and West Bengal, where the State arrived late and thinly and grievances found an armed outlet.
Determinants
- Land and forest: displacement by mining, dams and industry with poor rehabilitation, alienation of tribal land, and weak recognition of forest rights.
- Development deficit: poverty, thin schools, health care, roads and mobile connectivity, youth unemployment, and exploitation by contractors and moneylenders.
- Governance gaps: absent or corrupt local administration, weak policing, and poor implementation of PESA, 1996 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
- Terrain and tactics: dense forests and hills give cover; extremists extort, coerce and exploit grievances, and slip across state borders.
Strategy: Government of India
- Fund and coordinate: special central assistance to the worst-hit districts, roads and mobile towers, and a unified command with the states; the SAMADHAN doctrine (2017) sets the security frame.
Strategy: civil administration
- Reach every village: schools, health centres, skilling and financial inclusion; full application of PESA and the Forest Rights Act; fair rehabilitation before projects; and grievance redress that works.
Strategy: security forces
- Hold ground: coordinated operations by CAPFs and state police, intelligence sharing, fortified police stations, technology, and strict respect for rights so that operations do not create new recruits.
- Surrender and rehabilitation schemes that offer a way out, and community outreach that builds trust.
Security operations create the space, but lasting peace comes from land and forest rights, roads, schools and responsive local governance.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify). UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.