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.
It asks 2 things — 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 (LWE) incidents, 1,936 at their 2010 peak, have since fallen to 374 in 2024 and affected districts from 126 to 38 (MHA); yet its core endures in the forested, mineral-rich tribal belt of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal, where the State arrived late and grievances found an armed outlet.
Cover
- Determinants: land and forest alienation, displacement without rehabilitation, weak PESA 1996 and FRA 2006 enforcement; poverty and missing services; governance vacuum; forest terrain and extortion money.
- CPI (Maoist), formed in 2004 by merging the People's War and the MCCI, is the main outfit, banned under UAPA (MHA).
- Government of India: SAMADHAN (2017), SRE and Special Infrastructure schemes, Special Central Assistance of Rs 30 crore per most-affected district; 17,589 km roads sanctioned, 10,505 mobile towers planned (PIB 2025).
- Civil administration: FRA titles, PESA gram sabhas, fair rehabilitation; 178 Eklavya schools, 48 ITIs and 61 skill centres already functioning; grievance redress.
- Security forces: joint CAPF-State police operations, intelligence, fortified police stations, surrender and rehabilitation, strict respect for rights; goal of an LWE-free India by 31 March 2026.
Close with · Security creates the space; land and forest rights, roads, schools and responsive panchayats fill it, the path to the Government's declared goal of an LWE-free India by 31 March 2026.
Add value (verified)
- MHA (PIB backgrounder, May 2025): LWE incidents fell from 1,936 in 2010 to 374 in 2024; most-affected districts get Rs 30 crore and districts of concern Rs 10 crore under Special Central Assistance.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs, May 2025: Left Wing Extremism ↗“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. Apart from this, special projects are also provided for these districts as per the need. Incidents of violence by LWE which reached its highest level of 1936 in 2010 have reduced to 374 in 2024”
- The same backgrounder: LWE-affected districts fell from 126 to 38 (April 2024); the six most-affected are Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Sukma, West Singhbhum and Gadchiroli; the Government aims to eliminate Naxalism by 31 March 2026.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs, May 2025: Left Wing Extremism ↗“The government of India is committed to completely eliminate Naxalism by 31st March 2026, since Naxalism is seen as the biggest obstacle in the development of remote areas and tribal villages, as it prevents education, healthcare, connectivity, banking, and postal services from reaching these villages. The number of LWE affected districts reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021 and further to 38 in April-2024.”
- The same backgrounder: 17,589 km of roads sanctioned under the two LWE road schemes, 14,618 km built; 10,505 mobile towers planned (7,768 commissioned).PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs, May 2025: Left Wing Extremism ↗“17,589 km of roads have been sanctioned under these two schemes. Of these, 14,618 km have been constructed. • Telecom Connectivity: 3 telecom projects, namely, Mobile Connectivity Project Phase-I & Phase-II, Provision of 4G mobile services in uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts and Saturation of 4G mobile services, are being implemented in LWE affected areas to improve telecom connectivity. A total of 10,505 mobile towers have been planned”
- The same backgrounder: 48 ITIs, 61 Skill Development Centres and 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools are functional in LWE-affected districts.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs, May 2025: Left Wing Extremism ↗“For Skill development 48 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and 61 Skill Development Centres (SDCs) have been made functional in LWE affected districts. For quality education in tribal blocks of LWE affected districts 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) have been made functional in LWE affected districts.”
- MHA: in 2004 the People's War (Andhra Pradesh) and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (Bihar) merged to form the CPI (Maoist), the main LWE outfit, banned under the UAPA, 1967.Ministry of Home Affairs: Left Wing Extremism Division (Background) ↗“In a significant development in 2004, the People’s War (PW), then operating in Andhra Pradesh, and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI), then operating in Bihar and adjoining areas, merged to form the CPI (Maoist) Party. The CPI (Maoist) Party, is the major Left Wing Extremist outfit responsible for a majority of incidents of violence and killing of civilians and security forces”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2020, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 377words · Minimalist IAS
Left-wing extremism (LWE) incidents, 1,936 at their 2010 peak, have since fallen to 374 in 2024 and affected districts from 126 to 38 (MHA, May 2025). Yet its core endures in the forested, mineral-rich tribal belt of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal, where the State arrived late and grievances found an armed outlet.
Determinants in eastern India
- Land and forest alienation: displacement by mines, dams and industry with poor rehabilitation, tribal land lost to outsiders, and weak enforcement of PESA, 1996 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
- Development deficit: poverty, thin schools, health care, roads and telecom, jobless youth, and exploitation by contractors and moneylenders.
- Governance vacuum: absent or corrupt local administration and weak policing let the CPI (Maoist), formed in 2004 by merging the People's War and the MCCI, pose as a parallel authority.
- Terrain and money: dense forest and hills straddling State borders give cover; extortion from mines and contractors funds the insurgency.
✏️ Map to sketch in the exam · Left-wing extremism in eastern India
- Shade: Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal = LWE-affected eastern states
- districts: Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), Kanker (Chhattisgarh), Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh), Sukma (Chhattisgarh), West Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) = most-affected districts (MHA 2025)
Draw on India's official outline (Survey of India boundary).
Strategy for the Government of India
- Fund and coordinate: the SAMADHAN doctrine (2017), the Security Related Expenditure and Special Infrastructure schemes, and Special Central Assistance of Rs 30 crore to each most-affected district.
- Connect: 17,589 km of roads sanctioned and 14,618 km built under the LWE road schemes; 10,505 mobile towers planned and 7,768 commissioned.
Strategy for the civil administration
- Rights first: forest titles under the FRA, gram sabha control over minor forest produce under PESA, and fair rehabilitation before any project.
- Reach every village: 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, 48 ITIs and 61 skill centres already function in LWE districts; banks, health centres and grievance redress must follow.
Strategy for the security forces
- Hold and build: joint CAPF-State police operations, intelligence sharing, fortified police stations and forward bases, with surrender and rehabilitation as the exit route.
- Legitimacy: strict respect for rights so that operations do not recruit for the other side.
Security creates the space; land and forest rights, roads, schools and responsive panchayats fill it. That is the path towards the aim MHA's May 2025 backgrounder stated: ending Naxalism by 31 March 2026.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
