Only 6 districts remain 'most affected' by Maoists: Shah

Only six districts across the country are now listed as "most affected" by left-wing extremism (LWE), Union home minister Amit Shah announced on Tuesday as he reiterated the government's resolve to root out Maoism completely by March next year.

- Neeraj Chauhan

NEW DELHI:

"Taking a giant stride towards building a Naxal-free Bharat, today our nation achieved a new milestone by significantly reducing the number of districts most affected by left-wing extremism to just 6 from 12," Shah posted on his X account.

"The Modi government is building a Sashakt, Surakshit and Samriddh Bharat with a ruthless approach to Naxalism and relentless efforts for all-pervasive development. Bharat is determined to uproot Naxalism for good by 31st March 2026," he added. Shah has claimed on more than one occasion that LWE will be eliminated by March 2026.

Four of the six most affected districts are in Chhattisgarh (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur and Sukma) while one each is in Jharkhand (West Singhbhum) and Maharashtra (Gadchiroli).