New Delhi: An integrated approach that combines security, development, and rehabilitation has brought the Union government closer to its goal of eliminating Maoism by March 2026, according to an official statement on Saturday. The statement noted that 270 rebels were killed in 2025, alongside a 53 percent reduction in violent incidents between 2014 and 2024 compared to the previous decade. In the same year, security forces apprehended 680 Maoists and facilitated 1,225 surrenders. So far in 2025, 521 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) cadres have surrendered, contributing to a total of 1,053 surrenders recorded in Chhattisgarh over the last two years.
The official emphasized that financial networks supporting Maoism have been systematically dismantled, with a special unit within the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seizing assets valued at over Rs 40 crore, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted operations resulting in confiscations worth Rs 12 crore. States have also seized properties amounting to Rs 40 crore. Additionally, urban Maoists are facing significant moral and psychological challenges, which have diminished their capacity for information warfare. The statement further highlighted that rehabilitated cadres receive financial support of Rs 5 lakh (for high-ranking individuals), Rs 2.5 lakh (for mid and low-ranking individuals), and a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 for vocational training over 36 months, enabling them to reconstruct their lives with dignity and stability.
Major initiatives like Operation Black Forest and mass surrenders in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra illustrate the growing confidence among insurgents to reintegrate into mainstream society, as noted by the Union Home Ministry. Over the past decade, the collaborative efforts of security forces and development strategies have significantly reduced Naxal-related violence.
