SRINAGAR: The Union Government on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that strengthened inter-State coordination, regular leadership-level reviews and sustained security and development interventions have accelerated progress towards the goal of making India free of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 31, 2026.
Replying to Question raised by Members of Parliament Shri Ramesh Awasthi and Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Nityanand Rai said that while police and public order fall within the jurisdiction of state governments under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, the Centre has been consistently supplementing the efforts of LWE-affected states.
He said a “National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE,” approved in 2015, provides a comprehensive framework combining security-related measures with development interventions and steps to ensure rights and entitlements of local communities.
On the security front, the Centre has been assisting states by deploying Central Armed Police Forces, supporting the raising of India Reserve Battalions, providing helicopter support, strengthening security camp infrastructure, facilitating intelligence sharing, and funding the modernization of state police forces. Assistance has also been extended for training, procurement of equipment and construction of fortified police stations.
Since 2014-15, an amount of Rs. 3,681.73 crore has been released to LWE-affected states under the Security Related Expenditure scheme. The funds have been used to meet operational and training requirements of security forces, provide rehabilitation support to surrendered cadres, and grant ex-gratia payments to families of security personnel and civilians killed in LWE-related incidents.
The Minister said the Centre and the states have implemented surrender-cum-rehabilitation policies to encourage cadres to return to the mainstream. Under the policy, higher-ranked cadres are provided an immediate grant of Rs. 5 lakh and other cadres Rs. 2.5 lakh. Incentives are also provided for surrender of weapons and ammunition. In addition, vocational training is imparted along with a monthly stipend of Rs. 10,000 for three years. Expenditure incurred by states on rehabilitation is reimbursed under the scheme.
Efforts to modernize policing have been supported through the Modernization of Police Forces scheme, under which central assistance is provided for weapons, communication systems, mobility, training facilities, police stations and housing infrastructure. Under a sub-scheme known as the Special Infrastructure Scheme, works worth Rs. 1,761 crore have been sanctioned for strengthening special forces, state intelligence branches and district police. The government informed the House that 656 fortified police stations have been constructed so far.
Under the Assistance to Central Agencies for LWE Management scheme, Rs. 1,224.59 crore has been provided since 2014-15 for creating basic camp infrastructure and provisioning helicopters for counter-LWE operations. The government has also taken coordinated steps with states to curb funding channels and disrupt the financial networks of the CPI (Maoists).
The Minister said that alongside security operations, the Centre has placed emphasis on development in affected regions. Under LWE-specific road projects, 15,016 kilometres of roads have been constructed. To improve telecommunications, 9,233 mobile towers have been commissioned. Skill development initiatives have led to the establishment of 46 Industrial Training Institutes and 49 Skill Development Centres. For tribal education, 179 Eklavya Model Residential Schools have been made functional. Financial inclusion measures have resulted in the opening of 6,025 post offices providing banking services, along with 1,804 bank branches and 1,321 ATMs in the most affected districts.
To address gaps in public infrastructure, funds are also being provided under the Special Central Assistance scheme, under which Rs. 3,953.67 crore has been released since 2017.
The government informed the House that it maintains data on LWE-affected districts, police station coverage, and on the surrender, arrest and rehabilitation of former cadres, including those in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, with updated details available up to December 2025.
The Minister said continued coordination between the Centre and states, combined with security and development initiatives, has contributed to measurable progress and is expected to help achieve the target of a Naxal-free India within the stipulated timeframe.
