Latest news with #LWE-affected
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Nearly 3 decades on, Bastar out of home ministry's Red list
RAIPUR: Once synonymous with the rise of Maoist insurgency, Bastar, along with Kondagaon, have been removed from the list of Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts by Union home ministry, marking a turning point in Chhattisgarh's mission against Naxalism. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This comes a week after Maoist general secretary Basavaraju was gunned down, along with 27 other Maoists, in neighbouring Narayanpur district. Bastar had been on the LWE-affected districts' list for at least 25 years. Bastar and Kondagaon have now been sub-categorised as 'districts of legacy and thrust', which means Maoist activities have come down to a great extent. Bastar range IG P Sundarraj told TOI, "Kondagaon and Bastar are among 30 districts across the country now brought under 'districts of legacy and thrust' category. This removes them from the category of LWE-affected regions but they need development and vigilance on the operational front. " Other districts of Bastar division - Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker - are still categorised as 'most affected LWE districts' while Dantewada features among 'other LWE districts'. Dhamtari, Kabirdham, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai and Rajnandgaon have also been sub-categorised under 'legacy and thrust districts'. Bastar and Kondagaon were once counted among the hotbeds of Maoist insurgency, but incidents of violence have dropped significantly in recent years. The lone encounter in Kondagaon in nearly five years was on April 16 when two senior Maoist commanders were gunned districts saw good voting in the 2023 assembly polls - Bastar 84.6% and Kondagaon 81.7%. In the recent notification issued by MHA, 18 districts in the country are identified as 'LWE-affected', 'other LWE-affected' or 'districts of concern', including six in Chhattisgarh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Due to effective anti-Naxal operations in recent months, we have seen remarkably positive outcomes in the LWE scenario in Bastar Range. Categorisation of Kondagaon and Bastar as 'districts of legacy' is a significant step closer to being 'Maoist-free'. All our efforts would now be focused on ensuring that Naxal menace is totally eliminated in Bastar Range," Sundarraj said.
News18
22-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
CoBRA Commando, Naxal Killed During Anti-Maoist Operation In Chhattisgarh
Last Updated: An IAF helicopter has been pressed into service to evacuate the injured, officials said. A CoBRA commando of the CRPF and a Naxalite were killed during an anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday, officials said. According to the officials, the operation is ongoing in the Tumrel village area of the district. The operation is being led by the 210th battalion of CRPF's CoBRA and has troops from Chhattisgarh Police DRG and STF. A CoBRA commando has also been injured, they said. An IAF helicopter has been pressed into service to evacuate the injured, officials said. The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) is an elite jungle warfare unit within the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). It plays a key role in leading operations in states affected by Left Wing Extremism. The security forces are undertaking continuous operations in the LWE-affected states as part of the Union government's declaration to end the menace in the country by March next year. The Bastar region in Chhattisgarh remains their core area of operation. At least 27 Naxalites, including their top commander Nambala Keshav Rao (70) alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), were killed in an encounter with the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of Chhattisgarh Police in the forests along the Narayanpur-Bijapur border on Wednesday. First Published: May 22, 2025, 19:34 IST
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
CoBRA commando, Naxalite killed in anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur
RAIPUR: A CoBRA commando of the CRPF and a Naxalite were killed during an anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday, officials said. The operation is ongoing in the Tumrel area under the Usoor police station limits of the district, led by the 210th Battalion of CRPF's CoBRA unit and troops from the Chhattisgarh Police DRG and STF, the officials said. A CoBRA commando has been killed in action while another has been injured, they said. A Naxalite has also been neutralised in the exchange of fire and a weapon has been recovered, they added. The officials earlier identified the district where the operation is underway as Sukma. An IAF helicopter has been pressed into service to evacuate the injured, officials said. The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) is a special jungle warfare unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which is the lead force for operations in the Left Wing Extremism-affected states. The security forces are undertaking continuous operations in the LWE-affected states as part of the Union government's declaration to end the menace from the country by March next year. The Bastar region in Chhattisgarh remains their core area of operation. At least 27 Naxalites, including their top commander Nambala Keshav Rao (70) alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), were killed in an encounter with the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of Chhattisgarh Police in the forests along the Narayanpur-Bijapur border on Wednesday.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
State to seek Rs1.2K crore aid from 16th Fin Commission
1 2 Ranchi: The Jharkhand govt is likely to seek a total allocation of Rs 1,200 crore from the 16th Finance Commission during a meeting officials concerned here on May 28 and the funds received would be utlised for promption of health, drinking water, education, agriculture and allied activities, skill development and connecting roads in districts. A high-level meeting chaired by finance minister Radha Krishana Kishore decided that the state would request Rs 10 crore per district for five years, amounting to Rs 1,200 crores. Govt sources said the aid would be needed, particularly in view of the reduction in special central assistance to the state for LWE-affected districts . The Union home ministry was providing funds for the development of 19 extremist-affected districts of the state since 2017-18. The state govt said the financial assistance was being used for the development of infrastructure, skill and entrepreneurship, and the building of connecting roads for remote villages in these districts. Now, the number of districts in this regard has been reduced to five in the 2023-24 financial year. Currently, central assistance under the LWE-hit area scheme is provided only to Chaibasa, Gumla, Giridih, Latehar and Lohardaga districts. According to the state govt, the districts which have been removed from the list LWE-affected areas would still require development funds, and the youth from these districts need regular employment and skill development programmes for their integration into the mainstream. Moreover, the govt said 80% of the population, which is dependent on agriculture for livelihood, practised only single cropping in most parts of the state due to the lack of irrigation facilities. The sowing of Kharif crops is also much lower than the cultivable land, it said. The lack of water conservation facilities, people also face drinking water problems in the summer season. Given these circumstances, there is immense scope for agriculture development if proper funding is provided, the govt said. The govt is also aiming to improve the infrastructure of angnawadi centres and schools from the fund received from the commission. The state had taken up 1,000 schemes in the first and second phases with central assistance, and it feels that the schemes should continue in rural areas.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Forces to remain in affected areas beyond March 2026 to prevent Maoists' return, engage with locals
Security forces have drawn up a new plan to "hold and dominate" LWE-affected areas till at least 2027, a year beyond the Centre's deadline of ending the menace by March next year, and engage with locals through various government schemes to prevent the resurgence of Naxals or their ideology. Top officials of the security establishment told PTI in Chhattisgarh, where the core of anti-Naxal operations is concentrated, that while they were "confident" of meeting the March 2026 deadline, they had been asked to initiate steps so that an "everlasting" peace could be achieved. "The job of the security forces does not end with the March 2026 deadline. We have to ensure that all LWE ( Left Wing Extremism )-affected areas are kept dominated so that the Naxals and their ideology do not make a comeback," a top security officer said. The central security forces, with about 1.5 lakh personnel deployed for anti-Naxal operations in various states, will continue to undertake preventive patrols to check for possible Maoist regrouping and trace hidden improvised explosive devices (IEDs) till at least 2027 so that nothing is left to chance, a second senior officer said. 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Eat Ginger Everyday for 1 Month This is What Happens Tips and Tricks Undo The history of insurgency and extremist movements shows that they can make a comeback if the gains made are not consolidated. Hence, a plan beyond 2026 has been prepared, he further said. "The removal of central security forces from LWE-affected areas will be a very slow and gradual process that may be initiated in 2027 once state police forces are ready to fully take over the job," the second officer added. Live Events The Union home ministry has directed the central forces working in this theatre to "create space" in the more than 400 newly-created forward operations bases (FOBs) across various states for organising camps related to health and vaccination, education and for preparing Aadhaar and various government documents. These activities are already being undertaken in a few FOBs and they will be expanded on a "large scale" once the armed cadres and their movement is completely neutralised by March 2026, the second officer said. Central forces such as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and their FOBs in Chhattisgarh have been asked to install handpumps, mobile towers and ration shops in their camps so that the state government can start functioning from these bases before they create their independent infrastructure, the officials said. In Chhattisgarh, the security forces will now move "deeper" into the "largely uncharted" regions of Abujhmaad and Indravati National Park following the recent "success" of Operation Black Forest in and around the Korgotalu hills on the border with Telangana. Led by the CRPF, the forces claimed that while they killed 31 Naxals from the topmost armed cadre of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), many of the senior ones were either killed or injured and their "invincibility" was demolished. "The Korgotalu hills operation has given us the edge to bust more such regions that the Naxals use as a hideout. The year 2025 will see specific operations where forces will make inroads into the Bastar region and along the borders of Chhattisgarh with Telangana, Maharashtra and Odisha," a senior CRPF officer said. There is also a plan to hold special recruitment rallies for central and state government jobs in some FOBs after March 2026 so that locals and the world at large know all is normal in these areas once known for violence and death, the officials said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asserted that the LWE menace -- one of India's biggest internal security challenges, apart from terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and insurgency in the northeast -- would see its end by next March. According to central government data released on Saturday, the number of 'LWE-affected districts' fell from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021 and 38 in April 2024. Of the total, the number of 'most-affected districts' fell from 12 to six -- four in Chhattisgarh (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur and Sukma), one in Jharkhand (West Singhbhum), and one in Maharashtra (Gadchiroli). The data showed that incidents of Naxal violence had come down to 374 in 2024, a reduction of 81 per cent from 1,936 in 2010. The total number of deaths (civilians and security forces) had also fallen by 85 per cent from 1,005 in 2010 to 150 in 2024, it showed.
