Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday lauded the Chhattisgarh government for its efforts in combating Naxalism, revealing that since January, 194 Naxalites have been killed, 801 arrested, and 742 have surrendered. Shah made these remarks during a review meeting with Chief Ministers of Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected states at Vigyan Bhavan.
Shah also appealed to Naxalite youth to lay down their arms and join the mainstream, highlighting the successful reintegration of around 13,000 former militants from the northeast and Jammu and Kashmir.
“I congratulate the Chief Minister, Home Minister, DGP, and the entire team of Chhattisgarh. The progress achieved in Chhattisgarh serves as an inspiration for all. I appeal to Naxalite youth to abandon violence and join the mainstream,” Shah said, emphasizing the success of similar reintegration efforts in other regions.
The Union Home Minister credited the progress to the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, which has seen a significant funding increase from Rs 1,180 crore between 2004-2014 to Rs 3,006 crore from 2014-2024. Additionally, Rs 3,590 crore has been allocated over the last decade under the Special Central Assistance Scheme to support development efforts in Naxal-affected areas.
“Before 2019, only two helicopters were available for our soldiers. Today, 12 helicopters, including six from the Border Security Force (BSF) and six from the Air Force, are supporting our troops. We have also built 544 fortified police stations in the last decade, expanding the road network from 2,900 km to 11,500 km. Furthermore, over 15,300 mobile towers have been installed, with 4G connectivity for 5,139 of them,” Shah added.
Shah also emphasized the reduction in violence and terrorism-related incidents across India. He said that the number of districts reporting violence has dropped from 96 to 42, while the number of police stations affected by violence has decreased from 465 to 171, with 50 of these being new.
“The success achieved in Chhattisgarh is an example for all. Villagers who had not voted in 30 years participated in the recent Lok Sabha elections, marking a significant milestone in the state’s progress. Since 2019, 280 new camps have been established, 15 new joint forces created, and six additional battalions of CRPF deployed to assist police forces in different states,” Shah said.
(Inputs from ANI)