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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at Bastar on 8 November 2026 that every district in India is now free of Naxalism.
Background: how widespread was Left Wing Extremism?
Every district in India is now free of Naxalism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at Karanpur, Bastar, on 8 November 2026. Left Wing Extremism once affected more than 230 districts in about 20 states.
According to the PIB release, the affected states included Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The Karanpur base serves as a training centre and launch pad for anti-Naxal operations in Bastar and Abujhmad.
| Indicator | Earlier period | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Districts affected | More than 230, in about 20 states | Every district declared Naxal-free |
| Attacks | Up to 2,000 a year | Violence described as ended |
| CRPF personnel lost on duty | 76 in Dantewada attacks in 2010 | None in the last year |
| Security personnel lost in Chhattisgarh alone | More than 1,000 | Not applicable |
Significance: why does this matter?
The achievement links internal security with development. The Prime Minister quoted a Sanskrit verse to say that a country with strong internal security cannot be harmed by external enemies, and compared the role of internal security forces with that of the armed forces on the borders.
- Security: CRPF, Cobra, BSF, ITBP, SSB, IRB, state police, Bastar Fighters commandos and women fighters were all credited
- Economy: roads, schools and mobile connectivity can now reach interior areas
- Symbolism: the Bastar Olympics, where children play sports instead of handling guns
What measures were credited for the outcome?
The Prime Minister said the government gave security forces full operational freedom. He also said several strict national-security decisions, some not made public, hurt the funding of Naxals and separatists and broke the counterfeit-currency network, which also cut arms supply, movement and recruitment.
- Operational freedom to forces
- Financial and supply chains broken
- Arms, movement and recruitment curbed
- Development and rehabilitation of surrendered Naxals
- Normal life restored in affected areas
| Asset | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Roads | More than 15,000 km |
| Mobile towers | More than 9,500 |
| Eklavya schools | About 175 |
| ITIs | About 50 |
| Skill development centres | 50 |
Challenges and issues
A declaration is not the same as lasting peace. The status is the government's own assessment, so quote it as a statement and not as an independent finding.
- Sustaining development gains in remote tribal villages, including the PM JANMAN outreach
- Rehabilitation of surrendered Naxals and trust-building with local communities
- Keeping state police and central forces coordinated after operations wind down
- Avoiding a security vacuum once large deployments are reduced
Even so, the shift from counting attacks to counting classrooms, roads and mobile towers shows that internal security now rests as much on governance as on force levels.
Way forward
- Keep development works going so the gains are visible to residents
- Continue rehabilitation of surrendered cadres
- Maintain intelligence and community support, which the Prime Minister said now stands with the forces
- Use official data to confirm district status before citing the claim in an answer
Uttar Pradesh angle
Uttar Pradesh is named in the PIB release among the states that Left Wing Extremism once affected. For UPPSC GS-VI (law and order, internal security), the useful point is the link between security operations and development works such as roads, schools and mobile towers in remote districts. Confirm district names from Ministry of Home Affairs lists before writing them in an answer.
Answer kit: facts to quote
- Place and date: Karanpur, Bastar, Chhattisgarh, 8 November 2026
- Claim: first Diwali with every district Naxal-free
- Claim: no CRPF personnel lost on duty in the last year, first time in 47 years
- Poverty link: the Prime Minister cited a World Bank report saying 50 crore Indians left extreme poverty in 12 years
- Phrase to use: security and development moved together
Key Terms
- Left Wing Extremism (LWE)
- Armed Maoist insurgency, also called Naxalism, once spread across about 20 states.
- Cobra
- The CRPF's specialised unit for jungle warfare, based at Karanpur in Bastar for these operations.
- PM JANMAN
- Scheme named in the release for taking water, power and roads to remote tribal villages.
UPPSC syllabus: GS-III, GS-VI
FAQs
Where did the Prime Minister make the statement?
At the Cobra operations base in Karanpur, Bastar, Chhattisgarh, on 8 November 2026.
How many districts did LWE once affect?
More than 230 districts in about 20 states, according to the PIB release.
Sources: PIB: PM celebrates Diwali with security forces at Cobra base, Karanpur, Bastar
Last verified: 2026-11-09
