New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi government has brought the number of districts affected by Left-wing extremism in the country down by 70 per cent. The government has also lifted the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from more than 66 per cent area in the northeast and brought peace in the region, Shah said after inaugurating the National Tribal Research Institute in New Delhi. The home minister said the northeast and the Left-wing extremism-affected areas in the country are tribal-dominated regions and security is a precursor to development there."A secured northeast and a secured central India will pave the way for the development of tribals," he said.Shah said 8,700 untoward incidents took place in the northeast between 2006 and 2014, when the Congress was in power. This number has reduced to 1,700 under the Modi government, he said, comparing eight years of both the dispensations. Only 87 security personnel have lost their lives in the northeast under the Modi government as against 304 during the Congress rule. The number of civilian deaths has come down from 1,990 to 217, the home minister said.He said Prime Minister Modi has accorded top priority to research and education since he came to power."Under the Congress government, in 2014, an amount of Rs 7 crore was set aside for this purpose. In 2022, we have kept Rs 150 crore for it," Shah said.He added that the Modi government has increased the budget for Eklavya residential schools from Rs 278 crore to Rs 1,418 crore in the current financial year.Shah said tribal children can even bring Olympic medals as sports is a part of their traditions."They are natural sportspersons and only need guidance, coaching, practice and a platform to showcase their talent," he said.The Centre spends Rs 1.09 lakh on each tribal student studying in the Eklavya schools as against Rs 42,000 earlier, he added.Shah highlighted that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has the highest number of tribal MPs and ministers."The previous governments would talk about tribal development, but did they provide clean drinking water to tribals or build toilets in their houses? Did they give health cards to the Scheduled Tribe communities?" he asked.The Modi government provided clean drinking water to 1.28 crore tribal houses under the Jal Jeevan Mission and built toilets in 1.45 crore households, Shah said."We have given Ayushman cards to 82 lakh Scheduled Tribe families and built over 40 lakh houses for tribals under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana," he added.The Modi government has increased the scholarship amount significantly -- from Rs 978 crore in 2014 to Rs 2,546 crore at present. The budgetary allocation for tribal welfare schemes has been increased from Rs 21,000 crore in 2014 to Rs 86,000 crore in 2021-22, the home minister said.Shah said the government has recognised the sacrifices and valour of tribal freedom fighters and 10 museums are being built across the country in their honour at a cost of around Rs 200 crore.He said there are many institutions in India such as the Planning Commission (now Niti Aayog), Life Insurance Corporation of India and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited that have contributed immensely to the country's progress.Similarly, the NTRI will play a pivotal role in the development of tribals in the country, he said, adding that this is a milestone.The institute will become the backbone of tribal development in the run-up to 100 years of the country's Independence, Shah said.The home minister said there are many traditional tribal laws in the country related to water, forests, land, education, health, art, culture, language and tradition, which need research."Any tribal welfare law cannot be implemented without harmonising these laws with the current laws. Research on all these subjects can only be done at the national level," he said.Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said indigenous tribes are spread across the country but earlier, people would not consider them a part of the mainstream. Alleging that the previous governments completely disregarded the concerns of the tribals, he said the Modi government believes that the country will not progress till the Scheduled Tribes move forward.Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said the policies and programmes to uplift the tribal people became stronger and transparent during Modi's tenure as prime minister.—PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi government has brought the number of districts affected by Left-wing extremism in the country down by 70 per cent.

Left wing extremism-hit districts decline by 70% under Modi govt: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi government has brought the number of districts affected by Left-wing extremism in the country down by 70 per cent.



Srinagar: State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the J&amp;K Police on Tuesday arrested Sarjan Ahmad Wagay alias Barkati alias 'Azadi Chacha' from the south Kashmir area for raising crores of rupees through crowdfunding to spread radicalism in Kashmir.   SIA sources said, “Sarjan Ahmad Wagay alias Barkati has been arrested in Case FIR No 02/2023 of police station SIA.  “The case is about his involvement in a fund-raising campaign which were then used for spreading radicalism.”
Wagay gained prominence through his anti-national, inciting and hatred stoking speeches after Hizbul poster boy, Burhan Wani was killed by the security forces in 2016.  Sources said Wagay had managed raising of crores of Rupees and these were mostly parked in fixed deposit accounts in the name of his family members.  “He also laundered funds from different sources to support terrorism and secession.  “He is involved in betraying public trust, money laundering, supporting terrorism, spreading secession and using religion to influence young and formative minds of the youth to push them into violence”, sources said.  It was for his notoriety as an anti-national preacher that he was called ‘Azadi Chacha’ by his gang of anti-national supporters and sponsors, sources added.
—IANS

State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the J&K Police on Tuesday arrested Sarjan Ahmad Wagay alias Barkati alias 'Azadi Chacha' from the south Kashmir area for raising crores of rupees through crowdfunding to spread radicalism in Kashmir. 

J&K SIA arrests ‘Azadi Chacha’ for crowdfunding, spreading hatred

Toronto: In a latest attack on Hindu places of worship in Canada, a prominent temple in the British Columbia province has been vandalised with anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti.
The outer walls of Shree Mata Bhameshwari Durga Society Mandir in Surrey were spray painted on Thursday with slogans reading, “Punjab is not India” and “Modi is a terrorist”.
“A Hindu temple Shree Mata Bhameshwari Durga Devi Society has been vandalised with black spray paint. These kinds of cowardly attacks are on rise to create terror amongst the community,” Sameer Kaushal, News Director at Radio AM600 in Richmond, wrote on X.
Kaushal said that the Surrey detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have been notified about the incident.
The development comes just ahead of a Khalistan Referendum event, scheduled for September 10, and threats from banned group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) to “lock down” India’s Consulate in Vancouver.
The referendum event, scheduled to take place at a school in Surrey, was cancelled after images of weapons on the poster were brought to the school authorities’ notice by concerned residents.
The poster featured a kirpan (dagger) as well as an AK-47 machine gun, along with the name of SFJ.
It also had pictures of Khalistani leaders Hardip Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead in June at a parking lot in Surrey and Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind of the 1985 Air India Flight bombing.
Despite New Delhi registering strong protests, an anti-India campaign continues in Canada with pro-Khalistani graffiti and posters targeting Indian diplomats and temples across the country.
Last month, anti-India and pro-Khalistan posters were found pasted on the front and rear walls of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.
Beginning this year, the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Ontario and the Gauri Shankar temple in Brampton were targeted in April and January with anti-India graffiti.
Canadian authorities are investigating them as “hate-motivated incidents”.&nbsp;
—IANS

In a latest attack on Hindu places of worship in Canada, a prominent temple in the British Columbia province has been vandalised with anti-India

Ahead of Khalistan referendum, another Hindu temple defaced in Canada

Patna: The opposition leaders knew that polarisation of votes on the basis of communal agendas would help the BJP, its leaders playing on the turf of saffron brigade.Bihar education minister Chandrashekhar Yadav is one of them who frequently makes statements on communal lines. In January, he had claimed that the Hindu epics Ramchartimanas, Manu Smriti, as well as the book ‘Bunch of Thought’ spread hatred in the society.

On September 7, he made yet another controversial statement in Nalanda claiming that Prophet Muhammad was a ‘Maryada Purosottam’ and that God had sent him to earth to finish evil.

These two statements have given ample opportunities to the BJP to play on its own turf and exploit the Hindu extremism to polarise voters.
All these things are happening in the run-up to the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Political experts of Bihar believe that they are giving issues on which the BJP is very good at polarizing voters.

Sources have also claimed that these two statements were deliberately given to make personal benefits.

When Chandrashekher Yadav had made the remark against the Ramcharitmanas, the RJD did not take action against him.

The statement was endorsed by RJD state president Jagadanand Singh at the time.

Jagadanand Singh claimed on Wednesday that the country became slave due to people who put ‘Tika’ on their foreheads. He further said that these people are making efforts again to make the country slavery again.

“Religion is a thing of faith and if it would be implemented as a principle, the crores of people living in India went the opposite way. Ask them (BJP-RSS) who made India a slave. Those who put Tika on the forehead had made India a slave. They are making efforts again to make India a slavery country,” Singh said while addressing a gathering of party workers in his office in Patna.

Following his statement, BJP leaders like Vijay Kumar Sinha, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly said: “Despite RJD (Tej Pratap Yadav) humiliating Jagadanand Singh, he stuck with the party. At least he should learn from his son Sudhakar Singh. Whatever he is saying against the Sanatan Dharma is due to the party he is staying in. His son has not compromised with his self respect and left the Ministry,

“They are doing the polities’ appeasement and galvanizing the voters of a particular community. The people of the state are watching him and RJD and teaching them a lesson in the election.”

“Leaders like Prof Chandrashekher and Jagadanand Singh do not believe in Lord Krishna or Lord Rama. Hence, we do not expect much from him. Jagadanand Singh is objecting to the Ram temple of Ayodhya and supporting the statement of Udhayanidhi Stalin. He is making statements against Hindu and Sanatan Dharma. Anyone can imagine his mindset. These statements he is making only to please his bosses of the party,” said Nikhil Anand, the national general secretary of BJP OBC Morcha.

Jan Adhikar Party chief Rajesh Ranjan also criticized the statement of Jagadanand Singh.

“I strongly object to any such things that hurt a community. If anyone has no knowledge about the issue, they should avoid talking about it. Whatever statements related to religion were made are not appropriate. There are many countries in the world which do not believe in any religion. They are entirely neutral on this issue. Singapore is a country with a Buddhist majority and Muslims are just 15% but look at the development chart, it is far more developed than India. Here in our country, 80 per cent are Hindu and 15 per cent are Muslim and the way political parties do politics over religion, India is just a developing country and well below in the development chart,” Pappu Yadav said.

“Leaders of big parties or small parties have no right to spread communalism in the society,” he said.&nbsp;
—IANS

The opposition leaders knew that polarisation of votes on the basis of communal agendas would help the BJP, its leaders playing on the turf of saffron brigade.

RJD leaders play into the hands of BJP with their statements on religion

Guwahati: At least 390 persons were arrested in Assam in the last two and half years for their alleged involvement in anti-national or extremist activities, Chief Minister Himata Biswa Sarma said.
In a reply to a query by Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal during the the ongoing Assembly session, he said that of the 390 people "52 were arrested from Kokrajhar, 43 from Udalguri, 40 from Dima Hasao, 38 from Barpeta, 30 from Tinsukia and 29 people from the Baksa district”.
Also in the same period, 2,942 persons were arrested in cases linked to cattle smuggling, while 434 people in cases pertaining to women trafficking, said the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, as many as 11,624 people have been arrested on the charges of drug smuggling and narcotics worth Rs 2,817.85 crores were seized in different parts of the state.
Also in the same period, as many as 27,858 cattle heads were rescued and seized from the possession of traffickers, Sarma added.
In addition, he stated that 486 people had been detained in Nagaon district, 287 in Guwahati, 241 in Kokrajhar, 235 in South Salmara, 234 in Dhubri, 192 in Kamrup, 157 in Golaghat, 135 in Sonitpur, and 101 in Biswanath district in connection with cattle smuggling links.&nbsp;
—IANS

At least 390 persons were arrested in Assam in the last two and half years for their alleged involvement in anti-national or extremist activities

390 people in Assam arrested in over 2 yrs for anti-national activities

Chennai: The Chenniamalai police in Tamil Nadu‘s Erode district have commenced a probe into an attack allegedly by a group of right extremists on a Christian family in their village.
According to police, the attack came when the family was holding prayers at their home.
Samuel (33), his wife Jennifer, their three-year-old son, his father Arujunan, mother Rathinam, and younger sister Behula sufferred injuries after a group of people allegedly belonging to a right extreme group assaulted them.
Earlier, the local villagers, including neighbours, had complained against Samuel and his family for conducting prayers loudly.
Police sources told IANS that the family tried to record the assault, but the gang broke the phone.
M.K. Sarvanan, Inspector of Police, Chenniamalai police station told media persons that the police reached the spot immediately on getting information but by then the gang had dispersed.
He said that the police is on an investigation and will bring the culprits before the law.
Sources in the neighbourhood of Samuel told IANS that many people were of the belief that he was engaged in religious propaganda and conversion and that the assault may be due to this.
—IANS

The Chenniamalai police in Tamil Nadu‘s Erode district have commenced a probe into an attack allegedly by a group of right extremists

TN police begins probe into attack on Christian family holding prayers

United Nations: On Tuesday, amid the diplomatic stalemate between India and Canada over the assassination of a Khalistani separatist, India requested the UN member states not to allow "political convenience" to determine responses to terrorism, extremism, and violence.
In his address to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs cannot be "exercises in cherry picking" and that the days of a few nations setting the agenda and expecting others to fall in line are over.
Vaccine apartheid is an injustice that must never be tolerated again. In the realm of climate action, ignoring past wrongdoings cannot continue. Markets shouldn't be used to provide the wealthy preferential access to scarce resources like food and energy at the expense of the poor.—Inputs from Agencies

On Tuesday, amid the diplomatic stalemate between India and Canada over the assassination of a Khalistani separatist, India requested the UN member states not to allow "political convenience" to determine responses to terrorism, extremism, and violence.

EAM Jaishankar asks UN member states not to allow 'political convenience' to determine responses to terrorism, extremism

London [UK]: Apparently criticising the British government for not tackling the extremist elements, Colin Bloom, a former advisor to the Boris Johnson government, has demanded an apology for the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami, following an incident in which he was prevented from attending an event at Glasgow Gurdwara.
Bloom described the so-called Khalistan movement as a "power grab" by pro-Khalistan extremists seeking to take control of Gurdwaras. Bloom was reacting to the disruption, of the planned interaction of the Indian High Commissioner with the Sikh community at Glasgow Gurdwara, by "extremist elements" on Saturday. "My understanding is, and I think I'm right in saying that the Gurudwara in Glasgow, the committee had arranged an event to host the Indian High Commissioner and others to come to an event and to have a reception at the Gurudwara complex. These guys turned up and had harassed the management committee and then had harassed the Indian High Commissioner and sadly, he had to leave. It's very sad for the people who had planned to attend the event, those who had organized it at the Gurudwara, and, of course, for the Indian High Commissioner, because this was precisely the sort of event that I'm sure he would have wanted to attend," he said in an exclusive interview to ANI. “I was very shocked when I saw what had happened at the Gurudwara in Glasgow. And I think that it sort of highlights and demonstrates just how concerning the issue of both Khalistan extremists are, but also how the pro-Khalistan sort of activists, just how far they're prepared to travel and what they're prepared to do," he added. Scotland Police has responded to the incident and said that the case is under investigation. Urging the UK administration to act against the extremist elements, he said, "But, the individuals concerned feel that they have a legitimate case and that they feel that they can harass and intimidate people. And I think that's completely wrong and they need to be dealt with for what they're doing. And I feel very sorry for everyone involved, I think particularly the High Commissioner, who deserves an apology." Bloom is the author of ‘The Bloom Review, Does Government do God?’. He was also appointed by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as an Independent Faith Engagement advisor in order to make suggestions on how the government should interact with religious organisations in England. He also cautioned that the incident on Saturday is just a minor illustration of “something much, much bigger” that has been “going on and getting bigger” for many years. Bloom also emphasised that the majority of people from the Sikh community are peaceful people and don’t represent extremist ideology. He, however, also pointed out a “power grab” stating that the fringe elements end up taking over the management of the Gurdwaras in many instances. “I think what it shows is that there is actually the vast majority of British Sikhs are amongst the nicest, kindest, most generous and peaceful people you'd ever want to meet. What I'm talking about is a tiny, tiny minority who are within the Sikh community who have these either extremist or certainly very aggressive and militant tendencies, and that they have to travel so far to do it,” Bloom said. He said that such incidents point to extremists desire to grab power, wealth and influence. He added, “What you're seeing with the Khalistan movement, I believe is really a power grab. This is about money and power that some people want. It's not about being a Sikh… I had some people who gave me evidence to say that Gurdwaras, the management committee of Gurdwaras are being routinely taken over by these fringe elements”. The former government advisor observed that the majority of British Sikhs simply wish to lead their lives without disruption, but they are unnerved and intimidated by the “ugly spectre of extremists”. In another incident on Saturday, a Sikh restaurant owner, who earlier received threats from Khalistani elements for being vocal against them, alleged that his car was shot at and vandalised by the extremists in West London. Bloom also pointed out an earlier incident from the year, when the Indian High Commission in UK was attacked by some extremist elements and called it an “intense embarrassment” to the British people. “So I suspect that the diplomatic protection teams will be looking at doing a risk assessment on the Indian High Commission, Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats from the Indian High Commission to make sure that in future they are kept safe,” the former advisor said. He added, “We did have in recent times…a very worrying incident that happened at the Indian High Commission where thugs were able to climb and change the flag, the Indian flag, for, Khalistani flag know, that was a moment of intense embarrassment to the British people, I think…and it's something that we must make sure never happens again. But unless we deal with then I rather fear that these thugs and extremists will try again and they will try and do worse”. Notably, the report by Colin Bloom for the UK government warned that some pro-Khalistan Sikh groups aim to artificially inflate their influence by lobbying political bodies under the guise of human rights activism, presenting a false appearance of legitimacy. It noted that the subversive, sectarian, and discriminatory activities of these groups do not reflect the true nature of the majority of British Sikh communities.
—ANI

Apparently criticising the British government for not tackling the extremist elements, Colin Bloom, a former advisor to the Boris Johnson government

"The High Commissioner deserves an apology": Colin Bloom on Glasgow incident

New Delhi (India): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday chaired the review meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE). Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren also attended the meeting aimed at preparing a roadmap to completely root out the Left Wing Extremism or Naxalism from the country and review the actions taken so far.
Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai; Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Choubey; and Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan as well as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also took part in the meeting. Home Secretary Ajay Bhala, Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka and Director Generals of NIA, SSB, BSF, CRPF, BSF and NSG also attended the meeting along with Home Secretaries and Chief Secretaries of naxal affected states. Initiating the meeeting, Bhalla welcomed all dignitaries and briefed them about the meeting. The last LWE meeting occured in September 2021. Earlier in the day, before joining the meeting, Home Minister Amit Shah took to 'X', formerly Twitter, to share his views and termed Naxalism a "curse to humanity", saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government is committed to uprooting Naxalism in all its forms. "Naxalism is a curse to humanity and we are resolved to uproot it in all its forms. I look forward to chairing the Review Meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in New Delhi today to further our efforts to fulfil PM @narendramodi Ji's vision of an LWE-free nation," Shah posted on 'X'. The meeting, which is held at certain intervals, aims at fulfilling the Central government's commitment to the development of left-wing extremist-affected states as well as making a LWE-free nation. A lot of success can be witnessed in the last few years in this sector due to the joint efforts of the Centre and the states in cracking down on Left Wing Extremism with an extreme fall in naxal incidents. The central government, however, determined that unless the country gets rid of the problem of Left Wing Extremism completely, the full development of the country and the states affected by it is not possible. Left-wing extremism has been a significant security challenge for many years. Though primarily a State subject, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has promulgated a 'National Policy and Action Plan' since 2015 to address the Left Wing Extremism menace holistically and the progress and the situation is being monitored rigorously and this Policy consists of a multi-pronged approach. The significant features of the policy are zero tolerance towards violence coupled with a big push to developmental activities so that benefits of development reach the poor and vulnerable in the affected areas. Pursuant to the Policy, the Ministry of Home Affairs is supporting the State Governments in Capacity Building and strengthening of Security Apparatus by deployment of CAPF Battalions, provision of helicopters and UAVs and sanction of India Reserve Battalions (IRBs) and Special India Reserve Battalions (SIRBs). Funds are also provided under the Modernization of Police Force (MPF), Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme and Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) for the modernization and training of State Police. For the development of Left Wing Extremism-affected states, the government of India has taken several developmental initiatives which include sanctioning 17,600 kilometres of road. To improve telecom connectivity in Left Wing Extremism-affected districts, new mobile towers are being installed. For financial inclusion of the people in Left Wing Extremism-affected districts, several post offices, bank branches, ATMs and banking correspondents have been opened. Special focus is also being given to the opening of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS). The fight against the Left Wing Extremism menace is now in a crucial stage and the government is optimistic about reducing the menace to an insignificant level at the earliest.
—ANI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday chaired the review meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE).

Amit Shah chairs review meeting on Left Wing Extremism

New Delhi (India): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and Naxalism will be eliminated in the next "two years". Amit Shah's statement came while chairing the review meeting on Left Wing Extremism here in the national capital in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, all heads of all the Naxal affected states.
Addressing the participants of other Naxal-affected states and senior officials from the Centre and the state government, Shah mentioned that "lowest violence and deaths in LWE areas was recorded in 2022 in last four decades." The meeting, which aimed at preparing a roadmap to completely root out the Left Wing Extremism from the country and review the actions taken so far, was also attended by Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai; Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Choubey; and Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan as well as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka and Director Generals of National Investigation Agency, Sashastra Seema Bal, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, National Security Guard and Indo-Tibetan Border Police also attended the meeting along with Home Secretaries and Chief Secretaries of naxal affected States. Initiating the meeeting, Bhalla welcomed all dignitaries and briefed them about the meeting. The last LWE meeting occured in September 2021. Earlier in the day, before joining the meeting, Home Minister Shah took to 'X', formerly Twitter, to share his views and termed Naxalism a "curse to humanity", saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government is committed to uprooting Naxalism in all its forms. "Naxalism is a curse to humanity and we are resolved to uproot it in all its forms. I look forward to chairing the Review Meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in New Delhi today to further our efforts to fulfil PM @narendramodi Ji's vision of an LWE-free nation," Shah posted on 'X'. The meeting, which is held at certain intervals, aims at fulfilling the Central government's commitment to the development of left-wing extremist-affected states as well as making an LWE-free nation. A lot of success can be witnessed in the last few years in this sector due to the joint efforts of the Centre and the States in cracking down on Left Wing Extremism with an extreme fall in naxal incidents. The central government, however, determined that unless the country gets rid of the problem of Left Wing Extremism completely, the full development of the country and the states affected by it is not possible. Left-wing extremism has been a significant security challenge for many decades. Though primarily a State subject, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has promulgated a 'National Policy and Action Plan' since 2015 to address the Left Wing Extremism menace holistically and the progress and the situation is being monitored rigorously and this Policy consists of a multi-pronged approach. The significant features of the policy are zero tolerance towards violence coupled with a big push to developmental activities so that benefits of development reach the poor and vulnerable in the affected areas. Pursuant to the Policy, the Ministry of Home Affairs is supporting the State Governments in Capacity Building and strengthening of Security Apparatus by deployment of CAPF Battalions, provision of helicopters and UAVs and sanction of India Reserve Battalions (IRBs) and Special India Reserve Battalions (SIRBs). Funds are also provided under the Modernization of Police Force (MPF), Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme and Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) for the modernization and training of State Police. For the development of Left Wing Extremism-affected States, the government of India has taken several developmental initiatives which include sanctioning 17,600 kilometers of road. To improve telecom connectivity new mobile towers are being installed in affected districts. For financial inclusion of the people several post offices, bank branches, ATMs and banking correspondents have been opened. Special focus is also being given to the opening of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS). The fight against the Left Wing Extremism menace is now in a crucial stage and the government is optimistic of reducing the menace to an insignificant level at the earliest.
—ANI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and Naxalism will be eliminated in the next "two years".

Left Wing Extremism will be totally eliminated in next two years: Home Minister Amit Shah

New Delhi [India]: Stating that the fight against Left Wing Extremism (LWE) or Naxalism has reached a "decisive phase", Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday took a resolution to completely eliminate the menace in the next two years. Shah expressed his commitment while chairing a review meeting on Left Wing Extremism here in the national capital in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren-- the heads of all the Naxal affected states.
In his address, Shah said that "under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, success has been achieved in curbing leftist extremism in the last few years and now this fight has reached a decisive phase." He said that major successes have been achieved against Left Wing Extremism in 2022 and 2023 with the determination of PM Modi and the cooperation of all the states affected by Naxalism. The Home Minister further said, "This is the year of taking a resolution to completely eliminate Left Wing Extremism in the next two years." Shah said that vacuum areas have been shrinking since 2019 and we have established 195 new camps of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and 44 more new camps will be established. He further Shah said that the deployment of CAPFs against Left Wing Extremism, rationalization of development, and setting up camps in vacuum areas are the priorities of the Modi government. The Minister suggested maintaining constant surveillance in the areas liberated from Left Wing Extremism so that this problem does not revive again. "There is also a need to monitor that Left Wing Extremists from areas where this problem has been eliminated do not take shelter in other states," he said. Noting that the Modi government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against Left Wing Extremism, since 2014, Shah said, "As a result of our zero-tolerance policy, the lowest level of violence and deaths has been recorded in 2022 in the last four decades." "There has been a decline of more than 52 percent in Left Wing Extremism related violence, 69 percent in deaths, 72 percent in security forces deaths, and 68 percent in civilian deaths between 2014 and 2023 compared to the period from 2005 to 2014," said the Minister. He also said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are working closely with all state agencies to attack the financing of Left Wing Extremism. Shah added that all the affected states need to make efforts by forming a joint team of civil and police administration to dismantle the network of financial support of Left Wing Extremism. The Minister said that the Modi government had increased the ex-gratia amount for victims of Left Wing Extremism from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh in 2017, now it has been further increased to Rs 40 lakh. Shah also said the Modi government is taking several steps to speed up the development in Left Wing Extremism-affected states, and that special attention is being given to areas like road construction, telecommunication, financial inclusion, skill development, and education. Shah said the Centre government has launched more than 14,000 projects under the Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme to accelerate development in the districts most affected by Left Wing Extremism. He counted that more than 80 percent of these projects have been completed and Rs 3,296 crore has been released to Left Wing Extremism-affected states under the scheme. The Minister said under the Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), projects worth Rs 992 crore have been sanctioned for the construction of Fortified Police Stations, strengthening of State Intelligence branches and Special Forces of Left Wing Extremism-affected states. In the last nine years, the Modi government has increased the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) by more than double in comparison to the earlier period. The meeting, which aimed at preparing a roadmap to completely root out the Left Wing Extremism from the country and review the actions taken so far, was also attended by Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai; Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Choubey; and Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan as well as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Home Secretary Ajay Bhala, Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka and Director Generals of National Investigation Agency, Sashastra Seema Bal, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, National Security Guard, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police also attended the meeting along with Home Secretaries and Chief Secretaries of Naxal affected states. Initiating the meeting, Bhalla welcomed all dignitaries and briefed them about the meeting. The last LWE meeting took place in September 2021.
—ANI

Stating that the fight against Left Wing Extremism (LWE) or Naxalism has reached a "decisive phase", Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday

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Left wing extremism-hit districts decline by 70% under Modi govt: Shah

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Left wing extremism-hit districts decline by 70% under Modi govt: Shah

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