CSB IAS Academy Contact No: 8374232308

CSB IAS ACADEMY

LWE

• Maoist are Modern day Robin Hood:: seizing land from oppressors and
redistributing it to the people

• Social uplifting of the downtrodden is not their real aim, rather it is political power.

• CPI-Maoists, perceives the Indian government to be feudal and imperialist.

• Maoists wish to use people as “eyes and ears”, this implies that if the Maoists are not
able to mobilize them, their operations would end

• However, civilians have paid the price; between 1980 and 2015,(COLLATERAL
DAMAGE) the Naxalite insurgency caused 20,012 casualties; of these, 4,761 are
Naxalites, 3,105 are members of the security forces, and 12,146 are civilians.
Statement
• Dr. Manhoman Singh, the Prime Minister of India, to declare that Naxalism was “the
single biggest security challenge ever faced by our country”, in April 2006.

• "Chintan Shivir" (brain-storming session) of State Home Ministers, in Haryana

• (There is Naxalism linked to gun, and that linked to the the pen)

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for “uprooting” all forms of Naxalism, whether
“with guns or pens”,

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• In a way, PM Modi expanded Chinese communist leader Mao Tse Tung’s dictum that
political power flowed from the barrel of the gun, by underlining the power of the
pen also.
WHAT IS NAXALISM
• Naxalism is a form of armed insurgency against the state motivated by the leftist/
maoist ideologies and thus is also known as LWE or Maosim

• belief in the 'annihilation of class enemies’

• In China, Maoism is a doctrine that teaches to capture State power through a

combination of armed insurgency, mass mobilisation and strategic alliances.

• Mao called this process, the ‘Protracted People’s War’.

• ‘Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun’ is the key slogan of the Maoists.

• The Chinese Media had called this movement the “Spring Thunder”.

• Left-wing extremism, also known as left-wing terrorism or radical left-wing

movements,

• refers to political ideologies and groups that advocate for significant societal and
political

• change through revolutionary means

• The Naxals strongly believe that the solution to end social and economic
discrimination is to overthrow the existing political system, via violent revolution.

• Difference between Naxalites and other revolutions

• Unlike the political mass movements with violent underpinnings in the border areas,

• Naxalites do not seek to secede from the Indian Union to establish a sovereign
independent state of their own but their aim is to capture political power through
armed struggle to install the so called ‘people’s government’.

• System –democratic to communist

• Ideology- Chinese communist– Maoism—armed struggle, mass mobilization and

strategic alliances

• Belief– annihilation of class enemies and glorify violence

• Methodology: attacking state symbols

• Goals
3 TERMS USED
• LEFT WING EXTREMISM DIVISION-MHA(Left wing extremism is the
revolutionary political line, or uncorrupted Marxist ideology, that seeks to establish
a socialist state by violently overthrowing the existing capitalist or pre capitalist
system. Left wing extremism can be ideologically inspired by any line of communist
thought, including Leninism, Maoism, Guevaraism, Trotskyism etc..)

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• Naxalism--The term ‘Naxal’ derives its name from the village Naxalbari of district
Darjeeling in West Bengal,where the movement originated in 1967 under the
leadership of Charu Majumdar, Jangal Santhal and Kanu Sanyal.

• Initially, the movement had its centre in West Bengal.

• Maoist (Maoism is left wing extremism particularly inspired by the thoughts of Mao)

Current Status
• Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown also proved a massive blow for
Maoists, as it cut critical supplies for many months.

• As a result, LWE related incidents were down by 47 per cent between 2015 and 2020
as compared to incidents in the preceding six years from 2009 to 2014.

• Presently, 90 districts in 11 states in the country are considered LWE affected IN APRIL
2018 REDUCED TO 70 10 states IN JULY 2020 and decrease in the geographical
spread of violence as only 46 districts in 2021

• Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand continue to account for 69.10% incidents of naxal

violence across the country.

• The total number of violent incidents of LWE has drastically reduced from 1048 in
2016 to 908 in 2017.

• The related deaths have seen a 34% decline in 2017 as compared to 2013 indicating
success of government efforts.

• Union Home Ministry has stated that violence related to LWE had come down
by 76% in 2022 as compared to 2010

• Compared to 2013, surrenders by LWE cadres have increased by 411 percent in 2016.

• There has been a 43% reduction in casualties to Security Forces personnel.

• What is a Red Corridor region?

• Red corridor region/ red zone is demarcated by the union government to notify the
districts which are affected by left wing extremism.

• The red corridor/ red zone,is the region in the eastern, central and the southern parts
of India where the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency has the strongest presence

• In 2021 it was confined to 25 "most affected" (accounting for 85% of LWE violence)

• Dandakaranya-Chhattisgarh-Odisha region and tri-junction area of Jharkhand-

Bihar and-West Bengal.

• It is spanning,namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra,Odisha,

Telangana, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh etc.

The three main categories are:

1. Heavily affected - Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar
2. Partially affected - West Bengal, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh

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3. least affected - Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The Odisha gap
• The red corridor is almost contiguous from India's border with Nepal to the absolute
northernmost fringes of Tamil Nadu.

• There is, however, a significant gap consisting of coastal and some central areas
in Odisha state, where Naxalite activity is low and indices of literacy and economic
diversification are higher

• Most of the worst affected districts fall in the Dandakaranya region which includes
areas of

• Chhattisgarh

• Odisha

• Maharashtra

• Andhra Pradesh and TL

• It has dimensions of about 200 miles (320

km) from north to south and about 300
miles (480 km) from east to west.

• Maoists have been running a parallel

government and a parallel judiciary in these regions.

What is Golden Corridor?

• The stretch from western Maharashtra to Gujarat is often called the “golden corridor”
because of the concentration of industries.

• The Golden Corridor area is also the industrial backbone of the country

• The Golden Corridor area extends along western India and reportedly stretches along
the belt extending from Pune to Ahmedabad, including Nashik, Surat and Vadodara.

• This is called ‘golden corridor’/milch cow because it the hot bed of illegal drug trade
and cartels

• It is towards this belt that the Maoists have currently turned their attention. It is a part
of the Maoist grand plan to penetrate urban centres as well as the industrial/working
class movement.

• In their scheme of things, the Maoists hope to gain control over the working-class
movement and use it appropriately at a later stage when their so called New
Democratic Revolution advances.

• The immediate and short-term objective is to gain control over key (strategic)
industries with a view to inflicting ‘damage’ on the state’s capacity to fight the
Maoists, either through organising sabotage activities or bringing production to a halt

SYMPHATIZERS IN URBAN AREAS

• WORKING CLASS AND INDUSTRIAL CLASS
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• INTELLECTUALS AND ACADEMICANS

• POLITICANS AND CELEBRITIES

• BUSINESSMEN AND NGO and MEDIA

• FRONTAL ORGANISATIONS in urban and semi-urban areas to take cause like

tribal displacement, corporate exploitation

• Arundhati Roy, a Naxalite sympathiser said that the tribal forestlands should be
called a “MoUist Corridor” instead of the “Maoist Corridor” as the people of these
tribal forest lands have been wrestling with “Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs)
of the mining companies.

• Dr. Subramanian, a former Director-General of the National Security Guard and

Central Reserve Police Force notes that Naxalism exists in these tribal areas because
of the dissatisfaction of the people against the government and big businesses

• NSG(commonly known as Black Cats) was founded on 16 October 1984,

following Operation Blue Star, for combating terrorist activities and protect states
against internal disturbances

• Urban Movement within the military strategy of the Maoists was best explained by
Mao Tse Tung thus:

• “the final objective of the revolution is the capture of the cities, the enemy’s main
bases and this objective cannot be achieved without adequate work in the cities.”

• Ideology influences on Naxalism

• It is an ideological movement based on a mixture of three ideologies—Marxism-

Leninism-Maoism (MLM).

• To put it in simple way, the movement is about communist revolution to establish

socialism and thereafter, to reach the ultimate stage of communism. For this, they
would need to, as they claim, overthrow the Indian State through armed struggle to
capture the political power and introduce New Democratic Revolution (NDR) in
India.

• In India the leftist movement also draws its ideological basis from the Russian
revolution wherein Lenin successfully fought against the Czar through a combination
of peasant movement and an armed struggle.

• However, the prime intent was to bestow power in the hands of the exploited and
marginalized and enforce societal control over governance and nation building.

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Marx Vs Lenin

Difference communism and socialism

1) Ownership of Economic Resources
Communism--All economic resources are publicly owned and controlled by the
government. Individuals hold no personal property or assets.
Socialism- Individuals own personal property but all industrial and production capacity
is communally owned and managed by a democratically elected government.
2)Distribution of Economic Production
Communism- Production is intended to meet all basic human needs and is distributed to
the people at no charge.
Socialism- Production is intended to meet individual and societal needs and distributed
according to individual ability and contribution
3)Religion- Religion is effectively abolished in Communism but may exist in as Freedom
of religion is allowed

NOT REQUIRED
In India, the Maoists claim, there are four major contradictions:
1. The contradiction between imperialism and the Indian people.
2. The contradiction between feudalism and the broad masses.
3. The contradiction between capital and labor.
4. The internal contradiction among the ruling classes.
Today, only five countries—China, Cuba, North Korea, Laos, and Vietnam—have
communist governments, although they may call themselves socialist or have socialist
economies.
NOT REQUIRED
• They claim that the first two contradictions are the fundamental contradictions in the
present-day Indian society.

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• The contradiction between feudalism and the broad masses is the principal
contradiction.

• Any stage of the revolution is based on the principal contradiction.

• The young and fiery ideologies of the Marxist-Leninist movement in India formed the
CPI(M-L) in 1969, envisioning a spontaneous mass upsurge all over India that would
create a 'liberated zone’.

• The Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its military wing, People's Liberation
Guerilla Army (PLGA), which formed in 2000, run a parallel government in such areas.

NOT REQUIRED
EVOLUTION OF THE CPI (MAOIST)
• The history of the communist party in India goes way back to the 1920s. A manifesto
issued in 1920

• In Tashkent (now in Uzbekistan) by Manabendra Nath Roy (who would become the
party’s first leader), and tried to form an Indian communist party.

• The ideal of the CPI was to introduce a communist revolution in India.

• On December 26, 1925, the Communist Party of India or CPI was formed at a
conference in Kanpur,

• Uttar Pradesh.

• FOUNDERS:

• In 1924 Satyabhakta ANNOUNCED the formation of CPI.

• In 1925 S.V. Ghate became the general secretary of the party.

• Origin and Evolution of LWE

• The roots of LWE in India lie in multiple factors such as the leftist/Communist
political movements, labour and agrarian unrests(Kisan Movement), the
revolutionary societies(HSRA) and the tribal revolts(TELANGANA UPRISING
(1946-51), TEBHAGA UPRISING (1946) which was supported by CPI) that erupted
during various phases of colonial rule in India.

• The independence of India from the clutches of foreign rule raised immense hopes
among the landless, tribals and other downtrodden sections within the country.

• It didn't take too long for the masses to realise that independence had only changed
the regime brought nothing new for them.

• Electoral politics was dominated by the landowners and the land reforms that were
promised were not being taken up in the expected spirit.

• The old exploitative structure had continued in a different garb. This led to a lot of
disillusionment and frustration among the masses.

• They could recollect the prophecies of the early leftist leaders and revolutionaries that
the political independence of India from British rule would in effect mean a change

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of exploiters and the socio-economic structure would remain the same and that an
armed revolution will be needed to end the exploitation(end of colonialism and
capitalism)

• This disillusionment found expression in the increased support in favour of the left
parties in second general elections in Kerala. At the same time, the Communist Party
of India (CPI)-M in Bengal

• But nothing substantial was realised on the ground.

• Story of Charu Majumdar

• Charu was a rich Zamindar family of the Majumdars. Inspired by his freedom fighter
father

• Charu grew up with lots of anger for the British and dollops of love for the poor and
disenfranchised.

• As a young guy, Charu helped organise the Beedi workers of West Bengal, which
earned him a little fame.

• He took part in the Tebhaga Movement against the oppressive Zamindars of Bengal.

• While in jai(1948)l - he met another guy called Kanu Sanyal, who was serving time for
showing a black flag to the then Chief Minister of West Bengal

• Charu and Kanu secretly went to even meet Mao Zedong in China, where he assured
them of both the Arms and the ideology

• Charu though did not have the patience of Mao, he wanted instant results created a
new party, the CPI ML (Communist Party of India - Marxist Leninist) on 22nd April,
1969

• Became the Mother fountain of all subversive naxal ideologies currently present in
India.
• This was the start of what Charu termed as the War of Annihilation

PHASES OF LWE IN INDIA

• The spread and growth of Naxalism in India can be broadly divided into three phases
or stages as described below:
• The Birth of Revolution/ Formative Stage (1967-72)
• The origins of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in India traces back to the Telangana
peasant rebellion (1946-51), the movement was at its peak in 1967
• On 25 May 1967 - Bengai Jote village - Naxalbari, West Bengal - peasant revolt took
place against local landlords over a land dispute in the year 1967 when the peasants,
landless labourers, and Adivasis raided the granaries of a landlord in the Naxalbari
village in West Bengal.
• Local police opened fire on a few agitating farmers - 11 people including 2 children
were killed.
• This incident became the stimulus for the beginning of an uprising led by Charu
and Kanu, aimed at overthrowing the government through an Armed Struggle

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• Charu became the father of Naxalism and Kanu became the first Naxal
• The CPI(ML) was totally opposed to the electoral process and advocated violent
revolution as the only means of realizing its political objectives
• During 1969-72, fierce battles raged between CPI (ML) and government
authorities, resulting in large scale violence and bloodshed. The government also
seriously undertook land reforms
• With the coming into power of the Congress supported government in Bengal in
the year 1971, a major operation named "Steeplechase " was launched in which the
military, paramilitary and state forces participated jointly in the Naxal affected
areas.
• The extremist movement was brought under control within two months.
• The movement finally died out after the arrest and death of Charu Majumdar in
July 1972
• After Charu Majumdar’s death, the CPI (M-L) was deprived of any credible central
leadership and the party withered away to be finally reborn as CPI (M-L)
Liberation in 1974.
• The movement faced a severe blow during emergency when around 40,000 cadres
were imprisoned in 1975
• Second Phase (transition stage) 1970-2000’s
• Charu Majumdar's death came as a blow to the Naxalites across the country.
• Thereafter, the CPI (ML) disintegrated into innumerable groups and subgroups
which were engaged in internecine squabbles and accusing each other of betrayal
and pursuing the wrong line of thought and action
• The movement arose again in a more violent form after the emergency.
• Their base grew from West Bengal to Bihar to Odisha and Andhra Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh
• Liberation group in Bihar led by Vinod Mishra was anti- Charu and went for Parl
elections and first Naxal to win Parl seat
• The origin of Maoist violence can be traced down to two factions
• 1) Maoist Communist Centre (MCC)
• The outfit came into existence in 1969, as Dakshin Desh by Kanhai Chatterjee which
was group of lower caste
• After the formation of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Dakshin Desh
was renamed as the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC)
• 2) People’s War Group (PWG)
• The PWG was formed in Andhra Pradesh in 1980 by Kondapalli Seetharamaiah,
one of the most influential Naxalite leader.
• People’s War Group in Andhra Pradesh marked the revival of the movement after
the emergency. However, the movement faced a setback due to security operations
taken across different states

THIRD PHASE(Present Phase)

• In 2000, the third phase of the movement began with the establishment of the
People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army.
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• In 2004, the People’s War Group merged with Maoist Communist Centre and
formed CPI (Maoist).
• CPI (Maoist) is the major Left-Wing Extremist outfit responsible for most incidents
of violence and killing of civilians and security forces
• During this phase, the Naxalite movement spread across 233 districts in 20 states.
• It has been included in the Schedule of Terrorist organisations under the Unlawful
Activities Prevention Act, 1967.
• Why a security threat?
• GOI, 2017
• Complex web in 10 states affecting 70 districts
• 10,000 Armed fighter and 7000 firearms
• 3) 40,000 full time Cadres
OBJECTIVE
• People Revolutionary State-The eventual objective is to install a "people’s
government" through the "people’s war“ and expansion of Red corridors and it
wishes to usher in a New Democratic revolution (NDR)
• Both traces its ideology to the Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung’s theory of organised
peasant insurrection.
• It rejects parliamentary democracy and believes in capturing political power
through protracted armed struggle based on guerrilla warfare.
• This strategy entails building up of bases in rural and remote areas and
transforming them first into guerrilla zones and then as liberated zones, besides
the area-wise seizure and encircling cities.
• Strategy for Naxalism Expansion
• Preparatory Phase— Detailed survey of new areas identifying important people,
important public issues on which masses can be mobilized
• Perspective Phase— Mobilization through frontal organisations– staging
demonstration against government/administration based on local public
grievances
• Guerrilla Phase— Converting the public movement into violent guerrilla warfare
• Base Phase— Here the Maoists try to establish their base and change the guerrilla
zone into a liberated zone
• Liberated Phase— Establishment of people’s government.(show no physical
presence of the civil administration and it is an alleged hub of Naxalite-Maoist
insurgency)
• DANDKARNAYA REGION
• THERE ARE FEW EXAMPLES OF NAXAL VIOLENCE:
• In 2010 Dantewada ambush in which 76 CRPF armed personnel were killed.
• In 2013 the LWE movement made international headlines when Naxalists killed 27
people, including some high-level politicians, in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.
• Causes
• The Naxalites receive most support from Dalits and Adivasis. Together they
amount for one fourth of India‟s population; most of them live in rural India.
• -EVASION OF LAND CEILING LAWS-New Land Ceiling Policy 1972
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• Due to the discouraging results of the Ceiling Laws, a New Land Ceiling Policy was
passed in 1972. These were the following provisions of the New Policy
• land ceiling imposed 10-18 acres for good land, 18-27 acres for second class land
and 27-54 acres for hills and desert areas as the limit.
• Mismanagement of Forests: It is one of the main reasons for the spread of Naxalism.
It started with the British government. The monopolization of the forest started
with the enactment of various forest laws. The integration with the wider world led
to an influx of a new class like moneylenders. The administrative machinery
became more exploitative and extortionate at functional level
• Discuss
• Tribal poverty today is worse than that of Scheduled castes and on par with those
of sub-Saharan African countries. The districts that comprise the red corridor are
among the poorest in the country
• The Adivasis make up about 8.4 percent of the population and live in severe
poverty

• Causes/ Reasons for Naxalism

• Socio-economic conditions of red corridors
• Economic condition
• The districts that make up the red corridor are among the poorest in the country.
• A key characteristic of this region is non-diversified economies that are solely primary
sector based.
• The region has significant natural resources, including mineral, forestry and potential
hydroelectric generation capacity but controlled by outsiders forces.
• Social condition and exclusion
• The area encompassed by the red corridor tends to have stratified societies,
with caste and feudal divisions.
• Much of the area has high tribal populations (or adivasis),
including Santhal and Gond, bhils who have been exploited to the most.
• Continued practice of untouchability in some areas and Poor implementation of
special laws on prevention of atrocities, protection of civil rights and abolition of
bonded labour etc like SC/ST ACT 1989, PROTECTION OF CIVIL RIGHTS ACT,
1955, AND BONDED LABOUR ACT, 1976
•
•
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• Land Deficit (Jal Jangal-Jameen)

• Evasion of land ceiling laws and poor implementation of Land Reforms(9th schedule)
• Existence of special land tenures (enjoying exemptions under ceiling laws)
• Encroachment and occupation of Government and Community lands (even the
water-bodies) by powerful sections of society
• Lack of title to public land cultivated by the landless poor. (land digitation) and
Hasty rejections of land grants to tribals
• Poor implementation of laws prohibiting transfer of tribal land to non-tribal in the
Fifth Schedule areas
• Non-regularization of traditional land rights-Non-recognition of land rights also
contributes to homelessness
• All factors leads to situations of forced evictions and displacement of the poor.
• Governance Deficit
• Corruption and poor provision/non-provision of essential public services including
primary health care and education
• Mismanagement of forest, forest policies with restriction for their livelihoods.2006,
Forest Rights Act was enacted but Forest Bureaucracy continued its hostility towards
it.
• Misuse of powers by the police and violations of the norms of law
• unsatisfactory working of local government institutions. (decentralization)
• Development Deficit ---supplier of raw material…. economy vs environment debate?
• Eviction from lands traditionally used by tribal
• Displacements caused by mining, irrigation and power projects without adequate
arrangements for rehabilitation as seen in MOU
• Large scale land acquisition for ‘public purposes’ without appropriate compensation
or rehabilitation as seen in LARR
• Exploitation of the natural resources for the economic progress of the country,
ironically, has led to displacement and deprivation of the tribal, further leading to a
feeling of alienation
• The conflict between economic progress and aboriginal land rights continues to fuel
the Naxalite’s activities

Livelihood
• Lack of food security(NFSA) as well as corruption in the Public Distribution
System.(GHOST RATION CARDS)
• Disruption of traditional occupations and lack of alternative work opportunities
Geographical Terrain
• Naxalism thrives in areas covered with forests. It helps them fight against the police
and the army by waging Guerrilla warfare.
• Guerrilla fighters use small and fast-moving units to launch repeated surprise “hit-
and-run” attacks. The goal of these attacks is to destabilize and demoralize the larger
enemy force while minimizing their own casualties.
• Tri-junction theory:-----disputed areas
• This theory states, the areas located at the tri-junction of the orders of three state have
the problem lack of governance. such areas have poor transportation communication
and other infrastructure. For. E.g. – Dandakaranya forest(CH,MAH AND ANDHRA)

Challenges in dealing with LWE

• Spreading in adjoining areas

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• Armed forces pushes Naxals out temporarily but they use other states to regroup and
rearm. This can be associated with the Andhra Pradesh model, where the intensive
use of Greyhounds had led to a lot of spillover to other states…. freedom of
movement….(19)..police is state subject…lack of coordination…
Collaboration with Anti-state actors
• New territory in new states may result in a corridor for Naxals to collaborate with
other insurgent groups who are essentially ideologically different but are anti-state.

• There has been increasing collaboration between the naxals and the pro-Azadi leaders
in J&K and ULFA which are training the naxal cadre.

Naxal activities due to international collaboration

• The likely collaboration with international maoist movements (Nepal, Bangladesh, SL,
Phillipines etc ), may give it a much more dangerous dimension, to tackle which India
seems to be unprepared. There is also an increasing threat of rising terror outfits’
support to the naxal operations in India(Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and
Organizations of South Asia), ULFA, ISI & LTTE- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Trust Deficit
• Locals, especially in Naxal affected areas, are still skeptical and insecure regarding the
intentions of the government and security forces. Their engagement is imperative in
dealing with the naxal menace.
• Structural deficits and deficiencies such as putting IPS deputations into almost every
senior position in CRPF ignoring the decades of experience within the Force.
• Ineffective Democratic Decentralization
• Half hearted and weak ground implementation of PESA, provisions of the & fifth
schedule and even PRIs has definitely helped in not containing the problem.
• Absence of Co-ordinated Proactive Vigilance
• Weak coordination between central and state agencies results in the development of
security voids captured subsequently by naxals.
• Passive Role of State Police Forces
• State police forces have usually not been in the frontline despite of them being well
acquainted with the terrain, local community etc
• Role of External States
• Role of neighbors (PAK/CHINA/BANG) and even terrorist organisations has been
established through several reports in fueling naxalism in India through supply of
finances and arms by leveraging porous and poorly managed border areas.
• Inability to Curb Naxal Financing
• Any act of violence cannot be sustained without finance. Demonetisation though
attempted failed to check it comprehensively and Self Funds--Jharkhand State
government, which destroys thousands of poppy fields(opium), and cannabis in
odisha (10000 rupees)
• Rise of Urban Naxalism
• Ideological supporters in the urban areas and at key positions have not only fueled
but also have helped naxalism in attaining an organised structure and thus penetrates
in urban areas.
• NOTE: MHA DENIES THE USUSAGE TO THIS TERM

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• Inadequate Technological Interventions

• Use of drones, mini UAVs, ground sensors, smart guns and artificial intelligence have
not been aggressively deployed in naxal areas.

Ideological appeal
• They are mobilising people over issues like land acquisition, fake encounters, tribal
land rights etc and their left ideological appeal to end economic exploitation through
violence
Laundering of funds
• Naxal leaders operating in Bihar and Jharkhand are laundering extorted money
through acquiring movable and immovable assets.
• What are the determinants of left-wing extremism in the Eastern part of India? What
strategy should the Government of India, civil administration and security forces
adopt to counter the threat in the affected areas? Upsc -2020
• Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal are
• Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) is showing a downward trend, but still affects many
parts of the country. Briefly explain the Government of India’s approach to counter
the challenges posed by LWE.(2018)
• The persisting drives of the government for development of large industries in
backward areas have resulted in isolating the tribal population and the farmers who
face multiple displacements with Malkangiri and naxalbari foci, discuss the
corrective strategies needed to win the left wing extremism (LWE) doctrine affected
citizens back into the mainstream of social and economic growth.(2014)
• Article 244 of the Indian Constitution relates to the administration of schedules area
and tribal areas. Analyse the impact of non-implementation of the provisions of the
Fifth schedule on the growth of Left Wing extremism.(2013)
• Reasons for the decline in Violence

• Greater presence of security forces across the LWE affected States.

• Loss of strongholds, declining appeal of ideology
• Rehabilitation program of government along with improved performance from the
affected states on socio-economic fronts
• Shortage of funds, arms and ammunition
• Insurgency fatigue among the Maoist cadres
• Leadership crisis, Loss of cadres/leaders on account of arrests, surrender and
desertions.
STEPS TAKEN FOR LWE AFFECTED STATES
Soft Measures
• Forest Rights Act, 2006: The Scheduled Tribe and Other Traditional Forest dwellers
(Recognition of ForestRights) Act 2006 or the Forest Rights Act recognizes the rights of
the scheduled tribes and forest dweller,s
• determining the nature and extent of Individual Forest Rights (IFR) or Community
Forest Rights (CFR) or both … Minor Forest Produce, Title rights upto 4 hectares,
• Relief and development rights --- in case of illegal eviction or forced displacement

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• Civic Action Programme: The scheme aims to build bridges between the local
population and the security forces through personal interaction .The Scheme has been
very successful in achieving its goal.
• The Left-Wing Extremism affected States have been asked to effectively implement the
provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) on
priority, which categorically assigns rights over minor forest produce to the Gram
Sabhas.
• 3. Approval of Projects under Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) supported
scheme to provide mobile services in 96 districts of LWE- affected states.
POLICE FORCES FOR 2017-21
• Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme
• (approved in 2017) The Central Govt. reimburses to the State Governments of 11 LWE
affected States Security Related Expenditure of 90 districts relating to training and
operational needs of security forces.
• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) - offers tremendous opportunities for
rural road connectivity.
• National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) is being implemented
in 330 districts affected by Naxalism so as to universalize the demand-driven
programme for wage-employment.
• ROSHNI Scheme for Skill Development : ROSHNI is a special initiative under, Pandit
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (Formerly Ajeevika Skills),
launched in June 2013 for training and placement of rural poor youth from 27 LWE
affected districts in 09 States (Andhra Pradesh-01, Bihar-02, Chhattisgarh-08,
Jharkhand-06, Madhya Pradesh-01, Maharashtra-01, Odisha-06, Uttar Pradesh-01 and
West Bengal-01).
• Aspirational District: --Aspirational Districts are those districts in India, that are
affected by poor socio-economic indicators: Health & Nutrition (30%) + Education
(30%) + Agriculture & Water Resources (20%) +Financial Inclusion & Skill
Development (10%) + Infrastructure (10%) in 115 districts
• Convergence + Collaboration+ Competition(“Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas aur Sabka
Vishwas”)
• The Ministry of Home Affairs has been tasked with the monitoring of Aspirational
districts programme in 35 LWE affected districts.
Hard Approaches
• Operation Green-Hunt: in 2009, Government deployed Commando Battalion for
Resolute Action (COBRA)--CRPF against Naxals. This operation popularly came to be
known as Operation Green Hunt.(CHATTISGARH)
• Andhra Pradesh has its specialized Greyhound commando force to tackle LWE.
Greyhounds is a police special forces unit of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Police departments in India. Greyhounds specialises in counter-insurgency operations
against Naxalite and Maoist terrorists
• Unified Command: In 2010, the Government established a Unified Command for inter-
state coordination (in intelligence gathering, information sharing and police responses)
between Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.
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• Black Panther combat force - A specialised anti-Naxal combat force for Chhattisgarh
on the lines of Greyhounds unit in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• Bastariya Batallion – A newly formed batallion of CRPF with tribal youth from four
highly naxal infested districts of Chhattisgarh along with adequate female
representation. In this battalion the adequate female representation in sync with the
Government’s policy of 33% reservation for women making it the first composite
battalion in any of paramilitary forces.
• Recently the Home minister announced a new strategy of SAMADHAN which stands
for
i. S: smart leadership
ii. A: aggressive strategy
iii. M: motivation and training
iv. A: actionable intelligence
v. D: dashboard-based KPIs (key performance indicators) and KRAs
(key result areas)
vi. H-harnessing technology
vii. A-action plan for each theatre
viii. N- no access to financing.

Conclusion
• History shows that most insurgencies only survive by giving up armed struggle
and joining mainstream politics.
• Two examples of this are the African National Congress in South Africa and PLO
in Palestine.
• Two even better examples are the communist movements of India themselves.
• Both the CPI and the CPI-M started out with aims of revolutionary armed struggle,
but eventually joined mainstream Indian politics and are today established,
legitimate political parties.

WAY FORWARD
• Learning from Chattisgarh police: As the Chhattisgarh police have experience in
tackling Maoists in Bastar, they are now coordinating with the bordering States to
strengthen intelligence and ground presence. Such measures can be taken in new
areas as well where Maoists are trying to establish themselves.
• Eliminating the root cause of the problem that is leading to the alienation of tribals
in this area. The focus should now be on building roads, installing communication
towers, increasing administrative and political access of the tribals, improving
reach of government schemes etc.
• Centre-state cooperation: Centre and states should continue with their coordinated
efforts where Centre should play a supportive role with state police forces taking
the lead.
• Undertaking technological solutions: such as use of micro or mini-UAVs or small
drones to minimize loss of lives of security personnel.

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• Build trust: Winning a psychological war against the Maoists remains an unfinished
task. To bridge this trust deficit, civil society must join hands with the government
in realising the villagers’ right to development.
• Awareness generation: Government should undertake awareness and outreach
programmes and inclusive developmental programmes.
• Forest Rights: Effective implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Rights) Act, 2006
• Financial empowerment: Introduce measures to encourage formation of ‘Self Help
Groups’ (SHGs) to improve access to credit and marketing and empower the
disadvantaged.
• Choke funding: The nexus between illegal mining/forest contractors and
transporters and extremists which provides the financial support for the extremist
movement needs to be broken through establishment of special anti-extortion and
anti-money laundering cell by State Police.
• Infrastructure development: For implementing large infrastructure projects,
particularly road networks that are strongly opposed by the extremists or are used
to extort funds from local contractors, the use of specialised Government agencies
like the Border Roads Organisation in place of contractors may be considered as a
temporary measure.
• Special efforts are needed to monitor the implementation of constitutional and
statutory safeguards, development schemes and land reforms initiatives for
containing discontent among sections vulnerable to the propaganda of violent left
extremism.

• The two-pronged policy of direct action by the security forces combined with
development is showing results — the government has already made a dent in most
of the affected districts and is determined to check the expansion of Maoists. The
paradigm of proactive policing and holistic development should ensure more such
significant results in the future.

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