Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired an all-party meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday to review the status of anti-Naxal operations after a landmark year in which security forces achieved their biggest gains against the Maoist insurgency in two decades. The Home Ministry reported that the number of Maoist-affected districts has fallen to a record low of 12, down from 126 at the peak of the conflict in 2010, while the number of Naxal-related incidents fell 68% year-on-year to 112 incidents, the lowest since records began. Naxal cadre strength has also fallen from an estimated 20,000 at its peak to under 2,500.
Home Minister Shah said the end of Left-Wing Extremism is within sight and that the government policy of combining security operations with accelerated development in affected regions is delivering results. He announced a new Rs 4,000 crore development package for the 12 remaining affected districts covering roads, schools, mobile connectivity, and healthcare. Opposition leaders at the meeting raised concerns about human rights conditions in security operations and called for transparent inquiry mechanisms into civilian casualties. The chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha attended the meeting and pledged continued cooperation with central security agencies.