Significant reduction in Maoist activity: Now, no districts officially classified as Left-wing extremism-affected

New Delhi: As violence ebbed in Left-wing extremism (LWE)-affected districts, the Union home ministry recently revised the nomenclature for LWE-affected districts covered under the security-related expenditure (SRE) scheme. At present, there are no districts officially classified as LWE-affected and hence the SRE framework will include only two categories - districts of concern and legacy & thrust (L&T) districts.

There is currently only one district of concern, while the number of L&T districts stands at 37, officials said.

According to MHA, the SRE scheme comes under the umbrella programme 'Modernisation of Police Forces'. The scheme provides reimbursement for security-related expenditure in LWE-affected districts and districts earmarked for monitoring. This includes costs related to training and operations of security forces, ex-gratia payments to families of civilians or personnel killed or injured in LWE violence, rehabilitation of surrendered LWE cadres, community policing, village defence committees, and publicity measures, among others.


The scheme has seen a substantial increase in its annual outlay, with new provisions such as compensation for security personnel incapacitated during anti-LWE operations and for property damage. Since 2017-18, ₹2,973.30 crore has been released under the scheme, as per MHA.

In 2025-26, Chhattisgarh - the worst LWE-affected state - reported over 2,700 surrenders. MHA stated that only three districts remained most affected by Maoism in 2025, compared to 36 in 2014. Overall, the number of Maoist-affected districts reduced from 126 in 2014 to just 11 in 2025.

In addition, the number of fortified police stations increased from 66 in 2014 to 586 over the last 10 years. Police stations reporting Maoist incidents dropped from 330 across 76 districts in 2013 to just 52 in 22 districts by June 2025. In May, forces neutralised 27 Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI (Maoist), in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh.