Left-wing extremism has shrunk to a narrow geographical core, yet the security-development binary remains contested. Examine the SAMADHAN doctrine and the role of development financing in the affected districts.
Subtopic: Security · Internal security
How to structure your answer
Introduction: The Ministry of Home Affairs reports LWE-affected districts have shrunk from 126 in 2014 to 38 in 2024, with violent incidents down ~73% since 2010 (MHA Annual Report 2023-24).
Body: 1) SAMADHAN doctrine — Smart Leadership, Aggressive Strategy, Motivation and Training, Actionable Intelligence, Dashboard-based KPIs, Harnessing technology, Action plan for each Theatre, No access to financing. 2) Security forces — CRPF CoBRA, state police, Greyhounds; tech inputs from NTRO, UAVs. 3) Development — Special Central Assistance, Aspirational Districts Programme, road connectivity (RCPLWEA), mobile towers, banking-financial inclusion.
Way forward: Sunset SCA only when violence is zero for 3 consecutive years; expand Skill India in Bastar; align with Forest Rights Act recognition under MoTA.
Written within the word limit
207 words · target 250 words · 14 min
Introduction:
The Ministry of Home Affairs Annual Report 2024-25 records that LWE-affected districts have fallen from 126 (2014) to 38 (April 2026), and incidents from 1,936 (2010) to 374 (2024). The Union Home Minister has set a deadline of 31 March 2026 to eradicate Left-Wing Extremism, anchored in the SAMADHAN doctrine and a renewed development push.
SAMADHAN architecture: SAMADHAN — Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation and training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard-based KPIs, Harnessing technology, Action plan for each theatre, No access to financing — operationalises CRPF, COBRA, District Reserve Guards and state police under unified command. Modernisation grants of ₹1,000 crore and the Special Infrastructure Scheme have hardened 612 police stations in 90 LWE districts.
Development pillars: The Aspirational Districts Programme (NITI Aayog) covers 35 LWE districts. Road Requirement Plan-I (₹7,034 crore, 5,422 km) and RRP-II (₹11,725 crore) reached 6,000+ km of black-topped road; 6,565 mobile towers across 4,500 villages were sanctioned in 2024. Tribal welfare under PVTG Mission (PM-JANMAN, ₹24,000 crore) and PM-KISAN reaches 1.04 crore tribal beneficiaries.
Residual binary: The Forest Rights Act 2006 individual claims under FRA stand at 50% rejection in Chhattisgarh (Status Report 2024), and PESA implementation remains uneven. Surrender-cum-rehabilitation policies need durable livelihoods to prevent re-recruitment in cadre-vacuum areas.
Way forward:
MHA should sustain the SCA-LWE grant beyond March 2027, accelerate FRA title settlement under MoTA, and converge Aspirational Districts with PM-JANMAN and Skill India Mission to consolidate the security-development gains.
What an examiner expects to see
- LWE districts down from 126 (2014) to 38 (2024) per MHA
- Violent incidents down ~73% since 2010
- SAMADHAN doctrine 2017 — MHA
- CRPF CoBRA battalions (10), Greyhounds Telangana
- RCPLWEA — Road Connectivity Project for LWE Areas
- Aspirational Districts Programme NITI Aayog (112 districts)
- Forest Rights Act 2006 implementation
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Bastar division Chhattisgarh
- Jharkhand Saranda action plan
- Operation Octopus 2022
- PM-JANMAN for PVTGs