GS Paper 3 15 marks · 250w 14 min Medium
What are the determinants of left-wing extremism in Eastern part of India? What strategy should Government of India, civil administration and security forces adopt to counter the threat in the affected areas?
Subtopic: Internal Security · Left-Wing Extremism
How to structure your answer
Introduction: LWE as India's gravest internal-security challenge in the eastern 'Red Corridor' → determinants (socio-economic, governance, geographic, ideological) → three-tier strategy for Government, civil administration and security forces → results and way forward → Conclusion: security-development balance.
Written within the word limit
184 words · target 250 words · 14 min
Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), or Naxalism, remains concentrated in eastern India's forested tribal belt, the so-called Red Corridor spanning Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. The Prime Minister has termed it India's gravest internal-security threat.
Determinants in eastern India
- Socio-economic: tribal alienation, land dispossession, displacement by mining and dams, poverty and unemployment.
- Governance deficit: weak administrative presence, poor delivery, and non-implementation of the Forest Rights Act and PESA in Fifth Schedule areas.
- Geography: dense forests and hilly terrain that offer sanctuary and mobility to armed cadres.
- Ideological and financial: Maoist mobilisation and extortion from mining and forest produce.
Strategy for the three actors
- Government of India: the SAMADHAN doctrine, road connectivity, financial inclusion, mobile towers, and focused development through the Aspirational Districts Programme.
- Civil administration: ensure Forest Rights Act and PESA delivery, effective rehabilitation, grievance redressal and skilling to win tribal trust.
- Security forces: intelligence-led operations by CRPF, CoBRA and state police, choking finances, and a credible surrender-and-rehabilitation policy.
This combined approach has cut LWE-affected districts sharply. Sustained security married to development and rights delivery is the durable answer.
What an examiner expects to see
- LWE concentrated in the eastern 'Red Corridor' tribal-forest belt
- Root causes: tribal alienation, land/forest rights denial, displacement, underdevelopment and governance vacuum
- Terrain (dense forests) and Maoist ideology plus extortion sustain the movement
- Government of India: SAMADHAN doctrine, road/telecom connectivity, financial inclusion, Aspirational Districts
- Civil administration must deliver FRA, PESA, rehabilitation and grievance redressal
- Security forces: intelligence-led CRPF/CoBRA/state-police operations, choking funding, surrender-rehab policy
- Balanced security-plus-development approach has reduced affected districts markedly
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- SAMADHAN strategy (Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation, Actionable intelligence, Dashboards, Harnessing technology, Action plan, No access to financing)
- LWE-affected districts fell from 126 (2010) to around 38-45 (recent MHA data)
- Greyhounds (Andhra/Telangana) and CoBRA of CRPF as specialised anti-Naxal units
- Forest Rights Act 2006 and PESA 1996 as instruments to restore tribal rights
- Road Requirement Plan and Aspirational Districts Programme for LWE areas
Terminology to weave into the answer
Red CorridorSAMADHAN doctrineForest Rights Act and PESACoBRA and Greyhoundssurrender-and-rehabilitationAspirational Districts