The number of Naxalism-affected districts in India has reduced to 38 from 46 across nine States, according to a recent Government review. An updated review by the Government now narrows down the most affected districts to three and the districts of concern to four. All three most affected districts — Bijapur, Narayanpur and Sukma, remain in Chhattisgarh, the State historically at the heart of Naxal activity.
The four districts of concern are Kanker in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand, Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, where Naxal influence is waning but targeted development is still required. Districts under the concern category are those where Naxal activity has sharply declined, but continued development efforts are needed to consolidate peace and stability
The review was undertaken as part of the National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism (LWE), 2015, under which the Union and State Governments work together. Officials said the subcategory of most affected districts was created in 2015 with 35 districts to ensure focused deployment of resources. Following periodic reviews, the number was reduced to six in April 2025. Districts under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme —one of the key financial support programmes for combating Naxal influence —are classified as either LWE-affected or Legacy and Thrust (L&T) districts.
The latest review places 27 districts under the L&T category. These include eight districts from Odisha, six from Chhattisgarh, four from Bihar, three each from Jharkhand and Telangana, and one each from Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. These districts have largely witnessed the end of Naxalism but remain prospective sites for its expansion. Hence, continued government support is required for capacity building, according to official records.
The districts covered under the SRE scheme were last revised on April 1, 2025. After the review, 46 districts were listed as SRE districts — six categorised as “most affected,” six as “districts of concern” (DOC), and six as “other LWE-affected.” In the subset category of “Legacy & Thrust” districts, 28 were included.
In the districts of concern (DOC) category, where Left Wing Extremist influence is waning but focused resource deployment remains necessary, eight districts were included in 2021. Subsequent reviews brought this down to six in April 2025. Now, four districts have been excluded from this category and two have been added, bringing the total to four.
Government records also show a dramatic fall in Naxal-related violence over the past two decades.Violent incidents dropped to 7,744 in 2014-2024 from 16,463 in 2004-2014. While security personnel deaths fell from 1,851 to 509 over the same period and civilian fatalities reduced from 4,766 to 1,495. In 2025 alone, forces neutralised 270 Naxals, arrested 680, and secured the surrender of 1,225 insurgents.
Security agencies are now using cutting-edge technologies to ensure precise monitoring and analysis of Naxal activity. Tools such as location tracking, mobile data analysis, scientific call log examination, and social media monitoring are being deployed to closely track Naxal movements. Support from various forensic and technical institutes has strengthened intelligence gathering and enhanced operational efficiency. Additionally, drone surveillance, satellite imaging, and AI-driven data analytics are being effectively deployed to improve monitoring and strategic planning,” sources said.
