Anti-Naxal ops, security forces' valour keeping Naxalites at bay: MHA report

'TRYING TO EXPAND TO NEW AREAS WITHOUT MUCH SUCCESS'

NEW DELHI: Facing tough action from the security forces, the Naxals are making efforts to breach new areas along inter-state borders but without any notable success, the latest report from the Union Home Ministry has said.

The government's multi-pronged approach - anti-Naxal operations by paramilitary and state police and simultaneous development initiatives in Maoist-affected areas - has resulted in a 48 per cent reduction in violent incidents, from 1,136 in 2013 to 594 in 2023, the report said.

A 65 per cent reduction was also noticed in the deaths of civilians and security forces, which came down from 397 to 138 in 2023 as compared to 2013, it said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the country would be free of Naxalism by March 31, 2026.