194 Naxalites killed, 801 arrested in Chhattisgarh since January

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday commended the Chhattisgarh government for its success in combating Naxalism, citing the elimination of 194 Naxalites, arrest of 801, and surrender of 742 since January.

While addressing a review meeting with the Chief Ministers of Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected states at Vigyan Bhavan, Shah appealed to Naxalite youth to lay down their arms and join the mainstream, highlighting that nearly 13,000 individuals have done so in the northeast and Jammu Kashmir.

"I congratulate the Chief Minister, Home Minister, DGP and the entire team of Chhattisgarh. Since January, 194 Naxalites have been killed, 801 Naxalites have been arrested and 742 Naxalites have surrendered. I appeal to all the youth associated with Naxalism to leave the weapons and come in mainstream. Whether it is northeast or JK, almost 13000 have left the weapon and joined the mainstream," the Home Minister said.

Shah attributed the progress to the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, which saw a threefold increase in funding from Rs 1180 crore between 20042014 to Rs 3,006 crore from 2014-2024. The Special Central Assistance Scheme has also allocated Rs 3590 crore over the last decade.