Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde arrives to attend review meeting with CMs of LWE-affected states in Delhi

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. Pic/PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday arrived to attend the review meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah with the Chief Ministers of Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected states at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, reported news agency ANI.

"I have come to attend the meeting of Chief Ministers of Left-Wing Extremism affected States which will be chaired by the Home Minister," Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said.

Amit Shah will chair a review meeting with the Chief Ministers of Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected states at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday, reported ANI.

The Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh will be present.

According to a Ministry of Home Affairs release, five Union Ministers, senior officials from central ministries, representatives from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and the Deputy National Security Advisor will also participate, reported ANI.

The Deputy National Security Advisor and senior officers from the Centre, States and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are also expected to participate in the deliberations.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the central government is committed to completely rooting out the menace of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026, the ministry stated, reported ANI.

The central government is providing all possible assistance to the LWE-affected state governments in fighting the menace of Naxalism.

Amit Shah had last chaired the LWE review meeting with the Chief Ministers of LWE-affected states on October 6, 2023. During that meeting, the Union Home Minister had given comprehensive directions with regard to the elimination of LWE, reported ANI.

Due to the strategy of the Modi government, LWE violence has come down by 72 per cent while there is an 86 per cent decline in deaths in 2023 as compared to the year 2010 and LWE is fighting its last battle today, reported ANI.

"The year 2024, so far, has witnessed unprecedented success by the security forces in the elimination of armed LWE cadres. So far, 202 LWE cadres have been eliminated in this year, 723 LWE cadres have surrendered in the first 9 months of 2024 and 812 have been arrested. The number of LWE-affected districts has come down to just 38 in 2024," it added.

The central government has taken many steps, including impetus on road and mobile connectivity, to take developmental schemes to the remotest areas of the affected States. 14400 km of roads have been constructed and nearly 6000 mobile towers have been installed in LWE-affected areas, so far.

(With inputs from ANI)