While the number of districts in the LWE category remains unchanged at 38 compared to 2024-25, the classification now reflects shifts in the severity of violence reported in these areas. Image shows a security officer carrying arms taken from killed Maoist insurgents to display at a police facility in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division on March 30, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AFP
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has re-categorised the total number of left-wing extremism (LWE) affected districts in the country replacing the earlier classification of “most affected” with “LWE affected,” “districts of concern” and “legacy and thrust districts.”
While the number of districts in the LWE category remains unchanged at 38 compared to 2024–25, the classification now reflects shifts in the severity of violence reported in these areas. The red corridor has significantly contracted – from over 200 districts in 2005 to just two in 2026 – and its definition has also been revised.
On March 27, 2026, three days before Home Minister Amit Shah declared in Lok Sabha that the country is now “Naxal-free,” the Ministry reviewed the “categorisation of districts affected by Left Wing Extremism” and sent the fresh list to the Home Secretaries and Director-General of Police (DGP) of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal.
While Bijapur in Chattisgarh and West Singbhum in Jharkhand are the only two districts that have been characterised as “LWE affected”, Kanker in Chhattisgarh is a “district of concern” and there are 35 other “legacy and thrust districts” across nine States.
These districts are Alluri Sitaramraju in Andhra Pradesh; Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui, Lakhisarai in Bihar; Bastar, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Bijapur, Dhamtari, Kabirdham, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Gariyaband, Sukma and Dantewada in Chattisgarh; Bokaro, Chatra and Latehar in Jharkhand; Balaghat and Mandla in Madhya Pradesh; Gadchiroli and Gondia in Maharashtra; Boudh, Sundargarh (Rourkela police district), Kalahandi, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada, Kandhamal in Odisha; Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Mulugu in Telangana and Jhargram in West Bengal.
Till November 2025, Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur, all in Chhattisgarh were included in the category of “most affected” LWE districts.
In its letter to the States, the MHA said that the National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism was approved and implemented in 2015 and that the Union and State governments have been working closely to “tackle this menace.”
It said that a number of interventions – both security and developmen-related – are being undertaken, leading to a marked improvement in the LWE scenario.
“The categorisation of districts provides the basis for deployment of resources under various schemes. The evolving LWE situation necessitates a periodic review of the districts in order to ensure that the focus of anti-LWE efforts remains aligned to the ground realities,” MHA said.
It added that the districts covered under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme have been comprehensively revised again. “After the review, the SRE districts have been kept in three broad categories i.e. 02 districts are categorized as ‘LWE Affected Districts’, 01 as ‘Districts of Concern’ and 35 as ‘Legacy & Thrust (L&T) Districts’,” MHA said.
Under SRE, the Centre reimburses to the States, the expenses incurred on training and operational needs of security forces, ex-gratia payment to the family of civilians/security forces killed/injured in LWE violence, rehabilitation of surrendered LWE cadres, community policing, village defence committees, publicity materials, etc.
According to a written reply by the MHA in Parliament, ₹1,685.65 crore was released to LWE-affected States over five years under the SRE Scheme up to 2023–24.”
Published – April 03, 2026 10:36 pm IST
