The spread of Naxalism

The Naxalite–Maoist insurgency in India is an ongoing conflict between Maoist groups known as Naxalites or Naxals and the Indian government.

1: Dimension- Origin and Ideology:

• Naxalism represents both a socio-economic issue and a law and order problem.
• Naxals are far-left radical communists who support Maoist political sentiment and ideology.
• Their followers primarily include Adivasis, Dalits, and the poorest of the poor—often landless laborers working below India’s mandated minimum wages.
• Impacted region:Naxalism is concentrated in Eastern India, particularly an area known as the Red Corridor spread across the states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Some districts of Kerala, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, etc. are also impacted by Naxalism.

2: Dimension- Causes of Naxalism

• Development deficit: Evasion of land ceiling laws by politically and economically stronger classes, Encroachment and occupation of Government and community lands, Disruption of the age-old tribal-forest relationship
• Social exclusion: Unemployment and Poverty, Infrastructure deficit, Lack of education and Poor health facilities
• Governance deficit: Violation of human rights, Abuse of dignity of life, Disconnect with mainstream society, Discontent against government
• Exploitative Deficit: Incompetent, ill-trained, and poorly motivated public personnel, Mismanagement and corruption, Poor implementation of laws and schemes

3: Dimension- Challenges and Criticisms:

• Inefficient Service Delivery: Naxal-affected areas remain deprived of basic services, justice delivery, and community participation among others.
• Lack of coordination: States have not done satisfactorily in joining hands. This lack of coordination between State police and Central forces results in security voids which are exploited by the Naxals.
• Inability to maintain created infrastructure- It hampers the trust of locals and disrupts channels of communication for security forces.
• Inability to curb sources of financing for Naxals – Demonetisation also proved to be insufficient.
• Inadequate use of Technology-The use of drones, ground sensors, smart guns, AI, etc. has been inadequate in Naxal areas.