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OPINION OCTOBER 24, 2025 | The Indian Eye 11
pre-existing anti-Naxal strategies, and into mainstream society. Since 2018, rules. These included attaining tribal which any organisation disrupting
a zero-tolerance policy was adopted Gadchiroli, a part of the union gov- consent, undertaking social impact public order or inciting violence can
towards LWE. Under this, advance ernment’s Aspirational Districts Pro- assessments and providing full com- be declared unlawful by the advisory
disbursement of SRE was increased gramme, has provided basic utilities pensation to displaced locals. board. Its activities will be classified
for Maharashtra by 138 per cent in such as health, education, connectiv- Although this amendment facil- as cognisable, non-bailable offences
2014–15, and significant funds were ity and financial inclusion. itated land acquisition and develop- resulting in imprisonment for up to
disbursed under MPF in 2017. CAPF The Recognition of Forest ment, it weakened the laws consti- seven years and a fine of up to INR
were deployed for longer durations Rights Act (FRA), 2006, was passed tuted to strengthen tribal rights. As five lakh. This bill received backlash
and undertook frequent coordinated to grant legal rights to forest-dwell- such, planned mining projects span- from opposition and civil society
operations with other state forces. ing tribal communities and other tra- ning across 5,000 hectares in Gad- groups due to concerns over its vague
Between 2014 and 2016, the gov- ditional forest dwellers to use land chiroli have induced fear amongst language, potential misuse and hu-
ernment made better use of Central and forest resources for their liveli- the tribals over loss of livelihood and man rights violations.
government funds. C-60 commandos hood and socio-cultural needs. This triggered protests. Moreover, allega- The bill was revised and rein-
were highly trained in guerrilla war- law, in turn, strengthened the Pan- tions of slow-paced resettlement of troduced after receiving over 12,000
fare, UAVs were utilised for better chayat Extension to Scheduled Areas displaced tribals in already acquired suggestions (9,000 demanding com-
operational efficiency, the fortifica- (PESA) Act, 1996, which empowered land have also been reported. plete removal). It was passed in both
tion of police stations was sped up, Gram Sabhas by supporting self-gov- Compensation is mainly provid- houses of the state legislature in July
the Army imparted skill training, ernance through traditional systems. ed through jobs to displaced locals. 2025 and sent to the Governor, who
the police’s arsenal was significantly Moreover, in 2013, the Right to Fair Although companies operating in has reserved it for the President’s
upgraded, and all police posts were Compensation and Transparency the area have been doing so, allega- consideration. Despite being passed,
connected via video conferencing for in Land Acquisition, Rehabilita- tions of only unskilled/security-relat- the opposition’s walkout in the Leg-
real-time intel-sharing. Informers tion and Resettlement Act (RFCT- ed jobs being assigned to them have islative Council, open letters to the
and their children were rewarded, LARR), 2013, was passed to regulate surfaced. This is due to a skill gap, Governor to withhold assent, and
and financial incentives for SF were land acquisition for public purposes leading to increased migration from state-wide agitations against the bill,
enhanced. by laying down rules for granting other states, causing locals to face a have now become impending chal-
A central-level multi-disciplinary compensation and resettlement to perceived threat of loss of opportuni- lenges for the government.
group was constituted to choke terror affected families, thus safeguarding ties and increased pressure on their Maharashtra has witnessed a sig-
funding, and coordinated action with locals against unfair land acquisition already scarce natural resources. nificant decline in Naxal violence, as
State Intelligence Departments was and subsequent displacement. Problems remain regarding legal the number of armed cadres has gone
increased. C-60 commandos are also In 2015, Maharashtra became and administrative delays in deliver- down from 550 in 2014 to 56 in 2024,
being deployed at crossing points and the first state to deregulate non-Tim- ing promised incentives to surren- while 24 currently remain active in
camping sites during tendu collection ber Forest Products rules, thus al- dered Naxals, as mandated under the Gadchiroli and parts of Gondia. The
seasons to bust extortion activities by lowing decentralised negotiations so S&R Policy. Additionally, some sur- former government’s policies, along
Maoists, undertaken on the pretext tendu collectors could directly trade rendered Naxals have faced insecuri- with the current government’s own
of fighting against tribal exploitation. with beedi companies. Although ties, social stigma and bias when rein- strategies, primarily those of offen-
Commandos also increased border the implementation of 18 per cent tegrated into civilian life. It has been sive operations and development,
patrolling and encounter operations, GST on tobacco products in 2017 noted that surrendered cadres often have been successful, bringing down
which led to the dismantling of pri- reduced tribal incomes, the deregu- face harassment from Naxals and the number of annual deaths from
mary drug and extortion syndicates lation, to a certain extent, led to the security authorities over suspicions 93 and incidents from 154 in 2009
run by Maoists. empowerment of Gram Sabhas. As of aiding the opposing side. Thus, to only 3 and 5, respectively, until
Major central government-led they earned crores in annual reve- while the S&R Policy can encourage August 2025. However, while coun-
initiatives were implemented un- nue through tendu product sales, the disengagement, its improper imple- tering Urban Naxalism remains a
der the Backwards Regions Grant funds generated could be directly mentation and unaddressed insecu- predominance of the current state
Fund, 2006, for the socio-economic utilised for community development rities can cause dissatisfaction, and government, the possibility of the re-
development of affected areas. Skill initiatives. Sustainable initiatives Maoists may potentially exploit this. surgence of rural Naxalism stemming
Development Centres for vocation- such as Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan for According to authorities, edu- from unaddressed tribal grievances
al training were set up, and road water conservation, regulated tree cated ‘Urban Naxals’ have been in- must not be ignored. With the gov-
connectivity projects were launched cutting for construction, plantation directly involved in advocating LWE, ernment aiming to make Gadchiroli
under the Road Requirement Plan, drives and green mining projects are by providing clandestine financial, le- the ‘steel hub’ of the country by 2030,
2009. Although centrally funded also being undertaken. However, gal and ideological support, without which would require cooperation
public infrastructure and skill devel- the provision of tribal rights has not being directly involved in violence. and support of the locals, inclusive
opment plans were envisioned, their been sufficient in addressing the root This issue came to prominence par- policymaking with community lead-
implementation on the ground was causes of grievances, raising multiple ticularly after the Elgar Parishad case ers for addressing deep-rooted con-
slower than anticipated. This was due challenges for the government. in 2017 and the Bhima Koregaon vi- cerns is imperative.
to difficulties in land acquisition and Striking a balance between un- olence in 2018, which led to the ar-
environmental clearances, poor con- dertaking developmental projects rest of 16 individuals from across the Anushka Chavan, Research Intern,
tractor performance, and a lack of for public welfare and providing ad- country, allegedly sharing links with Internal Security Centre, MP-IDSA
contractor response to tenders due equate rights and compensation to Maoists. State authorities, on multi- Views expressed are of the author and
to workers’ security concerns. displaced tribals has been an issue ple occasions, have accused Urban do not necessarily reflect the views of
In Maharashtra, police forces in the recent past. As per PESA and Naxals of spreading propaganda and
have played a crucial role in public RFCTLARR, Gram Sabhas, which brainwashing youth. In 2025, Fadna- the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
Government of India.
perception management to counter are affected by land acquisition, vis stated they were operating out-
Naxal propaganda. The C-60 com- must be consulted before finalising side the state and using foreign funds The full version of this article
mandos have proactively undertaken projects. However, an amendment to disrupt development in Gadchiroli first appeared in the Comments
community outreach and awareness by the Maharashtra government in by spreading misinformation. section of the website (www.idsa.in) of
drives to interact with tribals, address 2018 allowed private companies to In response to this growing Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense
grievances and encourage the sur- undertake particular strategic proj- threat, the Maharashtra government Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, on
render and reintegration of cadres ects by bypassing specific compliance tabled the MSPS Bill, 2024, under October 8, 2025
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