Hailing the sacrifices of security forces in the decades-long battle against Maoism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday (May 18, 2026) proclaimed that the country was “free” from Maoism.

“I am declaring with pride, India is now Naxal-free,” Mr. Shah said in Bastar, where he was on his first visit after March 31, a date the Centre had earlier set as a deadline to eliminate Left-wing extremism from the country.

He urged the people of Bastar to “accept” about 3,000 surrendered Naxals and help them be part of the mainstream. “About 3,000 Naxals have surrendered in the State... we have made a comprehensive plan to get them a respectable place in society. The Narendra Modi government will leave no stone unturned in this context,” he said.

FAQ | Is India’s Maoist insurgency finally over?

Mr. Shah laid down a roadmap for development in the region and said that whatever Bastar, once the citadel for Maoists in the country, had lost in the past decades would be brought back in the next three to five years.

Addressing an audience comprising personnel from various forces involved in anti-Naxal operations, along with the family members of security personnel and civilians who lost their lives in Naxal violence, Mr. Shah credited the bravery of the forces for meeting the objective of a Naxal-free India.

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“There is hardly any force in the country whose jawans have not laid down their lives… From 1971 till 2026, the public suffered it like a nightmare. A lot of bloodshed took place. Three generations got wasted. I am very happy that our target which could not be finished in a lifetime was achieved by our brave jawans in three to four years,” he said.

Mr. Shah said the country was largely free from security challenges of Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and Maoism, problems it was facing in 2014 when the Narendra Modi-led government assumed power at the Centre.

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Earlier, Mr. Shah inaugurated the first security camp-turned-public service centre at a remote village in Bastar district and said 70 out of the total 196 security camps located in the erstwhile Maoist-affected areas of the State would be transformed into such centres over the next one-and-a-half years. These centres named after freedom fighter Veer Gundadhur.

Mr. Shah said when the government resolved to end Naxalism, the objective was not only to eliminate Maoists but also to provide the poor tribal people of the region with all the facilities available in cities, so that their children can have a bright future.

“For decades, the Naxalites spread the misconception that they have taken up arms because there has been no development. The truth is that this region has not developed because the Naxalites took up arms. Within a year, our government will bring all the development work done in Raipur to your villages. You have the same right to every government facility as the people of big cities,” the Minister added.