Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that today, the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir are progressing on the path of development and peace. He was speaking at the valedictory session of the national summit ‘Naxal Mukt Bharat: Ending Red Terror Under Modi’s Leadership’ in New Delhi.

 

Mr. Shah stated that the government has worked on three key pillars-dialogue, security, and coordination-which led to a 70 per cent reduction in security personnel deaths in the Northeast between 2014 and 2024, compared to the previous decade from 2004 to 2014. Civilian deaths due to violence in the region have also dropped by 85 per cent during the same period.

 

Highlighting efforts in the Northeast, the Home Minister noted that 12 major peace accords have been signed, and over 10,500 youth have surrendered and joined the mainstream. In Jammu and Kashmir, he said the abrogation of Article 370 and targeted action against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism have brought significant results. Since then, security personnel casualties have dropped by 65 per cent and civilian deaths by 77 per cent.

 

Mr. Shah also pointed out that in 2014, there were 126 Naxal-affected districts in the country, primarily in Chhattisgarh. This number has now decreased by 18, and the most-affected districts have come down from 36 to just six.

 

The Home Minister reiterated that when the Narendra Modi government took office in 2014, India faced three major internal security challenges-Jammu & Kashmir, the Northeast, and the Left-Wing Extremism corridor. He affirmed that with a long-term and consistent strategy, the government has made significant progress in addressing all three. The Home Minister concluded his address by stating that Left-Wing Extremism will be completely eradicated by 31st March next year.