‘Red corridors transforming into growth corridors’: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday praised the police, CRPF, BSF, and local administration for their “commendable” and “tireless” efforts to eliminate Maoism in India.

He said that Maoism will be eliminated by March 2026 and also mentioned how the Maoist-affected areas are now seeing a wave of development.

Singh paid homage to the martyrs on Police Commemoration Day at the National Police Memorial. On this day in 1959, ten valiant policemen laid down their lives in an ambush laid by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs, Ladakh. Since then, it has been observed as Police Commemoration Day every year.

Addressing the police personnel on the occasion, Singh said, “For a long time, Naxalism has been a problem for our internal security. There was a time when many districts in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra — these states were affected by Naxalism. Schools in villages were closed, there were no roads, and people lived in fear. But we resolved that we would not let this problem persist any further.”

“The way our police, CRPF, BSF, and local administration worked together in an organised manner is commendable,” he added. The Defence Minister expressed confidence that Maoism will be eradicated by March 2026.

“Our collective efforts over the past several years are bearing fruit. The entire country now has the confidence that by next year, there will be no trace left of this problem. For your information, let me tell you that this year too, several top Naxals have been eliminated. The number of districts affected by Left-Wing Extremism has also now been reduced to very few, and those too will be eliminated by March next year,” he added. He mentioned that areas that “once trembled under the terror of Naxalites” now boast roads, hospitals, schools, and colleges. “The areas that were formerly Naxalite hubs have now become education hubs. Areas of India that were notorious as Red Corridors are now transforming into growth corridors,” he added.

Singh further said that the success of the campaign against Maoists can be gauged by the fact that “those who previously took up arms against the state are now surrendering and integrating themselves into the mainstream of development”. (IANS)

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