Bhubaneswar, February 23 – As the deadline for the complete eradication of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) approaches, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Monday that around 40 Maoists are currently active in various parts of the state.
The Chief Minister made this statement while responding to a question raised by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo in the State Assembly.
Chief Minister Majhi stated that currently, around 40 active Maoists are operating in small groups in certain areas of Kalahandi, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Boudh, Balangir, and Bargarh districts.
In his reply, he also added that due to the concerted efforts of the security forces, there has been a gradual improvement in the situation arising from the Maoist problem in the state.
He said that according to the current status under the Union government's Security Related Expenditure Scheme, only the Kandhamal district has been classified as "Other LWE Affected District", areas experiencing moderate to low levels of Maoist violence, while the remaining eight districts – Malkangiri, Koraput, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Boudh, and Balangir – have been categorized as "Legacy and Thrust" districts.
The districts categorized as "Legacy districts" are no longer significantly affected by the LWE violence, while "Thrust districts" are those where there is a possibility of expansion of Maoist activities.
The Chief Minister noted that the state government is working towards resolving the Maoist problem in Odisha by the deadline of March 31, 2026, set by the Union government.
He also highlighted various steps being taken by the state government to completely eradicate LWE in India.
According to Chief Minister Majhi's reply, 71 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces, 44 Special Operations Group (SOG) teams, about 839 personnel of the District Voluntary Force (DVF), 40 platoons of the India Reserve Battalion, 29 platoons of the Special Security Battalion, and more than 92 platoons of the Odisha Special Striking Force (comprising ex-servicemen) have been deployed in the affected areas.
The Odisha Police is also regularly carrying out intelligence-based operations and preventive area domination operations in the nine Maoist-affected areas.
Drones, interceptors, modern weapons, and advanced communication equipment are being used in anti-Maoist operations.
Two Maoists were neutralized in the Kandhamal district of Odisha on February 22.
Following the neutralization of the Maoists, security forces are conducting massive combing operations in the Nandabadi jungle in the Kandhamal district.
