Left wing extremism on wane in AP: CM Jagan

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday affirmed that left wing extremism is on the wane in the state and Maoist activities are confined only to a few pockets.

The CM said this at a review meeting in New Delhi chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"Andhra Pradesh has been battling left wing extremism for over four decades and the multi-pronged approach, comprising security measures, development initiatives and safeguarding the rights and entitlements of local communities under the National Policy and Action Plan has yielded positive results,” said Reddy in a press release.

According to the CM, the state government has managed to restrict Maoist activities to a few pockets in Alluri Sitaramaraju and Parvathipuram Manyam districts.

Further, he observed that Maoists strength dropped to 50 in 2023 compared to 150 in 2019.

Besides sharing intelligence with neighbouring states such as Odisha, Telangana and Chhattisgarh on left wing extremism, Reddy said the southern state has ‘effectively’ addressed the issues of poverty, illiteracy, inadequate healthcare and unemployment, which are the root causes for extreme left movements.

The CM said tribals were advised to cultivate alternative commercial crops. The YSRC government is also distributing RoFR pattas (documents), transferring the ownership of 3.23 lakh acres of forest lands to 1.5 lakh tribal people and laying roads along 1,087 km in areas affected by Maoism.

Reddy noted that 24 out of 28 Ekalavya schools sanctioned by the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry for Andhra Pradesh have been established in tribal areas to ensure access to quality education, among other initiatives.

To further prevent the spread of left wing extremism, the CM called for continuous and collaborative efforts from the Centre and states.