Why in News

• India must meet the Maoist challenge in a holistic manner

Details:

• The death of 15 security personnel in a landmine attack in Gadchiroli is another grim reminder of naxalism.
• a legislator and some security personnel lost their lives in a similar attack in the neighbouring State of Chhattisgarh ahead of polling.
• Despite the deployment of 30 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force shows not only the audacity of the perpetrators but also the unpreparedness of the security forces.
• The ease with which the extremists were able to torch so many vehicles is alarming, and the manner in which the response team blithely drove into an ambush is a shocking example of poor planning. the path of the voter to the polling booth in the naxal-dominated districts is still paved with disincentives.

Naxalism

• Naxalism the far-left radical communist organization though trace its origin to West Bengal in the early 1960s, gradually spread its wings towards the less developed areas of southern and eastern parts of the country.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs has been trying its hand in weakening the strength of the naxalites and other extremist groups who in the name of welfare for the downtrodden have done many heinous crimes resulting in deaths and harassment.

Government strategy

• The government has proposed a three-pronged strategy to combat Naxalism: Gain confidence of local people by taking up more welfare related activities. Build up infrastructure in naxal-affected areas and generate employment.
• Launch joint security operations with neighbouring states to eliminate left wing extremists.

What is a red corridor region?

• Red corridor region is demarcated by the union government to notify the districts which are affected by left wing extremism.
• It is spanning across 106 districts in 10 States, namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.