Rs 3,481.27 crore for security-related expenditure, making infrastructure in LWE areas

The Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated Rs 3,481.27 crore for security-related expenditure (SRE) and the Special Infrastructure Scheme for Left Wing Extremist (LWE) areas as the BJP-led Centre has set a target of March 2026 to end the Maoists menace in the country.

An amount of Rs 3,481.27 crore has been allocated in the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday. An amount of Rs 2,463.62 crore was allocated under this head in the budget for 2024-25.

The allocation is considered significant in the wake of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's repeated statements that the Narendra Modi government has resolved to end Naxalism in the country by March 2026.

Forty Naxalites have been killed in separate gunfights in the worst Naxal-hit state of Chhattisgarh this year till January-end.

Last year, 219 Naxalites were neutralised by security forces in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh.

Six Maoists were killed in Odisha in 2024, while eight were arrested and 24 had surrendered.

According to the home ministry's data, 48 Naxals have so far been killed this year in all Naxal-affected states, 290 were killed in 2024 and 50 in 2023.

The government has also established 290 camps of security forces in Naxal-affected areas since 2019 and 88 more are proposed to be set up in 2025.