NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the menace of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is soon going to be history in India due to the tireless efforts of police and security forces.
The minister was speaking on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day.
He laid a wreath and took a salute from a ceremonial guard at the National Police Memorial in central Delhi's Chanakyapuri.
"The success of the campaign against Naxalites can we assessed from the fact that the Maoists, who once took up arms against the state, are today surrendering and integrating themselves into the mainstream of development.
"Due to the tireless efforts of the security forces, this problem is now on the verge of becoming history. All our security personnel deserve to be congratulated for this," Singh said in his address to the troops.
The Centre has declared that the Naxal menace will end in India by March 2026.
"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 and Maharashtra were affected by Naxalism. Schools in villages were closed, there were no roads and people lived in fear.
"We resolved to not let this problem persist any longer. The way our police, CRPF, BSF and local administration worked together in an organised manner is commendable," Singh said.
He said the regions that were once "Naxal hubs" are now turning into educational hubs.
The parts of India that were once "infamous" as the "red corridor" have now transformed into growth corridor.
The government has been able to bring about such changes and for this to happen, police and security forces have made a "very significant" contribution, he said.
The minister also spoke about resources and budget for modernisation of police forces being provided by the Modi government.
Underlining the need for optimum utilisation of these "limited" resources, Singh said this can be achieved through coordination and integration among various security agencies.
He said in present times, the police not only has to fight crime but also "against perception".
Police Commemoration Day is observed every year in the memory of 10 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel who were killed on this day in 1959 in an ambush by Chinese troops in Ladakh's Hot Spring area.