West Singhbhum in Jharkhand—the last “district of concern” related to Left-wing Extremism (LWE)—has been removed from the list, meaning there is not a single LWE-affected district or even a “single district of concern” left in the country, officials aware of the matter said.

Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) Tadasha Mishra addresses a press conference after the arrest of Maoist leader and politburo member Misir Besra from the Dhanbad-Giridih border, in Ranchi on July 29, 2026. (PTI)

West Singhbhum is now among 38 “Legacy and Thrust Districts” (previously 37) that are no longer LWE-affected but will continue to receive security and development support to ensure insurgency does not return.

People aware of the matter said the district was removed from the list after the arrest of Misir Besra, the last remaining active top Central Committee and Politburo leader of CPI(Maoist) on July 28, and following a large number of Maoists surrendering from Jharkhand.

For security, surveillance and development purposes, the Centre tagged districts as LWE most affected, LWE affected, District of Concern, and Legacy and Thrust.

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On March 30, 2026, even as the Centre declared India Naxal-free after a record number of surrenders and killings of top Maoist leaders, Besra had refused to surrender and was hiding with his cadres in the Saranda jungle of Jharkhand all these months. Besra’s continued presence in Jharkhand was the reason the government had tagged West Singhbhum as India’s only district of concern.

Most other districts once considered strongholds of Left-Wing Extremism —including the Bastar region in Chhattisgarh, where Maoists effectively ran a parallel administration—have been removed from the first two red-lettered categories and are now on the list of legacy and thrust districts.

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On July 29, 2026, Rai had, in reply to a similar question on left-wing extremism, said there were 37 Legacy and Thrust Districts.

Rai informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that in the post-LWE scenario, the government’s focus is on facilitating the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres, saturating government welfare programmes, strengthening local self-governance, preserving tribal identity and culture and expanding the reach of governance and public services in remote areas.

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“Following the eradication of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), one-third of the security camps in LWE-free areas are being converted into Jan Suvidha Kendras. These Kendras will provide a range of services, including livelihood promotion, skill development, access to government schemes, digital services, healthcare, and cultural and sports facilities to local communities,” he said.