What are the determinants of left-wing extremism in Eastern part of India? What strategy should Government of India, civil administration and security forces adopt to counter the threat in the affected areas? (Answer in 250 words)

Left-wing extremism draws strength from a combination of structural deprivation, alienation, weak governance and armed mobilisation. A durable response must address both security and justice.

• Land alienation, insecure forest rights, displacement and conflict over minerals and development projects.
• Historical neglect of tribal regions, poor roads, schools, healthcare, banking, markets and communication.
• Administrative absence, corruption, delayed justice and weak implementation of welfare and protective laws.
• Unemployment, exploitation by contractors and moneylenders, and limited livelihood alternatives.
• Perceived violations, cultural insensitivity and coercive state presence create local grievances.
• Extremist organisations exploit these grievances through propaganda, parallel authority, extortion and recruitment.

• Implement the Fifth Schedule, PESA, Forest Rights Act and land-acquisition safeguards transparently.
• Accelerate roads, telecommunications, schools, health centres, banking and livelihood programmes with local consultation.
• Ensure fair rehabilitation, benefit sharing, skill development and tribal participation in resource governance.
• Strengthen district administration, mobile governance, legal aid, grievance redressal and accountable policing.

• Use intelligence-led, area-dominance operations with inter-state coordination and protection of civilians.
• Improve CRPF, state-police and local-force training, communications, mine-protected mobility and jungle capability.
• Disrupt finance, arms, recruitment and propaganda while providing surrender, rehabilitation and reintegration opportunities.
• Maintain human-rights compliance, independent oversight and rapid investigation of abuses.

Security can create space, but legitimate governance, dignity, justice and development must occupy it. Success should be measured by restored trust and state capacity, not only by encounter statistics.

Keywords: alienation, land rights, PESA, Forest Rights Act, intelligence-led operations, surrender policy, trust deficit.