Context:

Recently, the Union government doubled the allocation for the Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) to Rs 1,000 crore for the financial year 2024-25. 

More on the News:

• This decision aligns with the Union Home Ministry's commitment to eradicate Left Wing Extremism (LWE) from the country by March 2026.
• The RCPLWEA is a separate vertical scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

About RCPLWEA:

• Objective: It aims to enhance all-weather road connectivity in 44 of the most severely affected LWE districts, facilitating access to essential services and economic opportunities.
• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is the nodal ministry for the scheme.
• Funding Structure: The scheme operates on a 60:40 expenditure-sharing model same as under PMGSY between the central and state governments, ensuring collaborative investment in infrastructure development.

• Targeted States: The project focuses on nine states, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh, which are among the worst affected by LWE activities.
• Progress: Since its inception in 2016, over 12,227 km of roads have been sanctioned, with significant portions already completed to improve mobility in these regions.

Significance: 

• These roads would serve the strategic security needs of these areas, which have suffered from a historical deficit in terms of infrastructure development, giving rise to Left Wing Extremism
• RCPLWE is envisioned as a key catalyst for socio-economic development and the enhancement of rural livelihoods in LWE-affected areas, by offering improved mobility and access for the local population.

What is Naxalism?

• Naxalism is an extremist ideology that doesn’t believe in the concept of democracy and the democratic process.
• The birth of Naxalism was with the Naxalbari uprising against local landlords in 1967.
• Naxalbari is a village in northern West Bengal which was the centre of a tribal peasant revolt, instigated by communist leaders such as Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal, and Jangal Santhal against land owners of the State.
• It is a form of armed rebellion against the state inspired by leftist/Maoist ideologies and hence also known as Left Wing Extremism (LWE).

Other Government Efforts:

• The Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) funding has also risen from Rs 1,260 crore to Rs 2,000 crore for 2024-25. 
• These efforts collectively aim to uplift marginalized communities and strengthen rural infrastructure across India.
• To address the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) menace holistically, the Government of India approved the “National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE” in 2015.
• Due to the active implementation of the plan the LWE violence incidents have reduced by 73% from the high level of LWE violence incidents in 2010. 
• The resultant deaths have reduced by 86% from a time high of 1005 in 2010 to 138 in 2023. 
• There has been a 32% reduction in LWE-related incidents in the current year 2024.
• The geographical spread of LWE violence has also been substantially limited and the number of LWE-affected districts has come down from 126 in 10 States in 2013 to only 38 districts in 09 States in 2024.