India, April 1 -- Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the number of most affected Left-wing extremism-hit districts has been reduced to six from 12, calling it a giant stride towards building a Maoist-free nation. In a post on X, he reiterated the determination to uproot Maoism from the country by March 31, 2026.

"Taking a giant stride towards building a Naxal-free Bharat, today our nation achieved a new milestone by significantly reducing the number of districts most affected by left-wing extremism to just 6 from 12. The Modi government is building a Sashakt [strong], Surakshit [safe] and Samriddh [prosperous] Bharat with a ruthless approach to Naxalism and relentless efforts for all-pervasive development," he wrote without pr...