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Internal Security May 03, 2026 6 min read Daily brief · #1 of 25

From worst-affected by Maoism to highest class 10 pass percentage: The Bijapur turnaround

Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh — one of the most LWE-affected districts in India's "Red Corridor" for over two decades — recorded the highest Class 10 boar...

GS Paper 2 (Governance Social Justice) GS Paper 3 (Internal Security)

What Happened

  • Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh — one of the most LWE-affected districts in India's "Red Corridor" for over two decades — recorded the highest Class 10 board examination pass percentage in the state in 2026.
  • The turnaround reflects a sustained convergence of security gains, infrastructure delivery, teacher deployment, and development governance through the Aspirational Districts Programme.
  • All previously teacherless government schools in the district (numbering 78) have had regular teachers posted; 189 surplus teachers were newly deployed within the district.
  • The Central government declared in early 2026 that no district in India remains under the active LWE-affected category following security operations and development drives; Bijapur and West Singhbhum (Jharkhand) were the last two districts on the list before being cleared.

Static Topic Bridges

Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in India — The Red Corridor

Left Wing Extremism (LWE), commonly referred to as Naxalism or Maoist insurgency, represents the most significant internal security challenge in India's hinterland, operating across a forested "Red Corridor" stretching from the Nepal border to northern Andhra Pradesh.

  • The insurgency draws its ideological lineage from the 1967 Naxalbari uprising in West Bengal and is currently led primarily by the Communist Party of India (Maoist), designated a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
  • At its peak (circa 2009–2010), LWE violence affected 223 districts across 20 states; the number of severely affected districts declined to 12 by 2022 and further to just 2 (Bijapur and West Singhbhum) before the 2026 declaration.
  • Chhattisgarh — particularly the Bastar division (comprising Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, and Sukma districts) — has been the most affected region.
  • Annual LWE-related violence incidents declined from a peak of over 2,000 in 2009 to below 200 by 2024.

Connection to this news: Bijapur's educational achievement is meaningful precisely because of this backdrop — the district was one of the last to exit the formal LWE-affected list.

National Policy and Institutional Framework for LWE

The government's approach to LWE combines security operations with targeted development delivery — a "whole of government" strategy sometimes articulated as the dual strategy of "security plus development."

  • The National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism (2015, updated 2022) identifies three pillars: security, development, and rights and entitlements delivery.
  • The Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme provides Central funding to affected states for security forces, training, and ex-gratia payments.
  • The Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme funds development works in LWE-affected districts.
  • The CRPF's COBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) is the primary Central force for jungle warfare operations in Maoist zones; it operates alongside District Reserve Guards (DRGs) — locally recruited former Maoists and tribals with terrain familiarity.
  • Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy: LWE cadres who surrender are eligible for cash incentives, vocational training, housing, and family benefits under state and Central schemes.

Connection to this news: Bijapur's transformation illustrates how development delivery — particularly in education — follows and consolidates security gains, validating the dual-strategy framework.

Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP)

The Aspirational Districts Programme (originally Transformation of Aspirational Districts) was launched by NITI Aayog in January 2018 to rapidly improve development outcomes in India's 112 most under-developed districts.

  • Districts are selected based on composite scores across health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion and skill development, and basic infrastructure.
  • The programme operates on competitive federalism — real-time ranking of districts on a dashboard (the NITI Delta Rankings) incentivises collectors and district administrations to accelerate delivery.
  • Bijapur was included in the original 112 aspirational districts; it topped the NITI Aayog aspirational district ranking in July 2019.
  • Central ministries, state governments, and corporate CSR partners converge on aspirational districts to address specific sectoral deficits.

Connection to this news: Bijapur's Class 10 result is a direct outcome metric of the ADP's education-focused interventions — teacher posting, infrastructure repair, and mid-day meal coverage in restored schools.

Education in Conflict Zones — Specific Challenges

LWE-affected areas present a distinct set of challenges for delivering education that go beyond the usual barriers of poverty and remoteness.

  • Maoist cadres historically targeted school buildings — using them as bases and burning or occupying structures — leading to school closures across Bastar for extended periods.
  • The Salwa Judum counter-mobilisation (2005–2011) and associated displacement further disrupted schooling for tribal communities.
  • Following the Supreme Court's 2011 judgment striking down the Salwa Judum, the state began a sustained effort to reopen schools, post teachers, and provide security escorts where necessary.
  • Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) have been established in tribal-majority constituencies to provide quality residential education for Scheduled Tribe students; Bijapur has an EMRS campus.
  • The Right to Education Act, 2009 (RTE) mandates pupil-teacher ratios and school infrastructure standards that were systematically violated in LWE-affected districts; targeted monitoring under ADP has begun to close these gaps.

Connection to this news: The 78 teacherless schools converted into fully staffed schools represents a direct reversal of the conflict-era education collapse that defined Bijapur for two decades.

LWE Reversal — Security Operations and Terrain Gains

The significant decline in LWE-affected districts reflects both security operations and the erosion of the Maoist organisational base.

  • Integrated Action Plan (IAP) and later the SCA-LWE scheme funded road construction into previously inaccessible areas, allowing security force mobility and market access.
  • The installation of mobile towers under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) scheme in LWE-affected areas improved communication and reduced information asymmetry favoring insurgents.
  • CRPF forward operating bases (FOBs) established deep in forested areas enabled sustained area domination; the number of FOBs in Chhattisgarh increased significantly between 2019 and 2024.
  • High-value neutralisations of Maoist leadership, combined with the surrender and rehabilitation of mid-level cadres (especially from the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army), have weakened the organisational structure.

Connection to this news: Road access to Bijapur's interior villages — a direct output of LWE counter-strategy — enabled the teacher posting drives that produced the education outcomes now being recorded.

Key Facts & Data

  • Bijapur district: Chhattisgarh, Bastar division; one of India's 117 Aspirational Districts
  • Bijapur topped NITI Aayog Aspirational Districts ranking in July 2019
  • LWE peak: over 2,000 incidents (2009–10), 223 districts affected across 20 states
  • As of 2026: Central government declared no district remains under active LWE-affected classification
  • Bijapur and West Singhbhum (Jharkhand) were the last two districts on the LWE list before the 2026 declaration
  • 78 previously teacherless government schools in Bijapur now have regular teachers
  • 189 surplus teachers newly posted across the district
  • CPI(Maoist) is designated as a terrorist organisation under UAPA, 1967
  • COBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action): specialised CRPF unit for LWE jungle operations
  • RTE Act (2009) mandates pupil-teacher ratio and infrastructure standards in all schools
  • Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) established in tribal-majority constituencies across LWE regions
  • Chhattisgarh Board Class 10 state pass percentage (2026): 77.15% overall (81.03% girls, 72.27% boys)
On this page
  1. What Happened
  2. Static Topic Bridges
  3. Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in India — The Red Corridor
  4. National Policy and Institutional Framework for LWE
  5. Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP)
  6. Education in Conflict Zones — Specific Challenges
  7. LWE Reversal — Security Operations and Terrain Gains
  8. Key Facts & Data
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