Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Maoist violence has declined by 20 per cent in the affected states and there has been reduction of 34 per cent of deaths in 2017 compared to 2013. In an interview to Swarajya magazine, Mr Modi said, geographically as well, the influence of Maoist violence has shrunk substantially. Along with zero tolerance towards violence, the Prime Minister asserted that his government has also focused on a massive push to infrastructure and social empowerment to bring positive change in the lives of the poor living in Maoist affected regions. He said, about four thousand 500 kilometres of roads have already been built in 34 Maoist-affected districts and about two thousand 400 mobile towers have been installed. Mr Modi also said, an additional four thousand 72 towers have been approved to enhance connectivity.
When asked whether the area under Left Wing Extremism had really shrunk, the Prime Minister said, out of 126 districts, 44 have been removed from the list of Maoists affected areas.
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