Bhubaneswar: As the Centre’s March 31 deadline for a Naxal-free India approaches, Kandhamal stands out as the lone district in Odisha — and one of just eight nationwide —currently under Maoist influence. This was revealed in a written reply by Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday to a question from Puri MP Sambit Patra.Of the remaining affected regions, Chhattisgarh accounts for six districts, while Jharkhand has one.According to Odisha police, Naxal influence is categorised into four groups: most affected, districts of concern, other-LWE affected, and legacy and thrust. Kandhamal falls under the other-LWE affected category. Meanwhile, eight districts — Kalahandi, Balangir, Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada, and Boudh — are listed as legacy and thrust zones, where extremism has either been eradicated or is on its last legs.Rai’s reply turns the spotlight on Odisha’s sustained efforts to rid itself of the Left-wing extremism (LWE) menace that reared its ugly head in the mid-1980s.“We once had 21 districts affected by LWE, which peaked in 2004. Today, only Kandhamal remains, and it will be freed by the March 31 deadline,” said ADG (anti-Naxal operations) Sanjeeb Panda.Just last month, Odisha police declared Nuapada and Nabarangpur Maoist-free after the surrender of the last active cadres of the two districts in Chhattisgarh.Police said intelligence-based operations have been intensified in Kandhamal. DGP Y B Khurania also visited the district on Jan 30 to review the situation and boost the morale of the special operations group and local police.In 2025, all six Maoists killed in Odisha were neutralised in Kandhamal. The most significant success came during a two-day operation on Dec 24 and 25, which eliminated central committee member Ganesh Uike, a key strategist of the Maoist movement in Odisha. His death was seen as both a morale booster for security forces and a major setback for the insurgents.To prevent further Maoist resurgence, Kandhamal has been fortified with four new BSF company operating bases at vulnerable points.
