Overview

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced at the 128th Alluri Sitarama Raju birth anniversary event that Naxalism has been reduced to just five to six districts and will be eradicated by March 31 next year.
• He said former Naxal strongholds have been rebuilt as educational hubs and the Red Corridor is transforming into a growth corridor.
• Singh highlighted that Operation Sindoor’s May 7 strikes targeted only terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, avoiding civilian and military sites.
• The minister contrasted terrorists’ killings based on dharma with the armed forces’ karma-driven restraint, drawing parallels to Alluri Sitarama Raju’s guerrilla principles.
• He outlined government initiatives such as the PM Tribal Development Mission, Skill India, and the National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Campaign to integrate tribal communities into mainstream development.