New Delhi

As part of the Centre’s strategy to eliminate Left Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has established 229 Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) across six Naxal-affected states since 2019.

The FOBs form a key pillar of the government’s security strategy against Naxalism and have been set up in remote, forested and insurgency-prone areas previously considered strongholds of Left Wing Extremist groups.

Of the 229 FOBs, the highest number — 59 — were established in 2025, followed by 40 in 2024, 27 in 2023, 48 in 2022, 29 in 2021, 18 in 2020 and eight in 2019. The bases are spread across Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Telangana.

Among the FOBs set up in 2025, Chhattisgarh accounts for the maximum with 32 bases, followed by Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh with nine each, Maharashtra and Odisha with four each, and one in Telangana.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha during the recently concluded Winter Session of Parliament, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said a total of 377 FOBs have been established by all Central Armed Police Forces since 2019. These include 74 in 2025, 71 in 2024, 51 in 2023, 66 in 2022, 51 in 2021, 40 in 2020 and 24 in 2019.

FOBs are semi-permanent or permanent installations equipped with accommodation, communication systems, medical facilities and logistical support, enabling sustained deployment of security forces. Their primary objective is to extend state presence into interior areas, deny safe havens to Naxal cadres and enable effective area domination.

The presence of FOBs has reduced response time, improved intelligence gathering, enabled deeper and more frequent patrols, and strengthened coordination with local police. They have also enhanced security for development projects such as road construction, mobile connectivity and welfare scheme implementation.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the expansion of FOBs has contributed significantly to shrinking Naxal influence, restoring administrative control and creating a safer environment for governance in previously inaccessible areas.

Company-sized units of over 100 personnel are typically deployed at FOBs, which are usually set up at intervals of around five kilometres, allowing quick mutual support during operations. Naxal cadres generally avoid operating within a five-kilometre radius of these bases.

The Centre has been supplementing state efforts under the National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE, approved in 2015, which adopts a multi-pronged approach combining security measures, development interventions and protection of local community rights.

MHA data shows that the number of Naxal-affected districts has declined sharply from 126 in April 2018 to 11 in October 2025, with only three districts now categorised as most affected. Twenty-seven districts have been retained as ‘legacy and thrust districts’ under the Security Related Expenditure scheme to prevent any resurgence.

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LWE-related violence incidents have declined by 89 per cent from 1,936 in 2010 to 218 in 2025, while deaths of civilians and security personnel have fallen by 91 per cent from 1,005 to 93. In 2025 (till December 1), security forces neutralised 335 LWE cadres, arrested 942 and facilitated the surrender of 2,167 extremists.