Answer: Underdevelopment often creates the conditions for insurgency and spread of extremist ideologies among the people, who perceive that their needs are not being taken care of by the government. Lack of development like in North-Eastern states of India manifests in the form of violence where people feel alienated and such perceptions when coupled with inefficient and corrupt government  creates an ideal condition for extremism and even militancy.

• Social factor: Social backwardness and sense of feeling of discrimination among some social groups of India like Scheduled castes and tribes, prevalence of forced labour as a social institution, limited access to social resources like education and health care and exploitation (crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs) have increased by 1.2% in 2021: NCRB 2022) like sexual exploitation creates a condition where at some point of time oppressed community chooses path of violence.
• Economic Factor: High rural indebtedness (more than half of India’s agricultural households were in debt according to ‘Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households and Land Holdings of Households in Rural India, 2019’), landlessness and higher unemployment level among SCs/STs communities makes people feel alienated from the growth process and they become vulnerable to influence of groups like Naxals.
• Administrative factors: High level of displacement of tribal communities because of developmental projects (40% of all the people displaced by dams in the last sixty years are forest-dwelling Adivasis); dilution of provisions of PESA Act 1996 and Forest Rights Act 2006 (like states have diluted roles of Tribal Advisory Council); distorted relationship between tribal communities and forests and perception of forced land acquisition has increased the distrust between some communities and government. This sense of helplessness at times translates into extremist tendencies.
• Governance related factors: Lack of physical infrastructure like road and electricity creates both conditions for growth of extremism by creating discontent and also helps in perpetuating it by making police and administrative action difficult. Same is the case with prevalent high levels of corruption in government departments in tribal and rural areas.

• Effective implementation of protective legislations: Like PESA act 1996, NREGA 2005, Forest rights act 2006, etc.
• Peace dialogue in the affected States with naxal groups to motivate them to give up arms.
• The revival and restructuring of the large Area Multi-purpose Cooperative Societies and Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), with the specific targets of meeting all credit needs of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• Land Related Measures: Like need to implement the land ceiling laws and setting up of Land Tribunals or Fast Track Courts under Article 323-B of the Constitution be for expeditious disposal of the ceiling cases.
• Need to devise a programme for restoration of Common Property Resources (CPRs) for the purpose of sustenance of the poverty groups.
• Participatory Watershed Development Projects for conservation of soil and water and development of natural resources with suitable changes in cropping pattern.
• Need to strengthen subsidiary and supportive activities in animal husbandry, fisheries, horticulture, sericulture and poultry through establishment of quality infrastructure.
• Need of improvement in basic social services: Like reforming education by focusing on mother tongue-based education, teachers training, vocational education. Implementation of Universal Health care and Aayushman Bharat scheme (very low level of utilization reported in eastern India) will also help in helping people meet their bare minimums. Training of the healthcare workers at the grass-root level, like accredited social health activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers (AWW) will help
• Security Measures: Increasing number of Police stations, real time communication devices and intelligence, attractive surrender and rehabilitation policy will help in countering the threat from extremist groups.

A multi-pronged approach at political, economic, administrative and security level (as adopted successfully by Andhra Pradesh Model of dealing with Naxalims) is required to deal with extremism and do justice-social, political as well as economic as envisaged in Preamble and ensure inclusive participation of those who feel alienated.