Maoist Surrender Rehabilitation 2025: Left-wing extremism, which has posed a major challenge to India’s internal security for decades, is on the brink of extinction. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already announced several times that he has set a target to make India Maoist-free by March 31, 2026. They were given two options. It was said that one is to surrender and the other is to die. The forests are being sifted and the Maoists are being hit. As the movement is on the wane, many Maoists are laying down their guns, sensing the danger as the security forces move in. People are joining the stream of life. Saying goodbye to the movement.
The surrender program picked up an unexpected pace in 2025. About 15 hundred Maoists surrendered to the police in this year alone. It is not just the efforts of the security forces but comprehensive government resettlement policies and development programs that have brought about changes in them. These policies are becoming a nickname for tranquility in the forests once known as ‘red zones’.
Top Leaders Surrender Setbacks:
The change in the Maoist movement in 2025 was due to the government policies as well as internal differences among the Maoists. Due to this, key leaders started surrendering.
On October 17, 2025, 210 Maoists, including Maoist Central Committee member Ashanna, surrendered in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. Among them 111 are women and 99 are men. A sum of Rs. 9.18 crores as reward. On October 14, 2025, a key Maoist leader, Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi, surrendered to the police in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, along with 61 members of the guerrilla army. On October 2, 103 people surrendered in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. On October 29, 51 Maoists surrendered in Bijapur and on October 26 in Kankar district, 21 Maoists surrendered with weapons.
Centers for surrender of Maoists:
Most of those who surrendered in 2025 were from Chhattisgarh. Bastar region of Chhattisgarh became the main center of this surrender program. Mulugu district is also playing a vital role in Telangana. Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra was another major center of surrender.
The comprehensive rehabilitation package offered by the government is attracting Maoists to leave the path of violence and return. The re-routing scheme launched by the Chhattisgarh government in 2025 is promising a future for the surrendered.
• Immediate assistance: Immediately after surrendering each Maoist will receive Rs. 50,000 will provide immediate financial assistance.
• Stipend: Rs. per month for three years. 10,000 will be provided as a stipend. It is stopped after getting a job.
• Fixed Deposit: Rs. 1.5 lakh fixed deposit for a period of three years, which can be recovered later on the basis of good behaviour.
• Loans: Maoists with a reward of Rs.5 lakh or more can get Rs. 5 lakhs loan is available at subsidized interest rate.
• Marriage Incentive: If married within three years of surrender an additional Rs. 1 lakh assistance will be received.
• Residential space: Governments provide 1 hectare of agricultural land in rural areas or 1,742 square feet of residential space in urban areas.
• Cash as alternative: If you don’t want land, you can get Rs. 2 lakh cash is likely to be received.
• Housing Construction: In addition, Rs. 1.5 lakh housing assistance will also be available.
Vocational Training:
As part of rehabilitation programmes, vocational training is given based on individual interest. 58 Maoists are undergoing construction training at a rehabilitation center in Bijapur. Training is given in professions like Tailoring, Electrician, Driving, Agro-Pharma, Handicrafts. 1.5 lakh funds for self-employment or business start-up will be provided in two phases, fixed deposit will serve as security for bank loans.
Why are Maoists making a comeback?
1. Attractiveness of Development: Development programs like ‘Niyad Nellannar’ of the Union Home Ministry have attracted them to provide access to roads, electricity, water and hospitals in the forest areas.
2. Internal strife: Internal strife in the organization, unrest, failure of leadership, tiredness of enforced anonymity.
3. Police Initiative: Telangana Police is attracting Maoists under the awareness program ‘Poru Kanna Uru Minna – Come back to our village’.
4. Security – Health: Health benefits, free education under Ayushman Bharat Yojana for those who surrendered.
Additional compensation for surrender of arms:
It provides substantial additional compensation for arms surrendered at the time of surrender, encouraging complete abandonment of the path of violence. 5 lakh for LMG, Rs.5 lakh for AK-47. 1.5 lakhs, compensation up to Rs.75,000 for SLR. This economic incentive serves as a clear signal for them to leave behind their violent past.
Guaranteed resettlement within 120 days
The Chhattisgarh government has taken strict measures to prevent delay in the rehabilitation of the surrendered Maoists. For this, resettlement committees have been set up at the district level under the chairmanship of the Collector and the Secretary of the SP. Each beneficiary will be assigned a unique ID for monitoring and progress will be monitored through a digital portal. Special rehabilitation centers have been set up in the affected districts like Bastar and Bijapur. Surrenders are held here for three to six months and provided with security, psychological counseling and legal assistance.
Steps towards peace
The number of surrenders recorded in 2025 shows that the number of Maoists has decreased significantly, judging by the ongoing developments. It is said that the number of troops, which used to be in the thousands, has now dropped to hundreds. That is why governments are following a multi-pronged strategy. While giving incentives to those who surrendered on one side, on the other hand those who stand up for the movement are being shot. Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Telangana states are aiming to clean the forests by March 2026.
