There has been a 165 per cent jump in the number of Naxals who have surrendered between 2024 and 2025.According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 881 Naxals surrendered in 2024, while this number rose to 2,337 in 2025. Similarly, there was a 134 per cent rise in the number of surrenders between 2023, when 376 Naxals gave up arms, and 2024.Meanwhile, 290 ultras were killed in 2024, and 317 in 2025. More importantly, last year also witnessed the killing of several top commanders of the outlawed CPI (Maoist).According to the Union Home Ministry, the number of LWE-affected districts have also reduced from 126 in 2018 to only eight in December 2025, with only three districts now under the ‘most LWE affected’ category.The number of incidents involving violence perpetrated by LWE elements also come down by 88 per cent in five years, from 1,936 in 2010 to 234 in 2025, said the official sources.During the security review meeting held by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Raipur on Sunday, the security and police personnel of all Naxal-affected states like Chhattigarh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra were asked to ensure that no surviving Naxals are allowed to escape to other states.Incidentally while addressing a conclave later in the day, Shah urged upon all Naxals to surrender, especially women cadre of the CPI(Maoist), reminding that before the March 31 deadline, the country will be made completely Naxal-free.However as has been reported by The Tribune earlier, sources have pointed out that it would not be an easy task to eliminate all the Naxals as around six top commanders or the Central Committee members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) still remain at large, and might remain underground till the March 31 deadline, simply to bely the claims of the Centre of making the country Naxal-free by the said date.Also security personnel have flagged to the Centre the problems being faced in penetrating several pockets of South Bastar, where many surviving commanders of Naxals are currently in hiding.