The red corridor is the region in the eastern, central and the southern parts of India that experience considerable Naxalite–Maoist insurgency.
The Naxalite group mainly consists of the armed cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). These are also areas that suffer from the greatest illiteracy, poverty and overpopulation in modern India, and span parts of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal and eastern Uttar Pradesh states. As per Ministry of Home Affairs, altogether 1,049 incidents of Left-wing extremism (LWE) violence took place in these 10 states in 2016.
All forms of Naxalite organisations have been declared as terrorist organizations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of India (1967). According to the Government of India, as of July 2011, 83 districts (this figure includes a proposed addition of 20 districts) across 10 states are affected by extremism down from 180 districts in 2009. As of February 2019, 90 districts across 11 states are affected by extremism.
Economic situation
The districts that make up the red corridor are among the poorest in the country. Areas such as Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana (formerly part of Andhra Pradesh), are either impoverished or have significant economic inequality, or both.
A key characteristic of this region is non-diversified economies that are solely primary sector based. Agriculture, sometimes supplemented with mining or forestry, is the mainstay of the economy, which is often unable to support rapid increases in population. The region has significant natural resources, including mineral, forestry and potential hydroelectric generation capacity. Odisha, for example, “has 60 percent of India’s bauxite reserves, 25 percent of coal, 28 percent of iron ore, 92 percent of nickel and 28 percent of manganese reserves.”
Social situation
The area encompassed by the red corridor tends to have stratified societies, with caste and feudal divisions. Much of the area has high tribal populations (or adivasis), including Santhal and Gond. Bihar and Jharkhand have both caste and tribal divisions and violence associated with friction between these social groups. Andhra Pradesh’s Telangana region similarly has deep caste divide with a strict social hierarchical arrangement. Both Chhattisgarh and Odisha have significant impoverished tribal populations.
Affected Districts
As of February 2019, 90 districts across 11 states are affected by extremism. As of December 2017, 105 districts across 9 states are affected by extremism. The districts affected by extremism stand at 106 in 10 states as on 12 February 2016.
| State | No.of Districts in State | No. of Districts Affected | Districts Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jharkhand | 24 | 19 | Bokaro, Chatra, Dhanbad, Dumka, East Singhbhum, Garhwa, Giridih, Gumla, Hazaribagh, Khunti, Koderma, Latehar, Lohardaga, Palamu, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Simdega, Saraikela Kharsawan, West Singhbhum |
| Bihar | 38 | 16 | Arwal, Aurangabad, Banka, East Champaran, Gaya, Jamui, Jehanabad, Kaimur, Lakhisarai, Munger, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Nawada, Rohtas, Vaishali, West Champaran |
| Chhattisgarh | 28 | 14 | Balod, Balrampur, Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Dhamtari, Gariyaband, Kanker, Kondagaon, Mahasamund, Narayanpur, Rajnandgaon, Sukma, Kabirdham |
| Odisha | 30 | 15 | Angul, Bargarh, Bolangir, Boudh, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabrangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Rayagada, Sambhalpur, Sundargarh |
| Kerala | 14 | 3 | Malappuram, Palakkad, Wayanad |
| Andhra Pradesh | 13 | 6 | Guntur, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, West Godavari |
| Telangana | 33 | 8 | Adilabad, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Jayashankar-Bhupalpally, Khammam, Komaram-Bheem, Mancherial, Peddapalle, Warangal Rural |
| Maharashtra | 36 | 3 | Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Gondia |
| Uttar Pradesh | 75 | 3 | Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli |
| West Bengal | 23 | 1 | Jhargram |
| Madhya Pradesh | 55 | 2 | Balaghat, Mandla |
| Total | 369 | 90 |
The Odisha gap
The red corridor is almost contiguous from India’s border with Nepal to the absolute northernmost fringes of Tamil Nadu. There is, however, a significant gap consisting of coastal and some central areas in Odisha state, where Naxalite activity is low and indices of literacy and economic diversification are higher. However, the non-coastal districts of Odisha, which fall in the red corridor have significantly lower indicators, and literacy throughout the region is well below the national average.