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Contents
PIB Analysis - 20 June 2026
Contents
01
Naxal-Free India: Integrated Strategies Defeated Left-Wing Extremism
GS 1
GS 2
GS 3
02
PRAHAAR: India's First National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy
GS 3
GS 2
03
Astronomers Trace the Origin of Fast X-ray Transient EP241107a
GS 3
Article 01
Article 01
Naxal-Free India: Integrated Strategies Defeated Left-Wing Extremism
Relevance: GS 1 (tribal society, vulnerable sections) · GS 2 (governance, welfare delivery) · GS 3 (internal security, Left-Wing Extremism).
GS 1
GS 2
GS 3
Key Data at a Glance
597fortified police stations built (vs 66 pre-2014)
408new CAPF camps established in the last 7 years
12,249 kmroads constructed in LWE-affected areas since 2014
9,600+mobile towers set up; 96% village connectivity achieved
3,927cadres surrendered between 2024 and March 2026
870 → 234Naxal-related incidents, 2014 vs 2025
Issue in Brief
- India achieved a historic milestone, becoming effectively Naxal-free on 31 March 2026, ending nearly six decades of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE).
- The transformation rests on three integrated pillars — Vishwaas (trust/security), Nirman (infrastructure) and Jan Kalyan (welfare) — replacing earlier fragmented, incident-driven responses.
Static Background
- LWE traces to the Naxalbari uprising (1967, West Bengal), rooted in Maoist ideology and armed-revolution doctrine.
- Multiple extremist outfits merged into CPI (Maoist) in 2004, becoming India's gravest internal security threat — officially acknowledged in 2009 as exceeding Kashmir and the Northeast in spread.
- Violence peaked in 2010 (1,936 incidents, 720 civilian deaths); the decade 2004–2014 recorded 17,542 incidents, 1,913 security force deaths and 5,019 civilian deaths.
- The National Policy and Action Plan (2015) was India's first structured framework, built on a Dialogue–Security–Coordination strategy, funded via the Security Related Expenditure (SRE), Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) and Special Central Assistance (SCA).
- The target of a Naxal-free India by 31 March 2026 was formally set on 24 August 2024.
Key Dimensions — Vishwaas (Security & Trust)
- 597 fortified police stations built (vs 66 pre-2014); incident-reporting stations fell from 333 to 16; 408 new CAPF camps; 68 night-landing helipads; 400 bullet/blast-proof vehicles.
- Elite forces — CoBRA (CRPF), District Reserve Guard (DRG), Jharkhand Jaguar, Andhra Pradesh's Greyhounds — integrated under joint training and command.
- Technology shift: UAVs, drones, satellite imagery, AI-based analytics, call-log and social-media monitoring operationalised by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
- "Trace, Target, Neutralise" doctrine — Operation Black Forest, Operation Double Bull and others restored state presence in three-decade-old strongholds (e.g., Gumla, Lohardaga, Latehar declared Naxal-free).
- Choking finances: a dedicated NIA vertical seized assets worth ₹40 crore+ (Dec 2025); ED attached ₹12 crore; 112 cases and 100 charge sheets filed (June 2026).
- Surrender policy: grants of ₹5 lakh / ₹2.5 lakh plus a ₹10,000/month stipend for 36 months; 2,337 surrenders in 2025; 3,927 between 2024 and March 2026.
Key Dimensions — Nirman (Infrastructure) & Jan Kalyan (Welfare)
- 12,249 km of roads built since 2014 (₹20,557 crore for 17,319 km approved); 9,600+ mobile towers; 96% village connectivity (44,728/46,592 villages).
- Financial inclusion (Apr 2015–Mar 2026): 1,804 bank branches, 1,321 ATMs, 74,720 banking correspondents, 6,025 post offices.
- Education & skilling: 259 EMRS sanctioned (179 developed), 46 ITIs, 49 Skill Development Centres; over 90,000 youth and women trained.
- Jan Kalyan initiatives: PM-JANMAN for PVTGs; Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan; Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana housing and free education till Class XII for surrendered cadres' children.
- Chhattisgarh case study: Bastariya Battalion (2017, 1,143 personnel, ~400 local tribal youth); 3,240 km roads and 889 mobile towers in Bastar; Shaheed Veer Gunda Dhur Seva Dera (May 2026) converting ~70 CAPF camps into citizen-service centres.
Critical Analysis — Strengths
- The security-development-welfare convergence model created a durable peace dividend rather than a temporary lull in violence.
- Tech-enabled precision (UAVs, AI analytics) reduced collateral harm while improving operational outcomes.
- The rehabilitation framework offered a dignified, economically-anchored exit route, reflected in rising surrender numbers.
Critical Analysis — Structural Questions
- The "Naxal-free" declaration is a government self-assessment; independent, third-party verification of residual pockets is not yet available.
- Long-term economic viability of skilling and livelihood programmes for rehabilitated cadres and tribal youth in remote regions remains untested.
- Structural grievances — land rights, forest governance, displacement — that originally fuelled the insurgency need sustained attention beyond the security narrative.
Way Forward
- Institute independent audits of the Naxal-free claim and maintain calibrated security presence during the transition phase.
- Convert remaining CAPF camps into permanent civic-service infrastructure on the Shaheed Veer Gunda Dhur Seva Dera model.
- Strengthen implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and PESA, 1996 to address root structural causes.
- Scale livelihood and market-linkage support so rehabilitation outcomes are sustainable, not one-time grants.
Prelims Pointers
LWE origin: Naxalbari uprising, 1967; CPI (Maoist) formed 2004.
National Policy & Action Plan: 2015 — Dialogue, Security, Coordination strategy.
Target set / achieved: 24 Aug 2024 / 31 March 2026.
Key schemes: SRE, SIS, SCA, PM-JANMAN, Aspirational Districts Programme.
Elite forces: CoBRA, DRG, Greyhounds, Jharkhand Jaguar.
Bastariya Battalion: formed 2017, Chhattisgarh.
Practice Mains Question
"India's approach to Left-Wing Extremism evolved from incident-driven security responses to an integrated security-development-welfare model." Discuss the components of this strategy and evaluate the long-term sustainability of India's 'Naxal-free' achievement.
GS Paper 3 · 250 words · 15 marks
Practice MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the National Policy and Action Plan against LWE: (1) It was approved in 2015. (2) It is built on a three-pronged Dialogue, Security and Coordination strategy. (3) It replaced an earlier centrally-coordinated framework with a state-led one. Which are correct?
A) 1 and 2 only B) 2 and 3 only C) 1 and 3 only D) 1, 2 and 3Answer: A. Statement 3 is reversed — the 2015 plan moved India towards central coordination under the MHA, away from earlier siloed state-level responses.
Q2. Match List I (Pillar) with List II (Focus area): A. Vishwaas · B. Nirman · C. Jan Kalyan // 1. Welfare & dignity · 2. Connectivity & infrastructure · 3. Trust & security. Choose the correct match:
A) A-3, B-2, C-1 B) A-1, B-2, C-3 C) A-2, B-3, C-1 D) A-3, B-1, C-2Answer: A. Vishwaas → trust & security; Nirman → connectivity & infrastructure; Jan Kalyan → welfare & dignity.
Article 02
Article 02
PRAHAAR: India's First National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy
Relevance: GS 3 (internal security, terrorism, cyber security) · GS 2 (international cooperation, institutions, legal reform).
GS 3
GS 2
Key Data at a Glance
23 Feb 2026date PRAHAAR was unveiled by the MHA
7,217terrorist incidents recorded during 2004–2014
92.70%NIA conviction rate — among the highest globally
₹394.66 crNIA budget, 2024-25 (from ₹91.32 cr in 2014-15)
28agencies integrated under the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC)
57+individuals designated as terrorists since the UAPA Amendment, 2019
Issue in Brief
- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) unveiled PRAHAAR on 23 February 2026 — India's first-ever comprehensive National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy.
- PRAHAAR consolidates 12 years of legislative, institutional, operational and diplomatic counter-terror reform into one unified doctrine, reflecting a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism.
Static Background
- India's pre-2014 challenge: 7,217 terror incidents (2004–2014); nearly 92,000 lives lost over four decades to terrorism, insurgency and extremism combined.
- Persistent threats: LoC infiltration backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) via Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen; the 2008 Mumbai attacks (166 dead) with active ISI support.
- Kashmir saw an average of 2,654 stone-pelting incidents/year (2010–14); the framework of Article 370 complicated governance and security response at the time.
- Post-2014, the global emergence of ISIS introduced online radicalisation risks; legal frameworks then lacked the power to designate individuals (only organisations) as terrorists.
Key Dimensions — Legislative & Institutional Pillars
- UAPA Amendment, 2019: enables individual terrorist designation, NIA Inspector-rank+ investigation, and DG-NIA approval for property seizures.
- NIA (Amendment) Act, 2019: expanded jurisdiction to cyberterrorism, human trafficking and extraterritorial offences; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 replaced the IPC, 1860 (in force from 1 July 2024) with the first statutory definition of a "terrorist act."
- NIA budget grew fourfold — ₹91.32 cr (2014-15) to ₹394.66 cr (2024-25); 53 Special NIA Courts; conviction rate ~92.7%.
- Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) under the Intelligence Bureau links 28 agencies; NATGRID connects 11 central agencies and all states/UTs; CCTNS 2.0 (AI-enabled, 17,798 police stations, 2024); Cyber-MAC (CyMAC) launched 22 January 2025.
Key Dimensions — Operational Doctrine & Diplomacy
- Cross-border deterrence doctrine: Surgical Strikes (2016) post-Uri; Balakot airstrike (2019) post-Pulwama against a JeM facility; Operation Sindoor (May 2025) post-Pahalgam.
- Diplomatic architecture: FATF member since 2010; No Money for Terror conferences (Paris 2018, Melbourne 2019, New Delhi 2022); Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) first proposed by India at UNGA in 1996.
- Masood Azhar designated a UNSC global terrorist (May 2019); Tahawwur Rana extradited from the US (April 2025); BHARATPOL launched (7 Jan 2025) linking CBI (INTERPOL's National Central Bureau) nationally.
- PRAHAAR (23 Feb 2026): a seven-component doctrine — Prevention, Response, Aggregating capacities, Human rights, Attenuation of radicalisation, Aligning international cooperation, Recovery.
Critical Analysis — Strengths
- A genuinely integrated legal–institutional–operational–diplomatic architecture, with a high NIA conviction rate lending prosecutorial credibility.
- The Surgical Strikes–Balakot–Sindoor sequence established a calibrated deterrence doctrine, altering the cost-benefit calculus for state sponsors of terror.
Critical Analysis — Structural Questions
- PRAHAAR is a policy/doctrine, not a standalone statute — its force still depends on existing laws like the UAPA, BNS and PMLA.
- Expanded NIA/UAPA powers need independent human-rights oversight mechanisms to sustain due-process credibility.
- Cross-border, state-sponsored terrorism persists despite sustained legal and diplomatic pressure, underscoring the limits of unilateral action.
Way Forward
- Build periodic, independent human-rights review mechanisms for UAPA and NIA operations.
- Push for early multilateral adoption of the CCIT at the United Nations.
- Strengthen CyMAC's mandate against drone-based and AI-enabled hybrid threats.
- Widen BHARATPOL-style integration beyond INTERPOL to more bilateral law-enforcement networks.
Prelims Pointers
PRAHAAR: unveiled 23 Feb 2026 by MHA; 7 components (P-R-A-H-A-A-R).
NIA: established under the NIA Act, 2008, post-26/11; conviction rate ~92.7%.
BNS, 2023: replaced the IPC, 1860; in force from 1 July 2024.
Key operations: Surgical Strikes (2016), Balakot (2019), Operation Sindoor (2025).
CCIT: first proposed by India at UNGA, 1996.
BHARATPOL: launched 7 Jan 2025; links CBI (INTERPOL NCB-India) nationally.
Practice Mains Question
"PRAHAAR marks India's shift from a reactive to a doctrine-driven counter-terrorism architecture." Trace the legislative, institutional and diplomatic reforms of the past decade that culminated in PRAHAAR, and assess its significance.
GS Paper 3 · 250 words · 15 marks
Practice MCQs
Q1. (Assertion–Reasoning) Assertion (A): The UAPA Amendment, 2019 significantly strengthened India's anti-terror legal framework. Reason (R): It empowered the Central Government to designate individuals, not just organisations, as terrorists.
A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A B) Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A C) A is true, R is false D) A is false, R is trueAnswer: A. The individual-designation power is precisely why the amendment is considered the most significant anti-terror legal reform of the decade.
Q2. Arrange the following in chronological order: (1) Balakot airstrike (2) UAPA Amendment Act (3) Operation Sindoor (4) PRAHAAR unveiled
A) 2-1-4-3 B) 1-2-3-4 C) 2-1-3-4 D) 1-2-4-3Answer: B. Balakot (Feb 2019) → UAPA Amendment (Aug 2019) → Operation Sindoor (2025) → PRAHAAR (2026).
Q3. The term "CCIT", frequently seen in news related to India's counter-terror diplomacy, stands for:
A) Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism B) Combined Cyber Intelligence Taskforce C) Counter-Crime International Tribunal D) Cross-Country Intelligence TreatyAnswer: A. India first proposed the CCIT at the UN General Assembly in 1996.
Article 03
Article 03
Astronomers Trace the Origin of Fast X-ray Transient EP241107a
Relevance: GS 3 (science & technology, space exploration, astrophysics).
GS 3
Key Data at a Glance
7 Nov 2024date EP241107a was detected by the Einstein Probe
~10 yrssince FXTs were first discovered as a transient class
Mag 17.85optical counterpart brightness (Ic-band)
1051 erginferred isotropic-equivalent jet kinetic energy
4+facilities used across India, US and Chile for follow-up
MNRASjournal of publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Issue in Brief
- Astronomers led by Deepak Eappachen and Arvind Balasubramanian (Indian Institute of Astrophysics, IIA) traced the likely origin of Fast X-ray Transient (FXT) EP241107a — detected 7 November 2024 by China's Einstein Probe mission.
- The study links the event to a gamma-ray-burst (GRB)-like explosion, caused either by the collapse of a massive star or the merger of two neutron stars.
Static Background
- FXTs are a new class of non-repeating X-ray flashes (minutes to hours), first discovered about a decade ago; proposed progenitors include supernova shock breakouts, magnetar formation after neutron-star mergers, and tidal disruption events.
- The Einstein Probe is a Chinese space mission designed to survey the dynamic high-energy X-ray sky.
- Some FXTs are linked to high-redshift long gamma-ray bursts (lGRBs); others show no gamma-ray counterpart at all — termed "orphan afterglows."
Key Dimensions — Facilities & Findings
- Indian facilities used: the Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) and GROWTH India Telescope (GIT), both at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle, Ladakh (operated by IIA; GIT jointly with IIT Bombay); the Upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT), operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA).
- International facilities: the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA, New Mexico) discovered the radio counterpart; the Keck Observatory (Hawaii) and the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (Chile) were also used.
- Afterglow modelling indicates a jet with kinetic energy comparable to the Milky Way's total stellar energy output over several months (if emitted isotropically).
- The event is classed as a likely orphan GRB afterglow — an explosion not directly detected in gamma rays, yet clearly linked to a gamma-ray-burst origin.
- Published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; co-authors from IIA, IIT Bombay, Caltech, UNC Chapel Hill, and the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian.
Critical Analysis — Strengths
- Demonstrates the growing capability of Indian ground-based facilities (HCT, GIT, uGMRT) in rapid multi-wavelength, time-domain astronomy alongside global partners.
Critical Analysis — Structural Questions
- The GRB origin is inferred by comparison with known transients, not a direct gamma-ray detection — the conclusion remains probabilistic.
- The exact progenitor — massive-star collapse versus neutron-star merger — could not be definitively distinguished for this event.
- Orphan-afterglow events are rare; broader statistical conclusions need more Einstein Probe detections and follow-up.
Way Forward
- Expand India's rapid-response, multi-wavelength follow-up network for time-domain transient astronomy.
- Strengthen domestic radio/optical transient-survey infrastructure to reduce dependence on foreign facilities for time-critical follow-up.
- Deepen institutional collaboration (IIA–IIT Bombay–NCRA) and international partnerships for future high-energy transient missions.
Prelims Pointers
FXT: Fast X-ray Transient — non-repeating, minutes-to-hours duration.
Einstein Probe: Chinese X-ray survey space mission.
HCT / GIT: at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle, Ladakh; operated by IIA (GIT jointly with IIT Bombay).
uGMRT: operated by NCRA, under TIFR.
IIA: autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST).
VLA: Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, located in New Mexico, USA.
Practice Mains Question
Discuss the significance of multi-institutional, multi-wavelength collaboration in advancing time-domain astronomy, with reference to India's recent contribution to studying Fast X-ray Transients.
GS Paper 3 · 150 words · 10 marks
Practice MCQs
Q1. With reference to Fast X-ray Transients (FXTs), consider the following statements: (1) They are repeating X-ray signals from pulsars. (2) Proposed progenitors include supernova shock breakouts and neutron-star mergers. (3) The Einstein Probe is an Indian space mission. Which is/are correct?
A) 2 only B) 1 and 3 only C) 2 and 3 only D) 1, 2 and 3Answer: A. FXTs are non-repeating (statement 1 wrong); the Einstein Probe is a Chinese, not Indian, mission (statement 3 wrong).
Q2. The term "orphan afterglow," used in the context of EP241107a, refers to:
A) A gamma-ray burst with no detected host galaxy B) A transient linked to a GRB origin despite no direct gamma-ray detection C) An X-ray flash from a rogue, ejected neutron star D) A supernova remnant with no visible afterglowAnswer: B. An orphan afterglow is linked to a GRB origin through comparative/afterglow modelling, without a direct gamma-ray detection.
Q3. Which of the following telescopes/facilities is NOT correctly matched with its location or operator?
A) Himalayan Chandra Telescope — Hanle, Ladakh (IIA) B) GROWTH India Telescope — jointly operated by IIA and IIT Bombay C) Upgraded GMRT — operated by ISRO D) Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array — New Mexico, USAAnswer: C. The Upgraded GMRT is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), under TIFR — not ISRO.
