NEW DELHI: With less than a week left for the Centre’s March 31 deadline to end left wing extremism, security forces have launched a series of intensified operations across key Maoist-affected regions to track down remaining armed cadres and force surrenders.“The plan is to ensure 100 per cent neutralisation of armed Naxals by March 31, a deadline announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This would either by engaging in encounters or getting effected surrenders. Some large operations are being undertaken in these last 5-6 days of the countdown,” a top CAPF commander told PTI.Security forces are still tracking about 130-150 armed cadres, including two central committee members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) and some other divisional-rank operatives.Official sources told PTI that the Centre is also preparing an “operations and development” blueprint, which is expected to include the withdrawal of about five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) battalions from these regions and the launch of multiple welfare schemes.As part of the operations, about three to four CoBRA units of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are being moved from Chhattisgarh to Jharkhand for a special operation in the Saranda forests of West Singhbhum district, sources said.Misir Besra alias Bhaskar is stated to be based in Jharkhand and CoBRA teams are searching for him and his associates.In Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, teams from the CRPF, BSF and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are also being “re-located” with the specific aim of engaging armed Maoist cadres in gunbattles or forcing their surrender, the sources said.A cross-border operation involving Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Odisha is also in the works, according to the sources.Rammanna, also known as Ganapathi or Laxman Rao, is reportedly in touch with Telangana Police and may surrender by March 31, according to officials.Another officer said that about three battalions of the Border Security Force (BSF), along with a sector office headed by a DIG-rank officer, are expected to withdraw from Koraput district and adjoining areas of Odisha.The sector office could relocate to Kandhamal district in the state and the three battalions will either move for border guarding duties or to Manipur, as the situation may warrant.Some CAPF battalions from Chhattisgarh will also be withdrawn, with an announcement expected on March 31. The state police and the Chhattisgarh DRG will take over the CAPF camps, the officer added.Chhattisgarh Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma declared in Jagdalpur on Wednesday that nearly 96 per cent of Bastar’s vast geographical area is now free from Naxal influence.Sources said the CAPFs and state police forces have also been asked to undertake a joint “de-mining” exercise to look for hidden Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and bombs in Naxal violence-affected regions.In February, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) conducted a fresh review of Naxal violence-affected regions and notified that the number of left wing extremism (LWE)-hit districts in the country is seven.These seven districts are Bijapur, Narayanpur, Sukma, Kanker and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Kandhamal in Odisha.The nine LWE-affected states, under various categories, are Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal.According to official data, during 2005-06, a total of 76 districts in nine states were hit by LWE.Home Minister Shah has repeatedly asserted that the LWE menace, once called the biggest internal security challenge for India in 2010, will see its end by this March.He describes Naxal violence as a challenge to democracy, saying it has claimed around 17,000 lives of civilians and security personnel so far.The Naxalite movement emerged in India in 1967 at Naxalbari, a village in West Bengal located at the tri-junction of India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

India’s economy is projected to expand by 7.6% in the current fiscal before moderating to 6.1% in 2026-27, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said in its interim Economic Outlook report, PTI reported.The multilateral body said the evolving conflict in the Middle East has “human and economic costs” for countries directly involved and could test the resilience of the global economy by disrupting energy supplies and raising commodity prices.“The decline in (US) tariffs should support growth in India, though gas rationing will disrupt some production activities and fiscal support is expected to fade, with growth easing from 7.6 per cent in fiscal year (FY) 2025-26 to 6.1 per cent in FY 2026-27 and 6.4 per cent in FY 2027-28,” the OECD said.According to the report, disruption of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and damage to energy infrastructure have triggered a surge in energy prices and affected the global supply of commodities, including fertilisers.The OECD also warned that inflationary pressures could rise as the deflationary effects of earlier food and energy price shocks recede. It projected inflation to increase from 2% in FY 2025-26 to 5.1% in FY 2026-27 before easing to 4.1% in FY 2027-28.Among emerging-market economies, India may need to raise policy rates temporarily in the second quarter of 2026 to counter stronger inflationary pressures, the report said.The OECD noted that US bilateral tariff rates have declined following a US Supreme Court ruling against levies imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. While this has resulted in significant tariff reductions for several emerging-market economies, including India, the overall US effective tariff rate remains higher than levels seen before 2025.Globally, growth is expected to soften to 2.9% in 2026 before improving slightly to 3% in 2027.“The energy price surge and the unpredictable nature of the evolving conflict in the Middle East will raise costs and lower demand, offsetting the tailwinds from strong technology-related investment and production, lower effective tariff rates and the momentum carried over from 2025,” the OECD said.

The United States is weighing what officials describe as a potential “final blow” against Iran, with plans under discussion ranging from a sweeping bombing campaign to risky ground operations deep inside the country, according to an Axios report citing multiple sources familiar.The proposals come as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Tehran amid a widening Middle East war and stalled diplomatic efforts. The Pentagon’s planning reflects growing frustration in Washington, where officials believe a decisive show of force could either compel Iran to negotiate or “simply give Trump something to point to and declare victory”, the report said.Iran claims strike on Israel’s nuclear infra — Follow live updatesAt the centre of the strategy are several high-impact targets tied to Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil shipments that Tehran has effectively choked in recent weeks. Among the options being considered are seizing or blockading Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub, and capturing key islands such as Larak and Abu Musa, which are vital to Iran’s military grip over the strait. Another scenario involves intercepting or halting Iranian oil shipments altogether on the eastern side of the waterway.US military planners have reportedly drawn up options for ground incursions aimed at securing highly enriched uranium stored in fortified nuclear facilities. Such operations would be complex and dangerous, raising the risk of a prolonged conflict. As an alternative, officials are also considering large-scale air strikes designed to destroy those facilities outright and deny Iran access to nuclear material.Despite the detailed planning, no final decision has been taken. White House officials have described ground operations as hypothetical, though sources say Trump is prepared to escalate quickly if ongoing backchannel efforts fail to produce results. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that the president is ready to strike “harder than ever before”, adding that “any violence beyond this point will be because the Iranian regime… refuses to come to a deal”.The military build-up is already underway. Additional fighter jet squadrons, Marine expeditionary units and thousands of troops — including elements of the 82nd Airborne Division are being deployed to the region, signalling that Washington is positioning itself for rapid escalation.Iran, however, has dismissed US overtures, with officials insisting they do not trust Washington’s negotiating push. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that any attempt to seize Iranian territory would trigger sweeping retaliation against regional infrastructure.The standoff leaves both sides entrenched. While the US seeks a decisive end to hostilities and the reopening of the Hormuz shipping lane, Iran appears willing to endure sustained pressure, calculating that its ability to disrupt global energy flows remains a powerful lever. With mediation efforts by countries including Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt still struggling to bring both sides to the table, the prospect of a dramatic military escalation is becoming increasingly real.

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Government offers assurances on strong fuel security, says they have 60 days of oil reserves

The government assured that India’s petroleum and LPG systems are secure and under firm control, with no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG anywhere in the country. The ministry further stated that crude oil requirements for the next 60 days have already been secured, and there is no supply gap in the system. Read full story