Former Maoists trade years of conflict for livelihood and a stable future

For those who spent years underground, the greatest adjustment has not been surrendering their weapons but learning to build an ordinary life. Today, many former Maoists are rebuilding their lives one day at a time, trading years of conflict for livelihoods, families, and the hope of a stable future.

One such story is that of Madakam Idumamma alias Idimi. In March 2022, after traversing the Karregutta hills along the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana-Chhattisgarh borders for five years, she called it quits and joined the mainstream. A native of Pungutta village of Pega panchayat in Polavaram district, she was recruited by the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) at the age of 16. She later served as a dalam member of the Charla-Sabari Area Committee and as a member of the Local Operation Squad, carrying a .303 rifle.

Looking back on those years, Idimi says when I visit the nearby Edugurallapalli shandy, where other surrendered Maoists from our area sometimes meet, nobody there suspects or questions our movements. Maybe it is because we choose to lead a peaceful life in harmony. “...Five months ago, I was blessed with a baby girl, Saranya,” says a happy Idimi.

While surrender marks the end of armed conflict, rebuilding a life is often a longer and more uncertain journey. Government rehabilitation packages provide financial assistance and livelihood support, but several surrendered Maoists say reintegration remains a challenge, with many facing social and economic difficulties.

Financial assistance

The rehabilitation programme has gained traction in recent years. According to the Andhra Pradesh Police, as many as 118 Maoists surrendered between January 2024 and March 2026. “Among those who surrendered were CPI (Maoist) central committee member Chelluri Narayana Rao, alias Suresh, two State committee members, and six district committee members,” according to a top official who requested anonymity.

According to the office of the Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police, ₹1.2 crore has been disbursed as compensation, while more than ₹1 crore has been proposed for disbursement to surrendered Maoists by June 2027.

The financial assistance is provided under the revised Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme for Left-Wing Extremists, introduced in 2013, under the scheme, high-ranking Maoist cadres are entitled an immediate grant of ₹2.5 lakh and middle- and lower-rank cadres ₹1.5 lakh, upon surrender before the State government concerned. The scheme also provides a monthly stipend of ₹4,000 for three years for vocational training, apart from special incentives for surrendering weapons.

In many cases, surrendered Maoists, particularly those from the lower ranks, are arguably unaware of these entitlements. Against this backdrop, Dirdha Lakshmaiah, who dropped out of school in Class IX, says he was recruited by the Maoists in 2016 and surrendered in 2019. Now 25 years old, he makes a living by farming. “I am prepared to undergo any skill training programme to earn a livelihood. I am even determined to resume my studies, which were interrupted after I joined the Maoists. Otherwise, I would be happy to work as a tourist guide if our government introduces a scheme similar to the one in Telangana State,” he says.

Three years after his surrender, he fell in love with Adamamma, a girl from his own tribe, the Muria, and village on the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border. “In the deep forest, our three-acre land is entirely rain-fed. We grow paddy for our family and cereals during the rabi season. Other than this, we are not equipped with any other skills to earn a livelihood,” says Lakshmaiah.

Career opportunities

To address such concerns, the police say they are working with both government and private companies to create employment opportunities for surrendered Maoists. Chintoor Assistant Superintendent of Police and Officer on Special Duty (Naxal Operations) Pankaj Kumar Meena says, “We have been in touch with various companies to explore employment opportunities for surrendered Maoists. Special job melas are being conducted in Paderu, Rampachodavaram, and Chintoor. For women Maoists who have surrendered, we are chalking out an action plan with a list of skill-training programmes and self-employment opportunities.”

Police personnel continue to stay in touch with those who surrendered to assist with their medical needs until they are fully settled in their native villages, he adds.

But true settlement is difficult in regions severely lacking basic infrastructure. Pungutta, the village that fell prey to Maoist recruitments in the past, is one of the 54 settlements officially classified as Reserve Forest. More than half of these settlements still do not have a primary school. A decade ago, temporary schools were opened in the Muria settlements following directions from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in response to appeals from human rights activists in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Located over 20kms from Chintoor and accessible only after crossing three streams through dense forests, Pungutta became known not only for its remoteness and lack of schools but also for the number of young people it lost to the Maoist Movement.

Lack of proper education

Among them was Ungaiah, who joined the Maoists at the age of 16 in late 2016. Before being recruited by the Maoists, he had no formal education, he says, adding, “Being a party member of the CPI (Maoist), I was deputed as a guard carrying a .303 rifle for the team led by CPI (Maoist) Telangana State committee secretary Haribhushan alias Yapa Narayana, who died of COVID-19 in June 2021 in Chhattisgarh.”

Recalling that he walked the entire stretch of the Red Corridor, beginning from Maharashtra through Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to Chhattisgarh as the guard of Mr. Haribhushan, Ungaiah says that he convinced Haribhushan to let him quit the movement and returned home in 2018.

If surrender marks the end of one chapter, rehabilitation is where the next begins. Polavaram District Collector K. Dinesh Kumar says that there will be convergence of schemes offered by various departments exclusively to improve the livelihoods of surrendered Maoists. He says in early June, the Polavaram district administration, in collaboration with the Police Department, kick-started a socio-economic survey of the families of surrendered Maoists and those who lost their loved ones to Left-Wing Extremist violence.

The ongoing survey is documenting the number of surrendered Maoists, their livelihood options, educational qualifications and requirements such as housing, he adds.

Civic rights

Officials say rehabilitation is not limited to financial assistance and employment. It also involves restoring former Maoists’ access to civic rights.

Surrendered Maoists who reside in an area for six months qualify as ordinary residents and are therefore entitled to enrol as voters in the constituency, Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Project Officer Kavuri Chaitanya had told The Hindu during the 2024 general elections.

For Ungaiah also rehabilitation is about more than financial assistance or schemes. “I had enrolled for Aadhaar before joining the Maoists. However, I have not yet enrolled as a voter. I am keen to exercise my franchise in the next Panchayat elections,” he says.