Bastar, Apr 16: Two hardcore Naxals were killed in an encounter near the Kondagaon-Narayanpur border in Chhattisgarh, said an official.

Bastar Inspector General (IG) of Police, Sundarraj P. said, "Two hardcore Naxals were killed in an encounter at the Kondagaon-Narayanpur border. AK-47 and two bodies were recovered. Search operations underway."

According to IG Bastar, P Sundarraj, an AK-47 rifle and the bodies of the two Naxals were recovered from the spot.

Security forces are still carrying out a search operation in the area.

Recently, in a significant boost to the anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh, 26 Maoists--three of them carrying cash rewards--surrendered before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials in Dantewada on Monday.

The surrender took place at the District Reserve Guard (DRG) headquarters as part of the ongoing 'Lon Varratu' (Come Home) campaign, which aims to reintegrate former extremists into mainstream society.

The surrender was facilitated by the joint efforts of the district police, CRPF, and the state's special rehabilitation policy. As part of the state government's new rehabilitation policy, each surrendered Maoist will receive Rs 50,000 in immediate assistance and access to a range of benefits, including skill development training and agricultural land.

The 'Lon Varratu' campaign has been a substantial success since its launch. So far, 953 Maoists--including 224 carrying cash rewards--have surrendered.

Earlier, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai credited his government's efforts to work on rehabilitation policies, which resulted in the surrender of about 1,314 Naxalites. He said that Naxalism was "breathing its last" in the state.

Speaking at the 'Vichaar for Viksit Chhattisgarh' conclave to ANI, Sai said that the state government has provided nearly 15,000 accommodations under the PM Awas Yojana for those who have surrendered to join the mainstream. He said that the government was also working on providing "skill development" training to the surrendered Naxalites so that they become employable.

"About 1,314 Naxalites have surrendered, and the government is doing justice to them. We have separately arranged 15,000 Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for them. We keep them in the district headquarters, and we are also working on their skill development so that they can get some employment. We also give them jobs in third and fourth classes of government organisations as per their qualification," the CM told ANI at the event.

"As soon as our government came, we told the Naxalites that they should leave bullets and violence and join the mainstream of development. We sent our state's Home Minister, Vijay Sharma, to many other states, including Assam, to see rehabilitation policies there," he added.

CM Sai asserted that Naxalism was nearing its end in Chhattisgarh, with only a handful of cadre left. He added that nearly 359 Naxalites with huge bounties on them have been killed in the last 1.5 years.

(ANI)

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