Naxals or Naxalites (or Maoists) are terms used to refer to militants who believe in the ideology of Communism (or Maoism) and operate in various parts of India, mostly in those having large forest cover. The term "Naxalite" or "Naxals" comes from the village named "Naxalbari" which is in West Bengal (Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district), which is where a violent uprising of laborers was organized by a section of the then Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) under the leadership of mostly three people: Kanu Sanyal, Charu Mazumdar and Jangal Santhal. This uprising took place in the year 1967. The Naxalbari violent uprising was thus directed at ensuring land reforms, which in simple terms, meant re-distribution of agricultural land equally among all those engaged in agricultural production, particularly among the landless (both sharecroppers and also agricultural laborers), since land was seen as the basis of wealth of the zamindars who in most cases were absentee landlords-cum-goondas who controlled the local machinery of the state (local administration and also local police). Naxalism signifies a particular kind of militant and violent armed struggle by the peasants and tribals who accept Marxist-Leninist ideology.

Ajaya Kumar Mallik is Associate Fellow, New Delhi, and has more than 10 years of research experience in the fields of informal sector, employment, and poverty. He was associated with the task force ‘Definitional and Statistical Issues related to Informal Economy’. Besides this, he has worked in Indian Institute of Public Administration, Institute of Applied Manpower Research in different capacities.