Lokniti-CSDS in collaboration with the CNN-IBN and The Week Magazine conducted an exclusive State of the Nations Survey (August, 2010) in the most affected naxal areas. The survey was carried out in 36 naxal affected districts in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal (see enclosed Map) based on the list of naxal affected districts identified by the Planning Commission of India. (The list was revised slightly to take into account the current level of Naxalite activity. Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), Gondya (Maharashtra) and Sonbhadra (UP) were left out from the survey but Bankura, Purulia, East Medinipur and West Medinipur districts in West Bengal, Kaimur in Bihar and Giridih in Jharkhand were added to the list).

A total of 276 locations were randomly selected (8 each in 33 districts and 4 each in other 3 districts). The survey could not be conducted at 4 locations, (all in Chhattisgarh) due to security risk. These locations were replaced by other nearby locations. Besides, the survey was disrupted at 7 other locations (4 in Chhattisgarh and 1 each in Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal). Field investigators had to leave without completing all the interviews. Investigators also noticed greater sense of threat/intimidation amongst the respondents compared to what we generally notice in any other survey conducted in the past by the CSDS.

 A total of 7728 randomly selected names from the updated electoral rolls were approached for interview of whom, 3990 interviews were successfully completed. The sample comprised of 46 percent women, 19 percent Dalits, 23 percent Adivasis (ST) and 90 percent rural which broadly reflects the population profile of these districts as per Census 2001.

The interview was conducted face to face at the place of residence of the respondent using a standard-structured questionnaire in the language spoken and understood by the respondent. The fieldwork for the study was conducted between July 23 and 30, 2010.

The survey was designed and analysed by a team of researchers at Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi. Sanjay Kumar of the CSDS directed the survey. The fieldwork was coordinated by P. Narasimha Rao (Andhra Pradesh), Rakesh Ranjan (Bihar), Nitin Birmal (Maharashtra), Anupama Saxena (Chhattisgarh), Suprio Basu (West Bengal), B.K Sinha (Jharkhand) and Prabhat Mohanty (Orissa). The team that designed coordinated and analyzed the survey at CSDS comprised of Banasmita Bora, Dhananjai Kumar Singh, Himanshu Bhattacharya, K.A.Q.A Hilal, Kanchan Malhotra. Rahul Verma, Sanjay Kumar, Sanjeer Alam, Suhas Palshikar, Yogendra Yadav, and Vanita L. Falco.

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