PM says Centre, States must coordinate efforts against internal security threats

Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh addressing the Chief Ministers' Conference on Internal Security, in New Delhi on February 07, 2010.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for coordinated efforts by the Centre and the States to tackle the several major threats to India's internal security and highlighted certain specific steps which the States could take to address these concerns.

"... many issues in today’s world require a response that is coordinated not only between the affected States but also between the Centre and the States," he said in his inaugural address to the Chief Ministers' Conference on Internal Security this morning .

"Internal security is certainly one such issue, and for that matter a critical issue which affects the pace of our growth and development," he said.

He said the Centre and the States must periodically review the systems that are in place for ensuring the safetyand security of the country and its citizens.

He said such meetings must assess the threats that the country faced and take appropriate remedial action to deal with them.

Dr Singh said terrorism from across the border, insurgency and violence in the North-East and Left-wing extremism were among the major threats to India's security.

"Hostile groups and elements operate from across the border to perpetrate terrorist acts in our country. The State of Jammu & Kashmir bears the brunt of the acts of these groups," he said, without naming Pakistan.

He said there were also those trying to divide Indian society on comminal and regional lines.

"Each one of these threats requires a strong effort, determination, hard work and continuous vigilance to tackle. These threats to our society, to our polity and our country constitute a challenge that we must and we shall meet effectively at all costs," he said.

The Prime Minister noted that the last Conference of Chief Ministers on Internal Security in August last year had been informed of steps such as the setting up of four regional hubs of the National Security Guard (NSG) at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad and the establishment of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

He said that, since then, there had been further progress in this area. The Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) in the Intelligence Bureau now shares intelligence with other agencies, including those of the State Governments and Union Territories on a continuous and real time basis. Reciprocally, the other agencies are also obliged to share intelligence with the Multi Agency Centre, he said.

He said the Centre operated on a 24 hour basis and expected this arrangement for sharing and exchange of information and intelligence to greatly help not only in apprehending those responsible for acts that vitiate the security environment but also in preventing such acts.

He noted that the Ministry of Home Affairs had initiated action to set up dedicated and secure online connectivity for exchange of real time intelligence and security related information between the Centre and the States. He urged all Chief Ministers to benefit from these facilities and arrangements.

Dr Singh said that, to enable quick movement of anti-terrorist forces, the Director General of the NSG and certain other designated officers were now empowered to requisition aircraft.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Act had been amended so that the Force could provide security to establishments and undertakings in the joint and private sectors, he said.

He also said the NIA has started its work with cases for investigation and prosecution having been assigned to it and he hoped the States would make the fullest possible use of this agency so that the fight against terrorism could be a forceful and united effort.

He also detailed the steps taken to strengthen coastal security after the November 26, 2008 attacks on Mumbai in which 10 terrorists had sneaked into the metropolis using the sea route.

"While we have made progress on different fronts, we are also aware that we have a lot more to achieve. I would like to take this opportunity to assure all of you present here that there will be no let up in our commitment and in our efforts," he said.

The Prime Minister said that success in such matters also depended in large measure on the response of the State Governments.

He urged the Chief Ministers to create Special Intervention Units in their States to enhance the speed and decisiveness of the Quick Response Teams.

He also suggested that they might like to develop specialized commando forces which could be deployed to act as a deterrent to terrorist acts. He urged the Chief Ministers to make full use of the scheme formulated by the Central Government to assist the Special Branches of States in strengthening their intelligence capabilities.

Stressing that a very basic pre-requisite of any internal security system is an adequate number of policemen who are well trained, Dr Singh regretted that there had not been adequate progress in the addressing the problems of inadequate numbers of policemen and deficiency in their training.

He said figures collected by the Ministry of Home Affairs showed that, at the end of September, 2009, about 3,94,000 of the sanctioned posts in the State and Union Territory police forces were lying vacant, which was about 20 per cent of the total sanctioned strength. He urged the Chief Ministers to take expeditious action to fill these vacant posts.

Dr Singh said there was also a need to ensure good infrastructure for the police forces to be effective and efficient. At present, for all States as a whole, around 80 percent of the police budget is used for salaries, allowances and pensions. He said the States should increase the proportion of the budget earmarked for police infrastructure and police training.

"We should also think of special incentives for policemen, and indeed other government officials, posted in difficult areas," he said.

The Prime Minister said that, as far as Jammu & Kashmir was concerned, there had been a marked decline in the number of terrorist incidents from 2008 to 2009. But, infiltration levels had shown an increase, he said, adding that there had been some incidents recently which were disturbing.

He said that, in the North-East also, the number of incidents had gone down in 2009 as compared to 2008.

Dr Singh said that the number of incidents related to Left-wing extremism had, however, increased in the same period, as had the number of civilians and security personnel killed in these incidents.

"This is worrisome. The Left–wing extremists continue to target vital installations and kill innocent civilians in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal. The Centre and the States have to find ways and means of jointly fighting this menace," he said.

He stressed that the response to Left–wing extremism must be calibrated to avoid alienating people, especially those in the tribal areas. It must also go hand in hand with social and economic development of areas affected by Left–wing extremism, bringing them into the mainstream of national progress, he said.

"Tribal communities in particular, should get full benefit of our development schemes and development programmes. This is only possible by improving service delivery in tribal dominated areas," he said.

Dr Singh Singh said there were indications that fake Indian currency notes were being printed and smuggled into India from outside the country and said there was a need for a coordinated approach by the Central and State agencies to tackle this menace, which had serious implications for the economy.

"In some instances of recovery of fake currency, especially by banks, there has been a reluctance to register the First Information Report. This has to be avoided and all such cases must be thoroughly investigated. The States could also designate a nodal agency to investigate cases of seizure or recovery of Fake Currency Notes and set up a state level committee for continuous vigilance in the matter, as has been suggested by the Ministry of Home Affairs," he said.

"We have a hard task ahead but one that can be and must be achieved with determination and coordinated action. ..We will only succeed if we are united as a nation in addressing the concerns related to our internal security," he added.

NNN