‘Modi Govt follows zero tolerance policy against terrorism’
*NIA, other agencies being strengthened for decisive victory over militancy
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 27: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said today that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government has followed zero tolerance policy against terrorism and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other agencies are being strengthened to achieve decisive victory over it
Addressing two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ of State Home Ministers which was also attended by Home Secretaries and DGPs, at Surjakund in Haryana, Shah said a new era started in Jammu and Kashmir after the abolition of Article 370.
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) RK Goyal and Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh are attending the ‘Chintan Shivir’. The Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of UTs have also been invited.
“During the last 37 months after August 5, 2019, terror incidents have reduced by 34 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir as compared to numbers recorded in 37 months preceding the date. Sixty-four per cent less deaths have been reported and civilian deaths in terror incidents have gone down by 90 per cent during the period,” the Home Minister said.
He said Jammu and Kashmir had received a total investment of Rs 19,000 crore till 2019 since Independence while in the last three years, an investment of Rs 57,000 crore has been made which shows that the Union Territory has moved ahead on the path of success.
“We have made important changes in the NIA and the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) to give more powers to the anti-terror agency…The agency has been given extra-territorial jurisdiction,” he said.
“The agency has also got powers to seize properties of a terrorist. We have decided that every State will have a NIA unit to develop a strong anti-terror network,” Shah said.
The Home Minister said cyber-crime is a big challenge before the country and the world today and the Home Ministry is committed to fight against it.
The Government led by Narendra Modi is determined to save the country and the youth from the menace of narcotics and its policy is showing results, with drugs worth more than Rs 20,000 crore being seized so far, Shah said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the ‘Chintan Shivir’ through video conferencing tomorrow.
“Our internal security is considered strong,” Shah said, noting that “35,000 police and CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) personnel have laid down their lives so far since independence to keep the unity and integrity of the country intact”.
He said that all areas considered hot spots from the security point of view have been cleared due to synergy and cooperation between States and the Centre.
Shah said some NGOs have indulged in religious conversion, anti-national activities and misuse of funds to stall the country’s economic progress, and strong action has been taken against such entities.
He also said that even though law and order is a state subject, crimes have become borderless due to advancement of technology and success can be achieved against such trans-border crimes only when states and the Centre sit together and formulate a strategy to curb them.
PTI Adds: He said that the Government has amended the Foreign Contributions (Regulations) Act (FCRA) which was being misused by some NGOs to conduct anti-national activities, religious conversion, political opposition to development projects and creating obstacles in economic progress.
“In 2020, the Government took strong action to stop foreign funding of such NGOs by amending the FCRA,” he said.
The Home Minister said it is the collective responsibility of States to effectively tackle crimes being committed from across the country’s border or States’ borders, and also deal with regional crimes to make society free from fear.
“In our Constitution, law and order is a state subject…But we can be successful against trans-border or borderless crimes only when all states sit together to ponder over them, make a common strategy and (make) efforts to curb them,” he said.
The nature of crime is changing in today’s world and crime is becoming borderless, that’s why the States have to formulate a common strategy to fight against it, he said.
Shah reiterated that it is the collective responsibility of states and the Centre to effectively tackle trans-border crimes.
The ‘Chintan Shivir’ is being organised with the objective to prepare an action plan for the implementation of ‘Vision 2047’ and ‘Panch Pran’ announced in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech.
The ‘shivir’ can become a good platform to discuss strategies to counter cyber crimes, narcotics and cross-border terrorism, among others, and to exchange good practices in law and order, Shah said.
He also said that a large number of proposals to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been received, and these are being analysed.
“In a very short time, we will come up with new drafts of the CrPC and the IPC before Parliament,” he said.
The Home Minister said that importance should be given to three ‘Cs’ — cooperation, coordination and collaboration — to achieve the goals of cooperative federalism, “whole of Government” and “team India” approach, resource optimisation and integration.
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