New Delhi: All forms of Naxalism, be it gun-toting or pen-wielding, will have to be defeated, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a gathering of home ministers on Friday.
Addressing the second day of the “chintan shivir” of home ministers at Surajkund in Haryana, Modi lauded the efforts of state governments which have “acted responsibly” in the last few years to stamp out the ground network of terrorism.
“We need to handle it further by combining our forces, we will have to defeat Naxalism… have to find a solution for all of them,” the Prime Minister added, speaking via video.
He urged the home ministers to take stringent action against negative forces for the “safety and rights of law-abiding citizens”. “A fake news can kick up a storm in the nation. We will have to educate people to think before forwarding anything, and verify before believing it.”
Modi stressed the need for improved technology to combat cybercrime and the use of drones to smuggle weapons and drugs. “We will have to be 10 steps ahead of the criminal world,” Modi said, adding that 5G technology will strengthen this fight.
He said: “We have entered the 5G era. 5G has several benefits and awareness is needed for the same. With 5G, there will be manifold improvement in facial recognition, automatic number plate recognition, drones and CCTV technology.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said many crimes were perpetrated from across the border like terrorism, narcotics smuggling, money-laundering and infiltration. “Drones are being used to smuggle narcotics and arms. If all states do not come together to fight this, it would be impossible to face them,” Shah said.
Modi also urged state governments to inspire and guide its police force so that they “did not lack in duty” and that a good perception of them was also maintained among citizens.
He added: “Law and order is not restricted to one state now. Crime is turning interstate and international. With technology, criminals now have the power to commit crimes in states. Criminals beyond the border are misusing technology. Coordination between agencies of all states and between central and state agencies are essential.”
The two-day “chintan shivir” of home ministers is an endeavour to provide a national perspective to policy formulation on internal security-related matters.
The meeting deliberated on issues such as modernisation of police forces, cybercrime management, smarter use of IT in the criminal justice system, land border management, coastal security, women safety and drug trafficking among others.
Home secretaries and director generals of police of states and director generals of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Central Police Organisations (CPOs) attended the conclave.
Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah kick-started the “chintan shivir” Thursday to prepare an action plan for the Centre’s “Vision 2047”.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar – both in-charge of their home ministries – skipped the event.
Speaking at the inaugural session Thursday, Shah had said the initiative for the meet was taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said gathering would help in formulating a joint plan to deal with crimes and other issues.
Shah also stressed on the importance of “Nari Shakti” to achieve the “Developed India by 2047” vision, adding special emphasis would be given to the safety of women in future.
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