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The Conference of Chief
Ministers on Internal Security opened here today. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated
the day-long conference. In his inaugural
address, the Prime Minister said that the challenges posed by asymmetric warfare
and terrorism as also Left Wing Extremism can only be met through new ideas
and more resolute actions. We need
to be ahead of the curve if we are to succeed. (The full text of the PM’s speech is available on PIB website i.e. http://pib.nic.in
)
The Union Home Minister Shri
P.Chidambaram in his opening statement said that challenges to the internal
security can be overcome with a common approach of the Centre and the States. Identifying the three challenges to internal
security namely, terrorism, insurgency in the North-East States and naxalism as
the three major challenges, Shri Chidambaram delineated the Centre’s approach
and steps taken so far to meet the challenge.
The text of the Home Minister’s statement is as under :
“Hon’ble
Prime Minister, Governor, Chief Ministers, Ministers, Lt. Governors,
Administrators, senior officials of the Central Government, senior officials of
the State Governments, Ladies and Gentlemen:
2. Seven months ago, I had welcomed you to
a similar conference on Internal Security.
That conference was held in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in
Mumbai. The whole nation was in a state
of shock and grief – and, I may add, anger.
The people of India looked to that conference for reassurance, for a
policy of zero tolerance, and for the promise of security. We deliberated for a whole day and we
concluded the conference with the pledge that we shall provide security to the
people of India. We acknowledged that
what lay ahead was hard work and more hard work to fulfill our pledge to the
people.
3. I warmly welcome you to the second
conference on Internal Security and I am deeply grateful to the Heads of the
State Delegations and senior officers for their kind presence. To the Hon’ble Prime Minister, I offer a
warm welcome and my profound thanks for graciously agreeing to inaugurate this
conference. We have chosen this day for
many reasons. Among them is my belief
that we should hold this conference early in the tenure of the new UPA government,
so that we can draft a work plan for the next five years. Another reason is that six months is a period
long enough to take stock of what has been accomplished since the last
conference. A third reason is that
amidst the other emerging challenges – drought in most parts of the country,
floods in some – we should remain focused on internal security.
4. In the last seven months the Central
Government has, with your co-operation and support, delivered on many
promises. There has been no terrorist attack
after the horrific crimes committed in Mumbai last November. We were able to hold the elections to
Parliament; they were orderly and peaceful, barring a few pre-meditated attacks
by naxalites. The Amarnath Yatra, spread
over 52 days ended without incident and 3,82,512 persons were able to complete
the pilgrimage. Independence Day 2009
passed off peacefully in all the States.
Yesterday, the World Badminton Championships came to an end without a
hitch, proving that India has the capacity to provide full security for
international sporting events.
5. Let me recall the three challenges to
internal security: firstly, terrorism; secondly, insurgency
in the North Eastern States; and thirdly, Left wing extremism or
naxalism. Each one of them shares many
characteristics with the other two; at the same time, each one of them is
significantly different from the other two.
We have one instrument to confront and defeat the three challenges, and
that is the police. In the final
analysis, it is the policeman and the policewoman who will help us win these
battles. To that policeman and
policewoman, this conference must send out a clear message that Government at
every level is duty bound to provide them every kind of support – monetary,
material and moral. Let us never forget
that more than any other branch of government, it is the police that has paid
the highest price in terms of human lives that have been lost. In the 7 ½ months of calendar 2009, 303 men
and women belonging to the police and paramilitary forces have laid down their
lives, and I know that you will join me in saluting their supreme sacrifice.
6. Let me briefly deal with the three
challenges, and I begin with terrorism.
It is a matter of satisfaction that eight months have passed since the
last terrorist attack. However, I hasten
to add that it does not mean that the threat of terror has vanished or receded. It is better intelligence and better
preparedness that have helped us thwart potential terror attacks. We have cracked several terror modules and
made several significant arrests, but the gravity of the threat is
undiminished. We cannot afford to lower our guard, and we shall not.
7. The second challenge is insurgency or
militancy. The security situation in
Jammu and Kashmir has shown perceptible improvement. Militancy has declined, even while
agitational politics is on the rise. The
Central Government has offered every support to the new State Government to maintain
law and order, focus on development, and find political solutions through
dialogue. In the North East, insurgency
remains a grave threat. In the last few
months we have refined our policy stance: the law will be applied strictly;
ceasefire agreements will be enforced in letter and spirit; and we will talk to
any group only if that group abjures
violence, lays down its arms and offers to surrender. I regret to say that I cannot report much
progress in the North Eastern States. At
times, we find that some State Governments have allowed themselves to bend
before insurgent groups, making the fight against insurgency that much more
difficult. I propose to hold discussions
with the State Governments concerned and draw up State-specific strategies to
deal with the insurgent groups in the three most affected States of Assam, Nagaland
and Manipur.
8. The third challenge is Left wing
extremism or naxalism. On more than one
occasion, the Prime Minister had rightly cautioned the nation that Left wing
extremism posed the “single biggest internal security challenge” to India. In the last few months, the CPI (Maoist) has
stepped up its attacks on the Indian State and on the Indian people. I would like to draw your attention to a document
put out by the CPI (Maoist) on June 12, 2009 which is titled “Post-Election
Situation – Our Tasks”. Anyone reading that document would have no illusion
about the nature and gravity of the threat.
Let me make our policy stance clear:
We believe in the two-pronged approach of development and police
action. However, the naxalites are
anti-development and have targeted the very instruments of development – school
buildings, roads, telephone towers etc.
They know that development will wean the masses, especially the poor
tribals, away from the grip of the naxalites.
Hence, these deliberate attacks on developmental activities. Our response therefore will be police action
to wrest control of territory that is now dominated by the naxalities,
restoration of civil administration and undertaking developmental activities –
in that order. Meanwhile, we will encourage
State Governments to talk to the naxalites – both individuals and local units –
on condition that they give up their misconceived “armed liberation struggle”. Let our message to the naxalities be
this: we will talk; we will act; we will
restore order; and we will undertake developmental activities. I am happy to report that all the naxal
affected States have resolved to confront and overcome the challenge of the CPI
(Maoist), and later this evening I shall hold a separate meeting with the Governor
and Chief Ministers of those States.
9. When I look back on the last seven
months, I find that our collective record has been a mixed one. Our best achievements have been in the
reiteration of our determination to fight terror; in the sharing of intelligence;
in the unanimous support for new laws and new instruments; and in acknowledging
that police reforms have been neglected for too long. On the other hand, there are still critical deficiencies
in budget allocations for the police, recruitment, training, procurement of
equipment, introduction of technology, and personnel management.
10. I may now turn to the tasks ahead,
especially the task of removing the deficiencies that I highlighted just now. While preparing for this conference, we had
circulated a questionnaire to the State Governments requesting them to indicate
the present status under a number of heads and on a number of issues. I regret
to point out that the response from the States is far from satisfactory, and I
am sure Chief Ministers would have reached more or less the same
conclusion. I therefore wish to list the
more important concerns so that the Heads of Delegation may, during their interventions,
address the conference on these issues.
·
The situation of vacant posts in the
police is quite alarming. As on January
1, 2008, 230,567 posts were vacant against the total sanctioned strength of the
States’ police forces, both civil and armed.
It is possible that the situation has improved since. State Governments may wish to highlight the
progress made in this regard.
·
With the setting up of the
Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) and S-MACs, intelligence sharing has improved, but
there is scope for improvement in intelligence gathering. At the last conference, we had circulated a
scheme for strengthening the State Special Branch (SSB). Some decisions have been taken at a meeting with
representatives of State Governments on July 2, 2009. State Governments may wish to address issues
like creation of a separate cadre for intelligence; filling the vacancies in
the SSB; revision of special branch manual; appointment of a dedicated
intelligence officer in each police station; and reactivating the beat
constable system.
·
While NSG hubs have been set up in four cities
and Special Forces units have been located in two cities, there is a need for
State Governments to raise and deploy their own special intervention units
(SIUs) and quick reaction teams (QRTs) in as many cities as possible. It is also necessary to put in place a clear
command structure in the case of a terrorist threat or terrorist attack. State Governments may wish to address the
conference on the steps taken in this behalf.
·
We had commended to the States the
idea of raising a State Industrial Security Force on the pattern of the Central
Industrial Security Force. There are
multiple benefits in raising such a force, and I would request State
Governments to respond to the suggestion.
·
There is a new focus on coastal
security and border management. However,
we are concerned about the slow pace of construction of coastal police
stations, outposts and check posts as well as border outposts (BoPs) along the
land border; constitution of State Maritime Boards, registration of vessels,
issue of ID cards to fishermen, and utilisation of interceptor speed boats. State Governments may wish to share their
thoughts on how the pace of implementation can be quickened and the gaps in
security plugged.
·
The Modernization of Police Forces
(MPF) scheme is being implemented since 2000-2001. A C&AG report made in January 2009 has
highlighted crucial deficiencies. I
request State Governments to share with us urgently the Action Taken Report on
the audit findings of the C&AG.
·
Police reforms have not received the
attention they deserve. The Supreme
Court has issued certain directions in the case of Prakash Singh and Others Vs Union
of India and has appointed the Justice Thomas Committee to monitor compliance
with those directions. I regret to point
out that many State Governments have not yet constituted the Police Establishment
Board. Nor have they fully complied with
the other directions. State Governments
may wish to share with us the steps taken by them in the matter of police
reforms.
11. Ladies and Gentlemen, we – the State
Governments and the Central Government – share an onerous responsibility. Nothing is more important to ensure the
welfare of the people than the assurance of security. And none can contribute more to this sense of
security than State Governments. You
have the constitutional power and responsibility in respect of matters relating
to ‘public order’ and ‘police’. However,
increasingly, jurists and the general public have emphasized the constitutional
duty of the Central Government to ‘protect every State against internal
disturbance’. Hence the need for the
Central Government and the State Governments to work together in a spirit of
partnership. I sincerely hope that we
can do so and not only declare at this conference our common resolve but also
demonstrate that we can agree on a common approach to overcome the challenges
to internal security. I shall now
request the Hon’ble Prime Minister to inaugurate this conference. Thank you.”
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OK/RS/KS
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Conference of Chief Ministers on Internal Security Inaugurated 
