Modi govt gave permanent solution Naxalism, Northeast and J&K, says Shah at DG conference
Three hot spots that had become a “festering wound” for the country—Naxalism, Northeast, and Jammu & Kashmir— for the past 40 years
Three hot spots that had become a “festering wound” for the country—Naxalism, Northeast, and Jammu & Kashmir— for the past 40 years, have been given permanent solutions by the Narendra Modi government, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Friday. He further directed police and agencies across the country to launch a 360-degree attack on narcotics and organised crime.
“The Modi government provided a permanent solution to the three hotspots — Naxalism, the North-East, and Jammu & Kashmir. Very soon these regions will become like the rest of the country,” Shah said, in his inaugural address at the three-day DGP/IGP annual conference in Raipur.
According to a government statement, the home minister also said that “in the last seven years, the central government has strengthened the security grid by constructing 586 fortified police stations. As a result, the number of Naxal-affected districts has come down from 126 in 2014 to just 11 today”. “Union Home Minister expressed confidence that the country will be completely free from the menace of Naxalism before the next DGsP/IGsP Conference,” it added.
Senior officials, who are aware of the discussion in the conference, said that the issue of home grown terror, coastal security, biochemical terror attacks and its preparedness, drug smuggling via marine route and its links to terror are some of the key topics up for discussion during the next two days. The annual meeting this year is being held against the backdrop of the Delhi terror attack involving radicalised doctors, their use of suicide bombing, and busting of a module of terrorists planning a biochemical attack in Delhi and Gujarat.
Speaking about the government’s crackdown on terror networks and coordination between Centre and state, the home minister cited the example related to the proscribed Popular Front of India(PFI). “After the Centre banned the Popular Front of India (PFI), nationwide raids were conducted on their hideouts and arrests were made, which is an outstanding example of Centre-State coordination. He said that security forces and police are delivering strong blows to extremism, radicalisation and narcotics by focusing on three key aspects: accuracy of intelligence, clarity of objectives, and synergy in action,” the statement said.
During the event, Shah also called for launching a 360-degree attack on narcotics and organised crime, and building such a system that drug traffickers and criminals do not get “even an inch of space” in the country.
“The time has now come for state police forces to work together with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and strike hard at narcotics gangs operating at state, national and international levels, and put their masterminds behind bars,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Saturday proposed a dedicated G 20 initiative to combat the drug-terror nexus, emphasising that it has become a serious challenge for public health, global security and a major of financing terrorism. PM Modi proposed this initiative at the 20th G20 Summit at Johannesburg in South Africa. The Modi government has already set a goal to make India drug free by 2047.
At the inauguration of the three days conference in IIM Raipur, Shah spoke about the actionable steps taken by the Modi government for the complete elimination of Naxalism. PM Modi, who reached Raipur on Friday evening will participate in the conference on Saturday and Sunday.
