Haryana, Oct 28, 2022, By Special Correspondent
Surajkund (Haryana), Oct 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday came up with an idea of "One Nation, One Uniform" for police, but made it amply clear that it is just a suggestion, implying law and order is a state subject.
"States can have their number or insignia," he said at a "Chintan Shivir" of state home ministers through video-conferencing.
Modi took the opportunity to warn of forces that are increasing their intellectual sphere to push the youth towards extremism and pervert the minds of coming generations.
"Every form of Naxalism, be it the one with guns or the one with pens, have to be uprooted to prevent them from misleading the youth of the country," he said.
Addressing the gathering on Delhi's outskirts, the Prime Minister complimented the preparations of the law and order personnel for a peaceful atmosphere during the festival season.
He said that the Chintan Shivir is a prime example of cooperative federalism.
The Prime Minister said even though law and order is the responsibility of the states as per the constitution, they are equally related to the unity and integrity of the country.
“Every state should learn from each other, take inspiration from each other, work for the betterment of the country, this is the spirit of the constitution and it is also our responsibility towards the countrymen”, he said.
Referring to the ongoing Amrit Kaal, the Prime Minister said that during the Amrit Kaal, an Amrit generation will emerge carrying the essence of the ‘Panch Pran’. “‘The Panch Pran’ must be the guiding force for good governance,”' he said.
The PM said that when the strength of the country increases, then the power of every citizen and every family in the country will get a boost.
“This is good governance where benefits reach even the last person standing in the queue in every state," he said as he emphasised the link between the law and order system and the development of the states.
“It is very important for the entire law and order system to be reliable. Its trust and perception among the public are very important”, he pointed out.
He noted the growing identity of NDRF and SDRF during times of natural calamities.
Similarly, the arrival of police at the spot of a crime is taken as the arrival of the government. The reputation of police got a boost during the Corona period also, the Prime Minister said.
He stressed that there is no dearth of commitment and perception of the police needs to be further strengthened. Guiding them in this regard should be our ongoing process, he emphasised.
The Prime Minister pointed out that crime is no longer localised and instances of interstate, international crimes are going up. That is why mutual cooperation between state agencies and between central and state agencies is becoming crucial.
He pointed out, whether it is cybercrime or the use of drone technologies for the smuggling of weapons or drugs, the government needs to keep working towards new technologies to tackle the menace.
“The law and order system can be improved with the help of smart technology”, the Prime Minister remarked.
He said 5G, along with its benefits, brings the need for a heightened alert and requested the Chief Ministers and Home Ministers to seriously assess the need for technology, going beyond the constraints of the budget as this technology will percolate the confidence of security among common citizens.
The Prime Minister mentioned the Police Technology Mission of the Central Government and he stressed the need for a common platform as differing technologies of different states do not talk to each other.
“We should have a pan India outlook, all our best practices should be interoperable and should have a common link, '' he said.
He asked the state agencies to develop capabilities in forensic science and take full advantage of the National Forensic Sciences University of Gandhinagar.
Highlighting the reforms, the Prime Minister said that several reforms for strengthening the law and order system have taken place in the last few years that have helped maintain a peaceful environment in the country. “Maintaining law and order is a 24x7 job," he remarked.
In concluding the address, the Prime Minister requested the participants to seriously study the suggestions that have emerged from the DGP conferences over the years.
The Chintan Shivir is an endeavour of the Centre to provide a national perspective to policy formulation on internal security-related matters, in accordance with the Panch Pran announced by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech.
The Shivir, in the spirit of cooperative federalism, is expected to bring more synergy in planning and coordination between various stakeholders at the centre and state levels.
Most of the non-BJP chief ministers holding the charge of their Home Departments on Thursday skipped the 'Chintan Shivir'.
Non-BJP chief ministers holding the home portfolios who did not attend the meeting on Thursday include Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Naveen Patnaik (Odisha), M K Stalin (Tamil Nadu) and Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan).
Only two non-BJP chief ministers, Punjab's Bhagwant Mann and Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, attended the conference chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. While Mann belongs to the Aam Aadmi Party, Vijayan is from the CPI-M.