Sonia for tougher law against violence in the name of religion and caste

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was not convinced about its present form, had also suggested changes to make it tougher for those instigating caste and communal violence. The draft Bill would be ready soon with the changes.

Mr. Chidambaram said it was not acceptable to hear news of communal and caste violence even after several years of Independence. It could not be digested if the violence happened in the land where great leaders such as Periyar, Anna, Kamaraj lived and preached the ideals of social and communal harmony.

The proposed law would play a lead role in preventing violence. It would enable law enforcers to take stringent measures against those instigating and organising communal violence.

Czechoslovak couple attacked on Puri beach

While there is good electrification in one part of the beach, the other part is completely dark. This part of the beach is absolutely unsafe for tourists. The local government is blindfolded to all these issues. People of Orissa need to elect honest and able leaders to address these issues. Because here politicians bring nasty politics in between everything. They don't care when people suffer.

The development of our nation is to a large extent the responsibility of our teachers.

I am especially happy to be amongst the academic fraternity of Jammu and Kashmir. On any such occasion, I recall my early days as a teacher as well as a student. It is my belief that there is no profession nobler than teaching. The development of our nation is to a large extent the responsibility of our teachers. I salute the entire teaching fraternity today. Those engaged in imparting higher education often have to work in adverse conditions, which include insufficient funds, inadequate infrastructure and other difficulties.

Our young women and men are the future of our country and we have high expectations from them. You are in a vibrant India which is ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow. My generation would not have even dreamt of the opportunities and convenience of technology available in the country today. I am of the firm opinion that in the years to come the avenues available for your intellectual, emotional, cultural and professional development will multiply manifold in a new, strong Jammu and Kashmir and India.

As a result of our efforts, Rail services have commenced in the Kashmir valley. Work is on full swing to provide rail connectivity to Banihal pass and the difficult terrain ahead of it. The Mughal road has been opened for single lane traffic now and nearly half of the work is complete for its double laning. As far as power generation is concerned, I am happy that the 450 megawatt Baglihar-I power project has been commissioned. The Centre has decided to link Ladakh with the National grid and the Union Cabinet has given a go ahead to the Rs. 473 crore Ladakh Renewable Energy Initiative. All 14 degree colleges sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s economic reconstruction programme have started working. Six out of nine ITIs for girls have been completed. Thousands of employment opportunities have been generated in the Central Para Military forces, under National Rural Health Mission, in Railways and in many other government departments. But I believe that there is still more to be done.

However, there are a handful of people who do not want any political process for empowering people to succeed. This is the reason that attempts to disturb the lives of the people in the valley still continue from across the line of control. Whenever such incidents happen, they spread terror and cause disruption in the life of people. Our security agencies are forced to act in the wake of such incidents. During the process sometimes innocent civilians have to suffer, but whenever such incidents happen it becomes necessary to act against those responsible for them. I am aware of some complaints related to human rights. On this issue, the Government policy is to protect the human rights of the people even when dealing with terrorism. The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been strictly instructed to respect the rights of the civilians. We will act to remove any deficiency in the implementation of these instructions.

 


 

The time has now come to revisit the whole process of the judiciary, whole process of investigation, whole process of laws

'There shouldn't only be reactions and talking, but a consistent system of law, justice and also preventive methods,' Moily said to NDTV channel. 

'I would say that the time has now come to revisit the whole process of the judiciary, whole process of investigation, whole process of laws,' asserted Moily. 

The law minister said there was 'no fear of law, no fear of wrongdoing, sometimes deliberately or by their own omissions'. 

'Culprits should be punished and victims should be compensated properly...Comprehensive stand-alone law is needed for this,' he said.

Moily said the verdict on Bhopal gas tragedy was a 'case of justice not being delayed but being buried'.

'The anguish among people is natural, we need to take this further and bring this to a logical end,' he said.  

'This reflects the integrity of the investigating officer. The Investigating officer has his own powers. He shouldn't worry about interference with other bodies. I hold him responsible and culpable. The officers should discharge their duties properly,' Moily said hitting back at the retired official's statement. 

We are ready to talk to representatives of every section who are opposed to terrorism and violence

"We want the talks process to move forward. We are ready to talk to representatives of every section who are opposed to terrorism and violence," Manmohan Singh said while addressing a convocation of an agricultural university here.

Making a fresh offer of talks to those in Jammu and Kashmir who shun violence, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said attempts continued to be made from “across the Line of Control” to cause disturbances in the State.

“Meaningful talks between the two countries, which can lead to a resolution of old issues, are possible only when Pakistan doesn’t let its territory to be used for acts of terror against India,” Dr. Singh said.

Talking in the context of Pakistan, the Prime Minister said, “Today, I would like to say to our neighbours across the Line of Control that they should help in creating an environment in which people from both the sides can live in peace and harmony and work together.”

Referring to his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in Thimphu last month, he said “both the countries accepted that there is trust deficit between us” and they agreed that “this distance” must be reduced.

He said Mr. Gilani had assured him that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used for terrorist activities against India.

 

 

Let not criticism – sometimes justified, often unjustified -- deter or demoralise you

Chhattisgarh is going through a difficult time. In the last 8 weeks, there have been 28 major incidents of violence in this State. Many lives have been lost; many more have been injured. I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and I pray for the recovery of the injured. I wish to tell the people of Chhattisgarh that, in this period of difficulty, the Central Government stands by you. We are ready and willing to render all assistance possible in order that Chhattisgarh will be able to overcome the challenges to the security of its people.

Policing a country of over 1.1 billion people is not an easy task. Policing a country in a troubled neighbourhood makes the task more difficult. And policing a country with insufficient police stations and inadequate and ill-equipped police forces makes the task almost formidable. Today, therefore, I wish to share with you some thoughts on the state of policing in India and ask you, in this Congress spread over three days, to reflect on the subject.

Let me begin with the size of the State police forces. I shall use broad and approximate numbers. According to figures given to the Central Government, the total number of sanctioned posts as on March 31, 2010, in all ranks, is about 21 lakhs. Of these, about 3,35,000 posts are vacant. Thus, the police: population ratio for the whole country is about 160 per 100,000 persons. This ratio, much lower than the international norm, conceals more than it reveals. It is an average. In a State like Bihar the number is about 75; in UP it is about 115; in Andhra Pradesh it is about 125; in Orissa it is about 135; in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, two States most affected by Left Wing Extremism, the number is about 205.

Further, the distribution of the police force among the police stations is badly skewed. First of all, there are not enough police stations. Even where there is a police station, the strength of the police force in a station is often no more than 20 persons. In some of the districts most affected by Left Wing Extremism, the police station exists only in name. I do not wish to name the States or the police stations but, believe me, there are police stations where the Station House has been blown up; there are police stations where there are no more than 8 men; and even these 8 or less men do not hold any weapons for fear of the weapons being looted. You will recall the case of Lalgarh police station in district West Midnapore in West Bengal. That police station was closed – and locked from the inside – for several months until the CRPF ‘liberated’ it.

Let me turn to the training imparted to our police forces in the States. Most States have barely sufficient capacity to impart basic training to newly recruited constables. It is not often realised that the capacity of the training institutes limits the number of constables that can be recruited in any year in that State. The result is that States are barely able to recruit the number of policemen and women necessary to fill vacancies that arise due to normal attrition – retirement, resignation, disablement or death. How will States be able to add to the net strength of their Police Forces? Unless capacity is increased manifold, States will not be able to fill the huge number of vacancies – estimated at 3,35,000 – and increase their sanctioned strength. Hence, the first order of business is to enhance the capacity of training institutes in the States to at least double the present capacity and to recruit at least double the number of policemen and women that are being recruited, at present, every year.

Even if the States do that, that would only take care of basic training. That basic training is not adequate to meet the new challenges to security such as terrorism, insurgency and Left Wing Extremism. Besides, specialised schools are necessary to train the police forces in forensic investigation, detective training, intelligence gathering, cyber crime and so on. I do not find States addressing these new and growing requirements. So far as the Central Government is concerned, in order to assist the State Governments, we have decided to set up one Central Academy for Police Training (CAPT) with a capacity to train 2,600 personnel; two Central Detective Training Schools (CDTS), each with a capacity to train 400 personnel; and twenty Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorist Schools (CIAT) each with a capacity to train 1,000 personnel, in a year. While CAPT and CDTS will take some time to be established, three CIAT schools are operational and twelve more are likely to be completed in the current year. You will note that all of the above adds to a total training capacity of 23,400 personnel per year, and that is hardly sufficient for a force level of nearly 21 lakhs for all the States put together. Obviously, more needs to be done, and this can be done only if the States set apart more resources for augmenting training capacity.

The Central Government had also urged the States to adopt the salient recommendations of the National Police Commission. Some of these recommendations, I may remind you, are mandatory by an order of the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, the progress is halting. Let me take three recommendations: enactment of a new Police Act based on the Model Police Act; constitution of a State Police Establishment Board and setting up a Police Complaints Board. Only twelve States have enacted a new Police Act, only fourteen States have constituted the Police Establishment Board and only ten States have set up the Police Complaints Board. I am afraid there is a long distance to go before we can say that the States have implemented the recommendations of the National Police Commission.

I shall conclude my remarks with a brief reference to technology. Technology is the best force multiplier. It also relieves police personnel from routine and repetitive chores and allows them to concentrate on tasks that require application of intelligence, analysis, forecasting and planning. Technology can be inducted quickly into functions such as surveillance, communication, data management, inventory management and personnel management. Advanced technologies are available and can be used for data collation and correlation, data mining, analysis and prediction. Towards these objectives, the Central Government is implementing, in collaboration with the State Governments, the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project that will lay the basic framework and provide the connectivity throughout the country. NATGRID will employ advanced technology and help take the quality of policing to a higher level. And when the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) is set up, that body will also induct very advanced technologies into its processes and functions.

I am conscious of the fact that what I have stated so far is not an exposition of any subject that would qualify as a ‘science’. It may be more appropriate to describe the matters on which I have spoken as belonging to the realm of ‘commonsense’. Later today, and in the next two days, you will discuss matters relating to modernisation, counter terrorism, Left Wing Extremism, data management and future policing. I want you to know that despite criticism from every quarter – from hapless citizen to arm chair pundit, from defence lawyer to learned judge, from political parties to civil society organisations and from editorial writers to television anchors – you should be proud to wear your uniform and perform your duties. Because, when hit by a crisis or a tragedy, everyone – and I mean everyone -- turns to the police. More often than not the presence of a policeman is reassuring. More often than not the deployment of the police force restores law and order and security. More often than not the policeman turns out to be a friend and protector. And, let us remember, in a conflict situation, the person most likely to make the supreme sacrifice is a policeman. Therefore, let not criticism – sometimes justified, often unjustified -- deter or demoralise you. Your obligation is to the law. As long as you enforce the law, uphold human rights, use no more than the minimum force that is necessary, and act without fear or favour you can hold your head high as a member of the police force.

We will ensure that this great, liberal and plural nation of ours is not weakened by hatred and bigotry

"We will ensure that this great, liberal and plural nation of ours is not weakened by hatred and bigotry."

“In a farsighted move, one that will benefit both present and future generations, Parliament is also currently debating legislation that will give our citizens the right to a safe and healthy environment.”

“We are firmly committed and have a strong resolve to ensure that the benefits of the programmes
being run by the government reach the poorest of the poor in a transparent manner.”

People of Uttar Pradesh had rejected politics based on religion pursued by the BJP and caste politics pursued by the Samajwadi Party and the BSP.

Mr. Gandhi said the State people had rejected politics based on religion pursued by the BJP and caste politics pursued by the Samajwadi Party and the BSP. “U.P. of the last 20 years has to change,” he said.

Mr. Gandhi also pointed out that U.P. was the biggest power-bloc in India and if it prospered, the nation would progress.

“U.P. has the power to change the equations in the country, but the first step is to enforce a change in the State.”

It's misfortune that Rahul is being criticized for taking all the positive steps.

It has become a usual practice of opposition parties to criticise Rahul Gandhi for anything and everything. It's misfortune that Rahul is being criticized for taking all the positive steps. He is criticized for visiting dalit homes; he is criticized for visiting poor, etc. In this matter he is being criticized for the affairs of a state. Is he the Chief Minister of Haryana! By the way what more should Rahul do to prove his support for Dalits! BJP should dig its own soul and see how the factors that spread hatred ness among various communities are present in its organisation.