The Parliamentary
Consultative Committee of the Union Home Ministry met here today
under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Minister, Shri L.K.
Advani and Deliberated exclusively on the modernization of State
Police Force keeping in view the maintenance of internal security
in the country. A detailed visual presentation on the subject
formed part of the deliberations. The one hour presentation highlighted
the need for strengthening the State Police Force and also the
Central Para Military Forces (CPMFs) in consonance with the recommendations
of the Group of Ministers, constituted after the Kargil episode.
Members were also informed that the review committee of the Ministry
of Home Affairs has recommended to raise the Centre’s share to
75% instead of the existing 50%. This will be in the form of 50%
grant and 25% loan so that it will be easier for the States to
bear the remaining 25% of the total expenditure for modernization.
The Review Committee functioning under a Special Secretary reviews
the situation every two years.
Members cutting
across party lines highly commended the Home Ministry’s efforts
to modernize the State Police and the CPMFs, as is needed in the
present internal security scenario. While appreciating the steps
taken to strengthen the State police Shri Somnath Chatterjee,
Shri Anadi Charan Sahu, Dr. P.C. Alexander, Shri Shivraj V. Patil
desired the Home Ministry to find out why some of the States are
not able to fully utilize the funds. The visual presentation giving
the break-up of utilization of Central Funds for modernization
of police said only seven states utilized 100% while another ten
states could utilize 80% and in two states the utilization was
above 50%. Many Members also wanted that the States should be
strictly told to utilize the money allocated by the Centre only
for the schemes of modernization, for which it has been granted.
Shri Holkhomang Haokip
and Shri S.K. Bwiswmuthiary raised the issue of setting up of
camps by militants groups like ULFA and the Kamta Puri Liberation
in Bhutan and continuously operating from those Bases. The Deputy
Prime Minister told the Members that these developments have received
the Government’s attention and the Home Ministry is seized of
the matter. Shri C.P. Thakur expressed great concern on the recent
developments in Bihar of the Maoists forces from across Nepal
trying to establish nexus with the People’s War Group which is
operating in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chattisgarh
and Jharkhand.
Some Members also
stressed on a uniform policy for transfer of police officers in
order to keep the morale of police force high. Frequent and indiscriminate
transfers of officers not only downs the morale of the force but
also makes it difficult for the officers to acclimatize themselves
with the ground situation. Shri Wangcha Rajkumar and Shri Holkhomang
Haokip stressed the need for more and more recruitment for local
youth in the para-military forces operating in North-Eastern States.
For this, they said, educational qualification and height of the
candidates should be relaxed. The Home Minister, Shri L.K. Advani
assured the Members that the matter will be looked into.
Today’s Consultative
Committee Meeting was attended by S/Shri S.K. Bwiswmuthiary; Holkhomang
Haokip; G.M. Banatwalla; Bishnu Pada Ray; Somnath Chatterjee;
Ali Mohd. Naik; Anadi Charan Sahu; Dr. C.P. Thakur; V. Dhananjay
Kumar; Dina Nath Mishra; Ram Gopal Yadav; S.V. Virumbi; Dr. Karan
Singh; Balbir K. Punj; and P.C. Alexander, Gulam Nabi Azad, Jayanta
Bhattcharya, Madan Lal Khuran, P.S.P. Singh Baghal, Shivraj V.
Patil, Ranee Narah, Anand Mohan Biswas and Shri Saiduzzaman. The
Ministers of State for Home, Shri Ch. Vidyasagar Rao and Shri
I.D. Swami also attended besides the Home Secretary, Heads of
all Para-military Forces and senior officers of the MHA.
