New Delhi, September 16
President Pratibha Patil today said the Centre and the state governments would have to deal firmly with those who follow the “gun culture”.
Inaugurating a two-day conference of Governors of all states here, being held to take stock of the internal security situation in the country, Patil was candid, straight and minced no words when she called it a matter of “serious concern”
The Centre and state governments have to jointly adopt a multi-pronged conflict-management and conflict-resolution strategy, she said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, defence minister AK Antony and home minister Shivraj Patil were among those listening carefully to her at the conference.
The President went on to describe the battle against terrorism, left-wing extremism and insurgency as major challenges before the country.
Patil, without naming Pakistan, said trans-border elements poses a threat to our security and integrity. Left-wing extremism is fast becoming a monstrous problem, she said.
The President, who is also Supreme Commander of the armed forces, recalled her visit to Tangdhar in J and K where security personnel were guarding the border in a hostile environment.
The operational efficiency needed constant upgradation. She expressed pride in the ability of the security forces to defend the country from inimical forces.
Keeping abreast with changing times, the President said the need was to modernise the police force with greater investment in cyber and technical intelligence,
communication systems and forensic capabilities.
She referred to the much-debated institutional mechanism for seamlessly sharing intelligence on a real-time basis to foil the attempts of terrorists and naxalites.
The President also called for consideration the suggestion if the ex-servicemen with experience in handling inimical forces,could be enlisted to increase the number of policemen.
Some of the affected states, particularly in the North-East, faced a deficit in the sanctioned strength of constabulary.
Insufficient number of police stations affected police outreach. Fund allocations for security forces by states had stagnated or grown marginally. All this had had a crippling effect on the efficacy of the law and order machinery, opined the President.
The President adviced the Governors that they discussed the operational effectiveness of border management measures.
The Governors were asked to be more analytical in their monthly reports, saying in some cases the these were merely “ narrative and statistical.”
