PM Modi moots ‘One Nation One Uniform’ for cops, says State Home Ministers Chintan Shivir is example of cooprtative federalism

NEW DELHI, Oct 28 (The CONNECT) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called for uprooting every form of Naxalism with guns or pens.

“They have to be uprooted to prevent them from misleading the youth of the country,” Modi said addressing the two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ of Home Ministers of States via video conferencing.

The Prime Minister warned that such forces are increasing their intellectual sphere to pervert the minds of coming generations. Invoking Sardar Patel, Modi said “We cannot allow any such forces to flourish” in the interest of the unity and integrity of the nation. He pointed out that such forces get significant international help.

The camp, being held at Surajkund - Haryana, is also being attended by  Home Secretaries and Director General of Police (DGPs) of the States, Director Generals of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Central Police Organisations (CPOs)

The Prime Minister highlighted that in the last eight years, the number of Naxal-affected districts in the country has come down significantly. “Be it Jammu and Kashmir or North East, today we are moving fast towards permanent peace. Now we have to focus on rapid development in all these sectors including infrastructure”, he said. 

Stating that the Chintan Shivir is a prime example of cooperative federalism, he said even though law and order are 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.

The Prime Minister emphasized 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 and the Police's reputation got a boost during the Corona period also, Modi 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 asked the gathering to consider a single uniform for the police of the states of the entire country. This will not only ensure quality products due to the scale but also will give a common identity to law enforcement as citizens will recognize police personnel anywhere in the country. States can have their number or insignia.

“One Nation, One Police Uniform - I am just putting forward this as a thought for your consideration”, he said. Similarly, he emphasised the need to think about developing special capabilities for tourism-related policing. He said tourists are the biggest and fastest ambassadors of the reputation of any place.

The Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of sensitivity and the need to develop a personal touch. He gave examples of calls by police during the pandemic to help people, especially senior citizens. The Prime Minister also asked to strengthen Human Intelligence along with technological intelligence as this can not be ignored. The Prime Minister also emphasised the need to stay alert against the new challenges that are emerging in the wake of India’s growing stature.

Pointing out the possibilities of social media, the Prime Minister said that one should not limit it to being the source of information. He said that a piece of single fake news has the capability to snowball into a matter of national concern. The Prime Minister lamented the losses that India had to face due to fake news about job reservations in the past. He stressed the need to educate people about analysing and verifying any piece of information before forwarding it to people. “We have to come up with technological advancement to prevent the spreading of fake news”, he added. The Prime Minister also threw light on the need for civil defence in the country and urged the firefighters and the police to conduct drills in schools and colleges so that the students get acclaimed to the idea.