Holding that the international
border and the LoC in the west continue to remain vulnerable, Home Min P
Chidambaram has said new routes for infiltration appeared to have
opened via Nepal and Bangladesh.
Addressing a meeting of chief ministers on internal security in New Delhi
on Monday, he said thanks to radicalisation, many Indian groups have
acquired the capacity to carry out terror attacks and there was no
let-up in the attempts to strike terror wherever there was an
opportunity.
He
also said the state governments are at the front-line to defend
internal security. Chidambaram said an overview would lead to the
conclusion that violence had declined in 2011 but cautioned that behind
these figures lay a more worrying narrative - which is the spread and
the reach of some adversaries and their success in augmenting their
weaponry and their military capabilities.
"The
target is the Indian state and naturally, every constituent of the
Indian state and, in his offensive the adversary does not recognise
state borders. His organisation does not match states' territorial
jurisdictions. And he makes no distinction between the central
government and the state governments," he said.
Referring
to the two major terror attacks in 2011 -- the serial blasts in Mumbai
in July and the blast near the Delhi High Court in September, the Home
Minister said the chilling facts were that the principal suspects in the
two cases were Indian nationals.
They operated across states and many of them had no previous criminal record, the Home Minister said.
"I
have to conclude, regretfully, that thanks to radicalisation, there are
many Indian groups which have acquired the capacity to carry out terror
attacks," he said.
Chidmabaram
said, "The international border and the Line of Control in the west
continue to remain vulnerable. Every week has witnessed attempts to
infiltrate into India and new routes appear to have been opened via Nepal and Bangladesh."
However,
during his 20-minute speech, the Home Minister did not touch upon on
the proposed National Counter Terror Centre, opposed by several
non-Congress chief ministers, apparently due to the scheduled 5th May meeting which will deliberate on the controversial issue threadbare.
Describing
the left-wing extremism (LWE) as the "most formidable threat" to the
internal security, Chidambaram said the decline in the overall number of
casualties among civilians and security forces in LWE-affected
districts may give a false sense of assurance, but that is not the true
picture.
"The
challenge of LWE has been compounded by the capacity of the CPI(Maoist)
to promote a number of front organisations and win the support of civil
society groups. They use every instrument that is available in a
democracy -- from freedom of speech to bandhs to judicial remedies," he
said.
Chidambaram
said several urban areas have emerged as new centres of pro-Maoist
activities and there was a necessity to find ways and means to blunt the
propaganda offensive launched by the CPI(Maoist).
"Two
states are very badly affected, four states are affected and three
states are within the arc of influence of the CPI(Maoist). Assam
has emerged as the new theatre of Maoist activity. There are also
inputs about links of CPI(Maoist) with insurgent groups in Manipur and
Arunachal Pradesh," he said.
Referring
to the communal situation in the country, the Home Minister said though
the situation was peaceful and the graph of incidents is declining, yet
91 lives were lost in 2011 and 1908 persons were injured in local
communal conflicts.
"The
so-called cause was usually trivial, but there were also cases of
deliberate provocation. I urge state governments to remain vigilant,
impartial and firm," he said.
Chidambaram said the success stories of 2011 were the dramatic improvement in the internal security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and in the north eastern states.
"Two
factors seem to have turned the situation around-- first, the
effectiveness of the security forces and, secondly, our ability to reach
out to the adversaries and convince them that the Indian political
system allows space for every shade of opinion and has the capacity to
resolve differences through talks and other constitutional means," he
said.
The Home Minister said in Jammu and Kashmir, there was a peaceful and splendid summer and winter and record numbers of tourists and pilgrims were there.
In
the north eastern states, nearly all major groups are in talks with the
government and exuded confidence that 2012 would see further
advancement in bringing peace and development to these states, he said.
Chidambaram said in recent months, the security forces have made bold forays into hitherto forbidden territories such as Saranda Forest and Koel-Sankh in Jharkhand and Abuj-maad in Chhattisgarh.
However,
the results remain sub-optimal, especially in areas under the control
of area or zonal committees operating in Bihar-Jharkand-North
Chhattisgarh, Andhra-Odisha and Dandakaranya, he said, adding that jan
adalats and military training camps continue to be held with impunity.
"Economic
infrastructure and so-called police informers continue to be targeted.
Extortion is rampant. We have held frequent meetings with the DGPs and
senior police officers of the affected states. I find that there is
broad agreement on the two-pronged strategy of police action and
developmental work, but, I am afraid, our capacity to execute the plans
is not commensurate with the nature of the challenge," he said.
The
Home Minister said the Integrated Action Plan launched in November,
2010, with an outlay of Rs 3,300 crore over two years, has been an
outstanding success, thanks to the drive and determination shown by the
district administrations.
"Still,
we do not have the upper hand because there are not enough police
stations; not enough men, weapons and vehicles; not enough
infrastructure for the central armed police forces; not enough roads;
and not enough presence of the civil administration especially in the
health and education sectors," he said.
The
Home Minister said more work need to be done in the front and pledged
the cooperation of the central government in helping the states to
overcome the challenge of LWE.
Chidambaram
also referred to the unfinished tasks and sought the chief ministers'
cooperation in utilising the funds that are made available and
completing the projects.
"The
Modernisation of Police Force (MPF) scheme was allotted Rs 1,111 crore
in 2011-12, but we had to surrender Rs 311 crore because some states had
large unspent balances. For the current year, we have been able to
secure Rs 900 crore and I would urge state governments to address the
deficiencies in the implementation of the scheme to help me request the
Finance Minister for more funds," he said.
The
Home Minister said in 2011-12, under Security Related Expenditure (SRE)
and Security Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), the central government
released Rs 883.51 crore and Rs 185.82 crore, respectively.
Release
of funds and implementation can be more effective if proposals are
submitted at the beginning of the financial year and greater financial
and administrative powers are delegated to the director general of
police in the state, he said.
"I
have a vision of the overall security architecture that the country
needs and deserves. Some elements are in place, for example, the Multi
Agency Centre (MAC) and the Subsidiary MACs at the state capitals.
"NATGRID
(for acquiring individual information) is work in progress. CCTNS (for
tracking criminals), under implementation since 2010, has reached the
crucial milestone of selection of system integrator, but only 16 out of
35 states/UTs have completed the task," he said.
Chidambaram
said the development of Core Application Software (CAS) has been
completed, field testing is under way, and agreements have been signed
to establish nation-wide connectivity.
"The
sum of all these, I am afraid, is that while CCTNS is progressing, it
is 9 months behind schedule....Other elements have to be put in place to
complete the security architecture and I earnestly seek your
cooperation and support in that regard," he said.