Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the country’s security forces and police are delivering strong blows to extremism, radicalisation, and narcotics by focusing on three key aspects: accuracy of intelligence, clarity of objectives, and synergy in action.
Addressing the 60th Director Generals of Police (DGsP) and Inspector Generals of Police (IGsP) Conference in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, Shah referred to the Modi government’s firm actions against terrorism and extremism.
Advertisement
He said that after the Centre banned the Popular Front of India (PFI), nationwide raids were conducted at their hideouts and arrests were made—an outstanding example, he noted, of Centre–State coordination.
The Home Minister said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the conference has emerged as a key forum for resolving the country’s internal security challenges, ranging from identifying problems and challenges to formulating strategies and policies.
Referring to the actionable steps taken for the complete elimination of Naxalism, Shah said that in the last seven years the Centre has strengthened the security grid by constructing 586 fortified police stations. As a result, the number of Naxal-affected districts has reduced from 126 in 2014 to just 11 today.
He expressed confidence that the country will be completely free from the menace of Naxalism before the next DGP/IGP conference.
According to Shah, the country has been dealing with the problem of Naxalism for the last 40 years. He said that the Modi government has provided permanent solutions to the three major hotspots that had long troubled the nation — Naxalism, the North-East, and Jammu & Kashmir — and added that soon these regions will be at par with the rest of the country.
The Home Minister further said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been strengthened under the Modi government and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has been made more robust.
He added that once the three new criminal laws are fully implemented, policing in India will become among the most modern in the world.
Shah reiterated the need for a 360-degree attack on narcotics and organised crime, emphasising the need to build a system where drug traffickers and criminals are left with no space to operate.
He said the time has come for state police forces to work closely with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), strike hard at narcotics gangs operating at state, national, and international levels, and bring their masterminds to justice.