The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has initiated the following measures to enhance our human asset capabilities:
Long-term police recruitment plan: We have appointed a panel to draw up a Police Recruitment Plan, 2009-2020, in order to assess the growing needs, at the officer level, of all the police forces — state police forces, Central Police Organisations (CPOs) and Central Para-Military Forces (CPMFs) — after taking into account the expansion plans that are underway. As on January 1, 2009, there was a gap of 557 officers in the Indian Police Service (IPS) cadre, which, as the home minister recently noted, is entirely due to the neglect by the NDA government in the period 1998-2004. For example, in 1998, when L K Advani was the home minister, the recruitment target for the IPS cadre was mysteriously slashed from 85 to 36. The same number of 36 was repeated in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001. As a result, grave and irreparable damage was done. The home ministry has since noted that “reckoning of vacancies due to retirement, etc was sketchy and, prima facie, erroneous” and that “no attempt was made to take into account the expansion of the police forces, including CPMFs and CPOs”. The Congress party will ensure that this deficiency is addressed decisively once and for all, after the panel submits its report by May 31, 2009. The full plan will be built around the 15 micro-missions that have been identified by the National Police Mission. The micro-missions will be achieved according to the timelines drawn up by the National Police Mission within a period of five years.
A comprehensive review of VIP/VVIP security: A disproportionate share of our elite highly-trained security forces is deployed to protect VIPs and VVIPs. The resources committed to provide such security cover have increased manifold over the last decade, straining our security forces and diluting their availability and effectiveness to fight terrorism. In the next term, the Congress party commits to direct a comprehensive review of the entire subject of VIP/VVIP security, make amendments as required, and ensure that the highly trained security forces are deployed in fighting terror. The review will be completed within six months and alternative arrangements for providing security to threatened individuals will be put in place.
Actionable intelligence and cutting-edge analytics: As the prime minister noted at the Chief Ministers’ Conference on January 6, 2009, one of the crucial priorities to fight new-age terrorism is better analysis of the information and conversion of this into actionable intelligence. To achieve this objective, it is critical that the government, both at the Centre and the states, has access to data as well as to the capabilities and tools to analyse the data in a manner that strengthens the anti-terror efforts.
A world-class National Security Database: The Congress will ensure that we have a world-class integrated national security database that can be accessed by the security agencies as required and is interoperable with other relevant databases, so that all terror threats can be detected and acted upon in a timely manner. This will greatly enhance both our preventive and our response capabilities. Work is in progress to establish a National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID). The goal of NATGRID will be to achieve quick, seamless and secure access to desired information for intelligence/enforcement agencies in India. The user agencies and the databases have been identified. The NATGRID programme will be delivered in three phases within a period of two years.
Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS): The Congress pledges to establish a new Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System with the objective of improving police functioning, data storage and retrieval, tracking of progress of criminal investigations and prosecutions, and delivery of citizen-centric services through effective use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It is being implemented as a Plan scheme and will be completed by 2011-12.
Cutting-edge tools to develop better and more actionable intelligence: The Congress pledges to ensure that our national security agencies have access to the best available analytical tools to assess anti-terror data. State-of-the-art technologies will be made available to our security agencies through indigenous effort or procurement.
Citizens’ campaign to overcome terror: Our campaign to engage citizens will include elements such as: (a) Conducting an education and information campaign to motivate citizens to identify and report suspicious activities. (b) Rolling out a “survival training programme” to citizens across high-risk states and cities. (c) Providing a common toll-free number throughout the country where citizens can call to provide information on suspicious persons or suspicious activities. (d) Providing tools to communities (such as mobile phones to seafaring fishermen) so they can keep security agencies informed of any suspicious terror-related activities.
Empowered and coordinated security agencies: A number of agencies and forces are in the frontline of protecting the security of the country. Each one has been assigned defined responsibilities. The Congress party will ensure that each one will own accountability. Inter-agency collaboration will be a cardinal principle of governance.
(Excerpts from the paper on ‘Protecting India from Terror’, released by Home Minister P Chidambaram on behalf of the Congress party on April 7, 2009)
