Partnership with Washington has deepened, with progress across all areas of relationship and India looks forward to intensifying this engagement during the second term of President Barack Obama.
Expressing commitment to dealing with Left Wing Extremism in a comprehensive manner, the President said the government was pursuing a two-pronged approach of conducting "proactive and sustained" operations against extremists and focusing attention on development and governance issues in extremist affected areas.
A new scheme for construction and strengthening of 400 police stations has been started in the affected areas. The first phase of the plan for improving road connectivity in 34 most affected districts at a cost of Rs 7,300 crore is likely to be completed by March, 2015, he said.
He acknowledged that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East has shown a "perceptible improvement".
The number of tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir has increased from 8.99 lakh in 2011 to 12.37 lakh in 2012. Compared with 2011, the number of fatalities in incidents of terrorist violence in 2012 declined by nearly half, he said.
