by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics

Rajnath Singh
Raipur : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday expressed confidence over eliminating naxalism in the coming three-five years and asked Maoists to join the mainstream by surrendering under the rehabilitation policy for them.
“Naxalism will end in next three to five years. The surrender process is continuous and the government has decided to make the rehabilitation policy more effective,” he told reporters here during his two-day election campaigning in Chhattisgarh.
Rajnath Singh said Maoism was going through its last phase and that it had been reduced from ninety districts to only ten or eleven districts of the country.
He said earlier the killing of security personnel was more but the number of casualty of Maoists has increased with forces having an upper hand.
The Minister appealed to the Maoists to shun the path of violence and surrender, assuring them of providing benefits of rehabilitation policy being pursued by the government.
The Minister mocked at the Congress for not declaring its Chief Ministerial candidate in Chhattisgarh, saying “Congress is moving ahead with a marriage procession without the groom”.
“The Congress as well as all opposition political parties have been currently facing a crisis of credibility. The Congress has lost its inherent strength which is the base of any political party. This is the reason the Congress hasn’t so far announced its Chief Ministerial candidate (in Chhattisgarh),” he said.
Congress, which is seeking to end 15 years of BJP rule in Chhattisgarh, has so far not declared its Chief Ministerial candidate in the state that will go for the second phase of Assembly polls in 72 of the 90 constituencies on November 20 to elect a new Assembly. The first phase concluded on November 12.
Calling Congress manifesto a “postdated cheque”, the Minister said: “the Congress recently launched its manifesto. What is the purpose of launching the manifesto when a political party has lost its faith in public and there is no credibility of its promises.”
Rajnath Singh said the faith of people in the state has increased in Bharatiya Janata Party and its Chief Minister Raman Singh.
“I am saying it on the basis of reading the mood of people after the first phase of Assembly elections and attending three public meetings on Wednesday. Generally, credibility of crisis arises among people against any political party or the Chief Minister who work for long time. But there is a reverse impact in Chhattisgarh. Despite working for 15 years, people’s faith has increased for Raman Singh.”
Rajnath Singh said that Raman Singh’s government has done a wonderful work in Chhattisgarh since 2003.
“Chhattisgarh’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has risen to more than 3.25 lakh crore from around 39,000 crore in 2003. This is not a small thing.”
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday to inaugurate two pilot projects of “smart” border fencing built under the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) programme.
He will also visit the forward areas near the International Border (IB) in Jammu.
“Leaving for Jammu on a day long visit. Shall inaugurate two pilot under CIBMS in Jammu sector and also visit the forward areas near the International Border,” the Minister tweeted before his departure.
The two projects, each covering a 5.5 km-border stretch along the IB in Jammu, are set to get a first-of-a-kind high-tech surveillance system that will create an invisible electronic barrier on land, water and even in air and underground, helping the Border Security Force (BSF) detect and foil infiltration bids in the most difficult terrains.
CIBMS involves deployment of a range of state-of-the-art surveillance technologies — thermal imagers, infra-red and laser-based intruder alarms that form an invisible land fence, aerostats for aerial surveillance, unattended ground sensors that can help detect intrusion bids through tunnels, radars, sonar systems to secure riverine borders, fibre-optic sensors and a command and control system that shall receive data from all surveillance device in real time.
The programme is a more robust border management system which is seamlessly integrating modern technology with human resource, a Home Ministry official said.
“Based on integrated border management system, this virtual fence would be first of its kind initiative in India,” said the official.
The officer said the CIBMS is designed to guard stretches where physical surveillance is not possible either due to inhospitable terrain or riverine borders.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : A committee of secretaries, formed to deliberate and make recommendations for a separate law to deal with the incidents of lynching, has submitted its report to Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, officials said on Wednesday.
The panel headed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba consulted a cross-section of society and other stakeholders before submitting the report to the GoM, a Home Ministry official requesting anonymity said.
The GoM, which includes External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot, will examine the recommendations and submit its report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The committee was formed by the government post a Supreme Court verdict in mid-July to examine ways to crack down on rising incidents of lynchings and mob violence across the country. The apex court had said it is the “responsibility of the government to protect the citizens”.
The apex court had asked the government to examine bringing out a separate law to crack down on such offences so that it can instil a sense of fear in the perpetrators.
The details of the report have not been made public since the GoM is yet to consider it, the official said, adding the panel has explored the possibility of treating lynchings as a separate offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or making a separate law for the same.
In separate discussions with the Home Ministry earlier this week, the Law Ministry had examined the matter and felt that treating the offence under a separate section in the IPC, which would define mob lynching, could be an immediate step to begin with.
“A final decision on the new law will be taken at the level of the Prime Minister once the GoM forwards its suggestions to him,” the official said.
The panel, which includes secretaries of the departments of Justice, Legal Affairs, and Social Justice and Empowerment as its members, was formed by the Union Home Ministry in the wake of lynchings that claimed over 35 lives in nine states in the past one year.
In July, the Home Ministry issued advisories to states and Union territories following the Supreme Court’s directive to check incidents of lynching.
The Centre asked the states to appoint an officer in each district at the level of Superintendent of Police, set up a special task force to gather intelligence, and closely monitor social media contents to prevent mob attacks on suspicion of being child-lifters or cattle smugglers.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said a bill to amend the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act, approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, will be introduced in Parliament in the ongoing session for consideration and passage.
The Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, asked why the ordinance route was not adopted in this “important” case when the government brought six ordinances in several other bills.
“I am surprised… I don’t know why the members are raising this issue now. I think they are aware and they have the knowledge that the Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill,” Rajnath Singh said in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour.
He said the country knew that the Supreme Court had diluted the SC/ST Act through its ruling that a preliminary enquiry was required to arrest any person even under the SC/ST Act meant for preventing atrocities against those covered under the Act.
“The Prime Minister had said if there is any dilution in the Act, we will bring a bill. And there is no if and but in it, he (Modi) had promised. He also said the government will not allow dilution of SC/ST Act,” Singh said.
“We will introduce the Bill in this session of Parliament to make it a law.”
Kharge, who raised the issue during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, said: “Four months have passed but no action has been taken by the government to nullify the Supreme Court order, which was a dilution of the SC/ST Act. They brought six ordinances, but why no ordinance in such an important matter.”
Kharge pointed out ordinances were brought in Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) bill, National Sports University bill, Homeopathy Central Council (Amendment) bill, Fugitive Economic Offenders bill, Criminal Law (Amendment) bill and Commercial Courts, Commercial Division, Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Amendment) bill.
“Atrocities against SC/ST are increasing in the country. Bring a bill tomorrow, and we will pass,” said Kharge.
“The government has not done anything to nullify the Supreme Court order. You bring ordinances for every small issue, why didn’t you bring an ordinance for this issue,” he said.
The Home Minister’s remarks come a day after the Union Cabinet decided to restore a provision of the SC/ST Act allowing the arrest of accused persons without a preliminary enquiry or prior approval that was struck down by the Supreme Court.
The preamble of the amendment says that the decision to arrest or not to arrest cannot be taken away from the investigating officer, a power given under the Criminal Procedure Code in which there is no provision for a preliminary enquiry.
Under the new provision, no preliminary enquiry will be required for registering FIRs against the accused and arrest of persons accused under the SC/ST Act and this will not require any approval.
The provision of anticipatory bail shall not be available to the accused notwithstanding any court judgment.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The Centre on Tuesday said the Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Rifles have been sensitised to ensure that members of the Rohingya Muslim minority do not enter the country and states have been asked to enumerate and confine those who have immigrated illegally.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha during Question Hour that his Ministry had issued an advisory to the states in February concerning the Rohingya.
“The BSF and Assam Rifles have been fully sensitised to ensure that Rohingyas are not able to enter,” Rajnath Singh replied to a query posed by a Shiv Sena member.
He said Rohingyas have, however, entered the country in “large numbers”.
“It should not happen that the Rohingyas spread out and stay wherever they want,” he said, adding that the states have been advised to prepare their “biography” (profiles) and take biometrics.
“The advisory also says that their movement should also be monitored and the states should be fully alert,” the Minister added.
Rajnath Singh said the state governments have the right to deportation under the Foreigners Act.
“We have requested the state governments that after identification and enumeration of the Rohingyas, they should send the information to the Central government. Once we get this information, we will share it with the External Affairs Ministry. The ministry will talk to the Myanmar authorities and try to deport them,” the minister said.
Earlier, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said Rohingyas were illegal migrants and there was no question of the government giving them any facilities.
“We will first take care of Indian citizens, take care of their rights. We are not here to take care of illegal migrants,” he said.
Answering another query, Rijiju said Jammu and Kashmir has the largest number of Rohingyas followed by Hyderabad. They were also present in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and some other places.
“We have taken firm steps that they do not become a threat to the country’s security and become a burden in the future,” he added.
Referring to the issue of ration cards, he said the government has not allowed the move and “if registration has taken place in a fake manner, action will be taken”.
He said every state and union territory should ensure that Rohingyas do not get a legal document.
Regarding border fencing, Rijiju said: “There is no fencing with Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, China. We have a different agreement with every country.”
The minister said about 10 lakh Rohingyas in Bangladesh have not been able to enter India due to steps taken by the government.
Trinamool Congress member Sugata Bose said he was saddened by the reply of the Home Minister and noted that India has 40,000 Rohingya refugees while there were over 9 lakh in Bagladesh.
Noting that the government was carrying out “Operation Insaniyat” (Operation Humanity) in Bangladesh, he asked if Centre will give shelter to all persecuted people, specially refugees.
Rijiju said he was “surprised and saddened” by Bose’s remarks, saying that despite India not being a signatory to the UN convention on refugees, millions of them were still staying in the country.
The minister said India has a tradition of receiving persecuted people but that does not mean that “we cannot regulate our system”.
“Does that mean that you can allow anybody to walk into this nation and claim the rights of this nation. We have to have a system. We have to take care of our people first and then other people,” Rijiju added.
—IANS