In order to monitor the happenings on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the Odisha police would set up a ‘Social Media lab’ under the Police Modernisation Programme.
This move would, however, not invoke censorship on discussions of various subjects in the social media but would only analyse them because youths are now actively engaged in social media with smart phones available in a big way.
And traditional sources of information do not give a correct picture of societal needs and misgivings, pointed out a senior police officer. Take for example, in Bhadrak recently, discussions in social media fuelled violence.
So, to keep a tab on these activities, the proposed laboratory would come to a great help, pointed out the official.. The lab’s primary work would be to understand the pulse of the citizenry and prepare the police to understand happenings in the internet.
The lab would assimilate relevant information from all open sources in public domain and provide insight into the happenings.
Besides, another new initiative like a Cyber Forensic laboratory would also be set up under the Police Modernisation Programme as cyber crimes are posing a major challenge in the country and Odisha is no exception, said sources.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is supporting the Police Modernisation Programme with the State Government also bearing its share. A meeting was held in the MHA on August 17, where the move was discussed.
For modernisation of the police force, Rs 31 crore has been allocated for Odisha during 2017-18, out of which the Centre would bear Rs 18 crore and the State share would be Rs 13 crore. State Home Special Secretary lalit Das and IGP of Modernisation of Odisha Police Amitabh Thakur attended the meeting.
While the State Government was receiving an allocation of Rs 60 crore for this earlier, it is now receiving half of the allocation, for which the State police is facing a funds crunch. Several other State Governments have also approached the Union Government to hike the funding for their Police Modernisation Programmes.
While the Central Government was thinking that the police modernisation aspects are to be looked after a State Government as police administration is a State subject, the State Governments are of the view that as it is an internal security matter of the country, for which the Centre should hike its funding.
So, the MHA is mulling to move a Cabinet Note for hiking the funding for police modernisation, said sources. However, the MHA has urged the State Governments to provide information on various innovative programmes and best practices adopted for appreciation of the Union Government for hiking the funding in police modernisation, said the sources.