Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday pitched for a “One Nation, One Uniform” policy for the police across India for a “common identity to law enforcement personnel”; called for uprooting both gun-toting and pen-wielding (urban) Naxals, and stressed the importance of a smart law and order system in this 5G era where “we need to be 10 steps ahead of the crime world”.
He was addressing the Annual Home Ministers’ Conference in Surajkund on the concluding day through video conferencing.
“The One Nation, One Uniform for police is just an idea. I am not trying to impose it on you. Just give it a thought. It may happen, it may happen in 5, 50, or 100 years. But let’s give it a thought,” Modi said.
He said this will not only ensure the manufacture of quality products because they will be used on a large scale but also will give a common identity to law enforcement personnel as people will recognise them anywhere in the country. States can have their number or insignia, he added.
Addressing the “Chintan Shivir”, Modi also warned of forces that are increasing their intellectual sphere to push the youth towards extremism and pervert the minds of coming generations.
“Every form of Naxalism, be it the one with guns or the one with pens, have to be uprooted to prevent them from misleading the youth of the country,” he said. Modi said for the sake of the unity and integrity of the nation and with the inspiration of Sardar Patel “we cannot allow any such forces to flourish in our country”. He said such forces get significant help internationally.
Known for his thrust on technology, the PM said 5G, along with its benefits, brings the need for a heightened alert and requested the Chief Ministers and Home Ministers to assess the need for technology, going beyond the constraints of budget as technology will percolate the confidence of security among citizens.
“We need to think about a common platform for technology that can be shared by all. Best practices of one State can be shared with others,” he said, adding smart technology should be adopted for a smarter law and order system. Touching upon the issue of fake news, Modi said fact-check of such news is a must and technology plays a big role in it. “People must be made aware of mechanisms to verify messages before forwarding them.”
The PM said it is “very important” to maintain a good perception of police and the “wrongs here” should be addressed and pointed to the growing identity of NDRF and SDRF during times of natural calamities. “Similarly, the arrival of police at the spot of a crime is taken as the arrival of the government. The police’s reputation got a boost during the Corona period,” he said.
Modi asked police to assess their vehicles in light of the new scrappage policy. “Police vehicles should never be old as it is related to their efficiency”.
Modi also urged the State Governments to review old laws and amend them to the current context as he batted for coordinated action by all the agencies to meet the emerging challenges of law and order and security.
He said the good old system of generating human intelligence by the police and security agencies should be strengthened for achieving better results. Referring to the ongoing ‘Amrit Kaal’, the Prime Minister said an ‘Amrit’ generation will emerge carrying the essence of the ‘Panch Pran’. “‘The Panch Pran’ must be the guiding force for good governance,” he said.
He also talked about the decriminalisation of many things in company law as a step in this direction and asked the States to also evaluate and get rid of outdated rules and laws. Modi said the laws enacted by the central government aim to strongly handle corruption, terrorism and hawala. “Laws like UAPA have given strength to the system in a decisive battle against terrorism,” he said. The Prime Minister also advocated the need to think about developing special capabilities for tourism-related policing.