Terrorism under control in J

Kanpur, July 12 (UNI) The centre today claimed that the number of tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir has increased, since the government had been able to put a tab on terrorism with the help of locals.

''Valley killings have gone down by 80 per cent. The government has put a tab on terrorism, following which terror activities have declined,'' Minister of State for home Sri Prakash Jaiswal said at a news conference here.

''The UPA regime is committed to uprooting terrorism. However, it can only be curbed with the active cooperation of the masses,'' Mr Jaiswal observed.

Talking about the country's internal security, the minister suggested the state governments to provide employment opportunities to the youth to fight naxalism.

''Penury and unemployment are to a large extent, responsible for the mushrooming number of criminal activities in the country.'' He said Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar are naxal-infested states. However, under the Congress led-union government, naxal activities had waned.

''Stringent action by the state governments is the need of the hour and the police needs to maintain roud the clock vigil,'' Mr Jaiswal noted.

Further, he added the police was being equipped with modern weaponry and 75 per cent cost would be incurred by the centre.

The intelligence apparatus, which plays a vital role in the country's security, also needs to be strengthened, he underlined.

UNI