Home Ministry's consultative committee discusses issue of FIA

New Delhi, Apr 28 : Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday discussed the issue of Federal Investigation Agency with his ministry's consultative members.

During the meeting, Patil pointed out that whenever some incident takes place in a State, the Centre is expected to take action, but "Police and Public Order being State Subjects under the Constitution, the Centre has its limitations."

He further said that it was therefore necessary to discuss the issue of Central agencies to investigate certain types of crimes and to counter terrorism, and "the manner in which it should be done."

Patil also reiterated the Central Government's resolve to assist the State Governments "through deployment of para-military forces, providing funds for police modernization etc," but he hoped that States would take time bound steps to fill up the vacancies in their police forces, and to further augment them.

The members of the consultative committee stressed upon the need for strengthening the existing intelligence and police apparatus in the States to deal with such crimes as terrorism, espionage, Naxalite attacks etc.

The members who attended meeting included Ministers of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal, Shakeel Ahmed and V. Radhika Selvi and Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta.

ANI