PM calls for Task Force to deal with terrorism, insurgency

New Delhi, Nov 23 (UNI) Terming terrorism the main scourge and cautioning against fundamentalism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for setting up a Task Force to develop integrated capability to address challenges of terrorism, left wing extremism and insurgency.

The Task Force to be chaired by National Security Advisor M K Narayanan would come up within 100 days a Road Map regarding the detailed steps to be taken to ensure a proper networked security architecture to deal with these threats, which often remain hidden, the Prime Minister said, while addressing the 44th Annual Conference of top Police officials of the country organised by the Intelligence Bureau.

Pointing out the general perception that ''Police has a great deal of leeway to make up'' when it comes to high tech crimes, terrorists situation and insurgent problems, the Prime Minister said the proposed Task Force would develop a plan to improve the ability to anticipate and prevent surprises through closely networked intelligence collaboration and upgradation of both human and technological intelligence.

It would develop a net-centric information command structure that enables State and Central agencies to access and exploit information in a secure manner. Apart from strengthening inter-state and inter-agency collaboration, it would also ensure innovation and technological leadership to deal with terrorism. It would also create an awarness and develop strategic forsight with regards to social and political development.

To get constant feedback from police, the Prime Minister also suggested setting up of a Standing Committee of State DGPs to advise the government on police and police related legal maters. The institutional mechanism comprise of five DGPs taken on a rotation basis. He also asked the Home Ministry to devise a scheme under which excutive-level police personnel could be inducted to help it in policy formulation and induce a degree of field experience into various formulations involving police matters.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the way his recommendations regarding setting up 'Police Missions' to revitalise police force was implemented.

Dr Singh asked the top police officials to deliberate what needed to be done so that the original idea was re-created. The Prime Minister had in 2005 recommended the Police Mission approach to give focussed attention to make police professionally competent, technologically advanced force and become an agent of socio-economic change endowed with spirit of humanism.

MORE UNI AJ LPB RK1210 state DGPs