PM Modi bats for ‘one nation, one police uniform’

New Delhi, Oct 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged the states to come together and develop a common uniform for the police force.

Speaking at 'Chintan Shivir of Home Ministers' of states, he said the law and Order is the states' responsibility but these are linked to the unity and integrity of the nation too. He said, "This will create job opportunities through mass manufacturing and build a common identity for the police."

The Prime Minister asked the state governments to consider a single uniform for the police of the states of the entire country. "This will not only ensure quality products due to the scale but also will give a common identity to law enforcement as citizens will recognize police personnel anywhere in the country. States can have their number or insignia," he said.

"'One Nation, One Police Uniform', I am just putting forward this as a thought for your consideration", he said. Similarly, he emphasised the need to think about developing special capabilities for tourism-related policing. He said tourists are the biggest and fastest ambassadors of the reputation of any place.

The PM stated that the pace and acceleration of the growth of new India also brings a lot of competition and challenges. "We need to unite and address those challenges with 'Janbhagidari' and cooperative federalism.

"This 'Chintan Shivir' of Home Ministers in Surajkund is an excellent example of cooperative federalism. States can learn from each other, take inspiration from each other and work together for the betterment of the country - this is the sentiment of the Constitution and our duty towards our citizens," he added.

PM on Naxalism
The Prime Minister said that the country needs to defeat all forms of Naxalism. The PM said that it is the need of the hour to come together as one and handle the situation. He added, "Every form of Naxalism, be it the one with guns or the one with pens, they have to be uprooted to prevent them from misleading the youth of the country."

The Prime Minister warned that such forces are increasing their intellectual sphere to pervert the minds of coming generations. "For the sake of the unity and integrity of the nation and with the inspiration of Sardar Patel, we can not allow any such forces to flourish in our country. Such forces get significant help internationally," he added.

The Prime Minister highlighted that in the last eight years, the number of Naxal-affected districts in the country has come down significantly. "Be it Jammu and Kashmir or North East, today we are moving fast towards permanent peace. Now we have to focus on rapid development in all these sectors including infrastructure", he added.

The Prime Minister informed that today, the central government is working on a mission mode for development in the border and coastal areas to promote reverse migration. He also suggested that it can go a long way in stopping the smuggling of weapons and drugs in these regions. The Prime Minister asked for increased cooperation from the border and coastal states to get these plans into execution.

Fake news capable of snowballing into matter of national concern
Pointing out the possibilities of social media, the Prime Minister said that one should not limit it to being the source of information. He said that a piece of single fake news has the capability to snowball into a matter of national concern. The Prime Minister lamented the losses that India had to face due to fake news about job reservations in the past. He stressed the need to educate people about analysing and verifying any piece of information before forwarding it to people. "We have to come up with technological advancement to prevent the spreading of fake news", he added. The Prime Minister also threw light on the need for civil defence in the country and urged the firefighters and the police to conduct drills in schools and colleges so that the students get acclaimed to the idea.