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MAJOR DECISIONS AND INITIATIVES
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The UPA Government completes one year on May 21, 2005. During this period, the Government has taken several important initiatives. Some of these are being brought out in the series ‘Major Decisions and Initiatives’.
The first year of the UPA Government witnessed significant improvement in the situation in Jammu & Kashmir and the North Eastern States and a number of initiatives to counter the Naxal menace. The challenge posed by the Tsunami disaster was met effectively and drew wide spread appreciation from both within and outside the country. A Disaster Management Bill has been prepared to facilitate quick and effective response to disasters. A number of steps were taken to fulfil the commitments made in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP). POTA was repealed. The National Integration Council was reconstituted. A bill to counter communal violence has been prepared.
Jammu and Kashmir
Infiltration in J&K came down by 61 per cent. The number of violent incidents came down by 24 per cent. A record number of 3.5 lakh tourists visited J&K. More than four lakh pilgrims visited the holy shrine of Amarnath. A High Powered Task Force on economic development of J&K has been constituted to implement the Reconstruction Plan announced by the Prime Minister to help evolve an integrated and holistic view of the State’s long-term economic and social development. An Inter-Ministerial team has been constituted to prepare a plan for rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants. The team has recommended construction of two-roomed tenements, improvement in facilities in migrant camps and creation of 1000 employment opportunities for Kashmiri migrants. A sum of Rs. 8 crore has been released for the construction of 200 two-bedroom flats at Budgam. A sum of Rs. 7 crore has been released for restoration of basic infrastructure in the border villages in Akhnoor Tehsil to facilitate the return of border migrants to their homes. Despite threats from various terrorist outfits, elections to urban municipal bodies were held successfully with higher voter turnout. The bus service from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad started as scheduled on April 7, 2005 despite threats from militants. The second bus schedule was also maintained from both sides on April 21, 2005 without any trouble.
North East
During 2004, the overall terrorist violence in the North-East came down by 19 per cent vis-à-vis 2003. The Government has agreed to provide financial package for development of tribal areas in Tripura. Rs. 40 crore has been released to the Bodo Territorial Council for creation of administrative infrastructure in the Bodoland Territorial Area District. Rs. 100 crore has been released to the Bodo Territorial Council for execution of 18 socio-economic projects. 652 ex-Bodo Liberation Tigers cadres have been recruited by BSF/CRPF. Besides this, 400 ex-BLT cadres have been appointed as Special Police Officers. Announcement has been made for a grant of Rs. 28.64 crore for rehabilitation and resettlement of Bru (Reang) refugees on their repatriation from Tripura to Mizoram. The Government has constituted a Committee to review the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 under the Chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) B.P. Jeevan Reddy of the Supreme Court of India.
Naxalism
The Government has comprehensively revised the Security-Related Expenditure Scheme for Naxal affected areas to make it more beneficial to the affected States. The Government has also exempted the Naxal-affected States from the payment of cost of deployment of Central Para Military Forces on anti-Naxalite duty. To help States maintain law and order and for tackling insurgency and Naxalite problem more effectively, 15 Bns of CRPF, 20 Bns of SSB and 12 Indian Reserve Bns have been sanctioned.
POTA
The Government has repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) 2002 and amended the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, incorporating certain provisions considered necessary to deal with various facets of terrorism.
Police Reforms
The Committee constituted in December 2004 to review the recommendations of the previous Commission and Committees set up on police reforms has submitted its report to the Government. It has listed 49 recommendations as being crucial for transforming the police into a professionally competent and service-oriented organisation. The recommendations concerning the State Governments have been forwarded to them and action has been initiated on the recommendations concerning the Central Government.
Disaster management
Special packages of Rs. 2822.17 crore for relief and rehabilitation in the Tsunami- affected Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry and Rs. 821.88 crore for A&N Islands were announced. The Union Government extended every possible assistance to neighbouring countries affected by the Tsunami disaster. Rescue operations were mounted on a war footing for evacuation of the affected population to safer places during the avalanche/snowfall in J&K and normalcy was restored within a fortnight.
The Disaster Management Bill, 2005 is being brought before Parliament, the passing of which will pave the way for constitution of a nodal Authority namely National Disaster Management Authority which will be responsible for management of all disasters. In the meantime, the Authority is being created through an executive order.
Centre-State relations
An action plan has been prepared for activating the Inter-State Council. The Tenth meeting of the Standing Committee of Inter-State Council was held on March 29, 2005 which discussed the blue print of Action Plan on Good Governance. The recommendations of the Standing Committee will be placed before the Inter-State Council in its next meeting.
A draft notification for constitution of a new Commission on Centre-State Relations with its Terms of Reference has been finalised.
A Conference of Chief Ministers was held on April 15, 2005 under the Prime Minister’s Chairmanship to reach a consensus on the roadmap for tackling internal security and law & order problems. The Conference decided to constitute a Standing Committee of Chief Ministers of some of the Naxal affected States, headed by Union Home Minister to meet periodically, initiate and pursue a coordinated approach to curb Naxal violence. There was a broad consensus that extremism should be dealt with jointly by the Central and State Governments through simultaneous pursuit of security and development issues.
In view of sensitivity of the long coastline, a Centrally funded coastal security scheme has been approved. The proposal for re-constitution of National Integration Council was approved by the Prime Minister and notification was issued. A Bill to deal with communal violence is drafted and getting finalised. A new recruitment scheme for constables in Central Para-Military Forces has been formulated to give a major boost to employment opportunities in militancy affected and border areas.
Fencing in a stretch of 425 kms along the Indo-Bangladesh border has been erected. Along the Indo-Pakistan border, fencing in a stretch of 61 kms and 50 kms has been erected in Gujarat and Jammu International Border respectively. A new category of ‘Classical Languages’ has been created and Tamil has been declared as a ‘Classical Language’. A software for learning Hindi through Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telegu was launched. The number of Samman Pensions to freedom fighters who had struggled in border camps during the liberation movement of the former Hyderabad State has been enhanced from the earlier estimate of 11,000 to about 15,000. Pension to dependent daughters of deceased freedom fighters has been enhanced to Rs. 1500/- per month. The Government has liberalised the visa regime for some categories of Pak nationals like accredited journalists, academicians, doctors accompanying patients and individuals invited to participate in seminars, cultural and literary functions.
The Government has decided to grant Overseas Citizenship to all overseas Indians who migrated from India after January 26, 1950.
RK:LV
PIB SF-45 (16.5.2005)
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