By IANS,
New Delhi : Zero tolerance towards terrorism and stern measures to handle both insurgency and Left-wing extremism are some of the tasks before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government as it puts in place a plan to strengthen internal security, President Pratibha Patil said Thursday.
“The government has already made a detailed plan to address internal security challenges to be implemented in a time-bound manner,” Patil told a joint session of parliament.
Some of the areas that have already been activated include the multi-agency centre for intelligence sharing and the National Investigation Agency that has been empowered to handle terror related offences.
“A national counter-terrorism centre will be established to take pro-active anti-terrorism measures. Special forces and quick response teams will be raised and deployed in vulnerable areas,” Patil said.
The president also mentioned that while the government would pursue police reform, the participation of citizenry in community policing will be promoted.
“Communal harmony shall be preserved at all costs. The mandate my government received was unmistakable in that the people wanted the country’s secular fabric to be protected,” Patil said.
“With this objective my government will seek early approval of the bill introduced in parliament for the prevention of communal violence,” she added.
Internal security and preservation of communal harmony are among the 10 broad areas of priority for the government over the next five years.