By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday recommended a task force under National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan that would address “leftwing extremism, terrorism and insurgency” and within 100 days detail steps to translate a “networked security architecture” into reality.
Addressing a two-day conference of director generals of police (DGP) and inspector generals of police (IGP) at Vigyan Bhavan, Manmohan Singh emphasised that the technology of terror had been miniaturised and terrorists had the advantage of surprise.
“We need and should evolve a networked security architecture. Risks are often unforeseen in today’s work. Threats are often hidden. This has made the work of law and order professionals far more challenging than ever before,” he said.
“We need therefore to be able to anticipate better.”
In his reckoning, the task force would develop an integrated capability to address emerging challenges in areas such as leftwing extremism, terrorism and insurgency.
Its other tasks would be to “improve the ability to anticipate and prevent surprises” through closely networked intelligence collaboration and upgradation of both human and technological intelligence”.
In addition to developing a strategic foresight in regard to social and political developments, the prime minister wanted the proposed task force to develop a net-centric information command structure that would enable both state and central agencies to access and exploit information in a secure manner and well in time.
“In a period of 100 days, the task force should come out with a road map regarding the detailed steps to be taken immediately, as also the subsequent steps to be taken over the next several months so as to translate this vision of an integrated neo-centric capability into reality,” Manmohan Singh said.
He said the task force would be chaired by Narayanan with “suitable representation from central and state agencies”. Its mandate would also be to strengthen inter-state and inter-agency cooperation and ensureg innovation and technological leadership.
The prime minister also suggested the setting up of a standing committee of state DGPs to advise the government on police and police-related legal matters.
“This institutional mechanism could comprise five state DGPs taken on a rotation basis.
“Side by side with this, it would be advantageous if the ministry of home affairs could devise a scheme by which a certain number of executive level police personnel could be inducted into the ministry to help with policy formulation and induce a degree of field experience into various formulations involving police matters.”