By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : The Orissa government has asked the centre to enhance its assistance under the police modernisation scheme from Rs.42 crore to Rs.80 crore, official sources here said.
Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made the demand Monday in New Delhi while addressing a conference of chief ministers on internal security chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Expressing his concern about the resurgence of left wing extremism not only in Orissa but in all adjoining states, Patnaik also underlined the need to have a strengthened intelligence set up for effectively facing the challenge, a release by the chief minister’s office here said.
Patnaik said that Orissa had added more than 5,000 recruits to the police force.
“The state government is now targeting to recruit another 10,000 more by the end of this year,” the statement said, citing the chief minister.
Patnaik also emphasised the need for resources for training and capacity building of the police force. He requested the central government to assist the state in this new venture on a matching contribution basis either under the modernisation scheme or a new scheme.
Orissa being a mineral rich state, he said that the state government had already taken an in-principle decision to set up a state industrial security force on the lines of the CISF (central industrial security force).
The draft legislation for it is now under consideration of the government and is expected to be introduced in the winter session of the assembly. The proposed force will be set up on a cost sharing basis with the user agencies, Patnaik reportedly stated.
“Since the Mumbai attack, the state government has taken all possible steps to activate the coastal security system and all the five central police stations sanctioned for the state have been operationalised,” he added.
Patnaik also requested training of coastal police by the Coast Guard and the Indian Navy.