Comprehensive National Security Secure Indians: Zero Tolerance on Terrorism, Extremism and Crime 1.

Internal Security situation in the country broadly concerns the following: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)

Terrorism in the hinterland of the country Jammu & Kashmir North Eastern States Left Wing Extremism affected States

2.

Soon after assuming Office, the Union Home Minister had instructed the Senior Officers in the Ministry to prepare an integrated Action Plan for strengthening the Internal Security of the country. This Ministry has already prepared such an Action Plan after consultations with all the concerned stakeholders. This Action Plan will be implemented in a time bound manner and the Home Minister alongwith the Home Secretary would be reviewing the status of implementation of this Action Plan periodically. The implementation of some of the elements of this Action Plan has already commenced.

3.

Terrorism in the hinterland remained largely under control since the present Government assumed office.

4.

The Internal Security situation in Jammu & Kashmir has shown distinct signs of improvement over the previous years. The level of infiltration from across the border and the resultant terrorist activities in the valley of Kashmir has registered a significant decline.

5.

Details of terrorists killed, arrested and surrendered during the period from 26.5.2014 to 28.8.2014 in the Jammu & Kashmir were as follows:1

Terrorists killed Terrorists arrested Terrorists surrendered

: 27 : 07 : 01

6.

The security situation in some of the North Eastern States, which has remained complex for some time because of diverse demands advocated by various militant outfits, has shown overall improvement.

7.

Details of extremists killed, arrested and surrendered during the period from 26.5.2014 to 27.8.2014 in the North Eastern Region were as follows:Extremists killed Extremists arrested Extremists surrendered

: 50 : 469 : 38

8.

The declining trend in the quantum of Left Wing Extremist (LWE) violence as well as the resultant killings, which started in 2011, has continued.

9.

During the months of June, July and August (upto15 ), a total number of 132 LWE cadres have surrendered in different parts of India, compared to 44 surrenders during the corresponding period of 2013. The trend of increasing surrenders is indicative of the pressure exerted by the security forces on the Maoist cadres.

10.

Union Home Minister took a meeting on 27.06.2014, with the Chief Secretaries & DGPs of the 10 LWE affected States & DGs of the CAPFs and other stakeholders, to review the LWE situation of the country. An Integrated action plan was prepared to deal with the Left Wing Extremism which includes security as well as development measures.

11.

Under the Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) the Project Proposals for 2014-15 of the States of Andhra

th

2

Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Telangana were approved in June 2014 and funds totalling Rs 43.95 crore have been released to these States for up gradation/critical gap filling of their Special Forces. 12.

Under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme Annual Work Plan costing Rs 387.51 crore has been approved ‘in principle’ for the 10 LWE affected States for the year 2014-15 under the SRE Scheme for LWE affected States. An amount of Rs 118.52 crore has been released as advance to the LWE affected States upto 27.08.2014.

13.

The Union Cabinet on 20.08.2014 approved the project of installation of 2,199 mobile towers in LWE affected States. This project, once implemented, will greatly improve communication network in LWE affected areas.

14.

A Notification banning the Meiti Extremist Organisations in Manipur for a period of five years has been issued on 04.06.2014 under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

15.

Shri R.N. Ravi, currently Chairman, Joint Intelligence Committee has been appointed as Interlocutor for Naga Peace Talks on 28.08.2014.

16.

In order to deal with the militancy, particularly in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh and also 20 Kms belt bordering the State of Assam, orders for setting up of Unified Head Quarter for Arunachal Pradesh under the chairmanship of the Chief nd Secretary have been issued on 22 July, 2014.

17.

A Meeting between the Chief Ministers of Assam and Nagaland was organized in the presence of Minister of State (Home) on the issue of disturbance which took 3

place in Disputed Area Belt (DAB) between the States of Assam and Nagaland. Both the Chief Ministers have agreed to take effective measures to maintain peace and tranquillity in the Region. At present, the situation in the area, by and large, is peaceful. No incident of violence has been reported after 20th August, 2014. 18.

The Government has banned the SIMI (Student Islamic Movement of India) for a period of five years. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal which was constituted for this purpose has confirmed this Ban Order.

19.

The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH) has entered into a collaboration with the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti comprising around 600 Schools located all over the country. Together they have organised essay/ short story competition and painting competition on the themes of communal harmony and national integration to promote the ethos of communal harmony, universal brotherhood, fraternity and peace among different sections of the society in the country during 19th to the 23rd August, 2014.

20.

Government has accorded sanction for prosecuting 25 persons accused in different cases including Bomb Blast at Mahabodhi Temple, Gaya (07.07.2013) and Gandhi Maidan (27.10.2013), Patna.

21.

Subsequent to the terrorist attack on Karachi Airport on 08.06.2014, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Union Home Minister on 09.06.2014 to review the security arrangements at all airports in the country. As decided during the above meeting a security alert containing instructions for tightening the security at all airports in the country was issued by the Ministry on 09.06.2014. 4

22.

The training of six new battalions of Central Armed Forces {CRPF (3), ITBP (2), SSB (1)} has been completed and these battalions are going to be inducted for anti-terrorism duties shortly.

23.

A decision has been taken to ensure that vacancies in Central Armed Police Forces should be filled up early and accordingly the steps have been initiated to make recruitments through the UPSC, Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and the Forces themselves.

24.

A detailed guideline has been issued to streamline the process of granting security clearance for proposals relating to infrastructure which will result in expeditious clearance of proposals from security point of view.

25.

MHA has issued guidelines to all Ministries prescribing safeguards from security point of view, while procuring sensitive equipment from overseas. ***

5

Review of I.T.B.P by Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister

Border Out Post of Indo-Tibetan Border Police at Indo-China Border

ITBP Jawans patrolling the Indo-China Border

Mahila Battalion patrolling the Indo-Pakistan Border

Mahila Battalion Guarding the Borders

Border Security Force (Water Wing) guarding the riverine area

Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister visits I.T.B.P Headquarters

Border Security Strengthening Infrastructure and Securing the Borders Border Infrastructure 1.

Along the international borders of the country, following border infrastructure have been developed: a.

b.

c.

d.

Border roads: 34 km of roads along the International Border (IB) has been completed. Besides, formation cutting has been completed for 101 km along the IB. Border fencing: 39 km of fencing has been completed along the Indo-Bangladesh (7 km) and Indo-Pakistan (32 km) border. Border floodlighting: 97 km of floodlighting has been completed along the Indo-Bangladesh Border. Border Out Posts (BOPs): 17 BOPs have been completed along the Indo-Bangladesh (6) and Indo-Pakistan (11) border.

2.

The High Level Empowered Committee (HLEC) under the Chairmanship of the Home Secretary approved the border infrastructure projects costing about Rs 650 crore.

3.

In order to speed up the border infrastructure projects, the MHA has released an amount of Rs 520 crore during April-August, 2014.

4.

The Ministry of Home Affairs in consultation with all the stakeholders has taken initiatives towards achieving quick and time-bound Environment/ Forest/ Wildlife clearances for border infrastructure projects.

5.

A comprehensive maintenance policy for border infrastructure has been developed. 10

6.

In order to strengthen the trade facility at Nepal Border, construction of Integrated Check Post (ICP) building at Raxaul has been completed.

7.

In order to enhance the quality of border infrastructure, three committees have been constituted under the Chairmanship of officers of the level of Chief Engineer.

Border Policing, Patrolling And Surveillance Address the Issue of Infiltration and Illegal Immigration in the Country 1.

The Government has taken an ‘in principle’ decision to create the National Register of Indian Citizen and issue National Identity Cards to all citizens. Proposals in this regard are under active consideration.

2.

Union Home Minister has undertaken comprehensive review of Indo-Nepal, Indo-Pakistan, Indo-China & Indo-Bangladesh borders to assess the security preparedness of the forces deployed along the borders. He also reviewed the steps taken to streamline the mechanism to check trans-border crimes and to improve the pace of development of border infrastructure along with the quality of works on these borders. A similar review was carried out by the Home Minister regarding the arrangements made for coastal security.

3.

The Union Home Minister has taken a comprehensive review of Cross-Border Firing across the International Border of India-Pakistan and has given clear directions to firmly deal with this issue.

4.

In order to give training to the State Marine Police Personnel, a decision has been taken to establish the Marine Police Training Institute in Gujarat. 11

5.

Directors General Level Coordination Conference of BSF and BGB (Border Guards of Bangladesh) was held st on 21 August 2014 at New Delhi to discuss effective measures to be taken for guarding of Indo-Bangladesh border and to enhance Confidence Building Measures (CBM) between the forces of the two countries. The emphasis of the meeting was on implementation of the co-ordinated Border Management Plan in letter & spirit to check illegal cross border movements and transborder crimes. Issues of mutual security concerns were also discussed.

6.

Indian delegation led by the Union Home Secretary has visited Bangladesh from 2nd to 4th September 2014 to discuss security and border management related issues. The delegation also discussed measures to be taken to control the menace of circulation/supply of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) and illegal cross border movement including human trafficking and the remnants of Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) taking shelter in villages having mixed population residing on either side of the border, particularly in Meghalaya and Tripura.

7.

In order to improve the mechanism of Coastal Security, process of demarcation of jurisdiction of Coastal Police Station (CPS), identification of landing points, identification of Enforcement and Investigation Agencies under different Maritime Acts/Rules, Coastal Mapping and Colour Coding of Fishing Vessels have been initiated.

8.

Seven Coastal States/UTs., viz., West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Puducherry and Lakshadweep have notified demarcation of the jurisdiction of CPSs. Five Coastal States/UTs., viz., 12

Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry & Andaman & Nicobar Islands have completed identification of landing points. Three Coastal States viz., Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have completed colour coding of Fishing Vessels. 9.

In order to check misuse of Dhows, the process of identification of the crew and the persons boarding the Dhows has been strengthened.

Border Area Development Programme (BADP) Rapid Development of Border Areas 1.

The first installment of grants has been released to seven States amounting to Rs 207.50 crore.

2.

In order to make effective monitoring and utilization of BADP funds, a web based Management Information System (MIS) has been developed. The necessary training for operating the MIS has been imparted to the Officers of the bordering States. ***

13

Streamlining Visa and Immigration Facilities 1.

Integrated online visa application system for visa applicants has been implemented in 12 Indian Missions, taking the total tally to 152 Missions.

2.

Computerised Foreigners Registration Office (C-FRO) Module has been implemented in 86 Foreigners Registration Offices (FROs) and 02 Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs) taking the total tally to 340 FROs and 13 FRROs.

3.

The facility of Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVOA) enabled with Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) would be introduced in a phased manner at nine airports viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin and Goa airports. Government of India currently offers Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVOA) to nationals of eleven countries, namely, Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia. The additional countries to which Tourist Visa on Arrival facility would be extended would be identified in a phased manner.

4.

TVOA scheme enabled with ETA will be a fully online system which will ease the process of obtaining TVOA by foreigners coming to India. The newly developed online system of TVOA enabled with ETA will electronically inform the foreigner about their eligibility to come to India prior to their arrival at the Indian Port.

5.

A Task Force headed by the Joint Secretary (Foreigners) has been set up to monitor and expedite processing of Citizenship and Long Term Visa (LTV) applications of minorities from neighbouring countries namely, 14

Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Long Term Visa (LTV) has been granted to 1,733 persons belonging to minority communities from neighbouring countries. In comparison, LTV was granted to only 706 persons during the previous five months. 215 numbers of Citizenship Certificates have been issued during the last 100 days. 6.

Review of Afghan Stay Policy: Afghan Nationals have been allowed to stay in India on humanitarian grounds, and their stay has been extended by the Government from time to time. A new two year Policy has come into st effect from 1 July, 2014. Recognizing the special circumstances of the non-ethnic Afghanis (i.e. Sikhs and Hindus), the Policy provides for extension of stay upto two years. Separately, the amenities at FRRO Delhi have been upgraded to improve facilities for Afghanis visiting the FRRO office.

7.

This Policy also recognizes that there could be ethnic Afghanis who have compelling reasons to stay in India. The new Policy provides a mechanism for scrutinising such cases. To ensure that such facilities are not misused by unscrupulous elements, a system of biometric enrolment and photography of existing Afghanis would be introduced.

8.

Ministry of Home Affairs has noticed that 10,343 NGOs have not submitted their Annual Returns under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) 2010, for the 3 years 2009-10, 2010-11 & 2011-12. The Show Cause Notices have been issued to these NGOs. ***

15

Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh launches the Delhi Police Web Application at New Delhi on 08.08.2014

Review of Delhi Police by Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister

Police Stations to be Women Friendly Make Police Stations Women Friendly and increase the Number of Women in Police at different Levels 1.

Government is of the view that in order to check crimes against women, the strength of women police must increase in the police stations throughout the country. Accordingly, the Ministry had earlier issued an advisory requesting all State Governments and UTs to ensure that 33% of posts in the Police Force are filled by women upto the Sub Inspector level.

2.

As far as UTs are concerned MHA has initiated a proposal for the consideration of the Union Cabinet in this regard. This proposal covers Delhi Police also.

3.

MHA has advised State Governments & UTs to provide facilities such as toilets, restrooms etc. in police stations for women police personnel to ensure a stress free working environment and mitigate the problems faced by them due to long working hours. ***

18

Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister conducting aerial survey of flood affected areas in J&K (06.09.2014)

Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister reviewing the flood situation in J&K along with Shri Omar Abdullah the Chief Minister of J&K (06.09.2014)

Jammu & Kashmir Affairs Equal and Rapid Development of Jammu, Kashmir & Laddakh and Return of Kashmiri Pandits to the land of Their Ancestors 1.

In the Union Budget of 2014-15, introduced in the Parliament on 10th July, 2014, Rs 500 crore have been earmarked for rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants. In view of the past experience, it has been felt that the package should be carefully finalized, in consultation with the State Government and the representatives of the migrants. Discussions are being held with the State Government and the representatives of the migrants to finalize the ingredients of the return and rehabilitation package and roadmap for action on the issue.

2.

In addition, the Government is also considering to enhance the cash relief to the Kashmiri migrants from the present level of Rs 6,600 per month per family to Rs 10,000 per month per family.

3.

‘Udaan’ program aims at providing skills and enhance the employability of unemployed youths of J&K. Five more corporates have partnered with NSDC under this Scheme taking the number of corporates to 54 with a commitment to train more than 68,738 youths from the State over the next 5 years. In the last 100 days, under the scheme, 830 candidates have completed training and of these 666 have been given jobs. In addition, 1,838 candidates have been selected for training of whom, 875 have joined. ***

21

Modernization, Capacity Building and Welfare of Police Forces Modernise the Police Force, Equipping them with the latest Technology, Facilitate Training and Capacity Building of Police Forces 1.

Modernisation of the police forces is one of the priority areas for the Ministry. For this purpose the fund allocation under the modernisation of the police modernisation programme is being increased by Rs 1,500 crore as announced by the Finance Minister in the Union Budget.

2.

In order to accelerate the pace of modernisation of State Police Forces, we have released Rs 825 crore to different States during the first three months. Another Rs 200 crore are likely to be released during September, 2014.

3.

It is proposed to computerise the functioning of all the Central Armed Police Forces. Accordingly, the Government have prepared an IT Road Map for all the CAPFs (i.e. BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles and NSG). Implementation has begun.

4.

For the modernisation of traffic and communication systems of Delhi Police, a project costing Rs 275.08 crore approximately is in the final stage of sanction. This proposal has the following three components :(i)

Road Safety Cell

(ii)

Installation/ Up-gradation of Traffic Signals and Blinkers; and

(iii)

Developing Traffic & Communication Network in NCR and Model Traffic System.

22

5.

In order to address the long standing housing problem of the police personnel, Government has taken a decision to construct 13,072 Houses and 113 Barracks for CRPF, ITBP and CISF personnel. The Expenditure and Finance Committee has appraised the proposal of MHA amounting to Rs 3,106.21 crore.

6.

The MHA has approved construction of offices and residential buildings for National Investigation Agency (NIA) amounting to Rs 249.01 crore. ***

23

Harmonius Centre-State Relations Placing Centre- State Relations on an Even Keel through the Process of Consultation and Strive for Harmonius Centre- State Relations 1.

A new State of Telangana was carved out of the erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh. A popular Government was sworn in, on 02.06.2014.

2.

A popular Government took the oath of office in the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh on 08.06.2014.

3.

Issues emerging due to bifurcation, between the new State of Telangana and the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh have so far been resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all the stakeholders. Due respect and sensitivity has been shown to the concerns of the people of both the States to resolve issues of mutual concern.

4.

An amendment was carried out to the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act, 2014 in July, 2014.

5.

Effective steps have been taken to expedite state legislations reserved by the respective Governors for assent by the Hon’ble President. The process to examine the Bills, have been streamlined and 27 such legislations have been finally disposed off and rest are being expedited. As many as 101 Legislative proposals (98 State Bills and 3 Ordinances) were pending at the time of formation of our Government. ***

24

Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister addresses the Press Conference on flood situation in J&K (06.09.2014)

Search & Rescue Operations – 28.06.2014 Building collapse - Tamil Nadu

Search & Rescue Operations – 30.07.2014 Landslide – Pune (Maharashtra)

Search & Rescue Operations – 08.06.2014 – Sweeping away of 24 students – Mandi (HP)

Launching ceremony of Plan Scheme of Mainstreaming Civil Defence in Disaster Risk Reduction th by Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister on 20 August, 2014, at New Delhi

Disaster Management Strengthen and expand the Civil Defence and Home Guards mechanism to create the group of citizens for Community Defence, self-defence and Disaster Management 1.

The State of Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed severe floods which has led to large scale loss of lives and property. The Central Government has extended all possible help to the State Government of J&K for mitigating the problems created due to this disaster. The NDRF teams alongwith defence forces and Central Armed Police Forces have swung into action. The Prime Minister and the Home Minister have separately visited the State. In view of the fact that Rs 1,100 crore already available with the State Government under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), would not prove adequate in view of the magnitude of the ‘National Disaster', the Prime Minister has announced that an Additional Special Project Assistance of Rs 1,000 crore will be made available by the Union Government to the State for flood relief and rehabilitation.

2.

A new scheme for Mainstreaming Civil Defence in Disaster Risk Reduction with a total outlay of Rs 290.89 crore has been launched on 20th August 2014. The objectives of the scheme is mainstreaming of Civil Defence in Disaster Risk Reduction so as to make the civil defence mechanism an effective tool for disaster response and management and to keep the Civil Defence in forefront in the Disaster Management strategy of the th Country. The scheme will be executed during the 12 Five Year Plan Period.

3.

The scheme will be implemented in 240 districts of 32 States/Union Territories. The major activities are 29

strengthening of 26 existing Civil Defence Training Institutes, creation of the civil defence setup in 140 most vulnerable districts, strengthening of 100 existing civil defence districts, community participation in disaster management and capacity building of the civil defence volunteers in all 240 districts. 4.

A new centrally sponsored scheme for Modernisation of Fire and Emergency Services in the country has been approved at an outlay of Rs 75 crore. The overall objective of the scheme is to provide critical fire fighting components to all the 36 States/UTs so as to initiate the steps in the direction of enabling the fire services to act as a first responder in all types of emergency situations.

5.

Additional Assistance to Odisha for ‘Phailin’ Cyclone: An assistance of Rs 934.61 crore was sanctioned in January this year from National Disaster Response Fund to the Government of Odisha for response activities in relation to the very severe cyclone ‘Phailin’ which affected the State during October last year. However, the State Government represented that the assistance granted was inadequate. The Ministry of Home Affairs reviewed the entire matter. It has been decided that the claim of the State Government for an additional amount of Rs 292.77 crore towards gratuitous relief and Rs 107.06 crore towards agricultural input subsidy is justified as per the NDRF/ SDRF norms. A decision was therefore taken to authorise the State Government to meet this additional expenditure of Rs 399.83 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund.

6.

The strength of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been increased from 10 to 12 Battalions so that the Force is better equipped to carry out relief and rescue operations during the Disasters. 30

7.

There was a massive land slide in Pune on 30.07.2014. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) immediately swung into action and 9 teams of 378 rescuers were deputed. They rescued 8 persons and recovered 151 dead bodies and 58 numbers of cattle.

8.

On 28.06.2014, a 11 storeyed building under construction collapsed at Moulivakkam (Tamil Nadu). A total of 10 teams consisting of 406 rescuers of NDRF were pressed into service. A total of 12 lives were saved. 52 dead bodies were recovered by NDRF.

9.

Similarly, the 5 NDRF teams were deputed to Himachal Pradesh on 08.06.2014 for search & rescue operations, when we received the tragic news of sweeping away of 24 students and 1 tour operator of Hyderabad. 17 dead bodies were recovered by NDRF.

10.

Flood Related Response Activities:-

11.

(a)

During ongoing monsoon season 5 teams of NDRF were deployed in Assam which rescued 6,394 persons to safer places.

(b)

Similarly upto 15 teams of NDRF were deployed in Bihar, which rescued 22,056 persons to safer places and also recovered 10 dead bodies.

(c)

Further, 5 teams of NDRF were deployed in Uttar Pradesh, which rescued 3,562 persons to safer places.

The Union Home Minister also visited the Disaster affected areas in Pune and Uttar Pradesh to make an on the spot assessment of the situation. ***

31

Shri Rajnagh Singh, Union Home Minister Inspecting Guard of Honour of CRPF Headquarters

Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister releasing the “Youth-Info Portal and special publication” on Youth” on July 17, 2014 at New Delhi

Census 1.

A Youth-Info Portal and special publication on Youth has been released by Union Home Minister on 17.07.2014. The web portal developed by United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) provides latest figures from Census 2011 on the youth population in India. A monograph ‘Profile of Adolescents and Youth in India’ analyzing latest trends based on Census 2011 has also been released jointly by UNFPA and Office of Registrar General of India.

2.

A special data product called Census-Info giving demographic details of population up to sub-district level has been released. It makes available the datasets on Housing, Household Amenities & Assets and Population Data from Census 2011 at Country, State, District and Sub-district levels.

3.

Fact Sheet of second updation round of Annual Health Survey (AHS) has been released. AHS was undertaken in 284 districts of 9 states, namely, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Assam.

4.

About one lakh schools across the country were provided with Census School Kits.

5.

Mother Tongue Survey of India (MTSI): In order to preserve and analyse the original flavor of each indigenous Mother Tongue, the Government is planning to complete audio-visual documentation of the Mother Tongues during the 12th Five Year Plan. For proper preservation of the digital data and creation of appropriate facilities for linguistic research, the Government is setting up a web-archive at the National 34

Informatics Centre. This will be made accessible to all shortly. During the last 100 days, the work related to 12 Mother Tongues has been completed. 6.

Two Atlases on ‘Primary Census Abstract (Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes)’ based on Census 2011 data have also been published. ***

35

International Cooperation 1.

The instrument of ratification of MLAT in Criminal Matters between India and Azerbaijan was exchanged at Baku.

2.

Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons between India and Australia was signed and ratified by the Government.

3.

The MoU on Combating Crime between India and Saudi Arabia has been renewed till July, 2017.

4.

MoU between GoI and Govt. of Australia on Combating Narcotics Trafficking and Developing Police Cooperation has been finalized.

5.

A meeting between Hon’ble Union Home Minister and Deputy Secretary of State, Govt. of USA was held in New Delhi. The meeting discussed priority security cooperation areas between India and USA including issues relating to cyber crime, illegal immigration technology etc.

6.

Ambassador of Israel met Hon’ble Union Home Minister on 29th August, 2014. Matters pertaining to security cooperation between the two countries were discussed.

7.

A meeting between Union Home Secretary and Ambassador of Israel was held in New Delhi. The meeting discussed the three security agreements i.e. Agreement on Cooperation in Homeland and Public Security Issues, Agreement on Protection of Classified Materials and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters signed between India and Israel. The Joint Steering Committee formed under the Agreement 36

on Cooperation in Homeland and Public Security Issues will be holding its first meeting in Israel in September, 2014. 8.

A meeting between Union Home Secretary and Under Secretary, D/o Homeland Security, Govt. of USA was held on 1st August, 2014. Bilateral security matters were discussed. This was followed by delegation level meeting between GoI Delegation led by Additional Secretary, MHA and Govt. of USA Delegation led by Under Secretary, D/o Homeland Security to discuss matters pertaining to six Sub-Groups i.e. (i) Global Supply Chain, Transportation, Port, Border and Coastal Security; (ii) Megacity Policing; (iii) Illicit Finance, Smuggling of Cash, Financial Fraud and Counterfeiting; (iv) Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection; (v) Science and Technology Upgradation; and (vi) Capacity Building formed under Homeland Security Dialogue between India and USA. The major issues of cooperation under these SubGroups that require immediate attention were deliberated. ***

37

Other Achievements 1.

Indian sports personnel have done well in shooting events in various international tournaments. In order to meet their functional requirements, entitlement of quota of arms to be possessed by various categories of sports persons, i.e. Arjuna Awardees, International Medalists, renowned shooters, target shooters and aspiring shooters and also sports entities like National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), State Rifle Associations affiliated with NRAI, Shooting Clubs affiliated with NRAI or State Rifle Associations and shooting ranges under Sports Authority of India (SAI) or the Sports Authorities of the State Governments has been re-fixed and a Gazette Notification under the relevant provisions th of the Indian Arms Act, 1959 has been issued on 4 August, 2014. The sports persons and sports entities mentioned above have been provided exemptions in terms of the number of arms that can be possessed by them vis-à-vis the normal citizens of the country.

2.

Union Home Minister has written a letter to all the Chief Ministers to fast track all the cases pending against MPs/ MLAs, following the directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court.

3.

Union Home Minister has also written to all the Chief Ministers to expedite the cases relating to under-trial prisoners.

4.

Union Home Minister launched the Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) Application developed by Delhi Police to speed up the Police Clearance Certificate, which would now be issued within a week.

5.

In order to meet the general complaint that administrative terms in vogue in Hindi, are difficult, the Department of Official Language has developed and 38

issued a simple administrative glossary consisting of 5,467 words in Hindi, including their synonyms and usage in Hindi and English. This glossary is available on the website of the Department {www.rajbhasha.gov.in}. 6.

Government accords highest respect to the freedom fighters and their families. In order to administer the Freedom Fighters Pension Scheme in an effective manner and to have a constant dialogue with the freedom fighters, the Government has reconstituted the th Committee of Eminent Freedom Fighters on 15 July, 2014.

7.

The Government has decided to have an appropriate monitoring mechanism to ensure that the pension to the freedom fighters is disbursed properly and timely. For this purpose a Pension Disbursement Monitoring Cell in the Ministry is being set up.

8.

Further, to streamline the pension payment, the pension accounts in all cases are being transferred to the nationalised banks in place of treasuries, which will enable direct transfer of pension in the bank accounts in a smooth manner.

9.

Scheme for development of infrastructural facilities in rural plots for displaced persons colonies in West Bengal has been extended for another two years i.e. upto 2014-15. The Scheme envisages infrastructural development of Refugees settled in 12 districts of West Bengal. Out of total allocation of Rs 79.10 crore, an amount of Rs 31 crore has already been spent.

10.

MHA facilitates the visit of Sikh pilgrims to Gurudwaras in Pakistan. On the occasion of barsi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji, a Jatha of 246 Sikh pilgrims visited Gurudwaras in Pakistan during June, 2014. *** 39