PNS|Hyderabad
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the convocation ceremony of the 74 RR IPS batch at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy at Hyderabad on Saturday. Amit Shah paid tributes to the 36,000 martyred police personnel who laid down their lives to ensure the internal security of the nation at the Martyrs’ Memorial.
The passing out parade of the 74 RR batch of IPS probationers was also attended by the Governor of Telangana, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Director of the Academy, AS Rajan, and several other dignitaries. Amit said that as head of a police force, it is very important that officers do not succumb to pressure, should take precautions, avoid fame and at the same time understand the rights and sensibilities of the person sitting at the lowest rung.
He said that officers are not only going out as IPS officers but are also taking the responsibility of laying the foundation for the centenary year of independence of our country in the next 25 years. He said that it is also the responsibility of officer trainees to lead the journey from 75 years to 100 years on the ‘Kartavya Path’ of ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’ from the perspective of internal security.
In his address, Amit said that the 74 RR batch of trainee officers will be known as the batch of Amrit Kaal. After training, this batch is capable, dedicated and equipped to face every challenge that may emerge before the country.
After 75 years of Independence, this batch is marching to protect the country’s internal security, which is a matter of great pride. He said that during the last seven decades, the country has seen many ups and downs in the field of security and has faced many challenges and while facing these challenges around 36,000 police personnel have laid down their lives.
Amit said that looking back at 75 years of Independence today India’s situation has changed from local to global and from violent to vibrant.
The Union Home Minister said that after independence while creating All India Services, Sardar Patel had said that it is the responsibility of All India Services to keep India intact under a federal constitution and that IPS trainees should make this their guiding force.
Amit said that at the time of the establishment of this college, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had said that this college is the first of its kind in India and that it will become an inspiring example for future generations.
Amit said that the goals set by the country’s first Union Home Minister for the academy have been accomplished during the last 75 years. Currently, 195 officer trainees are undergoing basic course training at the academy, including 41 women officers and 29 officer trainees from neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Mauritius.
He said that most of the trainees of this batch have completed their basic qualifications in technical fields.
Prime Minister Modi has launched the ‘Police Technology Mission’ to meet the challenges of the future, and empower all police institutions of our country so that they are in tune with global technical challenges.
He said that the mission will not only make the entire police system from constable to DGP capable to tackle technical challenges but will also make them tech-savvy.
The Police Technology Mission will make all police institutions of our country in synch with global technical challenges from the point of view of technology.
The Union Home Minister said that Prime Minister Modi has set a goal for the people of the country that when we celebrate the centenary of independence in 2047, the country should emerge at the top in every field globally. Fulfilment of this goal is the responsibility and duty of every Indian, he added.
IPS trainees have a special responsibility because no nation can be great without good law and order and impenetrable internal security. He added that the protection of the rights of the weakest citizen, the sensitivity of the system towards him/her and a police system that can withstand all challenges are essential elements to lay the foundation of a developed nation.
He said that we aim to make India a five trillion USD economy by 2025 and ensure that India becomes a fully developed nation by 2047. It is definitely possible to achieve this goal as in 2014, we were at the 11th position in the world’s economic ranking and in just eight years we have been able to reach the fifth position.
According to Morgan Stanley estimates, by 2027 India will emerge as the third-largest economy in the world.
Amit said that the IPS officer trainees are passing out today after imbibing the constitution of our country and its spirit. They must be able to appreciate that the three types of systems are essential in our constitutional system.
The first one is the citizenry which votes once and elects the governance system for five years, the second one is the government elected by citizens for a period of five years and the third one is the bureaucracy which serves the country for 30 to 35 years.
He said that a citizen has the right to vote once in five years, the people who get elected work for the development of the country for five years and later have to go back to the public to seek their mandate, but officers in the All India Services have the right to serve the country selflessly for 30–35 years.
Amit said the next 25 years are crucial for the country as they can help us fulfil the dream of a great India envisioned by our freedom fighters.
He added that during the next 25 years, this IPS batch is going to be responsible for the internal security of the country and cognizance of this responsibility should always reflect on the mind, duty and accountability of these officers. These 25 years are the years of ‘Sankalp se Siddhi,’ he added.
The Union Home Minister said that eight years ago terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgency in the Northeast and Left extremism were the three major challenges. Now, after eight years, the government has succeeded in countering these three challenges.
He said that after the abrogation of Article 370, there has been a huge reduction in terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. He added that over 8,000 ultras have been brought back to the mainstream by signing a peace deal with insurgent organizations in the North East and settling border disputes between states.
A wave of development has begun today and with the establishment of peace, the dawn of a new era has been witnessed in North East.
By filling the security vacuum and cracking down on the top leadership of LWE, 96 districts facing Left extremism in 2010 have come down to just 46 in 2021.
Amit said that India has showcased a successful example to the world by banning the PFI. Central agencies and the police of all states have succeeded in banning the PFI in a single day. It shows the power of our democracy.
Amit said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the main reasons for the reduction in the incidents of terrorism across the country, are the policy of ‘zero tolerance’, a strong framework of counter-terror laws, empowerment of all agencies and strong political will. The global participation of our agencies is also expanding. The holding of the Interpol General Assembly in India and India’s leadership in the field of terrorism and finance as symbolised in the ‘No Money for Terror’ conference led to the acceptance of our security agencies globally.
He said that by establishing the Forensic Science University during the last three years, India has endeavoured to fill the expert human resource and the logistical gap in the field of forensic science.
The officer trainees when they move from the Academy to the field will be associated with ICJS and the main pillars of Criminal Justice namely e-Courts, e-Prison, e-Forensic, e-Prosecution and Crime and Criminal Tracking Network () and facilitate linking policing with ICJS.
Amit said that at present the NIA is extending its network to all the states and expansion of the NIA and the NCB is a very important step to crack down on criminals linked to international narcotics and terrorism.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, a national database on terrorism, narcotics and economic offences is being developed.
The NAFIS (National Automated Fingerprint Identification System) has also been launched to create a fingerprint database.
The Centre has also established the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) and launched schemes to ensure housing and health for soldiers and many other schemes to ensure that they spend more time with their families.
The Union Home Minister said that at present the security scenario is changing from geographical to thematic and now multi-dimensional policing will have to be accepted instead of single-dimensional policing. In place of geographical threats like insurgency in the Northeast, Left Wing Extremism, and Communal Hotspots, now thematic threats like Cyber Crime, Misuse of Data, and Misinformation are emerging that need to be dealt with firmly.
Earlier there were the challenges of terrorism, Left extremism and day-to-day policing, but now we are faced with multidimensional challenges like Terror Finance, Narco Terror, Fourth Generation Information Warfare, etc. Our police forces to be equipped to tackle them.
Amit said that a new approach has to be devised by authorities to counter the challenges and strengthen policing. Our focus should be on the security of the country’s economic centres, protection of human rights of the poor, evidence-based investigation, evidence-based forensic science, and cracking down on the terror links of narcotics, cyber and financial fraud.
Amit said that the police have to be Accessible, Accountable and Approachable. Being accessible means bringing a balance between knowledge, skills and approach. We will have to set an example of accountable policing by imbibing fresh energy and confidence within us and becoming approachable.
He added that the police will have to address the law and order situation only after understanding the local language, geography and culture. He said that the soul of the constitution is citizens and their rights and the police have to interpret all clauses of the constitution and law keeping this goal in mind.
IPS Officer Trainees will have to move forward by balancing their professional and personal life. Officers will need to win the trust of citizens and retain their humanity.
Amit said that it is the responsibility of these officers to ensure the welfare of personnel working on the ground in stress situations, improve welfare measures, become sensitive to them, augment police capacity building and ensure that their approach matches global standards.
The Union Home Minister said that he would like to again emphasise the Police Technology Mission and the basis of the three mantras of Awareness, Preparedness and Enforcement, the technology mission is going to forge ahead.
He appealed to all trainee officers to be a part of this mission and strengthen it. Together, we will ensure maximum contribution to the aim of Prime Minister Modi to create a great India and will always remain devoted to the unity and integrity of the country.
