NEW DELHI: Calling for cooperation, coordination and collaboration among the Centre and states to fight “borderless” crimes like cyber-offences, terrorism and narcotics trafficking, home minister Amit Shah on Thursday urged all states to come on board the Centre’s efforts at ‘cooperative federalism’ by devising and adopting a common strategy to battle these challenges.
Towards this end, a two-day ‘chintan shivir’ (introspection session) of state home ministers and lieutenant governors and administrators of UTs is being organised at Surajkund in Haryana to provide a common platform to discuss ways to deal with internal security challenges as part of ‘Vision 2047’ outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech.
Shah emphasised that internal security — a key factor for development, stability and good governance — is a common responsibility of the Centre and the states. He hoped that the deliberations — attended by 10 CMs, two deputy CMs, 11 home ministers, one finance minister, one governor (Punjab governor who is also administrator of UT of Chandigarh), and LGs of J&K and Ladakh, besides senior officers —will further expand cooperation.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee skipped the meet. Both also hold the home portfolio. Also political representatives of Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Delhi and Lakshadweep were absent from the meeting.
Shah said cooperation and coordination between the Centre and the states over the eight years of Modi government has turned ‘hotspots of violence’ like Jammu and Kashmir, northeast and left wing extremism-affected regions into ‘hotspots of development’.