[Reader-list] News Items posted on the net on Multipurpose National Identity Cards-109

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear All,


With the election season on, even political parties are competing with
each other to claim authorship for introducing MNIC. The Home Minister
of India suggests that MNIC was Rajeev Gandhi's idea, while the BJP
asserts it was their brainchild.

Regards

Taha


http://theheadlinestoday.com/2009/04/chidambaram-outlines-congress-plan-to.html


Wednesday, April 8, 2009



Chidambaram outlines Congress’ plan to tackle terror
<http://theheadlinestoday.com/2009/04/chidambaram-outlines-congress-plan-to.html>


NEW DELHI, April 7: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today announced
a “comprehensive action plan” by the Congress party to tackle
terrorism and said only the Congress could effectively deal with the
scourge.

“It is only the Indian National Congress that can deal with the
scourge of terrorism squarely and decisively but without weakening the
delicate strands that have, together, bound our society for
centuries,” Chidambaram said, quoting from the booklet on “The
Congress party’s pledge - Protecting India From Terror”.

Chidambaram said only a responsible government could address the
challenge of terrorism on a war-footing. “The Congress party is alive
to this challenge. The Congress party is committed to provide strong
and decisive leadership to meet the challenge of terrorism. This is
our pledge to the people of India,” he said.

The booklet outlines the steps the Congress would take to implement
anti-terror measures if voted to power. He said the party-led
government would also set up a permanent crisis management group or
war room. The “war room” will have two main functions. “Provide war
room-style operational oversight and control during terror threats or
events, and function as a 24-hour watch-post/monitoring centre.”

The war room would be “headed by a Cabinet secretary and it will have
representatives from the armed forces, at least from its intelligence
wing,” the Home Minister said.
The party would also establish a judicial task force to fast track
trials “to ensure that national security and terror-related cases are
tried and completed within 90 days”.

The booklet enumerates five tenets the party has formulated as part of
its strategy to counter terror. It includes capable and equipped human
assets, actionable intelligence and cutting-edge analytics, empowered
and coordinated security agencies decisive response to threats and
attacks and strong and speedy investigation and prosecution.

Chidambaram accused the former National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
Government of “mysteriously” slashing the recruitment target for the
IPS cadre.

“In 1998, when LK Advani was home minister, the recruitment target for
the IPS cadre was mysteriously slashed from 85 to 36. The same number
of 36 was repeated in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001 and as a result,
grave and irreparable damage was done,” he said.

“The Congress party will ensure that this deficiency is addressed
decisively once and for all, after a panel formed to look into the
issue submits its report by May 31, 2009,” he said.

Chidambaram said the country’s ability to respond to terror is much
better than five years ago and added that “terrorism is a global
phenomena”. The situation, he said, had “deteriorated in Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Myanmar”.

He regretted the serial blasts in Asom on Monday and admitted that
they took place despite security personnel being on alert. However,
this was not a subject to be politicised and should be seen in the
global perspective, the minister said. “It should not be politicised,”
he said.

Chidambaram said the Multi-Purpose National Identity Card (MNIC- Smart
Card) idea was the brainchild of Rajiv Gandhi and the BJP was trying
to hijack it. He said the party-led government would ensure that the
country has a world-class national security data base and a crime and
criminal tacking network and systems. IANS