[Reader-list] News Items posted on the net on Multipurpose National Identity Cards-126

[anupam chakravartty]

Some thing about Rand corp that I wanted to share:
http://www.hereinreality.com/news/rand.html


On 6/12/09, Taha Mehmood <2tahamehmood at googlemail.com> wrote:
>
>
> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Editorial/TOP-ARTICLE--Step-Up-To-The-Task/articleshow/4645381.cms
>
> TOP ARTICLE | Step Up To The Task
> 12 Jun 2009, 0000 hrs IST, Prakash Singh
>
> The president's address to Parliament unveiled an ambitious agenda for
> reforms in which internal security has been given high priority, and
> rightly so. The country has been reassured that the government would
> follow a policy of ''zero tolerance'' towards terrorism and that
> ''stern measures'' would be taken to deal with insurgency and
> left-wing extremism.
>
> Unfortunately, there is a sense of complacency that has set in here
> because there has been no major incident since 26/11. We must remember
> that the reason there has been no major terror strike since the Mumbai
> attacks has been more due to the international pressure on Pakistan
> and the action taken by that country against terrorists operating
> within its boundaries rather than any strengthening of the security
> apparatus by our government.
>
> As soon as Pakistan is able to get the economic assistance it
> desperately needs, it would revert to its old game of sponsoring
> terrorism. The manner in which Hafiz Saeed, chief of the banned
> Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), and founder of the outlawed Lashkar-a-Taiba
> (LeT), has been let off the hook is evidence, if needed at all, of
> Pakistan's ambivalence. It is absolutely essential, therefore, that
> the government improves our security architecture comprehensively.
> Else, all our efforts in other areas would come to a naught. Economic
> development can take place only in a secure environment.
>
> It may be recalled that the Rand Corporation, a US think tank, had, in
> the aftermath of the 26/11 incidents in Mumbai, clearly warned that
> ''India will continue to face a serious jihadi terrorist threat from
> Pakistan-based terrorist groups for the foreseeable future''. In fact,
> it even said ''the threat will continue to grow''. Another US think
> tank, Stratfor, also said that in the context of ''jihadi insurgency
> along India's western frontier and Pakistan seemingly losing control
> of its militant proxies, another major Islamist attack in India is
> inevitable''.
>
> Meanwhile, the US state department, while ranking India ''among the
> world's most terrorism affected countries'' deplored that ''the Indian
> government's counterterrorism efforts remained hampered by its
> outdated and overburdened law enforcement and legal systems''.
> Government no doubt took some positive measures in the wake of 26/11.
> However, our overall preparedness leaves much to be desired.
>
> The police and intelligence organisations in the states continue to be
> in poor shape. The majority of states have been lackadaisical in
> implementing the Supreme Court's directions on police reforms. The
> Centre has been dragging its feet over introducing the Model Police
> Bill for Delhi and the Union territories. The police force is woefully
> short of manpower, apart from the fact that a sizeable chunk of the
> force is diverted to protect so-called VIPs. There is misplaced
> emphasis on open-ended expansion of the paramilitary forces. What we
> need to actually augment is the civil police force.
>
> The 'thana' does not inspire any confidence either by its appearance
> or by its resources and equipment. Beat constables, the crucial link
> in internal security, exist on paper alone. Modernisation of the
> police has been slow, as has been highlighted by the Comptroller and
> Auditor General. Recruitment procedures are tainted and training
> continues to be neglected. The executive has, in some states,
> devastated the chain of command with deleterious effects on discipline
> in the ranks. If the morale of the police is low today, it's thanks to
> the politicians and the bureaucracy.
>
> The Congress party, in its manifesto, recognised the ''imperative of
> police reforms''. It stated, ''A clear distinction between the
> political executive and police administration will be made''. The
> manifesto also assured that the police force ''will be better
> provisioned especially in the matter of housing and educational
> facilities''. The president has also reiterated the government's
> commitment to police reforms. It is high time that these promises are
> acted upon.
>
> At the national level, our anti-terror policy must be defined in
> explicit terms. The National Investigating Agency and the Central
> Bureau of Investigation need to be merged. Having two parallel central
> investigating agencies makes no sense. The performance of the Research
> & Analysis Wing remains a matter of concern. It must develop offensive
> capabilities. The Intelligence Bureau needs to be depoliticised. The
> National Security Council is almost dysfunctional and the National
> Security Advisory Board has become a parking spot for retired officers
> who are in the good books of the establishment.
>
> The problem of Bangladeshi immigration was dusted under the carpet by
> all previous governments. That cannot continue. To start with, fencing
> our borders with Bangladesh should be completed expeditiously
> overruling all political objections at the local level. The scheme to
> give multi-purpose identity cards to all Indian citizens should be
> implemented post-haste. In due course, government must prevail upon
> Bangladesh to accept the fact of illegal immigration and take back at
> least some of its nationals on the basis of a mutually agreed cut-off
> date.
>
> It was unfortunate that in the wake of 26/11, the government did not
> appoint a national commission to examine the lapses in security and
> suggest comprehensive measures to overhaul the security matrix.
> Perhaps those in power scuttled the proposal lest they were exposed
> and held accountable. Though belated, the new government may still
> consider appointing such a commission to investigate systemic failures
> and recommend appropriate remedial measures.
>
> The writer is a former director-general, BSF.
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