Cabinet approves Rs 25,060 cr for police modernisation

New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday approved Rs 25,060 crore for police modernisation over the three fiscal years till 2019-20.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters after a meeting of the Union Cabinet that the central government would contribute around 80 per cent of money earmarked for police modernisation.

"The CCS has cleared an umbrella scheme for police modernisation. Rs 25,060 crore has been approved for 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20," he said, adding that the share of central government will be Rs 18,636 crore and that of states Rs 6,424 crore.

Special provision has been made under the scheme for internal security, law and order, women security, availability of modern weapons, mobility of police forces, logistics support, hiring of helicopters, upgradation of police wireless, National Satellite Network, CCTNS project and E-prison project, said Rajnath Singh.

Under the umbrella scheme, he said, the central budget outlay of Rs 10,132 crore has been earmarked for internal security related expenditure for Jammu and Kashmir, the northeastern States and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) (Maoist) affected states.

The scheme of Special Central Assistance (SCA) for 35 worst LWE-affected districts has been introduced with an outlay of Rs 3,000 crore to tackle the issue of underdevelopment in these districts, he said, adding an outlay of Rs 100 crore has also been earmarked in the northeastern states for police infrastructure upgradation, training institutes and investigation facilities.

"Implementation of this scheme would bolster the government's ability to address challenges faced in different theatres such as areas affected by LWE, Jammu and Kashmir and northeast effectively and undertake development interventions which will catalyze in improving the quality of life in these areas and help combat these challenges at the same time," Rajnath Singh said.

He said that new initiatives were being introduced to provide assistance to states for upgradation of police infrastructure, forensic science laboratories, institutions and the equipment available with them to plug critical gaps in the criminal justice system.

Police stations will be integrated to set up a national data base of crime and criminals records and it will be linked with other pillars of criminal justice system such as prisons, forensic science laboratories and prosecution offices.

"The umbrella scheme also provides for setting up of a state-of art forensic science laboratory in Amravati (Andhra Pradesh) and upgradation of Sardar Patel Global Centre for Security, Counter Terrorism and Anti Insurgency in Jaipur and Gujarat Forensic Science University in Gandhinagar," he said.