One Nation, One Police Uniform

In Context

• The Prime Minister recently mooted the idea of “one nation, one police uniform”. 

More about the news

• Chintan Shivir & the idea of “one nation, one police uniform”:
  • The PM addressed the first Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) of state home ministers and top police officers.
  • He made it clear that he is not imposing the idea of a single uniform for police forces across the country and only wanted states to give it a thought.
• Terrorism & Naxalism:
  • Reiterating the need to obliterate the ground network of terrorism, according to PM, it is the need of the hour to come together as one and handle the situation. 
  • He also said that in the past eight years, the number of Naxal-affected districts in the country has come down significantly.
    • Now we have to focus on rapid development in all these sectors including infrastructure.
• Nagaland’s appeal:
  • Speaking at the conference, Nagaland’s Deputy Chief Minister hoped that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) would be removed from more areas in Nagaland in the future. 
• Issue of Fake news:
  • PM said one should not be limited to social media as the only source of information. 
  • He expressed concern about the losses that India had to face due to fake news about job reservations in the past. 
  • He stressed the need to educate people about analysing and verifying any piece of information before forwarding it to others. 

About “one nation, one police uniform”

• Police as a state subject:
  • The Indian Constitution puts police forces under the jurisdiction of state governments, and each of the 28 states have their own police force. 
• Issue of uniforms:
  • While police personnel in India are often associated with the colour khaki, their uniforms do differ in varying degrees in different regions. 
  • Since state governments and even an individual force can decide the uniform their personnel wear, there are at times inconsistencies in their official attire. 
  • Over the years, police departments of various states have made various attempts to reform uniforms for their personnel.
• Significance of “one nation, one police uniform”:
  • According to the PM, it will also provide profit and also will give a common identity to law enforcement as citizens will recognise police personnel anywhere in the country.

Naxalism or the Left-wing Extremism(LWE) in India

• About:
  • Left-wing extremists, popularly known as Maoists worldwide and as Naxalites/Naxalism in India, has been a major threat to India since the 1960s. 
  • The Naxalites have frequently targeted tribal, police and government workers in what they say is a fight for improved land rights and more jobs for neglected agricultural labourers and the poor.
• Current scenario:
  • The number of most affected districts, accounting for 90% of the violent incidents, had reduced from 35 in 2015 to 25 in 2021. 
    • These districts are mostly in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh.
• Government initiatives to tackle with LWE:
  • Operations led by CRPF:
    • CRPF launched Operation Octopus, Operation Double Bull, Operation Thunderstorm and Operation Chakarbandha in the three States (Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh). 
  • SAMADHAN doctrine:
    • It is the one-stop solution for the LWE problem. It encompasses the entire strategy of government from short-term policy to long-term policy formulated at different levels. SAMADHAN stands for-
      • S– Smart Leadership,
      • A– Aggressive Strategy,
      • M– Motivation and Training,
      • A– Actionable Intelligence,
      • D– Dashboard Based KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Areas),
      • H– Harnessing Technology,
      • A– Action plan for each Theatre,
      • N– No access to Financing.

Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)

• About:
  • It was enacted by the Parliament and approved by the President in 1958.
  • It confers certain special powers on members of the Armed Forces (military forces, air forces operating on the ground as land forces and any other armed forces of the Union (CRPF, BSF, ITBP etc)for carrying out proactive operations against the insurgents in a highly hostile environment. 
  • They have the authority to prohibit a gathering of five or more persons in an area.
• AFSPA and states:
  • Recently, The Union Home Ministry has considerably reduced the “disturbed areas” under the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act (AFSPA) in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.
  • AFSPA remains in force in parts of these three states as well as in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
• Reason & requirement of reduction in AFSPA areas:
  • The Northeast has lived under the shadow of AFSPA for nearly 60 years, creating a feeling of alienation from the rest of the country. 
  • Over the last two decades, various parts of the Northeast have seen a reduction in insurgencies, some of them up to 60 years old. 
  • It is a result of the improved security situation and fast-tracked development due to consistent efforts.

Source: TH