Union Home Minister said that these terrorists unleash the worst forms of violence to erase the diversity and destabilize the democratic order and are adept at using the latest technologies to propagate their beliefs and deeds. They extensively use modern technology to reach out to wider audience with susceptible minds, he added. Home Minister said that the influence of Islamic State on the Indian youth is negligible as just a handful of Indian youth have joined the ISIS and some have also returned after being persuaded by their families. The Union Home Minister further said that the failure of ISIS to attract Indian Muslims is due to the complete integration of Indian Muslims into the national mainstream. Indian Muslims are patriots and are not swayed by fundamentalist ideologies. Moreover, India, as a country is proud of all its diversity, he added.

Shri Rajnath Singh said that we also need to be concerned over the increasing possibility and opportunity to use available technology & cyberspace in a destructive manner. The menace of terrorism is greatly amplified in today’s digital world, he added. Shri Rajnath Singh said that today a ‘lone wolf’ or a ‘DIY (Do It Yourself) Terrorist’ can go online and learn how to carry out an attack without ever leaving home. We have recently constituted an expert committee to look into all possible avenues of cybercrime and its linkages with the terrorist world, he added.

The Union Home Minister has said that the source of most terrorist activity in India lies across our borders. It is unfortunate that even after paying such a heavy cost for itself, Pakistan and its associates find it difficult to understand that there are no ‘good terrorists and bad terrorists’, he added. The Union Home Minister said that Pakistan should seriously rethink its strategy of using terrorism as an ‘instrument of proxy war’, since this would be in her own national interest. Rajnath Singh said that India has been a victim of cross-border terrorism for the last several decades and terrorism knows no boundaries and doesn’t respect nations’ sovereignties. They have become transnational in character and therefore International Cooperation is needed to build popular opinion and pressurise the countries that use terrorists as their strategic assets, he added. Shri Rajnath Singh further said that all countries should be aware of developments in this area, which is bound to affect them in some way, sooner than later.

Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted a Committee in February 2014 under the chairmanship of Shri M.P. Bezbaruah to look into the various concerns of the citizens hailing from the North Eastern States who are living in different parts of the country and to suggest suitable remedial measures including legal measures which could be taken up by the Government.

As part of the Legal Measures, Shri Rajnath Singh said the Indian Penal Code (IPC) will be amended for insertion of new sections of 153C and 509A as recommended by the Committee. The Ministry of Law & Justice has agreed to the amendment.

As part of Legal Assistance, the Home Minister said a panel of seven lawyers including five women lawyers has been constituted by the Delhi State Legal Service Authority (DSLSA) for providing legal assistance to the needy people from the North East. The Delhi Government will also be providing compensation and monetary assistance to the NE people under Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme 2011. State Bhawans of concerned NE States have also agreed to play active roles to assist the persons in distress.

Shri Rajnath Singh further said that all the recommendations made by the Committee regarding Special Police Initiatives and additional steps to be taken by the various State Police Forces and Delhi Police have been accepted for immediate implementation. These include:

· Delhi police will recruit 20 police personnel, (10 male – 10 female) each from North East States.

· Police exchange programme has been approved between NE States and metropolitan cities including Delhi.

· North East Special Unit at New Delhi is activated to address the grievances of the NE people. Other States have been advised to do the same.

· A decision has been taken that cases of NE people be referred to the existing fast track courts for early decision.

· A special helpline No.1093 for NE people is being synchronized with helpline No.100. Other States are advised to set up special helpline.

· Various Metropolitan Police including Delhi Police are being advised to post NE Personnel in their force in the visible positions in vulnerable areas prone to crime against NE people. Also they will be advised to have due representation of the senior officers at the field level.

The Union Home Minister said some recommendations relate to the Ministry of Human Resource Development and several steps have already been initiated in this regard including:

· In order to educate the people about the North East, Universities have been advised that history of North East and participation in the freedom movement of the country should be taught at graduation level and post graduation level, and for this purpose, curriculum be changed.

· Similar action is being taken by the NCERT with respect to elementary and higher secondary education.

· A special scholarship scheme for students of North East Region ‘Ishan Uday’ has been launched from the academic session 2014-15 providing 10,000 scholarships ranging from Rs.3,500/- to Rs.5,000/- per month for studying at under-graduate level in colleges and universities of the country.

· Under ‘Ishan Vikas’ scheme, selected students from school and college levels from the North Eastern States will be taken to Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), National Institute of Technology (NITs) and other engineering institutes for exposure/internship programme.

Shri Rajnath Singh said the Ministries of Culture, Tourism, Information & Broadcasting have also planned to roll out prorgammes for bridging the gap between the peoples of the North-Eastern Region and the rest of the country, including:

· Chalking out action plan for educating the people about the rich cultural heritage of the North Eastern States and its wider coverage & promotion at the national level.

· The North East Film Festival & North East Festival to be organized annually at New Delhi, showcasing culture, films, foods, sports etc.

Besides, the Ministry of Sports has also been roped in this endeavour:

· Has committed itself for identification of talented sports persons from North East with the help of State Governments for arranging their training in reputed sports training centres.

· Sports Ministry is taking action for organizing Sports Tournaments/Events in the North Eastern States.

· An amount of Rs.100 crore has been earmarked for setting up of National Sports University in Manipur.

Shri Rajnath Singh said the Ministry of DoNER being the nodal agency for development of the remote region has also initiated the following steps:

· DONER Ministry is in the process of clearing the proposal for construction of a hostel at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and four other colleges at Delhi expeditiously.

· DONER is also exploring the effective measures to deal with the problem of accommodation and high rent faced by the students and professionals/service persons from the North East in Delhi.

· Govt. of Delhi is being advised to initiate measures to resolve the problem, of less payment/non-payment of wages being faced by the North Eastern People.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discusses evolving threats to global community from terror

Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh met Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, an hour long meeting, during his official visit to Israel. The meeting was held in an extremely cordial atmosphere and fruitful discussions were held on a wide range of issues. The two leaders discussed the regional situation and the evolving threats to the global community from terror. The Union Home Minister said that terror was a threat not only to countries like India and Israel but to the whole world. They reviewed existing cooperation and future possibilities in this area. Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu spoke about India and Israel as being two old civilizations, each with a capacity for science and innovation. He said that his uncle, who was a mathematician, always used to tell him that the best mathematicians came from India. The Union Home Minister commended the achievements of Israel and Israeli scientists in different fields and also referred to Indian achievements in science, including the concept of zero, decimals and algebra. Mr. Netanyahu said that he was greatly impressed by his meeting with Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in New York and believed that relations between the two countries were poised for rapid development.

Rajnath Singh has expressed satisfaction at the growth in bilateral ties in a range of areas, including defence and agriculture. He noted the signing of agreements in the area of homeland security that had opened another area of mutually beneficial cooperation. In this context, he emphasized the importance of capacity building and training. He said that the future emphasis should be to build a hi-tech partnership befitting two leading knowledge economies. Both leaders agreed that the Free Trade Agreement under discussion between the two sides should be signed early. Union Home Minister made a special reference to the ‘Make in India’ campaign launched by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and invited Israeli industry, including in the defence sector, to take advantage of the investment friendly policies adopted by the new government.

Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu briefed the Home Minister on technologies that had been developed by Israel in areas such as aviation security, border protection and water harvesting. He said Israel was ready and willing to discuss transfer and development of such technologies with India. He said that he agreed with the Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi that Israeli industry, including the defence industry, could ‘make in India’ and thereby reduce costs of manufacturing products and systems developed by Israel. He said that a delegation from Israeli industry would be happy to visit India to explore manufacturing opportunities in different sectors. In this context, the Home Minister also mentioned the possibility of together exploring third country markets in Africa and Latin America, where Indian industry has a strong presence.