Prime Minister complimented the preparations of the law and order personnel for a peaceful atmosphere during the festival season. He said that the Chintan Shivir is a prime example of cooperative federalism. The Prime Minister said even though law and order are the responsibility of the states as per the constitution, they are equally related to the unity and integrity of the country. “Every state should learn from each other, take inspiration from each other, work for the betterment of the country, this is the spirit of the constitution and it is also our responsibility towards the countrymen”, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday proposed the idea of “One Nation, One Uniform” for police, in yet another pitch to have uniformity among various forces. He said it was “just an idea” and not an imposition and asked the states to think about it as just a suggestion.
“The ‘One Nation, One Uniform’ for police is just an idea. I am not trying to impose it on you. Just give it a thought. It may happen, it may happen in five, 50, or 100 years. But let’s give it a thought,” PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister, addressing a “Chintan Shivir” of state home ministers, said he thinks that the identity of the police across the country could be identical. He also advocated close cooperation among the states to tackle crimes and criminals.

He also seconded Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s call for uniform law and order policy. “Cooperative federalism was not only the feeling of the Constitution but also the responsibility of the states and the Centre,” he added.

The PM said even though law and order is a state subject as per the Constitution, they are equally linked with the unity and integrity of the country.

He also urged the state governments to review old laws and amend them to the current context as he batted for coordinated action by all the agencies to meet the emerging challenges of law and order and security.

Referring to the circulation of fake news, PM Modi said fact-checking of fake news is a must and technology plays a big role in this.

“People must be made aware of mechanisms to verify messages before forwarding them,” he said.

The PM said police and intelligence agencies should cooperate with each other to ensure efficiency, better outcomes and protection to the common man.

He said the good old system of generating human intelligence by the police and security agencies should be strengthened for achieving better results. and asked the states not to look at the budget while selecting the technology as “investment in today’s technology is a saving in the future”.

The idea of having one uniform for the entire police force did not gain traction within various police forces who feel the distinction is needed among various forces as it identifies one from another.

“There is so much diversity in our country North East has colder climate Rajasthan is hot in South we have humidity how can we have the same uniform for all and moreover one can identify a uniform with a force so it’s a useless exercise,” a senior DG ranking official remarked.

The Prime Minister pointed out that crime is no longer localised and instances of interstate, international crimes are going up. That is why mutual cooperation between state agencies and between central and state agencies is becoming crucial. He pointed out, whether it is cybercrime or the use of drone technologies for the smuggling of weapons or drugs, the government needs to keep working towards new technologies to tackle the menace. “The law and order system can be improved with the help of smart technology”, the Prime Minister remarked. He said 5G, along with its benefits, brings the need for a heightened alert. He requested the Chief Ministers and Home Ministers to seriously assess the need for technology, going beyond the constraints of the budget as this technology will percolate the confidence of security among common citizens. The Prime Minister mentioned the Police Technology Mission of the Central Government, however, he stressed the need for a common platform as differing technologies of different states do not talk to each other. “We should have a pan India outlook, all our best practices should be interoperable and should have a common link, ” he said. He asked the state agencies to develop capabilities in forensic science and take full advantage of the National Forensic Sciences University of Gandhinagar.

Highlighting the reforms, the Prime Minister said that several reforms for strengthening the law and order system have taken place in the last few years that have helped maintain a peaceful environment in the country. He said, “Maintaining law and order is a 24×7 job.” He further added that it is necessary to work towards advancements and improvements in the processes involved. He mentioned the decriminalisation of many things in company law as a step in this direction, he asked the states to also evaluate and get rid of outdated rules and laws.

The Prime Minister said that in the Laws enacted by the central government a will to strongly handle corruption, terrorism and Hawala, is clear. “Laws like UAPA have given strength to the system in a decisive battle against terrorism”, he said.

The Prime Minister asked the gathering to consider a single uniform for the police of the states of the entire country. This will not only ensure quality products due to the scale but also will give a common identity to law enforcement as citizens will recognize police personnel anywhere in the country. States can have their number or insignia. “‘One Nation, One Police Uniform’, I am just putting forward this as a thought for your consideration”, he said. Similarly, he emphasised the need to think about developing special capabilities for tourism-related policing. He said tourists are the biggest and fastest ambassadors of the reputation of any place.

The Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of sensitivity and the need to develop a personal touch. He gave examples of calls by police during the pandemic to help people, especially senior citizens. The Prime Minister also asked to strengthen Human Intelligence along with technological intelligence as this can not be ignored. The Prime Minister also emphasised the need to stay alert against the new challenges that are emerging in the wake of India’s growing stature.

Pointing out the possibilities of social media, the Prime Minister said that one should not limit it to being the source of information. He said that a piece of single fake news has the capability to snowball into a matter of national concern. The Prime Minister lamented the losses that India had to face due to fake news about job reservations in the past and the need to educate people about analysing and verifying any piece of information before forwarding it to people. “We have to come up with technological advancement to prevent the spreading of fake news”, he added. The need for civil defence in the country and urged the firefighters and the police to conduct drills in schools and colleges so that the students get acclaimed to the idea. he added.