Message for states: No police reforms, no money

Picking up from where Home Minister P Chidambaram had left last week, junior Home Minister Ajay Maken is pushing for linking release of central funds to police reforms undertaken by the states. Aloke Tikku reports.

Picking up from where Home Minister P Chidambaram had left last week, junior Home Minister Ajay Maken is pushing for linking release of central funds to police reforms undertaken by the states.

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Chidambaram had sent a clear message to chief ministers at last week’s internal security conference to put police reforms on fast track, especially setting up police establishment boards that would give officers security of tenure.

At a meeting of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) this week, Maken told the bureau officials to explore linking devolution of funds by the home ministry to the extent and quality of policing.

Maken – who was the Minister of State in the urban development ministry in the first edition of the UPA government – drew on the Centre’s successful experience in pushing urban governance reforms.

Last year, the home ministry had earmarked Rs 1,150 crore (Rs 11.5 billion) for modernisation of state police forces alone.
The central assistance to states is due to expand over the next few years under the National Police Mission.

Maken said states needed to be allocated adequate resources to ensure effective implementation of the mission.

The MoS (Home) also told the police research bureau to pro-actively adapt its training modules to the needs of the state police rather than having a straitjacket approach.

During the review, the BPR&D – that is finalising Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for security in shopping malls and multiplexes – was also told to include hotels in its ambit.