HIGHLIGHTS OF MAJOR DECISIONS/INITIATIVES OF MHA (Separate Press Releases issued on each topic listed below)
Important Bills Passed by Parliament
- Jammu and Kashmir – Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A ; The Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act, 2019; The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2019
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National Investigation Agency(Amendment) Act, 2019
- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019
- Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019– aims to increase operational efficiency of SPG in ensuring the security of the Prime Minister of India.
5. Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 – focus on granting Indian Citizenship to persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities on ground of religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Marathon deliberations held by Union Home Minister with various stakeholders from North East and their concerns against the CAB 2019 addressed in the final Amendment Act.
6. Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 – enhances the punishment for existing offences like illegal manufacture, sale, transfer and illegal acquiring, possessing or carrying prohibited arms or prohibited ammunition; illicit trafficking of firearms; celebratory gunfire endangering human life. Arms licenses to be issued for 5 years in electronic form, which would prevent forgery. The Amendment would reduce possession of illegal firearms and commission of criminal offences by limiting 2 licenses per person. Ownership of arms by retired and serving personnel of armed forces and sportspersons remains unaffected by the Amendment. Further, Ancestral guns may be retained in a Deactivated State.
7. Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 – to make the constitution of NHRC and SHRCs broader and more inclusive.
8. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill, 2019 – Administrative efficiency, better service delivery and effective implementation of Central and State Government Schemes to be the focus.
Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh
1. Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A
• Historic step to remove Article 370 and 35A of Constitution of India
• Brought JK & Ladakh at par with other States and UTs
• All provisions of Constitution of India, without any modifications or exceptions, to now apply to JK & Ladakh
• Laws of Union Government wrt education, empowerment of SC, ST, Minorities etc to be applicable to JK & Ladakh
• Boost to local economy and employment opportunities by increasing investment; Reservation to EWS of society in jobs & educational institutions to apply in JK & Ladakh
• Betterment of socio-economic infrastructure in JK & Ladakh
2. The Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act, 2019 Jammu and Kashmir reorganised into
• Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with legislature, and
• Union Territory of Ladakh without Legislature
• Formally came into force on 31st October, 2019
• Maps of newly formed UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh released
• 1st Winter-grade Diesel outlet for Ladakh inaugurated by Union Home Minister; move to boost tourism in extreme weather conditions
3. The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2019
3% reservation in services and educational institutions extended to people living near the International Border (IB) in J&K, in line with reservation given to people living near the Line of Control (LoC)
4. Amarnath Yatra
• 3,42,883 yatris had safe and secure Darshan
• Higher by nearly 20%, as compared to 2018
5. Cabinet approved Inclusion of 5,300 Displaced Persons families of J&K in the Rehabilitation Package for Displaced Families of PoJK and Chhamb, under the PM’s Development Package 2015 for Jammu & Kashmir
6. Government Employees of UTs of J&K and Ladakh to get all 7th Central Pay Commission Allowances from 31st October 2019 – allowances worth around Rs. 4800 crores approved for Government employees.
Kartarpur Sahib Corridor
1. Union Cabinet passed a resolution on 22nd November 2018 to celebrate the historic occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Devji in a grand and befitting manner, throughout the country and across the globe
2. India signed the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Agreement with Pakistan on 24th October, 2019
3. Indian pilgrims of all faiths to undertake year-round Visa-free travel to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib through Kartarpur Sahib Corridor – a long standing demand of followers of Guru Nanak Dev ji
4. State of art Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) developed (estd. project cost – Rs. 400 crore), having modern public amenities and security features; architecture reflecting cultural heritage of Punjab
5. 54 Immigrations counters at PTB for facilitating travel of over 5000 pilgrims per day
6. 4.19 km long, 4-lane highway worth Rs. 120.05 crores built, in record time of 6 months, on Indian side for giving accessibility for pilgrims to the PTB
7. Special Trains run from across the country to facilitate pilgrims to visit Sultanpur Lodhi, the place where Guru Nanak Devji attained enlightenment and developed as Heritage Town
8. 300ft. Monumental National Flag at PTB
9. Online portal (prakashpurb550.mha.gov.in) created to facilitate registration of pilgrims and provide other important information including Do’s & Dont’s and FAQs
Strict Action on Terror and Insurgency
1. National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Act, 2019
• NIA empowered with extra territorial jurisdiction for investigation of terrorism related offences taking place outside India, in which Indian property/citizens are victims
• The mandate of NIA is expanded by inclusion of new offences viz. explosive substances, human trafficking, manufacturing/sale of prohibited arms and cyber terrorism, to its Schedule
2. Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019
• Central Government empowered to designate individual as terrorist
• NIA empowered to seize/forfeit property representing proceeds of terrorism in cases investigated by NIA
• After recent amendment, 4 Individuals viz., Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim proscribed as Terrorists
• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) banned for another five years under sub-sections of UAPA, 1967
3. Cyber Crime Control
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) launched as a citizen centric initiative to facilitate public for reporting of all types of Cyber Crimes without visiting Police Station
• The complaints reported on this portal are accessible online to the law enforcement agencies of respective States/UTs for taking appropriate action as per law
• 12th India Security Summit on ‘Towards New National Cyber Security Strategy’ held in New Delhi
4. Review Meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE)
• Incidents of LWE violence down from 2258 in 2009 to 833 in 2018
• Number of deaths dropped from 1005 in 2009 to 240 in 2018
• Districts affected by Naxal violence reduced from 96 in 2010 to 60 in 2018
5. Smart Fencing – Union Home Minister launched BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) under Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) on Indo-Bangladesh border in Dhubri district of Assam, as an effective deterrence against illegal infiltration. Two pilot projects covering about 71 Kms on Indo-Pakistan Border (10 Kms) and Indo-Bangladesh Border (61 Kms) of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) have been completed.
6. International Drug Syndicate busted – the largest seizure of contraband drugs by NCB in India – 20 Kgs of Cocaine, worth Rs. 100 crores, seized.
Focus North East
- National Register of Citizens (NRC), Assam published on 31.08.2019
• A machinery created for detection and deportation of illegal immigrants
• ‘In-principle’ approval given for setting up of 1000 additional Foreigners Tribunals (FTs)
• ‘In-principle’ approval given to Assam Government for creation of e-FT platform (estd. cost
– Rs. 99 crores)
2. Government of India, Government of Tripura & National Liberation Front of Twipra led by Sabir Kumar Debbarma (NLFT-SD) sign Memorandum of Settlement
• NLFT (SD) to abjure path of violence, join the mainstream and abide by Constitution of India
• Agreed to surrender 88 cadres with their weapons
• Cadres to get surrender benefits as per the Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme, 2018
• Government of Tripura to help surrendered cadres in housing, recruitment, education etc.
• Government of India to consider proposals of State Government for economic development of tribal areas of Tripura.
3. North East Handloom and Handicraft Exhibition inaugurated by Union Home Minister in Aizawl – focus on tapping huge employment opportunities in the North East, due to availability of natural resources and presence of traditional culture and skill, by giving boost to traditional handloom and handicrafts
Disaster Management
1. International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
• launched by Prime Minister during the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on 23rd September, 2019
• Knowledge exchange platform on different aspects of disaster and calamity resilience of infrastructure
• Assist countries for Infrastructure Development based on risk context and economic needs
• Pooling of Technological Expertise of stakeholders
2. Cyclones Fani, Vayu, Maha and Bulbul
• Successful coordination of Assistance to States and execution of Rescue & Rehabilitation and dissemination of timely information to National & Regional Media by MHA
• Sensitization Workshop for Nodal Officers dealing with Disaster Management in all Departments/ Ministries of Central Government held by MHA
3. Immediate Visits of Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) and Rescue-Relief Ops
• Preliminary visits by IMCT for on-the-spot assessment of the flood-affected States without waiting for Memorandum from them
• IMCT to visit again for detailed damage assessment, after Memorandum submitted by States
• High-Level Committee chaired by Union Home Minister approved Rs 4432.10 crore of additional Central assistance to Odisha, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh
• Additional financial assistance of Rs. 1813.75 crore given from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to flood-affected States of Karnataka and Bihar
• 5375 persons rescued and more than 42,000 evacuated by NDRF from various districts of flood-affected states viz. Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat
• Central Forces successfully evacuated 900 persons from Mahalaxmi Express stranded in flood in Maharashtra
• NDRF evacuated more than 11,000 people from flood-affected areas of Assam & Bihar
4. India hosted SCOJtEx-2019 for the 1st time
• Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Joint Exercise (SCOJtEx)-2019 on Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue organized in New Delhi
• Home Minister chaired 10th Meeting of Heads of Departments of SCO Member States, dealing with the prevention and Elimination of Emergency Situations
• SCOJtEx to facilitate collective preparedness & building a common understanding of internationally recognized procedures to co-ordinate post-earthquake responses
• This joint exercise with SCO member states to be helpful in developing personal understanding amongst counterpart teams to tackle any disaster situation
5. India hosted 1st International Conference on ‘Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience’ in New Delhi
6. Heat Wave 2020: Two-Day Workshop on Preparedness, Mitigation, and Management of Heat Wave held in Bengaluru
7. Experts from 33 countries participated in the International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure-2019, held in New Delhi.
Pride of the Nation – Security Forces
1. Increasing Age of Retirement of CAPFs Personnel to 60 years
• Ensuring Uniformity in Age of Retirement for Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel
• More than 7 Lakh personnel to be benefitted
2. Organized Group ‘A’ Services Status to Officers of CAPFs
Grant of Consequential Benefits of Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) and Non-Functional Selection Grade (NFSG)
3. National Police University (NPU)
• ‘In-Principle’ approval given for establishing NPU
• 100 acres land made available for it
4. Two day National Conference on ‘Criminal Activities and Radicalization in Jails: Vulnerability of Inmates and Jail Staff and their Protection’ organized by Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D)
5. State-of-art building of Delhi Police Headquarters inaugurated in New Delhi
Census of India – 2021
1. Foundation Stone of ‘Janganana Bhawan’ laid; Census 2021 to be conducted in 16 languages
2. All India Conference of State Coordinators, Directors of Census Operations for Census of India 2021 and updation of National Population Register in the country held
3. Launch of a Census App and Census Portal
• The Mobile App for Pre—Test Data Collection started from 12.08.2019 released on Google Play Store
• Census Management and Monitoring Portal (CMMP) operationalized
• ‘Pen-Paper Census’ to be transformed to a ‘Digital Census’ in Census 2021
National Unity
1. ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’
• Celebrated across the country with fanfare
• ‘Run For Unity’ organised throughout India – over 25,000 participated in New Delhi alone
2. ‘Sardar Patel National Unity Award’
• Government of India instituted Highest Civilian Award for contribution to Unity and Integrity of India
• Notification issued by Ministry of Home Affairs on 20th September, 2019
• President of India to confer the Award by a Sanad under his hand and seal
• Presentation ceremony to be held along with the Padma Award presentation ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan
• Award to consist of a medal and a citation
3. Inter-State Council Meetings
• North, West and East Zonal Councils Meetings organised by MHA
• To foster Inter-State co-operation and co-ordination in the field of economic and social planning, border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter-State transport etc.
• Issues having Centre-State and inter-State ramifications resolved with consensus, after due deliberations
4. Emergency Response Support System (ERSS- Dial 112) launched; operational in 28 States/UTs
• Single emergency number (112)
• Step towards building a SMART Police force – Citizen-Centric Service to strengthen proactive community policing
• Computer-aided dispatch of field resources to the location of distress
• Citizens can send their emergency information through call, sms, email and through the 112 India mobile app.
• MHA has sanctioned Rs. 100 crores from Nirbhaya Fund for setting up/strengthening of Women Help Desks in Police Stations, with a view of making police stations more women-friendly and approachable.
5. National Launch of Private Security Agency Licensing Portal
• Online portal to ensure transparency in licensing in Private Security sector and give a boost to its credibility
• Initiative to give a pan-India profile to the online licensing process – boost employment opportunities in the sector
• Easy online access of criminal records from across the country – facilitate easy online police verification of security guards
6. Unified Portal for Licensing of Eating Houses/ Lodging Houses in NCT of Delhi launched
• Single window online system, under the Digital India program, to improve Ease of Doing Business and encourage entrepreneurs to start up new businesses in the Food and Beverages sector.
• A people-friendly system to prevent corruption by infusion of transparency and increase compliance with rules and regulations by all stakeholders through simplifying and rationalizing the regulatory processes (registration & inspection).
Bilateral Agreements/MoUs
1. India and Uzbekistan signed Security Cooperation Agreement
2. MoU between India and Indonesia on combating illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and its precursors
3. MoUs signed between India and Saudi Arabia in the field of combating illicit trafficking and smuggling of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Chemical Precursors
4. MoU signed between India and Myanmar on bilateral cooperation for Prevention of Trafficking in Persons
5. MoU between India and USA to access tip line reports on Missing and Exploited Children
Foreigners
1. Liberalization of Medical Visa Regime
• Facilitation by non-requirement of conversion of primary visa into medical visa, when a foreigner seeks admission into a hospital owing to an illness
Date: 27.12.2019
