Amit Shah chairs meet on J&K with NSA, heads of R&AW, IB and CRPF – India Today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level security meeting with top officials of Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi and reviewed development projects in the Union Territory.

Those who attended the meeting included National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Intelligence Bureau Director Arvind Kumar, R&AW chief Samant Kumar Goel, CRPF Director General Kuldeep Singh and J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh.

During the meeting, Amit Shah said, "All-round development and welfare of people of Jammu and Kashmir are the top priority of the Modi government."

Amit Shah congratulated the Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha, and his team for the vaccination drive having reached 76% of the target in Jammu and Kashmir and 100% in the four districts of the Union Territory.

The home minister told officials that despite the situation being under control, the security forces should not let their guards down. Amit Shah said that the forces should neutralise terrorists and look to normalise the situation.

Sources said that there was a broad agreement that though Pakistani troops were honouring the ceasefire agreement at the J&K borders, this could possibly only be temporary. An official privy to the presentation said, "Though the exact number of foreign terrorists neutralised or present wasn't discussed, there was by large an understanding that this peacetime should be used to neutralise terrorists operating in the valley."

Sources also said this was purely a security review meeting, with no mention of the upcoming Amarnath Yatra or the assembly election which could be slated later this year. After the meeting , LG Manoj Singh told mediapersons that a call on the Amarnath Yatra could be taken by Saturday. The 56-day annual pilgrimage is expected to begin on June 28 and culminate on August 22.

An official said, "It was a routine security review meeting."

Friday's was the second review meet carried out by the home minister within a month.

Highly placed sources told India Today that security forces achieved a high-level target by neutralising top terrorists by 2020, with challenges coming in from new groups like The Resistance Front (TRF) and People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), both fronts for Pakistan backed terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The above-mentioned sources said that in the meeting, DGP mentioned how the challenge in the current year was to counter terror and Covid-19 pandemic simultaneously by its personnel. Political killing, terror financing and containing newer strategies of Pakistan based terror groups were discussed in the meeting, sources said, adding, "Though infiltration has declined, there is activity seen at launch pads. There has been extensive use of drones and discovery of tunnels in the Jammu region."

Following the meeting, a top officer in the security grid told India Today "Owing to FATF or other compulsions, Pakistan-backed terror groups have been lying low. Of 200 total terrorists, 105 foreign terrorists in J&K, most have been lying low, and have gone into hiding. While there is information on local terrorists, better intelligence is needed on foreign terrorists."

The Union Home Minister also asked authorities to ensure that the farmers of J&K get the benefits of the PM Kisan Yojana, Kisan Credit Card and other farmer-friendly schemes. He also asked the officials to ensure the benefits of the industrial policy reach the small-scale industries.

"Arrangements should be made for the training of new Panchayat members and they should be made to visit the most developed Panchayats across the country," added Amit Shah.

He also asked officials to ensure refugees get the benefits of the refugee package as soon as possible. Promoting agriculture and setting up agro-based industries in UT were also key points of the meeting.

Manoj Sinha also met Amit Shah at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Delhi.

On Thursday, Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level meeting in Jammu and Kashmir, in which the District Capex Budget of 2021-22 was set at ? 12,600.58 crore for the equitable development of the Union Territory. The approved budget is more than double the previous year's budget of ? 5,134.40 crore.

During the meeting, the Lt Governor observed that the community need-based plan has been prepared through Public/ PRI's participation, which focuses on a rapid rise in the standard of living of the people, employment opportunities to the locals, ensuring better roads, drinking water, electricity, tourism potential, empowering youth and determining other priorities as per the public demand.

(With agency inputs)

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