Amid a raging controversy over acquisition of land for special economic zones, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said on Saturday the government has an 'open mind' about 'refining' the SEZ policy.
The new Union home minister also said that the Centre would effectively deal with terrorism in the state.\n\n
Former Union home minister Shivraj Patil has been appointed the Governor of Punjab while National Security Advisor M K Narayanan has been appointed the Governor of West Bengal.Senior Congress leader M O H Farooq has been appointed the Governor of Jharkhand and Urmila Singh has been appointed the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, according to a statement by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.Erstwhile Chhattisgarh Governor E S L Narasimhan will take charge as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.
Walter Andersen, associate director of the South Asia Program at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, told rediff.com, "I am surprised that after several terrorist incidents, the government hasn't moved faster to get something much more effectively in place. You have a totally incompetent home minister, and why he isn't removed is beyond me."
The Bharatiya Janata Party's first list of 24 candidates for Lok Sabha from Madhya Pradesh featured former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, while Bhopal MP Pragya Singh Thakur was replaced by another candidate.
The Centre on Saturday asked the states to raise special forces to counter terrorism which is fast spreading its tentacles across the country.Inaugurating a two-day meeting of the country's top police officers, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said raising of the specialised force was the need of the hour.Patil, however, ruled out any possibility of introducing any tougher law, like the repealed Prevention Of Terrorism Act, to deal with the menace.
Shivraj Patil will be the home minister, while Natwar Singh will be the next external affairs minister.
The matter was raised by Dr Rattan Singh, member of Lok Sabha from Tarn Taran and Saranjit Singh Dhillon, who alleged that the Congress party was behind engineering violence against the Akalis.
"The army has to eliminate terrorists. It is a tough job. But the police have to fight terrorists and at the same time protect the lives of innocent civilians. I think their job is tougher than that of the army," he said.
Seeking to allay any security related apprehensions of non resident Indians, Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday assured them that India was as safe as any other part of the world.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil briefed the Union Cabinet on the terrorist attack in Ayodhya on Tuesday.
Singh, who along with United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister Shivraj Patil, undertook a whirlwind tour of Mumbai, held the meeting with Maharashtra Governor S C Jamir and Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, top state government and police officials of Maharashtra, senior officials of the army, paramilitary and intelligence officials were also present at the meeting
But the home minister added that the security forces too had human rights.
Patil said the issue of security had gained importance since the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, the Indian Parliament and more recently the pre-Diwali blasts in Delhi.
Patil has commended the work of the ITBP and promised to look into its problems.
The government has some information on the Ram temple attackers in Ayodhya, but it would be 'too premature' to disclose it now, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said.
The amendment being proposed was that if an accused had served more than half his prison term for which he had been charged, some amnesty could be given to the person, Home Minister Shivraj Pati said.
The Centre is contesting the writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking the deletion of the word 'Sindh', he pointed out.
On the 'economic blockade' of the Valley caused by the ongoing stir in Jammu, Patil said all measures will be taken to ensure that the national highway remains open at all times so that there is smooth supply of goods to and fro Kashmir.
Apart from that, there were two live bombs recovered from the spot and defused, he said after he spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhhara Reddy.
The latter have been demanding withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act citing atrocities by security forces.
"The prime minister has directed the two ministers to sit together and discuss the matter and sort out differences," Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after the cabinet meeting. He said the cabinet deferred a decision on the issue which was being argued before the court
During investigation of the case, it was revealed that the conspiracy was hatched by a foreign-based terrorist organisation.
India's Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee will meet Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in New Delhi on Tuesday and is likely to apprise him of the current situation in the Himalayan kingdom.
He also said the Union government is open to the idea of holding talks with insurgent groups, including the United Liberation Front of Asom.
Among the new entrants to the Union cabinet, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been given the agriculture and rural development portfolios, Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda the health portfolio and former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar the power portfolio.
The remark by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil assumes significance as the BSF is being phased out of counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir to be replaced by the Central Reserve Police Force.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil Thursday asked Delhi Police to move up to the next level of policing by tackling 'hi-tech' terrorism.
There was more to him than he let on, asserts Aditi Phadnis.
"We support the Women's Reservation Bill and we are working to build a consensus among all political parties for the purpose," Home Minister Shivraj Patil said in New Delhi.
The 17th Lok Sabha, which was dissolved on June 5, did not have a deputy speaker for its full term, and it was the second consecutive term of the lower house without an LoP.
The party said it was 'an inexcusable slip-up', for which responsibility was being fixed and action would be taken.
The ceremony to inaugurate the new Parliament building will begin with an early morning havan and a multi-religion prayer on Sunday followed by a formal opening in the Lok Sabha chamber by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Justice Shivraj Patil, former Judge of the Supreme Court, who was appointed to probe the lapses in the sale of 2G spectrum submitted his report to the government a while ago. The one-man committee headed by Justice Patil also gave suggestions to streamline the policy regarding the sale of spectrum in the future.
Justice Shivraj Patil will take over as the Lokayukta in Karnataka once Justice Santosh Hegde retires in August.Justice Patil, who belongs to the Lingayat community of Karnataka, was recently in the news when he was the appointed to probe the lapses in the sale of 2G spectrum by the telecom ministry. Justice Patil will take over as the top anti-corruption official of Karnataka at a crucial time, when the state government is trying to play down the report on illegal mining.
Rajasthan minister Ameen Khan, whose remarks on President Pratibha Patil triggered a controversy, on Thursday submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances