NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lashed out at Pakistan for ceasefire violations and the expanding footprint of terrorists and extremist organisations.
Referring to the security scenario at the Governors conference at Rastrapati Bhavan, Modi said, “The expanding footprint of extremist and terrorist organisations in Pakistan, and their link with terror activities in India, is a major security challenge.”
The Prime Minister said that ceasefire violations along the Line of Control were continuing and added that the Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to counter infiltration from across the border.
The Prime Minister asked the states facing the problem of Left Wing Extremism to adopt a coordinated approach to tackle the issue.
Terming the Governors as inspirational “agents of change”, Modi said that their catalysing influence can contribute significantly to the development of states.
He said Governors are Chancellors of Universities and in that capacity, they should inspire youth and their families to work towards Swachh Bharat. Outlining the broad thrust of the Union Government’s policies, Modi described them as oriented towards all-round economic growth. He said the Government has moved away from the model of “one-size-fits-all” schemes and working towards cooperative, competitive federalism, through the NITI Aayog.
In his concluding remarks, President Pranab Mukherjee said that Governors and Lt. Governors have an important role to play in making cooperative federalism a reality.
Appreciating the suggestion of the Union Home Min ister’s suggestion to actively involve the Governors in the internal security related apparatus, Pranab requested him to consider convening separate meetings with groups of Governors having similar problems such as North Eastern States, coastal States, States with international borders and LWE affected States.
The President also suggested that the Raksha Mantri may also involve Governors of states having an international border in a focused interaction on border and security issues.