Greatest internal security threats in India and ways to tackle them.

Greatest internal security threats in India and ways to tackle them.

Q. What are the greatest internal security threats that Indian government faces and how is government is tackling them?

Internal threats

1. Naxalite Insurgency

- The biggest threat that India currently faces is Revolutionary Ultra-Left Wing extremism. The movement started in Naxalbari district of West Bengal.

- It is concentrated in “ Red Corridor”, which stretches for 2000 km along the entire length of India’s east coast, from the city of Sikkim in the north to the outer edge of the southern state of Tamil Nadu. They use guerrilla warfare strategies.

- The states most strongly affected by militant Maoist activity are West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. This is mostly seen in the mineral rich areas where people suffer at the hands of landlords and industrialists.

- People move towards this philosophy because of this injustice to the rural population.

- The reason for the Maoist movement is to be found in the severe dissatisfaction of the rural population against governance, slow adoption of land reforms, etc.

How to tackle the Naxal insurgency?

-Military solution – Operation Green Hunt was launched in 2009; deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

-Government Schemes – Useful for developing and building infrastructure, and bringing the population of naxal prone areas to the mainstream

- Partnership with people to share natural resources. e.g Community Forest Resources in Gadchiroli.

2. Religious Fundamentalism –

- British policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ resulted in the partition of India creating hostile neighborhood.

- India has witnessed many communal riots but eventually has emerged as one nation.

- Communal terrorism poses yet another grave threat to India’s sovereignty and integrity. It subverts the fundamental rule of law, denies basic rights to citizens, endangers the social fabric, and threatens political and economic stability.

How to tackle religious fundamentalism?

- Promoting communal harmony through collaborative social action, awareness programs, reaching out to the victims of violence especially children, encouraging interfaith dialogue for India’s Shared Security, Peace & Prosperity.
Institutes like National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH) , National Integration Council(NIC)

3. Drug Trafficking –

- Proximity to the largest producers of heroin and hashish- the Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent (Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran) has made India's border vulnerable to drug trafficking

How to tackle Drug trafficking?

- Strategy of drug supply and demand reduction which involve enacting laws, co-operating with voluntary organizations, securing its borders and coasts by increasing surveillance as well as seeking the active cooperation of its neighbors and the international community.

4. Corruption

- Weakening of democratic and political institutions.

- Increase in criminal activities.

- Outgoing flow of black money and parallel black economy

- Politician-criminal nexus resulting in political corruption thereby posing challenge to security.

- Decrease in morale who are working honestly

How to tackle Corruption?

- Government acts like RTI, Lokpal, and strict laws are formed and implemented

- CVC (Central Vigilance commission)

- Establishment of special courts for speedy justice

- Employees are paid better, thus discouraging them from taking bribes.

- Increase accountability of politician.

5. Shabby politics

- Dominance of criminals in politics

- Divisive vote bank based politics that results in conflict between religion and caste forging a challenge to unity of India

How to deal with shabby politics?

- Responsible role of third and fourth pillar of democracy

- NOTA

Conclusion

If a nation is internally secured then it will have less difficulty to face external challenges.