CM Majhi meets Amit Shah, briefs initiatives by Odisha Government
BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and apprised him about implementation of the three new criminal laws, measures taken to maintain law and order in the state and modernisation of police force.
The chief minister, also holding the additional portfolio of Home department, provided a detailed update on the steps taken by his government to align its legal framework and administrative processes with the central government’s directives for operationalisation of the new laws – Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).
The meeting reviewed the implementation and present status of various new provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics in Odisha. Shah advised the chief minister to prioritise 100 per cent implementation of the new criminal laws across all levels of administration in the next six months. Considering the state’s future industrial and technological growth, he highlighted that the three new criminal laws will play a vital role in strengthening the law and order.
He desired that the state home secretary review the progress of implementing new criminal laws every week, the chief secretary and director general of police fortnightly and the Chief Minister on a monthly basis, prioritising timelines of implementation. After the meeting, Majhi told reporters that the effective implementation of the laws required seamless coordination between central and state agencies.
“We have already initiated administrative measures to fill up over 12,000 vacant posts to further strengthen the law enforcement agencies and improve the justice delivery system,” Majhi said.
He said the state has raised three battalions of Odisha State Striking Force to address the ongoing anti-Naxalite operations in the state. Process has started for recruitment of 3,003 personnel in the striking force. Similarly, efforts are on to recruit 3,000 security personnel for the Odisha Industrial Security Force (OISF), 2000 for traffic management and 5,000 home guards to improve public security.
“The state government today created 247 new posts in different categories in the State Forensic Science Service Organisation and 267 posts in the state prosecution service to bolster the state’s criminal justice system for disposing of pending criminal cases in a fixed time frame for timely delivery of justice to the people,” Majhi said.
“We also apprised the Union Home minister about the fast declining Naxalite activities in the state. There has been a considerable reduction of naxal presence in many districts and this has been possible due to coordinated action with neighbouring Chhattisgarh,” he said.
Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Director General of Police YB Khurania, additional chief secretary, Home department Satyabrata Sahu and senior officers of the state police also attended the meeting.
