Security situation in Northeast has improved: Shinde

New Delhi: Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has said that the security situation in the north eastern states has improved significantly and the Centre has provided Rs 1659 crore to the region for modernisation of police forces.

Addressing the members of the Consultative Committee attached to the Home Ministry, he said Mizoram has continued to remain peaceful and Tripura has shown remarkable improvement. Arunachal Pradesh has largely remained peaceful except in Tirap and Changlang districts due to presence of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) factions, Shinde said here on Thursday. Referring to Manipur, the Home Minister said the security situation in the state has improved with noticeable decline in casualties among civilians and security forces. On the ethnic violence which took place in Assam during July-August and again in November last year, Shinde said currently the situation in the area is under control and the government is watching it closely. He told the Members of Parliament that he had also met a delegation of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the Home Secretary had reviewed the situation in detail yesterday. The Home Minister said that the Centre has been assisting north eastern states in modernisation and upgradation of state police forces. During the last 12 years, Rs 1659 crore have been provided to these states, he said. At the meeting, the members said that the developmental schemes of the government can be increased in the north east to generate more employment opportunities for the youth. They also deliberated on law and order situation, security, border management and employment generation in different states of the region. Those who attended the meeting were Bhisma Shankar Alias Kushal Tiwari, D B Chandre Gowda, Kamal Kishor, Thokchom Meinya and Mahabal Mishra (Lok Sabha); Ashok Sekhar Ganguly, H K Dua, Mohd Ali Khan, Om Prakash Mathur and P Kannan(Rajya Sabha). Ministers of State in the Home Ministry M Ramchandran and RPN Singh, Home Secretary R K Singh and other senior officials of the Ministry participated in the meeting. PTI