'No insurgency in NE, but cottage industry extortion' : Pillai
Source: Hueiyen News Service

New Delhi, April 09 2011: Union Home Secretary Gopal K.Pillai has said that by and large the north east of India is free of insurgency, but still a victim of what he called "cottage industry extortion" .

Speaking in an interview to the Business Line, Pillai said that the state and central governments have introduced a number of confidence building measures that have effectively neutralized the threat posed by insurgents in the region.

"We have removed foreigner restrictions into Manipur and Nagaland to boost tourism and instill self-confidence," he said.

On Kashmir, he said that while the three interlocutors have submitted a political report and a confidence building report, it was the state government's responsibility to provide and deliver governance at the grassroots.

Earlier, the home secretary flagged the problem of industry paying money to Maoists to keep themselves away from trouble, and said it perpetuates the problems created by Left-wing extremism.

"Industry is looking at quick profits.

We have seen this happening...I am frank in saying that we have seen that 60 or 70 percent of money that Maoists get is coming from industrialist and contractors operating there (Maoism-affected areas) because they are all thinking that 'I want to run my business and I pay, that is good enough for me'," Pillai said here.

"You are giving them oxygen, providing money for arms and ammunition for them and then you run into problems.

The monster becomes Frankeinstein and you run into problems," he said at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) conference here.

Partly blaming lack of governance for the internal security trouble, be it in Jammu and Kashmir or in Maoist affected states, the home secretary also noted that the economic disparities had affected the people, particularly those from rural areas.

He said people wanted a "good life" and hence were looking at ways, even if these were illegal, to make money.

Giving example of the national capital itself, Pillai said 81 per cent of crimes last year in Delhi was committed by first-time offenders.

"These fist-time offenders are in the age group of 16 to 28.They are all looking for what we call good life now.

That demographic advantage we have is also creating, in one sense, a security problem," he said.

Pillai said unlike in the past, people today were not willing to wait and wanted results instantly.

He pointed out to the agitation led by social activist Anna Hazare to buttress the point that such trend would force governments to respond to situations "very, very fast" in the coming years and this would "the real challenge" .

Pillai said that development disparities exist across the country, especially in the mineral rich areas of the North-East and Jharkhand, and added that unless the issue of social inequality is addressed and suitable opportunities provided for all, the problem will persist.

Currently, almost 81 percent of crime in India is committed by first timers and the maximum numbers of criminals are between the ages of 16-28 .

These points to the fact that India's demographic advantage can turn into a disadvantage leading to security concerns if left unattended.

Several of the country's problems in the areas of health, education and security can be addressed by greater investment in technology, felt S.Gopalakrishnan, CEO and Managing Director, Infosys Technologies Ltd.

He felt that as a country and industry, India has underinvested in technology.

In order to create more jobs in the IT sector, there is a need to encourage innovation in IT, ensure funding and mentoring in the rural areas.

Moreover, in today's world, the speed at which one needs to react to information has undergone a change necessitating a speedier process that delivers.

Comment