Govt mulls revamping home ministry
NEW DELHI, Sep 26 (UNI) The government is considering restructuring the union home ministry for more effective handling of the increasingly complex internal security situation in the country, ministry officials said.
To cope with the pressures of increasing responsibilities, it has been proposed to create more posts of staff officers, drawn from all services, for handling responsibilities at all levels in the home ministry.
The Union Finance ministry has already been approached for the purpose, sources said today.
Also, for creating more rational and cohesive functional groups, an in-house exercise has been undertaken to Amalgamate some of the existing divisions and create some new divisions in the ministry.
The exercise is likely to be completed shortly.
The steps are being taken on the recommendations of the high-profile Group Of Ministers (GOM), headed by home minister L K Advani, which was constituted by the prime minister to review the internal security system in the country in all its entirety.
The GOM has recommended for strengthening of the department of internal security, creation of a separate department of border management and a policy planning division within the home ministry .
The policy planning division is to develop a "vision" on matters relating to internal security and strengthening the office of the home secretary by creating posts of staff officers.
The recommendations include establishment of a pool of officers/core cadre, drawn from all services, for manning posts at all levels in the home ministry, defence ministry, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCN) etc.
With provisions for non-monetary incentives for members of the core cadre.
The GOM has also recommended transfer of the department of disaster management (except drought relief and famine) from the Agriculture Ministry to the home ministry with a view to putting in place appropriate measures, structures etc.
To cope with natural calamities like cyclones, floods, earthquakes etc.
A committee of officers has already been constituted to work out the modalities of the transfer.
The sources said that commensurate with the increasing complexities of internal security and the law and order scenario, the responsibilities of the home ministry had grown "exponentially" over the last few years.
As a result, the GOM had recommended that the department of internal security should be strengthened and should directly function under the Union Home Secretary.
About us | Advertisers | Other Publications | Subscriptions | Advertising Weather | Letters | Search | Suggestions | Send Mail | Vaishnodevi ________________________________________________________ (c) 1998, The Kashmir Times Press Pvt.
Ltd., Residency Road, Jammu Tawi.