The government has said that the army is moving away from civilian areas in Jammu and Kashmir. The army was recently deployed in the state to restore peace and normalcy on the request of the state government in the wake of clashes. Talking to reporters in New Delhi today, the Minister of State for Defence Mr. MM Pallam Raju observed the bigger challenge in the valley is to meet the aspirations of the people. The Minister lamented that the army is being demonised though it is not responsible for the situation in the state. He pointed out that the army has been made a scapegoat. The Minister said that the government is also trying to minimise the use of armed forces though the normalcy needs to be restore in all areas of the state. Mr. Raju asserted that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, AFSPA, is an essential instrument for the armed forces to do their job confidently in the strife-torn areas. He said, it gives them a security blanket. The Minister, however, added that the Act can be reviewed periodically. Describing the situation in the valley as not normal, Mr. Raju pointed out that infiltration is still continuing though the number of infiltrators have gone down.