Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has urged governors to guide the state governments to sensitise the police in dealing with crimes against women, SCs, STs, minorities and children. Addressing the 44th conference of Governors in New Delhi this evening, Dr. Singh said the UPA Government has promptly acted on the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee by promulgating an Ordinance to strengthen the law to deal with crimes of sexual assault against women. He said a number of administrative measures have been taken, to enhance the safety and security of women, particularly in public places.

Speaking on Maoist violence, Dr Singh said that due to the government efforts, the geographical spread of the menace of Left Wing Extremism has shown a shrinking trend. The number of incidents of Left Wing Extremist violence in 2012 showed a perceptible decline compared to the previous year but still more remains to be done.

On the economic front, Dr Singh said the government intends to contain the fiscal deficit for the current year at 5.3 per cent and reduce it to 4.8 per cent next year. He said the Government has made concerted and serious efforts in recent months to revive investment and growth. He also said, that efforts are being made to streamline the process of clearance of investment proposals. The Government is also considering amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act not only to enable faster punishment of the guilty public servants but to also provide more effective protection to those who are honest.