Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and said that the past year had seen improvement in internal security situation including that in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeast and in the Maoist-affected areas. Speaking at the 44th Governors' conference in New Delhi yesterday, the Prime Minister said that while there had been improvement in overall internal security situation, there is a lot which still needs to be done.
The Prime Minister said that due to government's efforts, the geographical spread of the menace had shown a shrinking trend and the number of Maoist incidents showed a perceptible decline over the previous year.
The Prime Minister asserted that India wants peace with neighbours but incidents like the brutal killing of two soldiers on the LoC were simply unacceptable and the country would effectively deal with any threat.
Referring to the December 16th gang-rape that evoked nationwide outrage, the prime minister said real and effective change in the status of women can come only if there is a change in societal values.
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.
In the backdrop of difficulties faced by South Korean steel giant Posco in Odisha, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cautioned that the investment climate is affected by the law and order situation and the land acquisition process.
Talking about corruption, the Prime Minister said, the government was alive to the need to curb corruption in public life and hoped the parliament will pass the Lokpal bill in the coming days. The Prime Minister said that there was need to sensitize the police forces towards showing special care in dealing with crimes against the weaker sections and induction of more women in police forces.