Ministry of Home Affairs

Year End Review 2019 Ministry of Home Affairs

Highlights of Major Decisions / Initiatives of MHA

(Separate Press Releases issued on each topic listed below)

26 DEC 2019

Important Bills Passed by Parliament

1. Jammu and Kashmir – Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A ; The Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act, 2019; The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2019
2. National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Act, 2019
3. Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019
4. Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019 – aims to increase operational efficiency of SPG in ensuring the security of the Prime Minister of India.
5. Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 – focus on granting Indian Citizenship to persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities on ground of religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Marathon deliberations held by Union Home Minister with various stakeholders from North East and their concerns against the CAB 2019 addressed in the final Amendment Act.
6. Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 – enhances the punishment for existing offences like illegal manufacture, sale, transfer and illegal acquiring, possessing or carrying prohibited arms or prohibited ammunition; illicit trafficking of firearms; celebratory gunfire endangering human life. Arms licenses to be issued for 5 years in electronic form, which would prevent forgery. The Amendment would reduce possession of illegal firearms and commission of criminal offences by limiting 2 licenses per person. Ownership of arms by retired and serving personnel of armed forces and sportspersons remains unaffected by the Amendment. Further, Ancestral guns may be retained in a Deactivated State.
7. Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 – to make the constitution of NHRC and SHRCs broader and more inclusive.
8. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill, 2019 – Administrative efficiency, better service delivery and effective implementation of Central and State Government Schemes to be the focus.

Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh

1. Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A

• Historic step to remove Article 370 and 35A of Constitution of India
• Brought JK & Ladakh at par with other States and UTs
• All provisions of Constitution of India, without any modifications or exceptions, to now apply to JK & Ladakh
• Laws of Union Government wrt education, empowerment of SC, ST, Minorities etc to be applicable to JK & Ladakh
• Boost to local economy and employment opportunities by increasing investment; Reservation to EWS of society in jobs & educational institutions to apply in JK & Ladakh
• Betterment of socio-economic infrastructure in JK & Ladakh The Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act, 2019

2. Jammu and Kashmir reorganised into

• Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with legislature, and
• Union Territory of Ladakh without Legislature
• Formally came into force on 31st October, 2019
• Maps of newly formed UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh released
• 1st Winter-grade Diesel outlet for Ladakh inaugurated by Union Home Minister; move to boost tourism in extreme weather conditions

3. The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2019

3% reservation in services and educational institutions extended to people living near the International Border (IB) in J&K, in line with reservation given to people living near the Line of Control (LoC)

4. Amarnath Yatra

• 3,42,883 yatris had safe and secure Darshan
• Higher by nearly 20%, as compared to 2018

5. Cabinet approved Inclusion of 5,300 Displaced Persons families of J&K in the Rehabilitation Package for Displaced Families of PoJK and Chhamb, under the PM’s Development Package 2015 for Jammu & Kashmir

6. Government Employees of UTs of J&K and Ladakh to get all 7th Central Pay Commission Allowances from 31st October 2019 – allowances worth around Rs. 4800 crores approved for Government employees.

Kartarpur Sahib Corridor

1. Union Cabinet passed a resolution on 22nd November 2018 to celebrate the historic occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Devji in a grand and befitting manner, throughout the country and across the globe
2. India signed the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Agreement with Pakistan on 24th October, 2019
3. Indian pilgrims of all faiths to undertake year-round Visa-free travel to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib through Kartarpur Sahib Corridor – a long standing demand of followers of Guru Nanak Dev ji
4. State of art Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) developed (estd. project cost – Rs. 400 crore), having modern public amenities and security features; architecture reflecting cultural heritage of Punjab
5. 54 Immigrations counters at PTB for facilitating travel of over 5000 pilgrims per day
6. 4.19 km long, 4-lane highway worth Rs. 120.05 crores built, in record time of 6 months, on Indian side for giving accessibility for pilgrims to the PTB
7. Special Trains run from across the country to facilitate pilgrims to visit Sultanpur Lodhi, the place where Guru Nanak Devji attained enlightenment and developed as Heritage Town
8. 300ft. Monumental National Flag at PTB
9. Online portal (prakashpurb550.mha.gov.in) created to facilitate registration of pilgrims and provide other important information including Do’s & Dont’s and FAQs

Strict Action on Terror and Insurgency

1. National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Act, 2019

• NIA empowered with extra territorial jurisdiction for investigation of terrorism related offences taking place outside India, in which Indian property/citizens are victims
• The mandate of NIA is expanded by inclusion of new offences viz. explosive substances, human trafficking, manufacturing/sale of prohibited arms and cyber terrorism, to its Schedule

2. Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019

• Central Government empowered to designate individual as terrorist
• NIA empowered to seize/forfeit property representing proceeds of terrorism in cases investigated by NIA
• After recent amendment, 4 Individuals viz., Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim proscribed as Terrorists
• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) banned for another five years under sub-sections of UAPA, 1967

3. Cyber Crime Control

• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) launched as a citizen centric initiative to facilitate public for reporting of all types of Cyber Crimes without visiting Police Station
• The complaints reported on this portal are accessible online to the law enforcement agencies of respective States/UTs for taking appropriate action as per law
• 12th India Security Summit on ‘Towards New National Cyber Security Strategy’ held in New Delhi

4. Review Meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE)

• Incidents of LWE violence down from 2258 in 2009 to 833 in 2018
• Number of deaths dropped from 1005 in 2009 to 240 in 2018
• Districts affected by naxal violence reduced from 96 in 2010 to 60 in 2018

5. Smart Fencing – Union Home Minister launched BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) under Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) on Indo-Bangladesh border in Dhubri district of Assam, as an effective deterrence against illegal infiltration. Two pilot projects covering about 71 Kms on Indo-Pakistan Border (10 Kms) and Indo-Bangladesh Border (61 Kms) of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) have been completed.

6. International Drug Syndicate busted – largest seizure of contraband drugs by NCB in India – 20 Kgs of Cocaine, worth Rs. 100 crores, seized.

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7th CPC pay and allowances will be available to all the Government employees of UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh

Ministry of Home Affairs

7th Central Pay Commission allowances worth around Rs. 4800 crores approved for Government employees of UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh

Two AIIMS like institutions in Jammu and Srinagar and eight medical colleges in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions approved: Shri G. Kishan Reddy

10 DEC 2019

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, in a written reply to a question regarding development of new UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, in Lok Sabha today, said that the Government of India has been fully committed to the overall development of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir as well as the newly created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the newly created Union Territory of Ladakh.

Also check the latest happenings in 7th Central Pay Commission

Shri Reddy informed the House that certain 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) allowances namely Children Education Allowance, Hostel Allowance, Transport Allowance, LTC, Fixed Medical Allowance that were not being given to nearly 4.5 Lakh State Government employees in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir have been approved for an estimated cost of Rs.4800 Crores, for all such employees, who are now working in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh, since the day these new Union Territories came into existence i.e 31st October 2019. Since the newly created UTs have come into existence, all the 7th CPC pay and allowances will be available to all the Government employees of both the new UTs.

Further, Shri Reddy stated that after the creation of the two UTs on 31st October, 2019, a total of Rs.14,559.25 crores as the balance share of 14th Finance Commission grants, share of taxes etc. that were being given to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir has been apportioned amongst the two new UTs. Out of this, Rs. 2,977.31 crores has already been released to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and Rs.1,275.99 crores has already been released to the UT of Ladakh till date.

On account of article 35A and other constitutional ambiguities, the people of these regions were denied full rights enshrined in the Constitution of India and other benefits of various Central Laws that were being enjoyed by other citizens in the country. After the declaration issued by the President under Article 370, based on recommendation of the Parliament, and reorganization of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh, all such aspects have been addressed and therefore the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions can develop and progress like other parts of the country.

Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, the Government has approved establishment of eight medical colleges in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions. These medical colleges, which are under various stages of implementation, will come up in the districts of Doda, Kathua, Baramulla, Anantnag, Rajouri, Udhampur, Handwara (Dist. Kupwara) in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and the district of Leh in the UT of Ladakh. The Government has also approved creation of two AIIMS like institutions in Jammu and Srinagar, the Minister informed.

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