AMIT SHAH TO PRESIDE OVER “CHINTAN SHIVIR”, OPPOSITION’S PRESENCE NOT CONFIRMED YET

Amit Shah, the union home minister, will preside over a two-day "Chintan Shivir" of state home ministers beginning on Thursday in Haryana's Suraj Kund to address the country's internal security.

The two-day event will be held on October 27 and October 28, in accordance with the "Panch Pran" made by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech, to provide a national perspective on policy creation on matters connected to internal security. According to a government press release, the Shivir would foster cooperative federalism by increasing planning and collaboration amongst many stakeholders at the federal and state levels. “The Shivir will deliberate on issues like modernization of police forces, cybercrime management, increased use of IT in the criminal justice system, land border management, coastal security, women’s safety, and drug trafficking, among others.”

Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, and Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, have also been invited to the meeting. In their respective states, Banerjee and Gehlot are both in charge of the Home portfolio. Banerjee's attendance at the conference hasn't been officially confirmed, according to sources.

The two-day brainstorming workshop has been organised to talk about internal security-related concerns and issues. The MHA is of the opinion that certain issues with internal security may be resolved by mutual collaboration between the states.

Currently, speculations indicate that Opposition Chief Ministers would skip the contemplation camp. A report claims that the chief ministers of the states who are in charge of the home ministry have not yet confirmed their presence.