Why India Needs an Internal Security Plan for The Next Five Years By Prakash Singh The writer was formerly Director General of BSF, DGP UP and DGP Assam

 A country projects its strength at the international level in direct proportion to its internal cohesion, its ability to resolve the differences within and not have any swamps where terrorists or extremists of any shade can breed. The dust of elections has settled. The NDA government is firmly in the saddle. The Prime Minister already has a formidable list of achievements to his credit. At the international level, India has prestige, which it probably has never had since Independence. Our economy is on a high trajectory. China has, for the first time, realised that it can no longer bully India and that, beyond a point, India would not shrink from a bloody confrontation. The government should have a well-orchestrated plan for the next five years. On internal security, the following nine points should merit serious attention. One - internal security doctrine Ideally, the country should have a national security doctrine (NSD). The National Security Advisory Board has, from time to time, worked on it and prepared drafts. For inexplicable reasons, those were never approved. All significant powers have an NSD through which they describe the internal and external challenges facing the country and prescribe the policies for dealing with them. If there are any problems in developing the NSD, its internal security component at least, which is simpler, could be worked out. There is too much adhocism in dealing with the internal security challenges, especially when there is a change of government. Two - Internal Security Ministry The Ministry of Home Affairs has become much too heavy and therefore unwieldy. Internal security matters, which demand immediate attention, quite often do not get the prompt and thorough attention they deserve. It is high time that a young, junior minister working in the MHA is given independent charge of internal security. Rajesh Pilot showed what a difference such an arrangement could make.