The NDA government has been accused of a crackdown on NGOs since it came to power.
I don’t know if crackdown is the right word to use. If the law requires you to file your annual return for example, not to use foreign funds for certain activities, then you are expected to comply with it. May be non-compliance was not being looked at in the past, it is being done now, so it cannot be classified as a crackdown.
There was intense lobbying by USA government as far as Christian donor Compassion International is concerned. Government forced them to shut shop.
Everybody realises that just as USA is an independent country, India is also an independent country. We are all compelled and required to implement our own laws and cannot go beyond that. I don’t think there was any confusion in anybody’s mind, I cannot go to the U.S and expect to not comply with their law. They do penalise Indian firms, pharmaceutical companies have been penalised.
Was there pressure from U.S authorities to not go after Compassion International?
Pressure is too strong a word. If my organisation is in the U.S. and is being harassed, then we will request them to look into it. Compassion was not in compliance with FCRA.
In wake of the recent standoff at Doklam and in areas along China border, do we have a new border security mechanism in place? Army has been asking for operational control of ITBP?
We work in close coordination with the army, ITBP is a border police force, as of now there is no proposal to change its status.
Myanmar border is neither fenced nor guarded?
Assam Rifles (deployed 40 kms beyond Myanmar border) has a limitation. At the exact border with Myanmar we have no forces. We feel checks should be conducted at the border itself. We have a free movement regime with Myanmar for the entitled people; it’s not free for all. We need to see whether the person is coming into India is an entitled person and that can only be checked at the border, we need to have a border force. We are examining how best to reach that arrangement.
The United Nations has criticised India for issuing an order to deport Rohingyas, persecuted minorities from Myanmar?
It will be done as per law.
What about Naga peace agreement? It has been two years since the framework agreement with NSCN-IM was signed and nothing is finalised yet.
These are longstanding problems, which require long and torturous kind of negotiations and settlements. Just because there is a framework agreement doesn’t mean we will have a final agreement in six months. It will take time. At least it gives you a framework for negotiations. Difficult to give a deadline.
There are concerns regarding use of Chinese equipments in telecom and other sectors? Will it impact the Chinese investments in India by means of stringent security clearances norms?
It is an issue handled by the National Council of Security Secretariat (NSCS). We have raised red flags in MHA without doubt, we are looking whether systems are in place. I don’t think there is tightening of investment, but certainly the worries flagged by us are being looked into by the NSCS and Computer Emergency and Response Centre- India. In any IT system in any country, there is a risk of breach or hacking. We have seen this happening in US and elsewhere, it can happen to us and we have to be careful.
Is the concern specific for Chinese made products?
The threat is there from any hacker or mischief maker. Chinese products have to be looked in a little more closely.
There seems to be no end to killings by cow vigilantes?
As per IPC cow theft is a crime, home ministry issued an advisory that anybody taking law into their hands should be dealt accordingly. I don’t think there has been an incident of so called vigilantism where arrests have not been made or police have not acted.
Is Islamic State a threat for India?
The answer is yes and no. The fact that they are able to carry out radicalisation is a worry, at the same time the response of the Indians to them have been lukewarm. There are very few exceptions.
How does government plan to curb the offensive content on social media?
It is going to be an ongoing battle and a more complex and difficult battle to fight. Certainly going to be fought on all fronts, it is a huge challenge that every nation is grappling with. Technology is changing rapidly that keeping up with it will be a challenge. We are getting our act together that such incidents are minimised and tackled as they happen.
Despite a robust immigration setup, how could liquor baron Vijay Mallya and defence middleman Sanjay Bhandari escape?
Vijay Mallya went through a legal route. Bhandari did not go through any authorised immigration channel.
