Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah performed the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ of the Bhopal Campus of the National Forensic Science University today. Shri Amit Shah also inaugurated and laid foundation stones of the residential and administrative buildings of Madhya Pradesh Police. Many dignitaries including the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were present.

In his address, the Union Home Minister said two very important programmes of the Madhya Pradesh Police and law and order of the State are being held from the same platform. On the one hand, the State government is concerned about the families of personnel who have continuously fought for the happiness and well-being of crores of people of Madhya Pradesh. On the other hand, to meet the lack of trained manpower in forensic science to keep the police two steps ahead of criminals, the Bhumi Pujan of the National Forensic Science University that is going to be built on a 27-acre campus  has been held and about Rs. 58 crore will be spent. This will provide an opportunity to the youth of Madhya Pradesh to work in forensics at the national and international level. He said students who want to make a career in forensic science will no longer need to go anywhere for studies and it will be on this campus that a versatile and state-of-the-art University will be available to them.

The Union Home Minister said out of all the departments of the government, the police force is the only force that has neither job hours nor holidays. The police force is ready to face any challenge 24 hours and 365 days. The public has time for festivals, but police personnel are always on the alert. Be it Holi, Rakshabandhan or Diwali, when the people celebrate festivals, police personnel are alert to prevent untoward incidents. In the face of every difficulty, police only work with the mantra of protection of society. Shri Shah said more than 35,000 policemen have laid down their lives in the country protecting internal security. As a result, the nation is safe, Naxalism and terrorism have come to a halt and a new era of peace is beginning in Kashmir and the North East. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Kamakhya to Dwarka, this will not be possible if policemen are not ready, that is why there should be an effort to change the image of the police.

Shri Amit Shah congratulated the Madhya Pradesh Government for providing houses to 25,000 police families. He said when the family is insecure, no one can discharge their duty with confidence and the decision of the Madhya Pradesh Government to provide houses to 25,000 police families has brought them happiness and peace. He said today 1,304 families in 14 districts will receive keys to their homes worth of Rs. 262 crore. 254 police station buildings and 200 police posts have also been given modern equipment by the State administration. Shri Shah said a 50 bedded hospital, 50 virtual classrooms in 10 police training institutes and a digital studio in a training wing have also begun today.

The Union Home Minister said the Madhya Pradesh Government led by Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has brought about a radical change in the law and order situation. He said today Naxalism has been eradicated from Madhya Pradesh. Development is taking place but where strictness was needed, strictness was shown. Shri Shah said under the rule of the previous government, the Malwa region had become a stronghold of SIMI and from there SIMI used to carry out terrorism across the country. However, now the Government led by Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has completely uprooted SIMI from Madhya Pradesh, especially the Malwa region. He said the State’s police has become responsive, sensitive and result oriented. When police are responsive, then they remain concerned about the public, if the police are sensitive, then the public is protected and if the result is focused on by the police, then prevention is efficiently done and Madhya Pradesh has done a very good job in these three areas.

Shri Amit Shah said earlier Madhya Pradesh was in the list of BIMARU States and was backward in every field. But, under Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan it has done very good work in many areas. Agriculture and irrigation has especially been greatly strengthened. Shri Shah said it is very easy to increase industry and services contribution to the GDP, but it is very difficult to maintain an agriculture growth rate at 10 percent in GDP continuously for many years, and this has been achieved by the Madhya Pradesh government. The area under irrigation has increased almost two and a half times, production has increased in every sector from wheat and pulses to soybean and the change that has come about  in agriculture cannot have come about without good planning and hard work.

The Union Home Minister said after few years students from many countries would be studying here with the students of Forensic Sciences in Bhopal. The National Forensic Science University has gained worldwide fame during its life span of 12-13 years. From 2003 to 2009, efforts were being made to strengthen Gujarat's Forensic Science Laboratory and Shri Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at that time. The problem of trained manpower came to the fore at that time. Then an idea came that a course of forensic science and a university should be developed so that after 12^th Class students can pursue BSc, MSc directly in forensic science, and then go for R&D and then go out into the world from Gujarat in forensic sciences. Keeping this in mind, the foundation of the Forensic Science University was laid. Today students from 70 countries are studying at the Forensic Science University, which is a great achievement for any University in the country.

Shri Amit Shah said the government is making radical changes in CrPC, IPC and Evidence Act. We were working to make police functioning completely modern, sensitive and targeted by changing sections to suit today’s needs. During this process an idea arose that evidence of forensic science should be made mandatory in all the offenses for which punishment is more than 6 years. A criminal cannot be punished on the basis of witnesses alone, because the era of third degree is no longer there. If crimes are to be prevented, then we have to bring in scientific evidence and therefore forensic science evidence should be made compulsory in crimes punishable with more than 6 years and visits of forensic teams at crime scenes should be made compulsory. He said then it was found necessary to fulfill the need of expert manpower, and that the Gujarat Forensic Science University should be made a National Forensic Science University and as an institute of national importance, its campus should be opened in most of States and the youths should be engaged and promoted in the field of forensic science. Today this fifth campus is starting and a very good campus is going to be built in Bhopal on 27 acres of land, due to which the youth of Madhya Pradesh will have opportunities with immense potential. Apart from this, it has been decided to set up campuses in Manipur, Assam and Karnataka as well. Rajasthan and Chandigarh are also under consideration. He said gradually these campuses will grow in every corner of the country and within two years NFSU will be present in more than 10 States including Gujarat. Shri Shah said there will also be arrangements for training of police officers, judicial officers and private companies in forensic science, cyber security, digital forensics, fraud investigation, wildlife crime, narcotics and drugs. This University is not only for students but also for the officers, judges involved in the work of justice, lawyers working in the prosecution and private industries.

The Union Home Minister said conviction and collection of evidence through forensic science technology instead of third degree would be considered a revolution in this field. He said the University till date has also filed several patents and is working on major research international projects. A new department has also been opened for drone forensics. The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has prepared an action plan under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi. The four pillars of this action plan are - increasing the number of laboratories for forensic science, rapidly increasing manpower of forensic experts, in which the Forensic Science University will play a big role, along with providing of forensic technology it should have openness to adopt and should also promote  R&D. The concept of a mobile forensic van has also been placed before the country and many States have accepted it.

Shri Amit Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought about a radical changes in every field since 2014. Whether it is to emerge as a major global economy by strengthening a dilapidated economy, to strictly curb corruption, to bring about a new national education policy, to bring radical change in the pathetic condition of education, to strengthen the law and order situation and internal and external security, Shri Narendra Modi has started creation of a new India. The campus of the Forensic Science University that is being built today is a pearl in that necklace and will be successful in fulfilling all objectives.

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