Mumbai, March 30 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced medals for personnel serving in the state police's specialized anti-Naxal unit, C-60, on Monday.
Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, also ordered the complete digitization of processes, from filing FIRs to chargesheets, and directed officials to take measures to improve conviction rates and adopt advanced technology in policing.
Addressing reporters after a half-yearly conference with senior officials of the force, Fadnavis said, "Those who have served a minimum of three years in the C-60 force that combats Naxalites will receive a medal. This decision was made today."
The conference reviewed the implementation of new penal codes, technological adaptations, and reforms discussed earlier at the DG-IG conference chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
In the DG-IG conference, states were given 106 action points, and Maharashtra officials made presentations on the progress in this regard, the CM added.
"Maharashtra has almost eliminated Maoist activity. A total of 244 police personnel have lost their lives in anti-Naxal operations over the years," he said while praising the efforts of the force.
Emphasizing technology adoption, the chief minister said that artificial intelligence tools would be used in policing processes.
"AI is being used for tool creation and can be used in filing FIRs and chargesheets. I have assigned a task to the Director General of Police today to completely digitize the entire process from registering FIRs to filing chargesheets. The evidence management system should be taken to blockchain technology," he said.
Fadnavis said that the state's conviction rate has improved but remains around 50 per cent, with a target of 95 per cent.
He noted that conviction rates in sessions court trials are lower, and strategies were discussed to improve outcomes.
"AI would be used to analyze cases from the past four to five years, with the Crime Investigation Department examining gaps to help formulate policies for improving efficiency and conviction rates," the CM informed.
On road safety, he said that police interventions have reduced accidents, citing an experiment in Nagpur that brought down accidents by 30 per cent.
Accidents on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway have also declined, Fadnavis pointed out.
"Discussions were held on national security and cyber space. A 'drug-free campus' initiative would be implemented with a detailed strategy to be presented soon. We will start a battle against drugs," he said.
He said that forensic pendency has been reduced, and efforts are underway to ensure real-time processing.
Districts with higher crime incidence would be graded and asked to improve performance over the next six months, he said.
"The Director General of Police would felicitate high-performing officers, while those lagging behind would be asked to improve," the CM said.
Fadnavis said that detailed discussions were also held on handling agitations and communal tensions across the state.
On an artificial intelligence tool being developed to identify Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in the state, he said, "The tool is still under development. It is being developed at IIT Bombay. The results are good. We will inform once it is fully ready."
