Mumbai, March 31 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that personnel serving in the state police's specialized anti-Naxal unit, C-60, will be awarded medals.
Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, has 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 police officials on Monday, Fadnavis said, "Those who have served a minimum of three years in the C-60 force that combats Naxalites will receive a medal. The 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 nearly eliminated Maoist activity. A total of 244 police personnel have lost their lives over the years in anti-Naxal operations," he said while hailing the security force's efforts.
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 make the entire process from registering FIRs to filing chargesheets completely digitized. An evidence management system should be taken to blockchain technology," he said.
Fadnavis also 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 policy 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 cyberspace. 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.
The CM also informed that forensic pendency has reduced, but 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.
Detailed discussions were also held on handling agitations and communal tensions across the state, he said.
On an AI 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."