Itanagar, Nov 8 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday said that corruption is another vice in society, and it will be dealt with stringently, reiterating that till he is the Chief Minister, he will not tolerate corruption in any form.

Speaking on the occasion of the 56th Raising Day of Arunachal Pradesh Police (APP) force, the Chief Minister said that to strengthen the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) that takes up cases of corruption and to give it more teeth, the government has renamed it as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) with special provisions.

He reiterated that peace is the only barometer to gauge the social maturity of any nation or state and peace is the most important criterion for uninterrupted development.

Khandu called upon the state police force to ensure peace at all costs and, to begin with, ‘bandh culture’ has to be dealt with an iron hand.

Drawing the attention of the police force towards the menace of drug-abuse, he stressed on the role of police in not only taking offensive against drug trafficking and arresting peddlers and consumers.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the proactive role of the police force in preventive measures and luring youths out of addiction is also important.

Deliberating on numerous steps that have been initiated to strengthen the APP during his tenure since 2016, Khandu informed that the ex-gratia for all police personnel irrespective of ranks who sacrifice his or her life while fighting any terrorist, criminals or underground elements has been enhanced to Rs 50 lakh besides a suitable government job for the next kith and kin of the martyr.

Khandu reminded that the first ‘Arunachal Ratna’, the highest state award, was conferred on Deputy Superintendent of Police late Bomto Kamdak posthumously for his ultimate sacrifice in line of duty.

He further informed that the state Cabinet that held its meeting on October 28 has approved the proposal for granting Special Grade to Police Constable, Head Constable and Assistant Sub-Inspector (Civil Police/ APPBn/IRBn) including MT and Telecom wings.

Other initiatives taken in the last 9 years include direct recruitment of 2993 posts of various categories in the department, through direct recruitment, procurement of 1678 vehicles for smooth and effective policing, all Police Stations equipped with CCTVs, the 1st ever Central Jail turned into a Correctional Home with 1,000 inmates capacity, 21 Mahila Police Stations notified of which 7 are operational, permanent Battalion of National Disaster Response Force established at Hollongi and 1100 volunteers trained under the AAPDA MITRA programme.

Khandu informed that a Comprehensive Surrender Policy has been implemented to help youth shun association with underground outfits and sought cooperation of the district police force in encouraging such youth to embrace the mainstream.

“With a humble beginning in 1972, the APP started its journey with a handful of police officers with its headquarters at Shillong. APP today stands tall with 4 police ranges, 142 notified Police Stations (110 functional), 29 police districts and 15497 strong police personnel providing security to the state and its people,” Khandu observed.

To further boost the morale of the state police force, Khandu announced a fund of Rs 100 crore to the police department, which will be in addition to the already sanctioned fund in the budget for this financial year.

Accepting the fact that police alone cannot control crime unless citizens lend their helping hand, the Chief Minister appealed to the people to continue supporting the efforts of the Arunachal Police in this direction.