New Delhi: Marking the 100-day milestone of the Narendra Modi government's current term, home minister Amit Shah emphasized the political stability in the country, while addressing a series of pressing national issues, including railway safety, legal reforms, and security in Manipur.
“For the first time in 60 years, there has been an atmosphere of political stability in the country, and we have also seen continuity of policies,” Shah said.
He said the government is fully committed to tackling railway mishaps, and efforts are underway to ensure such incidents are prevented in the future. He elaborated on the government's strategy to enhance the safety of the country’s extensive 110,000 km railway network, with agencies like the CBI, NIA, and Railway Protection Force to prevent potential sabotage.
Railway safety has come under scrutiny since the Modi 3.0 government took office in June 2024, following a series of train accidents. On 17 June, the Kanchenjunga Express collided with a goods train in West Bengal, leading to 10 deaths and numerous injuries. Seven major train incidents, including derailments and collisions, were reported in the first half of 2024, prompting the government to launch investigations and conduct thorough safety reviews.
On legal reforms, Shah highlighted measures to streamline the justice system. “We’ve brought legal provisions in 73 instances to address delays. Forensic Science Labs (FSL) have been made compulsory for scientific evidence, ensuring faster and more accurate investigations. Within three years, we aim to have FIRs resolved within a year, up to the Supreme Court,” the home minister said.
Shah also claimed significant progress in addressing security concerns in Manipur. “We’ve started fencing the root causes of the violence along the India-Myanmar border. In the first 100 days, 30 km of fencing has been completed, and the government has allocated the budget to finish the total fencing of 1,500 km.”
The home minister added that during the first 100 days in office, the BJP-led NDA government-approved infrastructure projects worth ₹3 lakh crore, including linking 25,000 unconnected villages to road networks and building a mega port at Wadhawan in Maharashtra.
On electoral reforms, Shah asserted that the "One Nation, One Election" policy would be implemented during the current government’s tenure, signalling a significant change in how elections are conducted across India.
Criticising the Congress government, Shah said, “For the first time after Independence, the world saw a government that had a spine in its foreign policy.”
