Address by Governor at the Inauguration of Various People Centric Initiatives of Pune Police

Address by Shri CH. Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra at the Inauguration of Various People-Centric Initiatives of Pune Police at Vishwabhavan Auditorium, Symbiosis College of Commerce, Senapati Bapat Marg, Pune at 1730 hrs on Wednesday, 14th August 2019

Shri Chandrakant Dada Patil, Hon’ble Guardian Minister of Pune, Dr Smt Neelam Gorhe, Hon’ble Deputy Chairperson, Maharashtra Legislative Council, Shri Vijay Shivatare, Minister of State, Shri Sanjay Bhegade, Minister of State, Smt Mukta Tilak, Mayor of Pune, people’s representatives, Dr K. Venkatesham, Commissioner of Police, Pune, senior police officers, all the participants, invitees, ladies and gentlemen,

We are meeting in the immediate backdrop of the floods in Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur districts and other parts of the State, affecting the life and livelihood of lakhs of people. Many families have been rendered homeless and some have been ruined completely. While the government is doing its best to rehabilitate the affected people, it is our bounden duty to extend our helping hand to our sisters and brothers in distress.

I think it is for the first time, that an independent Survey about Perception and Expectations of citizens about Effective Policing has been conducted and a Security Perception Index determined. I am happy that the report is being published.

I was pleased to know that the Pune Police is dedicating the Service Excellence and Victim Assistance to the people to improve the delivery of services to citizens. Reaching out to the citizens will increase their confidence in the police and lead to better reporting of crimes.

I congratulate the Commissioner of Pune Dr K Venkatesham for the excellent initiatives. I also convey my appreciation to Symbiosis and to all the students and analysts who conducted the survey.

Brothers and Sisters,

As Governor of Maharashtra, I often meet Presidents and Prime Ministers of various countries visiting our State. Only yesterday I met a delegation of Congressmen and Congresswomen from the United States.

During my interaction with them, I routinely enquire to the dignitaries: what is the population of their country. I am surprised by their replies. Many countries of the world have population which is actually much less than the population of our cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad.

The visiting dignitaries are surprised when I mention to them that the population of Maharashtra alone, is more than the combined population of Germany, Australia and New Zealand!!

I am mentioning this to show that the Maharashtra Police is maintaining peace, law and order of such a huge and populous State like ours, despite numerous constraints and demands on their time.

I am really proud to note that Maharashtra Police is reckoned among the best in the country.

The major credit for maintaining the reputation of Maharashtra as the most peaceful, progressive and industrious State in the country goes to the State Police. This reputation has helped the State to maintain its position as the most attractive destination for doing business and for the foreign direct investment.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The demographic profile of our country is changing. Next year, that is by 2020, India will have become the youngest nation in the world, with an average age of 29 years.

At the same time, one more demographic change is taking place. Thanks to improvement in the standards of living of our people, the population of senior citizens in the country and the State is increasing. Today the average life expectancy of the people of India has reached a respectable 70, almost double than what it was at the time of Independence.

According to the 2011 census, India has 104 million elderly people having age of 60 and above. It is expected that India will have 340 million elderly people in 2050. Which means, India alone will have an elderly population which is more than the total population of the United States of America !!

We in Maharashtra will have among the highest number of elderly people. Assuring the personal, financial and emotional safety and security of senior citizens will be a major challenge.

Workspaces in the country are rapidly changing, thanks to the growing participation of women in the workforce. I am extremely happy that women are outnumbering men in many jobs. In the near future, there will be more women in our police force, in the para military and even in our Armed Forces.

It should be the endeavour of the police and of all the public-oriented organisations to become sensitive to women and elderly people. They must be more compassionate to the socio-economically weaker sections of society and the differently-abled persons. For an international city like Pune, it is also necessary for the police force to be extremely polite and courteous to foreign nationals and students.

In today’s world driven by technology, the nature of crimes and the modus operandi of criminals are changing rapidly. Apart from the real world, crimes are also taking place in the virtual world.

Maharashtra, and more particularly the cities of Mumbai and Pune have been targeted by terrorists in the past. We must have in place a mechanism to preempt any such attacks.

The 21st Century Maharashtra requires a Police Force of the 21st Century. For this purpose, we will have to transform our police force into a Smart and Technology – friendly Police Force.

Social media has come as a major challenge for the police force all over the world. Social media is often misused to spread lies, incite violence and to pursue divisive agenda. Maintaining cyber vigilance is all the more necessary today than ever.

I am happy that Pune Police has taken new initiatives such as Service Excellence and Victim Assistance and Security Perception Index. I was glad to learn that the Pune Police called up more than one lakh individuals to understand whether or not their grienvances have been redressed. This is extremely positive work and needs to be sustained.

I congratulate the Pune Police for their people-friendly initiatives and wish them success in their future endeavours.

Before I conclude, I extend my heartiest greetings to you on the occasion of Independence Day.

Jai Hind ! Jai Maharashtra !!