New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the internal security scenario has "vastly improved" over the last four years.
Addressing a Vijay Diwas function here, he said the numberof Left Wing Extremism-affected districts has come down from 90 to just about12, while there has been an 80 per cent decrease in insurgency in thenortheastern region.
The Home Minister said the Border Security Force (BSF) hasbeen given "full freedom to retaliate effectively" to ceasefireviolations from Pakistan.
He also said the veteran ex-servicemen can play a key rolein inculcating a sense of national pride among the youth.
Recalling the heroics of Maha Vir Chakra awardee BrigadierMohammad Usman and India's first Param Vir Chakra Major Somnath Sharma, theMinister lamented that the youth today idolise cricketers and film stars, butcan hardly name any Param Vir Chakra recipients.
He said "our armed forces proved in 1971 they have thecapability to rewrite history and redraw maps". The Indian Army has sinceemerged as a professional model before the world, he added.
He also honoured the families of martyrs and released thefirst quarterly newsletter of Veterans India Association. He declared tocontribute one month's salary to the organisation's corpus fund for themartyrs' welfare.
On December 16, Vijay Diwas marks the military victory ofIndia over Pakistan in the 1971 war -- the battle for the independence ofBangladesh from Pakistan. The end of the war resulted in a unilateral andunconditional surrender by the Pakistani Army.
"December 16, 1971, one of the shortest wars (13days)... one of the biggest surrenders. We pay tribute to the valour of IndianMilitary and Mukti Jodhas, who made this historic military victorypossible," the Defence Spokesperson tweeted.