KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, July 17: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday met Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in New Delhi and requested for timely release of funds under the scheme for modernisation of police.

A sum of Rs 22.11 crore was yet to be released under the scheme during 2008-09, Patnaik told the Union Home Minister who assured timely release of funds to the state.

The Chief Minister further requested the Union Home Minister to increase the scale of reimbursement under Security Related Expenditure (SRE), to Rs 20 crore to continue with anti-naxalite operations in the state.

According to an official release, Patnaik also requested Patil to depute six Indian Police Service officers to the state on short term deputation in view of large scale vacancies in the state.

Patnaik further requested for deputation of 400 personnel of Central Para-military Forces to strengthen the Special Operations Group (SOG) exclusively raised for counter-insurgency and anti-naxalite operations in the state.

The Union Home Minister, who agreed to consider the request of the state government favourably, also accepted the proposal of the Chief Minister for establishment of a Counter-insurgency Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) in the state.

Patil requested the Chief Minister to provide land for establishment of the Battalion, keeping in view the long term requirement. The Chief Minister promised to provide adequate land, free of cost, for the purpose, according to the official communication.

Patnaik also informed the Union Home Minister that a project proposal of Rs 311 crore has been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs for the second phase of Prisons Reforms commencing from 2008.

e urged Patil for immediate sanction of an ad hoc grant amounting to Rs 25 crore to continue with the reforms initiative.