Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Sunday presented the President’s Colours to the Puducherry Police, recognising the force’s bravery, dedication and service. Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy were among those present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Amit Shah said Puducherry was “a living symbol of the spiritual and cultural consciousness of South India” and described the conferment of the President’s Colours as a recognition of the force’s “bravery, hard work and dedication”.
“Today, the Puducherry Police has joined the ranks of police forces in the country that have been awarded the President’s Colours,” he said.
Amit Shah said receiving the President’s Colours was “one of the most prestigious moments for any police force”.
“The Puducherry Police is entrusted with the responsibility of protecting Puducherry, ensuring its internal security and safeguarding its honour,” he said, adding that the force had received the prestigious honour “in recognition of its hard work, valour, service and dedication”.
Referring to Puducherry’s history, Amit Shah said that despite having remained under French rule for a long period, the Union Territory “has preserved its Indian identity and spiritual vitality”.
He noted that the post of Director General of Police was created in Puducherry on October 1, 1963, and said that since then, the Puducherry Police had “strengthened the internal security of this border region”.
On criminal justice reforms, Amit Shah said the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had replaced the penal codes enacted by the British with three new criminal laws.
“These new laws are not merely punitive in nature; rather, their objective is to ensure justice for citizens in a technology-enabled and time-bound manner,” he said.
Amit Shah said the new criminal laws were built on three pillars: “Technology, Timeline and Trust”.
The Home Minister also highlighted steps taken by the Centre to strengthen the Union Territories, saying Prime Minister Modi had taken “several steps over the past 12 years to strengthen the Union Territories”.
He said the Central Government had undertaken several development projects for Puducherry, including the four-laning of National Highway 332-A at a cost of ₹2,200 crore.
“The Modi Government has constructed an extended runway here, approximately 3,400 metres long and 45 metres wide,” Amit Shah said. He also compared the development assistance provided to Puducherry before and after 2014.
“From 1950 to 2014, the Government of India had provided only ₹3,500 crore to Puducherry for developmental works. From 2014 to 2026, the Modi Government has provided ₹13,762 crore for the development of Puducherry, which is nearly four times the amount provided earlier,” he said.
Amit Shah said that over the past nine years, the Centre had also facilitated industrial investments worth ₹39,000 crore in Puducherry. He said people of the Union Territory had benefited from several Central schemes, including Lakhpati Didi, Jal Jeevan Mission, Ayushman Bharat, construction of toilets, the free foodgrain scheme, Ujjwala Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Direct Benefit Transfer.
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