India and Russia are readying to hold their annual joint counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency army war game in August this year in Buryatia in southeast Russia. The exercise, to be called Indra-2012, will witness about 250 troops from each side matching their skills and understanding each other's standard operating procedures in exercises to eliminate terrorists and insurgents.

According to Army headquarters,the war game will take place at a training area in Buryatia, which falls under the Russian Army's Eastern Command.

The last Indra exercise was held in India's Uttarakhand state in October 2010, when about 250 troops from each side carried out manoeuvres in the garrison town of Chaubatia near hill resort Ranikhet.

Indian Army troops will get acquainted with Russian military equipment during exercise in the first stage, after which they will get to participate in joint tasks to get trained in standard operating procedures. Later, the two sides will carry out a synchronised counter-terrorism operations.

Strengthening of counter terror capabilities and intelligence apparatus, Maoist violence, police reforms and capacity building will be high on agenda at the Chief Ministers' Conference on Internal Security, to be held in New Delhi tomorrow. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the Conference.

The day-long Conference will also deliberate on how India is being affected due to its troubled neighbourhood and its obvious consequences in the country like cross border terrorism, covert support to insurgents, arms smuggling,
circulation of fake Indian currency notes, inflow of refugees
and immigration.

Active terror infrastructure in Pakistan, growing nexus between the Naxals and anti-India forces, both within the country as well as abroad, better intelligence sharing among
security forces, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS), border management, coastal security and other Centre-State issues will also figure prominently at the meeting.

A separate session on Maoist violence will be held later in the day and will be attended by Chief Ministers of nine
Maoist violence affected states.

The Central government has already conceded the demands of several non-Congress Chief Ministers, including ally Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, to hold a special meeting of Chief Ministers to exclusively discuss on the controversial issue of the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) on May 5th.

 the country's top leadership will review the two-pronged approach of development and police action to contain the Maoist problem and the future strategy to deal with it. The conference, originally scheduled for February 15th, had to be postponed for two months due to the recent Assembly elections in five states and Budget session of Parliament.

Afghan government has said that the memorandum of understanding signed between Afghanistan and the US for special night operations, is a great progress in the fight against insurgency in Afghanistan.   foreign troops would not be allowed to enter Afghan homes and a special Afghan force will be constituted to conduct night raids and special operations to nab the insurgents. The personnel of the force will have all necessary equipments, expertise and expericnce to carry out such operations and they will work strictly under the Afghan laws. Yesterday President Hamid Karzai has also hailed the US-Aghan MOU over controversial night raids and called it consolidation of Afghan sovereignty. Addressing the cabinet meeting he said, the agreement has entrusted the Afghan security forces lead role in night operations. President Karzai also said that the people of Afghanistan have suffered much and now all government agencies should work to convince the people that the government was the protector of the interests, security and lives of Afghans. The night raids by international troops targeting insurgents in their homes have been a stumbling block in the proposed long term stretagic partnership agreement between Afghanistan and the United States. With the signing of the MOU Afghan government has tried to give a healing touch to the innocent Afghans who have lost their near and dear ones in the controvertial night raids. It has paved the way for stretagic partnership between the two countries after the departure of all foreign forces from Afghanistan in 2014. The MOU makes Afghan security forces responsible for the night operations. Although, Western military commanders maintain that nights raids are a key tactic in their fight against insurgecy, but the Afghan people condemn night raids as a violation of their privacy. By signing the MOU, Afghan government has given an assurance to the people of Afghanistan that foreigners will not be allowed to enter Afghan homes and the human rights of Afghans will be respected at all costs.

Home Ministry says, terrorism in the hinterland and communal situation remained by and large under control in 2011-12, except for the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai in July 2011 and bomb blast in Delhi High Court in September last year.

However, it says, Maoists violence, militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and insurgency in the Northeast continued to be the top areas of concern for the country's internal security with Left wing extremism claiming the most lives.

In its Annual Report, the Home Ministry said the North eastern region which has remained complex for quite some time because of diverse demands advocated by various militant outfits, has shown improvement in 2011.

It said the Government has adopted various counter terrorism strategies to neutralise the efforts and capabilities of militants to disturb peace in the country.