The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Departments of Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that policing has evolved over the years to adapt to the changing circumstances in view of the challenges arising out of the technological advances and other developments. He was speaking while presenting the Smart Policing Awards, at the Homeland Security 2019 Conference organised, here today.During the event, 35 Smart Policing awards were given to the officers for working in the areas of anti-insurgency, child safety, community policing, crime investigation & prosecution, cyber crime management, emergency response, human trafficking, road safety & traffic management, smart police station, surveillance & monitoring, training & capacity building, women safety and other police initiatives. The Minister also released a compendium on ‘Best Practices in Policing’ on the occasion.Addressing the gathering, Dr Jitendra Singh said that these kind of initiatives are supplementary to the efforts of the Government and society as a whole. Congratulating the awardees, he said that they have worked hard to earn this kind of distinction. He said that the nature of policing and the challenges has changed over the years since independence. Some of the changes could not even be imagined few years ago, he added. He spoke about the challenges faced by police such as militancy, terrorism and cyber crime. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, many initiatives have been taken for the benefit of security forces. The Minister further said that the Central Government is committed to make policing more effective specially with regard to laws related to women and drug trafficking.Speaking about the recent developments, the Minister said that after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, this year has been the most peaceful festive season in the valley in recent past. This is because of the decisive approach followed by the Centre Government, he said. The Minister assured that the Government will always stand for its forces. The former Union Home Secretary, Shri G K Pillai and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.