Terrorism on verge of ending under Modi Govt: Amit Shah

New Delhi, Mar 21: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah Friday said that the era of terrorism, Naxalism, and extremism was on the verge of ending under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

Replying to a discussion on the working of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Rajya Sabha that lasted for two days, Shah said, “Terrorism, Naxalism, and extremism were on the verge of ending under the Modi government.”

He said that earlier, in Kashmir, terrorists would frequently infiltrate from a neighbouring country, carry out bomb blasts and murders, and the attitude of the then central governments towards these incidents was lenient.

“They would remain silent, afraid to speak out, and were also fearful of losing their vote bank,” the Home Minister said.

He said that after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism was adopted.

Shah said, under the Modi government, no one dared to carry out bomb blasts in the country.

“After our government came to power, attacks occurred in Uri and Pulwama, but within just 10 days, we responded by entering Pakistan's territory and carrying out surgical strikes,” he said.

The Home Minister said that, in the past, only Israel and the United States were the two countries that were always ready to protect their borders and military forces, and it was PM Modi who added the name of India to that list.

“It was from there that the policy of zero tolerance against terrorism was initiated,” he said.

Shah said that the root cause of separatism in Kashmir was Article 370.

He said that due to political compulsion and vote bank politics, Article 370 continued for many years.

The Home Minister said that on August 5, 2019, PM Modi abolished Article 370 in the Parliament.

He said that the framers of the Indian Constitution had a vision that there should be one country, one symbol, and one constitution, and PM Modi fulfilled this dream.

Shah said that on August 5 and 6, 2019, a new era of one law, one symbol, and one leader began, and from that moment, the process of permanently integrating Kashmir with India began.

He said that in J&K, Dogri, Hindi, and Urdu were granted the status of official languages of the state.

“To curb corruption, an Anti-Corruption Bureau was established, and all national laws were also adopted in the region. PM Modi also abolished the permit system at the Pathankot checkpoint, ushering in a new era of democracy, development, and prosperity,” the Home Minister said.

He said that during the 33 years of the previous governments, cinemas were not allowed to open in the region, but under the Modi government, these were opened.

“For 34 years, permission for Tazia processions during Muharram was not granted, but it was allowed during our time. Previously, it was very difficult to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk, but now there is not a single house there where the tricolour was not hoisted during the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign,” Shah said.

He said that Formula 4 car racing took place in Srinagar, and the celebration of Krishna Janmashtami was held at Lal Chowk.

The Home Minister said that the Modi government took several steps that resulted in the near elimination of the number of Indian children joining terrorists.

He said that, 10 years ago, there was glorification of terrorists and large processions were held, but under the Modi government, not a single procession took place and those who were killed were buried at the place where they fell.

Shah said that many relatives of terrorists were ruthlessly removed from government jobs.

“The government also imposed restrictions on giving government jobs, passports, and contracts to the supporters of terrorism and terrorists,” he said.

The Home Minister said that between 2004 and 2014, there were 7217 terrorist incidents, but from 2014 to 2024, this number dropped to 2242.

“During this period, the total number of deaths decreased by 70 percent, the number of civilian deaths decreased by 81 percent, and the causalities of security personnel decreased by 50 percent. From 2010 to 2014, an average of 2654 organised stone-pelting incidents occurred every year, but in 2024, not a single such incident occurred. There were 132 organised strikes, but now there are none. In stone-pelting incidents, 112 civilians were killed, and 6000 were injured, but now stone-pelting itself has stopped. In 2004, there were 1587 terrorist incidents, while in 2024, this number was reduced to just 85. In 2004, the number of civilian deaths was 733, but in 2024, it reduced to 26, and the number of security forces' deaths dropped from 331 in 2004 to 31 in 2024,” he said.

Shah said that PM Modi approved 63 projects worth Rs 80,000 crore for the development of Kashmir in 2015.

“Of these, Rs 51,000 crore was spent, and 53 projects have been fully implemented,” he said.

The Home Minister said that between 2019 and 2024, 40,000 government jobs were provided, 1.51 lakh OBC children were given self-employment opportunities through the Vishwakarma Yojana, 5184 youth clubs are working on skill development, and 18,000 youths were provided with their taxis.

He said that by introducing an attractive industrial policy, Rs 12,000 crore worth of investments have been realised on the ground in Kashmir, and MoUs worth Rs 1,10,000 crore are currently being implemented.

Shah said that in the entire 70 years before, only Rs 14,000 crore worth of investment had come to the region, while in the 10 years of PM Modi’s leadership, Rs 12,000 crore worth of investment had already started yielding production.

“Tourism in Kashmir has also restarted, with a record 2.11 crore tourists visiting in 2023,” he said.

The Home Minister said that Rs 250 crore had been invested in tourism.

He said that PM Modi laid the foundation of democracy in Kashmir.

Shah said that under the previous government’s rule, J&K had 90 legislators and 6 MPs, but now there were 34,262 elected representatives in the region.

He said that during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in J&K, not a single bullet was fired, and 98 percent of the people cast their votes.

The Home Minister said that today, J&K has AIIMS, IITs, and IIMs.

“There were only four medical colleges earlier, but now there are 15, along with 15 new nursing colleges,” he said.

Shah said that there were 500 MBBS seats earlier, but they added 800 more, and of 767 PG seats, 297 new ones were added.

He said that those who sit with their eyes closed and wear dark glasses would never be able to see the development.

The Home Minister said that they deal with terrorists by directly targeting them between their eyes as soon as they are spotted.

He said that their government cannot tolerate terrorism or terrorists, as there is no place in the country for those who play with the blood of citizens.

3 MAJOR PROBLEMS

Shah said that under the leadership of PM Modi, in the last 10 years, the Ministry of Home Affairs had worked to strengthen the morale of security personnel by establishing strong political will and a robust legislative framework.

He said that the security, development, and sovereignty of the country had always been challenged by three major problems – terrorism in J&K, left-wing extremism, and insurgency in the Northeast.

The Home Minister said that these three deep-rooted issues had disrupted the peace of the country for almost four decades, raised questions on the country’s security, and hindered the pace of national development.

He said that due to these three problems, nearly 92,000 citizens of the country had lost their lives over four decades.

Shah said that before Modi became the PM in 2014, no coordinated efforts had been made for the complete eradication of these deep-rooted issues.

LEFT-WING EXTREMISM

He said that left-wing extremism was also a serious issue.

“Some people call it a political problem, but I express sympathy for this viewpoint. From a development perspective, many districts and tehsils remain underdeveloped. Previous governments also worked to bring development to these backward areas, and our government is continuing that effort,” the Home Minister said.

Shah said that while some regions may still not have received adequate development, it does not mean that one should disregard the country's system and constitution, and allow the government to stand helpless and watch.

He stated that thousands of people had fallen victim to left-wing extremism so far.

“From Pashupatinath to Tirupati, several districts, tehsils, and police stations in the Red Corridor were captured, and the entire system was dismantled. Parallel currency and stamp papers were being circulated, and governments were formed, but no one spoke out,” the Home Minister said.

He said that he wanted to responsibly inform the House that by March 31, 2026, Naxalism would be eradicated from the country.

Shah explained that behind this promise was the Modi government's 10 years of hard work, meticulous planning, hunger for development, and allocation of funds.

He said that they had fortified the security grid in such a way that there would be no gaps left anywhere.

The Home Minister said that by adopting the principles of dialogue, security, and coordination, they had continued their fight against Naxalism.

He appreciated the personnel of DRG, STF, Police, CRPF, ITBP, and BSF, who had made sacrifices by staying hungry and thirsty for hours in areas where even the rays of the sun do not reach, in order to resolve this issue.

Shah said that they started fighting against Naxalism using the latest technology.

“By gathering information such as location tracking, mobile phone activities, scientific call logs analysis, social media analysis, mapping their courier services, and tracking the movement of their families, they equipped their security forces with valuable intelligence,” he said.

The Home Minister said that drone surveillance and satellite imaging, combined with artificial intelligence, were used to develop solutions and extract results.

“Based on this data analysis, they were able to precisely deploy security forces to the right locations, and this approach formed the basis of their operations,” he said.

Shah said that between 2004 and 2014, there were 16,463 violent incidents, but in the last ten years, this number had decreased by 53 percent.

He said that from 2004 to 2014, 1851 security personnel were killed, but in the past 10 years, the number of security personnel killed dropped to 509, a reduction of 73 percent.

“The number of civilian deaths decreased from 4766 to 1495, which is a 70 percent reduction,” the Home Minister said.

He said that in December 2023, after the change in government in Chhattisgarh, within a single year, 380 Naxalites were killed, 1194 were arrested, and 1045 surrendered.

Shah said that in this entire operation, only 26 security personnel were killed.

He said that the difference between the approach of the previous government and the current government was evident in that 2619 Naxalites either surrendered were arrested, or were killed.

The Home Minister said that until 2014, there were 66 fortified police stations, 32 of which were under the government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“However, under the Modi government, 612 fortified police stations have been built in the last 10 years,” he said.

Shah said that in 2014, the number of districts most affected by Naxalism was 126, which had now reduced to just 12, and by March 2026, this number would be zero.

“In 2014, there were 330 police stations where Naxal incidents occurred, but now this number has reduced to 104. Naxal-affected areas, which covered more than 18,000 sq km, now only span 4200 sq km,” he said.

The Home Minister said that there were no night-landing helipads earlier, but 68 had been built under their government.

He said that the number of security camps was pitiable earlier, but in the past 5 years, they had opened 302 new security camps to secure the entire area.

Shah said that to financially choke the Naxalites and break their financial backbone, they used the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate, seizing several crores of rupees from them.

He said that under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), cases were filed, and those who funded the Naxalites were sent behind bars.

“Continuous meetings were held between the central and state governments,” the Home Minister said.

He said that on his level, he held 11 meetings with all the Chief Ministers and 12 meetings with police chiefs.

Shah said that they devised a dynamic strategy and deployed security forces at strategic locations.

“To bring development to Naxal-affected areas, the budget allocation for these regions was increased by 300 percent,” he said.

The Home Minister said that from 2014 to 2024, 11,503 km of highways were constructed in Naxal-affected areas.

“Additionally, 20,000 km of rural roads were built. In the first phase, 2343 mobile towers were installed, and in the second phase, 2545 towers were set up. The work of installing 4000 mobile towers is still ongoing,” he said.

Shah said that the entire Naxal-affected region would be equipped with mobile connectivity by December 1.

He said that in the last five years, 1007 bank branches were opened in Naxal-affected areas, and 937 ATMs were launched.

“Additionally, 5731 post offices equipped with banking services were established,” the Home Minister said.

He said that the Skill Development Scheme reached all 48 districts, and a strong vertical of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was created.

“A total of 1143 tribal youth were recruited into the security forces. Six helipads were built to assist in the quick evacuation of injured soldiers to hospitals for rescue and rehabilitation. As a result, Naxalism is gradually shrinking,” Shah said.

The Home Minister noted that several prominent Naxal leaders were among those killed, which has significantly weakened their entire movement.

“Many Naxalites, who had bounties of crores of rupees on their heads, have surrendered,” he said.

Shah listed the leaders killed, including one member of the Zonal Committee, five members of the Sub-Zonal Committee, two members of the State-level Committee, 31 members of the Divisional Committee, and 59 members of the Area Committee.

He said that the government had implemented a flexible surrender policy.

The Home Minister said that for those who mock their announcements, he wants to confidently assure them that under the Modi government, the country would be free from the Naxal problem.

NORTH-EAST

He said that the government was on the verge of ending the problem in the North-East as well.

Shah said that there had been a 70 percent reduction in violent incidents in the region, a 72 percent decrease in casualties among security personnel, and an 85 percent reduction in civilian casualties.

“After coming to power, their government initiated talks with all armed groups. Since 2019, 12 significant peace agreements have been signed,” the Home Minister said.

He listed the agreements as an agreement with NLFT (National Liberation Front of Tripura) in 2020, an agreement with the Bru-Reang community in 2021, the Karbi agreement and agreements with tribal organizations and an inter-state border agreement between Assam and Meghalaya in 2022, agreements with DNLA, UNLF, and ULFA, an inter-state border agreement between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in 2023 along with agreements with Tipra and NLFT, as well as ATTFA in 2024.

“This series of agreements reflects the government's ongoing efforts to bring peace to the region,” Shah said.

He said that a total of 10,900 youth had surrendered their weapons and joined the mainstream.

“In Bodoland, thousands of young people have embraced the path of development, pursuing education in their native language and practising their religion,” the Home Minister said.

He said that when the Bodoland Accord was signed, many dismissed it as ineffective.

“Today, the scenario has transformed significantly,” Shah said.

He said that agreements worth Rs 5 lakh crore had been signed for investment in Assam, a state where industrial growth once seemed like a distant dream.

“However, with the establishment of peace, Assam is now witnessing significant progress. Moreover, the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the North-East has been reduced by 70 percent,” the Home Minister said.

He also spoke about the Bru rehabilitation agreement, which provided permanent settlement for the displaced Bru-Reang community forced to flee Mizoram and take refuge in Tripura.

“Under this agreement, all 37,000 Bru-Reang families have been allocated 150-yard houses, along with essential facilities such as community buildings, schools, and medical stores. Moreover, two youths from each family were trained in skill development, enabling them to move towards self-employment,” Shah said.

Reflecting on his recent visit to Tripura, he said that he had visited the same region five years ago, and the transformation over the past eight months was remarkable.

The Home Minister said that the Bru-Reang community now expresses their gratitude to PM Modi, praying for his well-being as a token of appreciation for the positive changes in their lives.

He said that the PM Modi government had rescued 6935 families and 37,584 people from a life of misery.

Shah said that the development budget had been increased by 153 percent, and a comprehensive plan had been implemented to make all eight North-Eastern states self-reliant in sectors like the oil mission, bamboo mission, organic farming, as well as the production of eggs, fish, and milk, thereby paving the way for their prosperity.

He said that 17 power projects, 40 water supply projects, 44 education projects, 43 health projects, seven sports projects, and four new tourism projects had been completed with 100 percent funding from the Government of India.

The Home Minister said that the government had significantly strengthened connectivity in the North-East by investing Rs 81,900 crore in the railway sector, Rs 41,500 crore in highways, and Rs 47,000 crore in rural roads.

“Additionally, 64 new air routes and helicopter routes have been introduced,” he said.

Shah said that this had not only reduced the physical distance between Delhi and the North-East but also bridged the emotional gap between the two, thanks to PM Modi's efforts.

He said that under the Vibrant Village Programme, the Government of India had invested Rs 4800 crore in Arunachal Pradesh alone.

The Home Minister said that earlier, villages situated on remote mountain peaks considered themselves India's last villages.

“However, with a simple yet profound vision, PM Modi has transformed these ‘last villages’ into the ‘first villages’ of India,” he said.

ZERO-TOLERANCE AGAINST TERRORISM

Shah said that PM Modi had provided a strong legal foundation to reinforce the zero-tolerance policy against terrorism.

“On August 2, 2019, amendments to the NIA Act expanded its jurisdiction to include new crimes and granted the agency the authority to investigate cases outside India. Additionally, modifications to the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) enabled the government to seize the properties of terrorists and designate individuals as terrorists,” he said.

The Home Minister said that legal backing had also been provided to de-radicalisation efforts.

“The Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) has been revamped, incorporating cyber security, narco-terrorism, gun running, organised crime, and emerging extremist hotspots into its reporting framework. Alongside this, a National Memory Bank has also been established,” he said.

Shah said that 57 individuals had been declared terrorists and 23 associations had been designated as unlawful organisations.

“Between 2019 and 2024, the most serious 14 organisations linked to Hurriyat were banned,” he said.

The Home Minister said that Hurriyat, which was once used as a mediator for talks with Pakistan, has been dismantled.

He said that the government had banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) and conducted raids across 24 states, ensuring that every PFI member was put behind bars.

“Some people wanted to become Bhindranwala in Punjab, so we took the action of putting them in jail in Assam,” Shah said.

He said that legal measures had been taken under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against 25 different threats, including left-wing extremism, terrorism in Kashmir, fake Indian currency notes, narco-terror links, Khalistani extremism, radicalisation efforts, terror financing, and illegal arms smuggling.

The Home Minister said that threats like human trafficking being used against national security, cyber terrorism, misuse of the Explosives Act, and amendments in the Arms Act had been addressed.

“By bringing all these 25 dimensions under the NIA’s jurisdiction, the government has effectively created a comprehensive legal framework to tackle security threats,” he said.

Shah said that 1244 new positions had been created in the NIA (National Investigation Agency), 16 new branch offices had been opened, and two new zonal offices had been established.

He said that of the 652 cases, not a single one had been declared unjustified by the Supreme Court. “Among these, 516 cases have had chargesheets filed, 157 cases have been resolved, and 150 cases have resulted in convictions. This has led to a 95 percent conviction rate, which is the highest among anti-terror agencies worldwide,” the Home Minister said.

He said that NIA had collaborated with DRDO to prepare for threats related to chemical, nuclear, and biological terrorism.

Shah highlighted that NIA's international exposure had been expanded through agreements, and a contract had been signed with the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) to create a new vertical dedicated to counter-terrorism efforts.

He said that along with these measures, the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) had also been strengthened. “Under PM Modi’s leadership, a dedicated counterterrorism system had been established within MAC, which has generated 72,000 reports. To maintain the confidentiality of this information, a secure communication channel has been developed over the last 10 years, ensuring that intelligence reaches districts and police stations efficiently,” the Home Minister said.

He said that through the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), over 35 different data sources had been integrated in one place, making the fight against terrorism more robust and helping in the identification and capture of multiple suspects.

DRUG MENACE

Shah said that drugs were a serious problem, but the government could not fight this battle alone.

He said that under PM Modi’s leadership, the government’s policy was clear that a person who consumes drugs was a victim of this problem and a person who trades in drugs was a criminal.

The Home Minister said that the government had adopted a “whole of government, whole of nation” approach to tackle the drug menace.

“The Ministries of Home, Finance, Education, Health, and Social Welfare, along with all state governments, are working together to fight this issue,” he said.

Shah said that a new investigative approach had been introduced, combining top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top strategies.

“If even a single packet of drugs is found, authorities trace its entire supply chain rather than treating it as an individual case. When drugs are seized at international borders, a thorough investigation is conducted to determine its intended final destination, which has yielded positive results,” he said.

The Home Minister said that drugs had four major negative impacts - at an individual level, at the national level, on the economy, and on national security.

He said that drug money was used to fund Naxalism, terrorism, separatism, and even illegal activities through cryptocurrency.

“The rise in crypto transactions linked to drug trade has led the government to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to counter these threats effectively,” Shah said.

He said that in 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs established a four-tier NCORD mechanism, and over the past five years, a total of seven apex-level meetings, five executive-level meetings, 191 state-level meetings, and 6150 district-level meetings had been held.

The Home Minister said that the efforts to combat drugs had yielded positive results.

He said that internationally, two regions in India’s neighbourhood were previously known as the ‘Golden Triangle’ and ‘Golden Crescent’ due to their association with the drug trade.

“However, thanks to India’s efforts, these regions are now being recognised globally as the ‘Death Triangle’ and ‘Death Crescent,’” Shah said.

He said that this shift was the result of a change in mindset.

The Home Minister said that drugs were not just a business but posed a grave threat to the youth of the world and were a tool for destroying entire generations.

He said that between 2004 and 2014, 25 lakh kg of drugs were seized, whereas from 2014 to 2024, the quantity increased to over 1 crore kg.

“In terms of value, drugs worth Rs 40,000 crores were seized between 2004 and 2014, whereas between 2014 and 2024, the seizures amounted to Rs 1 lakh 50 thousand crore,” Shah said.

He said that in the past 5 years, 23,000 kg of synthetic drugs worth Rs 14,000 crore had been destroyed.

The Home Minister said that between 2004 and 2014, a total of 3 lakh 36,000 kg of drugs were burned, while from 2014 to 2024, the figure increased to 31 lakh kg.

He said that 72 synthetic drug manufacturing laboratories had been seized and destroyed across the country.

“While the previous government registered 1 lakh 73,000 narcotics cases, the Modi government has registered a total of 6 lakh 56,000 cases,” Shah said.

He said that the government’s goal was clear it would not allow even a single gram of drugs to enter India from anywhere, nor would it let drugs transit through the country.

The Home Minister said that the drug problem cannot be tackled by the central government alone and that every citizen must play a role in this fight.

He also made it clear that anyone profiting from the drug trade and using that money to fund terrorist activities would not be spared.

Shah said that the Modi government was on the brink of achieving a comprehensive anti-drone solution, and in the next 6 months, an entirely indigenous anti-drone module would be unveiled, symbolising India’s self-reliance in this critical area.

LANGUAGES

He said that every language in the country was a jewel of India’s culture.

The Home Minister said that under the leadership of PM Modi, the government had worked towards promoting local languages and started medical and engineering education in India's languages.

He said that instead of dividing the country in the name of language, the focus should now be on development.

Shah said that after this December, he would communicate with the Chief Ministers, Ministers, Members of Parliament, and citizens of each state in their respective languages.

He said that PM Modi’s government had established the Indian Language Section under the Department of Official Language, which would work towards promoting and strengthening all Indian languages.

The Home Minister said that Hindi does not compete with any Indian language; rather, Hindi was a friend to all Indian languages.

“Hindi strengthens all Indian languages, and all Indian languages, in turn, strengthen Hindi,” he said.

Shah said that some people were using language as a cover to hide their scams and corruption.

He said that when the NDA government comes to power in Tamil Nadu, they will start medical and engineering education in the Tamil language.

CRIMINAL LAWS

The Home Minister said that even after 75 years of independence, the criminal laws enacted by the British Parliament to solidify their rule were still in effect.

He said that PM Modi had announced the Panch Pran from the Red Fort, which included freedom from symbols of slavery.

Shah said that from July 1, 2024, three new criminal laws— Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 — would be implemented nationwide.

He said that in the next three years, these laws would be fully operational in every police station across all states, ensuring that justice could be delivered within three years in any case in the Supreme Court.

The Home Minister described these new laws as the biggest reform of the 21st century, emphasising that India's legal system would be globally modernised, particularly in terms of technology.

Shah concluded that once these laws are fully implemented, India will match the conviction rates of the world’s leading nations and even surpass them.

He said that forensic science had been given significant emphasis in the new criminal laws.

The Home Minister said that a visit to the forensic science lab would now be mandatory for any crime carrying a sentence of more than 7 years.

“Under the new laws, strict time limits have been established for the Police, prosecution, and judiciary to ensure faster justice,” he said.

Shah said that delays due to repeated adjournments would now be a thing of the past, as neither the defence nor the prosecution would be allowed more than two adjournments.

He said that the trial can now proceed in the absence of a proclaimed offender.

“A provision for community service has also been introduced for theft cases involving less than Rs 5000. Moreover, property outside India can now be confiscated, and the role of the Director of Prosecution has been separated from the Police, ensuring greater independence in the prosecution process,” the Home Minister said.

He said that a new offence of mob lynching had been introduced in the new criminal laws, and organised crime had been clearly defined for the first time.

Shah said that these laws were victim-centric, ensuring that victims had the right to present their case.

“The laws also guarantee Police accountability, with the mandatory recording of search and seizure procedures,” he said.

The Home Minister said that while the Britishers had introduced a treason law, India had transformed it into a sedition law, ensuring that no one could speak against the country.

He said that until now, there was no official definition of terrorism, but for the first time, terrorism had been clearly defined in these new laws.

Shah said that all states had accepted these new criminal laws, and in the coming days, the government would initiate efforts to integrate separate data systems across various agencies, allowing them to communicate with each other through software for greater efficiency.

DATA

He said that the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) had been established to combat cybercrime, with PM Modi spearheading various initiatives to strengthen I4C.

The Home Minister said that currently, both ICJS 1.0 (Inter-operable Criminal Justice System) and ICJS 2.0 are operating across seven verticals.

He said that 17,771 police stations were now connected to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), and there were 34 crore 1 lakh police records available in the system.

“Additionally, 22,000 courts have been linked to e-courts, while 2.2 crore prisoner records are stored in the e-prison system, with 1361 jails connected,” Shah said.

He said that over 1 crore 93 lakh prosecution cases were available in e-prosecution, and more than 28 lakh 70,000 forensic records had been collected from 117 forensic labs across the country into e-forensics.

“There are also 1 crore 12 lakh fingerprints in Nafees and data on over 8 lakh 11,000 narco offenders in National Integrated Database on Arrested Narco-Offenders (NIDAAN),” the Home Minister said.

He said that while this data had been collected separately until now, efforts were underway to link all these data sets using Artificial Intelligence to provide detailed analyses that will help in controlling and restricting crime.

Shah said that this integration would be completed in approximately six months, after which criminals would have no place to hide.

FORENSIC SCIENCE

He said that the government had implemented a four-pronged strategy in the field of forensic science, which includes - strengthening infrastructure, building expert manpower, gaining access to the latest forensic technologies from around the world, and promoting research and development (R&D).

The Home Minister also mentioned the establishment of the National Forensic Science University, where PhD-level courses have been introduced in 72 different fields.

“Currently, there are around 5137 students enrolled, but in two years, the number will rise to 35,000 as forensic science universities are being established in 14 states,” he said.

Shah said that approximately 30,000 research publications had been announced for R&D, with over 100 ongoing research projects.

“More than 350 workshops and seminars have been organised in the past year,” he said.

The Home Minister said that the Central Forensic Science Laboratory was being strengthened, and efforts were underway to help and advance state-level forensic science laboratories.

“Additionally, one lab for DNA analysis will be established in every state with the support of the Nirbhaya Fund,” he said.

Shah said that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) was also working on the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (NCFL), which was being developed by the National Forensic Science University (NFSU).

“NFSU is also working on strengthening the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS),” he said.

The Home Minister said that through the forensic science vertical, the government would significantly improve conviction rates.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

He said that before 2014, disaster management was relief-centred and was approached with a reactionary mindset, whereas after 2014, a rescue-centred approach had been adopted.

Shah said that in the past year, two major disasters occurred in the country where no human lives were lost.

He also highlighted that an Early Warning System had been implemented.

“The government has made Prevention, Mitigation, and Preparedness the core of its policy. A preparation-based rescue program has been initiated, and the National Disaster Management Plan has been strengthened. Before floods or cyclones occur, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is already present at the site. The disaster fund is being scientifically distributed, and community-based disaster management has been launched. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has become the foundation of the country’s policy,” the Home Minister said.

He said that from 2004 to 2014, the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) was allocated Rs 37,727 crore. “However, after 2014, it increased to Rs 1.20 lakh crore,” Shah said.

“Similarly, the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) allocation was Rs 27,000 crore between 2004 and 2014, and it rose to Rs 80,000 crore after 2014,” he said.

The Home Minister said that this reflects the scale of the country’s efforts to prevent disasters.

He also highlighted that an additional Rs 83,000 crore was allocated under NDRF and Rs 1,36,000 crore under SDRF.

“In total, nearly Rs 2 lakh crore has been allocated in the last 10 years. The National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) was established with Rs 13,000 crore,” Shah said.

He said that the Early Warning System had been adopted with great foresight to prevent any loss of life or property.

“So far, over Rs 4300 crore have been allocated for different alerts,” the Home Minister said.

He said that the active availability of NDRF had increased by 183 percent, and regional response centres had been established in 28 cities.

“A revolving fund of Rs 250 crore is now available for immediate response. In 2019, the NDRF Academy was established in Nagpur. Over the past five years, 34 international-level guidelines have been created for disaster management. Emergency number 112 has also integrated disaster management services,” Shah said.

“To solidify India's role internationally, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) was formed, which includes 42 countries and 60 multinational organizations,” he said.

The Home Minister said that whenever a disaster occurs anywhere in the world, PM Modi immediately sends the NDRF there.

“The Indian government has also provided thousands of crores of rupees to the states for fire-fighting efforts. To address the dangers of floods, thousands of crores of rupees have been given to Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Ahmedabad. Under ‘Operation Dost’, help was provided to Turkey and Nepal. The Common Alert Protocol has been successfully implemented. There was no award for excellence in disaster management before, but now we have started the ‘Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Disaster Management Award,’” he said.

Shah said that the ‘Meghdoot’ app provides weather information to farmers,

“‘Flood Watch’ gives real-time information about the flood situation, ‘Damini’ provides alerts before lightning strikes, the ‘Bhuwan’ app provides Bhuwan maps and satellite data with voice-over navigation, and ‘Sachet’ provides real-time geo-targeted alerts. ‘Van Agni’ gives information about the current status of forest fires, and ‘Samudra’ provides ocean information to fishermen,” he said.

The Home Minister said that the government gives substantial inputs to the disaster management system for the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme.

“All these mobile apps have been developed after 2014,” he said.

Shah said that India had now become one of the top countries in the field of disaster management, and the country was moving forward with the goal of becoming the topmost.

“The state governments also play a significant role in this,” he said.

CENTRE-STATE ISSUES

The Home Minister said that the Inter-State Council operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and works to resolve issues between the centre and the states.

“Between 2004 and 2014, only 11 meetings of the Zonal Council were held, but since 2014, 27 meetings have taken place. The Standing Committee had 14 meetings between 2004 and 2014, but since 2014, 33 meetings have been held. In the past, only 448 issues were resolved in the Zonal Council meetings, but during our government, 1280 issues have been resolved,” he said.

Shah said that the Inter-State Council was an important tool in strengthening the country’s federal structure.

VIBRANT VILLAGES

He said that the Vibrant Village Programme was an important initiative of the government.

“There has been migration from villages located in difficult conditions on the country’s borders in search of better facilities, and a country whose border villages are empty can never be safe. Earlier, the villages located on the borders were called the ‘last villages,’ but due to the new approach of the Modi government, these are now called the ‘first villages.’ In the next few years, these villages will also become the first in terms of facilities, and this is the aim of the Vibrant Village Programme. Under this programme, 90 percent of the funding is from the central government and 10 percent from the state government. In the first phase, 455 villages from Arunachal Pradesh, 75 from Himachal Pradesh, 51 from Uttarakhand, 46 from Sikkim, and 35 from Ladakh have been adopted under this programme,” the Home Minister said.

BORDER SECURITY, LAND PORTALS, AND PADMA AWARDS

He said that many efforts had been made for border security.

Shah said that out of the total 12 Land Ports, 11 had been established during their time, and through these Land Ports, trade worth Rs 70,959 crore and the movement of over 30 million passengers have taken place.

He stated that the government had plans for a total of 26 Land Ports.

The Home Minister said that the Padma Awards had been given to people who were heroes to ordinary citizens and dedicated their entire lives to bringing small changes in society and the country.

“Such individuals no longer need any recommendations. They nominate themselves on the portal, and then they receive a call informing them that they are being honoured with the Padma award,” he said.

Shah said that such a transparent process for the Padma awards should have been established long ago.

He thanked PM Modi for implementing this transparent process.