Cyber crime is a challenge before the country and world: Amit Shah

Cyber-crime is a big challenge before the country and the world today, said Union Home Minister, Amit Shah on Thursday. 

Addressing the first day of the two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ at Surajkund, the minister said that ‘Shivir’ will provide a common platform to face challenges such a cyber-crime, spread of narcotics and cross-border terrorism in unison. “The nature of crimes is changing and they are becoming borderless. This is why all states will have to battle them by having a common strategy. To formulate and implement this common strategy, the government, under the spirit of ‘Cooperative Federalism’, ‘Whole of Government’ and ‘Team India’ approach is promoting the 3C’s, that is Cooperation, Coordination, Collaboration between the Centre and the States.” 

Shah added that cyber-crime is a big threat and the Ministry of Home Affairs is ready to fight against it. “The Ministry is continuously working on reforms in CRPC, IPC and FCRA and soon heir revised blueprint will be tabled in Parliament. The states should make maximum use of forensic science to increase the conviction rate and the central government has provided all possible help by forming the NFSU. Border States will have to make more coordinated efforts with central agencies and security forces to ensure border security and coastal security.” 

He said that areas affected by Left Wing Extremism, Jammu and Kashmir and the North East, which were once hot spots of violence and unrest, are now becoming hot spots of development. “The security situation in the North East has improved significantly in the last eight years. Since 2014, there has been a 74 percent reduction in insurgency incidents, 60 percent in casualties amongst security forces and about 90 percent in civilian casualties.” 

The minister said that after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, a new beginning of peace and progress has begun there. “Compared to 37 months before August 5, 2019, there has been a 34 percent reduction in terrorist incidents and 54 percent reduction in deaths amongst security forces in the 37 months after August 5, 2019.” 

“The government under the leadership of PM Modi has followed a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and the NIA. Other agencies are being strengthened to achieve a decisive victory over it. Before 2024, efforts are being made to set up an anti-terror network by setting up NIA branch in all the states. To achieve a decisive victory in the fight against terrorism, the legal framework is being strengthened, under which provision has been made to declare individual terrorists by amending the NIA and UAPA laws,” he said. 

Shah further said that the NIA has been given extra territorial jurisdiction and along with this the agency has also been given the right to confiscate the property acquired / related to terrorism. “By 2024, a target has been set to establish branches of NIA in all the states of the country. Today most of the security hotspots in the country have become almost free from anti-national activities due to mutual cooperation and coordination between the centre and the states. The zero-tolerance policy of the government of India against narcotics is yielding good results. In the last 8 years, 3,000 cases have been registered while drugs worth more than Rs. 20,0000 crores have been seized.”