Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
NIA branches to be set up in all states by 2024: Shah
NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the government will set up branches of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in all states by 2024 to deal with terrorism cases, even as he asked them (the states) to join hands with the Centre in dealing with borderless crimes, cross-border terrorism and organised crimes.
Delivering the keynote address at the first-ever “chintan shivir” (brainstorming) of home ministers of states in Surajkund, Haryana, Shah asked states to prepare a “joint strategy” for the internal and external security problems of the country.
“To achieve a decisive victory in the fight against terrorism, the legal framework is being strengthened, under which provision has been made to declare individuals as terrorists by amending the NIA and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The NIA has been given extra territorial jurisdiction powers as well as authority to confiscate the property acquired by terrorists. Now, we have decided that NIA branches will be established in all the states by 2024,” Shah said at the two-day conference.
Currently, NIA has 15 branches in Delhi, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur, Jammu, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Chennai, Imphal, Bengaluru and Patna. The federal anti-terror agency, formed in the aftermath of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, has so far registered 468 cases and has a conviction rate of 93.25%.
Shah said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has followed a zero tolerance policy against terrorism.
Asserting that most of the security hotspots in the country have already been freed from anti-national activities due to mutual cooperation and coordination between the Centre and the states, Shah said the new platform would further help in developing a joint strategy and future roadmap to deal with terror, crimes and general law and order problems. “Law and order is a state subject but technology has made crimes borderless. It is important that all the states and Centre come together to discuss and come up with a strategy to deal with all these borderless crimes – cyber crimes, terrorism, drugs smuggling, financial crimes etc,” Shah said.
“During his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about ‘Panch Pran’ (five resolves) to make India a developed country by 2047. The PM has outlined the importance of ‘whole of government’ approach and all departments working as ‘Team India’. At this conference, we will discuss how states can work together to deal with the threats to our national security. We will have to discuss how the Centre and states can optimise, rationally use and integrate the resources available for law and order. It is important that states come together and prepare a collaborative strategy and roadmap in this regard,” Shah said, asserting that this conference is part of his ministry’s vision for 2047.
The two-day conference is being attended by chief ministers of several states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Sikkim; deputy chief ministers of Maharashtra and Nagaland; home ministers of Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Telangana, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh; lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir as well as home secretaries and police chiefs of respective states. Chief ministers of five states ruled by non-NDA parties – West Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha, Bihar and Tamil Nadu – who also hold the home portfolio in their respective states, did not attend the meeting. It is learnt that the Bengal government sent an additional director general rank police officer to take part in the brainstorming.
“Given that the NIA has been successful in probing the terrorist attacks and terror financing, the home ministry realises its value and the need to expand its bases to all states and Union territories. The anti-terror agency has expertise in probing insurgency incidents in the northeast, left-wing extremism funding, terror-financing in J&K as well as Khalistani conspiracy and it is prudent that it has eyes and ears in all states/UTs,” Mumbai-based internal security expert Sameer Patil said.