3-Aug-2022: Functioning of NIA
The Central Government reviews administrative and legal requirements of National Investigation Agency (NIA) from time to time. Since 2019, the Government has taken several measures to enhance capacity of the NIA, which include as under:
- The NIA Act was amended in year 2019 to enlarge the mandate of the NIA by inclusion of offences related to human trafficking, manufacture & sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism and offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and expand its jurisdictions beyond India.
- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 was amended in year 2019 to empower DG (NIA) to seize/attach the properties related to proceeds of terrorism in cases being investigated by the NIA.
- In order to enhance capacity of NIA in terms of specialists, the financial powers delegated to Director General of NIA for engaging consultants/ experts/ professionals have been enhanced.
- 481 posts and 10 new branch offices at Chandigarh, Ranchi, Imphal, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Patna, Jaipur, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar have been sanctioned.
The increase in registration of cases by the NIA over the years is mainly due to the enhanced capacity of NIA with sanction of new Branch offices and the augmented scope of NIA.
21-Apr-2022: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah attended 13th NIA Day celebrations of National Investigation Agency (NIA)
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah attended 13th NIA Day celebrations of National Investigation Agency (NIA) as Chief Guest in New Delhi today. The Home Minister also presented awards to the officers of NIA for outstanding service on the occasion. Ministers of State for Home Affairs, Shri Ajay Kumar Mishra and Shri Nishith Pramanik, DG, NIA, Delhi Police Commissioner and NIA officers also attended the programme.
In his address, the Union Home Minister said This day is very important for the NIA as well as Ministry of Home Affairs as NIA is handling and pursuing a very important area of internal security with promptness and efficiency. He said that NIA investigates crimes where it is difficult to gather evidences, however its achievements are an inspiration for the police and all anti-terrorism agencies of the country and I wholeheartedly congratulate the NIA family for this.
Shri Amit Shah said that as the Home Minister of the country, I can say with certainty that NIA has set 'Gold Standard' with more than 90 percent conviction rate and NIA has a very important role to play in fulfilling the Prime Minister’s goal of a terror-free India and Zero Tolerance Against Terrorism. The Home Minister said that I want to assure the NIA family that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Government of India is moving ahead with a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism, and Government of India is fully committed to all assistance required by NIA. He said India has progressed on the path of development and today in every field, global goals cannot be fulfilled without India, and therefore it is very important to ensure that the nation’s internal security is strong.
Shri Amit Shah said terrorism is a curse for any civilized society, and India has suffered the greatest pain from this curse. There can be no greater violation of human rights than terrorism, that is why, complete eradication of terrorism is very important to protect human rights, NIA should work determinedly to end terrorism.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that the NIA has wonderful work over the past seven years in many difficult areas and I would like to make a special mention of Jammu and Kashmir. He said battling terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir is one aspect, but rooting out terrorism is another, and, if we want to uproot terrorism, then we will have to demolish its terror funding systems. With NIA registering terror funding cases, I can confidently say that NIA has greatly helped in rooting out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir through registration of terror funding cases after Shri Modi became Prime Minister.
I can confidently say that NIA has greatly helped in rooting out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. Due to NIA’s alertness, financial routes of terrorists have been shut down, NIA has registered a number of cases against the over ground workers in Jammu and Kashmir and done well in destroying their sleeper cells. The cases registered by the NIA for the first time in 2018 and 2019 have not left easy avenues to provide money to terrorists today. This has dealt a severe blow to both their logistics and supply of arms. The NIA has exposed the identity of those who help terrorism and yet live with dignity in society, and has taken them to court. The NIA has also started investigating cases of Left Wing Extremism have been provided ammunition and logistics and some cases have been given to the NIA to investigate Terror Funding as well as the origin of the funding of Left Wing Extremist Organizations and it is hoped that just as in Jammu-Kashmir, they will achieve major success there also. 105 cases related to terror funding were registered, 94 charge sheets were filed against 876 accused, 796 accused have been arrested, out of which 100 accused have also been convicted, which is a major achievement.
Shri Shah said it has been the government’s efforts to coordinate sharing of all terrorism related information with police and agencies of all States, strengthen anti-terror laws, give power to anti-terrorist institutions and the aim should be for 100 percent conviction in terror cases. Anti-terrorism operations can progress on these four pillars and I am glad that NIA has progressed very well on these pillars. He said that if we analyze the terrorism cases in the country from 2000 to 2022, then many incidents come to mind, but some incidents are such that trigger reforms in the system. The Mumbai terror attack was one such incident after which the National Anti-Terror Agency was formed, a plan was also put into motion for Coastal Security, all agencies became aware of the need to crack down on terror financing, there has also been a qualitative improvement in terror investigation and there are also time bound programs on the right use of intelligence systems and intelligence at the right time,. He said that police and all agencies, learning from this barbaric attack, have today strengthened their anti-terrorist operation.
The Union Home Minister said that NIA has been in existence for 13 years, during this period more than 400 cases have been registered, challans have been filed in more than 349 cases, 2,494 criminals have been apprehended, 391 persons have been successfully sentenced and the conviction ratio is 93.25 percent. He said much work has been done since 2014 on NIA’s empowerment after the formation of the government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi. We want NIA to be strong and it should receive global recognition as an anti-terrorism agency.
He said we have worked to strengthen the NIA Act and the UAPA Act, in any terrorist attack outside India where Indian casualties take place, the authority to investigate such cases has been given to NIA. In the new amendment, we have also given powers to the NIA to stop infiltration, explosive substances and cybercrimes. Earlier NIA had the authority to declare organizations as terrorist organizations, now for the first time we have given authority to NIA to declare organizations as well as individuals as terrorists and so far 36 persons have been declared terrorists.
Shri Amit Shah said there should be major changes in investigation methodology, it should no longer depend on Third Degree methods and instead on technology, data and information. There should be a database to bring about this change, NIA has been given the task of creating a national database in seven areas - narcotics, hawala transactions, arms smuggling, counterfeit currencies, bomb blasts, terror funding and terrorism, and work has begun on a good note. If this national database is created, then it will be of great help not only to national agencies but also police agencies. Shri Shah said the NIA should help BPR&D in studying the Modus Operandi used by terrorists to trap young boys. Shri Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government also wants to make radical changes in the CrPC, IPC and Evidence Act. He said that I used to lay great emphasis on training of NIA and I am happy that in July 2021, an agreement has been signed with the National Police Academy, Hyderabad for training and capacity building of NIA and this work is moving ahead. A cell of two experts has also been set up to develop NIA at par with other powerful global agencies and enhance its professional skills.
Shri Shah said Prime Minister Modi has set a target of a US $ 5 trillion economy and it is very important to ensure internal security to achieve this target. He said the nation is celebrating its 75th year of Independence and during this Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, NIA should also set its goals for the next 25 years and prepare a roadmap to achieve its goals. He said that NIA should consolidate and institutionalize its success. Shri Shah said that NIA is a national agency and unless it is institutionalised, and, the systems, information and methods of use of information are not institutionalised, further progress is not possible.
3-Aug-2022: Electronic Enforcement Devices by State Governments
Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, J&K and Arunachal Pradesh have confirmed that they are following the provision of the Motor Vehicle Act and notification issued thereunder to ensure the appropriate electronic enforcement devices on National Highways at high risk and high density corridors. Remaining states/UTs have not yet confirmed. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has issued GSR notification 575(E) dated 11th August, 2021, for Electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety which mandates that State Government shall ensure that appropriate electronic enforcement devices are placed at high risk and high-density corridors on National Highways. Implementation of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 comes under the purview of the respective State Governments/UTs. The Ministry has also issued an advisory to all State/UTs dated 6th January, 2020 regarding implementation of the provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019.
Provision of Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) is envisaged in high traffic density corridors which may help in speedy identification of incidents on the highway stretches and thereby improving the response time of the on-site assistance.
As per the Section 136 A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, State Government shall ensure electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety on national highways as per the rules made by the Central Government.
27-Jul-2022: Prevention of Cyber Crimes
With the growth of the internet and proliferation of applications, products & services on it, citizens are being empowered and their lives transformed. However, with the growth of the internet, cybercrimes are also on the increase. The Government is aware of cybercrimes incidents including phishing originating in some parts of India including Jharkhand.
‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. States/UTs are primarily responsible for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crimes including cybercrime through their Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). The LEAs take legal action as per provisions of law against the offenders. The Central Government supplements the initiatives of the State Governments through advisories and financial assistance under various schemes for their capacity building.
As per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), to strengthen the mechanism to deal with cyber-crimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner, the Ministry of Home Affairs has provided financial assistance to all the States & UTs under Cyber Crime Prevention against Women & Children (CCPWC) scheme to support their efforts for setting up of cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories, training, and hiring of junior cyber consultants. Cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories have been commissioned in 28 States. The Central Government has taken steps for spreading awareness about cybercrimes, issuance of alerts/ advisories, capacity building/ training of law enforcement personnel/ prosecutors/ judicial officers, improving cyber forensic facilities etc.
The Government has established Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to provide a framework and eco-system for LEAs to deal with the cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. ‘Joint Cyber Coordination Teams’ have been constituted for seven regions at Mewat, Jamtara, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Vishakhapatnam and Guwahati under the I4C to address the issue of jurisdictional complexity, based upon cybercrime hotspots/ areas, by on-boarding all the States/UTs to provide a robust coordination framework to the LEAs.
The Government has launched the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) to enable public to report incidents pertaining to all types of cybercrimes, with a special focus on cybercrimes against women and children. A toll-free number 1930 has been operationalized to get assistance in lodging online cyber complaints. The Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System module has also been launched for immediate reporting of financial frauds and to stop siphoning off fund by the fraudsters.
Government is fully cognizant and aware of various cyber security threats; and has taken following measures to enhance the cyber security posture and prevent cyber-attacks:
- Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issues alerts and advisories regarding latest cyber threats/vulnerabilities and countermeasures to protect computers and networks on regular basis. CERT-In has issued 70 advisories for organisations and users to create awareness on safe usage of digital technologies.
- CERT-In operates an automated cyber threat exchange platform to proactively collect, analyse and share tailored alerts with organisations across sectors for proactive threat mitigation actions by them.
- Security tips have been published for users to secure their Desktops, mobile/smart phones and prevent phishing attacks.
- Government has issued guidelines for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) regarding their key roles and responsibilities to secure applications / infrastructure and compliance.
- All the government websites and applications are audited with respect to cyber security prior to their hosting. The auditing of the websites and applications is conducted on a regular basis after hosting also.
- CERT-In has empanelled 97 security auditing organisations to support and audit implementation of Information Security Best Practices.
- CERT-In has formulated a Cyber Crisis Management Plan for countering cyber-attacks and cyber terrorism for implementation by all Ministries/ Departments of Central Government, State Governments and their organizations and critical sectors.
- Cyber security mock drills are conducted regularly to enable assessment of cyber security posture and preparedness of organisations in Government and critical sectors. 67 such drills have so far been conducted by CERT-In where 886 organizations from different States and sectors participated.
- CERT-In conducts regular training programmes for network / system administrators and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) of Government and critical sector organisations regarding securing the IT infrastructure and mitigating cyber-attacks. 19 and 5 training programs were conducted covering 5169 and 449 participants during the year 2021 and 2022 (upto June) respectively.
- CERT-In operates the Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre). The centre provides detection of malicious programs and free tools to remove the same along with cyber security tips and best practices for citizens and organisations.
- CERT-In has set up the National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) to generate necessary situational awareness of existing and potential cyber security threats. Phase-I of NCCC is operational.
- CERT-In also co-operates, works and coordinates incident response measures with international CERTs, overseas organisations and service providers as well as Law Enforcement Agencies.
- CERT-In provides the requisite leadership for the Computer Security Incident Response Team-Finance Sector (CSIRT-Fin) operations under its umbrella to respond to, contain and mitigate cyber security incidents reported from the financial sector.
- Computer Security incident Response Team-Finance (CSIRT-Fin), CERT-In, National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) are conducting a self-paced 60 hour certification program on “Cyber Security Foundation Course” for professionals in financial sector.
- CERT-In regularly disseminates information and share security tips on cyber safety and security through its official social media handles and websites. CERT-In organised various events and activities for citizens during Cyber Security Awareness Month in October 2021 and Safe Internet day on 8 February 2022 by posting security tips using posters and videos on social media platforms and websites. CERT-In in association with CDAC conducted online awareness campaign for citizens covering topics such as general online safety, social media risks and safety, mobile related frauds and safety, secure digital payment practices etc. through videos and quizzes on MyGov platform.
- CERT-In, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Digital India jointly carry out a cyber security awareness campaign on ‘beware and be aware of financial frauds’ through Digital India Platform.
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) conducts programs to generate information security awareness. Specific books, videos and online materials are developed for children, parents and general users about information security which are disseminated through portals like “www.infosecawareness.in”, and “www.csk.gov.in”.
9-Feb-2022: Strategy to Prevent Cyber Crimes
'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. States/UTs are primarily responsible to maintain law and order, inter-alia including strategy to prevent cybercrimes, planning and setting up of task force, and capacity building/training of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes. The Central Government supplements the initiatives of the State Governments through various advisories and schemes for the capacity building of their LEAs.
To strengthen the mechanism to deal with cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner, the Central Government has taken steps for spreading awareness about cybercrimes; issuance of alerts/ advisories; capacity building/training of law enforcement personnel/ prosecutors/judicial officers; improving cyber forensic facilities; etc. MHA has established Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to provide a framework and eco-system for LEAs to deal with the cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. The Government has launched the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in), to enable public to report incidents pertaining to all types of cybercrimes, with a special focus on cybercrimes against women and children. Cybercrime incidents reported on this portal are routed automatically to the respective State/UT law enforcement agency for further handling as per the provisions of the law. A toll-free helpline number has been operationalized to get assistance in lodging online cyber complaints.