Shah lauds IB as brain of India’s security apparatus

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 23

Calling Intelligence Bureau (IB) as the “brain of India’s security apparatus”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said the agencies should accord special focus on the country’s land and maritime boundaries, which essentially would turn up a real challenge in making India a $5 trillion economy.

According to an official release, the minister, who today delivered the 32nd Endowment Lecture of the IB, said the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to completely wipe out terrorism, left-wing extremism and insurgency in the Northeast in the next five years.

Terming IB as “the brain of the security apparatus” of India, Shah lauded the agency’s role for ably tackling the challenges the country faces today, which included busting of terror modules, in the past five years and tackling north east insurgency “very effectively” over the years.

Listing out national security challenges in coming years, especially against the backdrop of the nation’s aim of becoming a $5 trillion economy, the Home Minister asked the security agencies to accord special focus “on securing our land and maritime borders”.

He said encouragement was needed for personnel to identify solutions to these challenges and look for new ways to counter them, and also asked them to change their approach to be more effective.

Appreciating the efforts made by the IB personnel, who work “tirelessly and anonymously for national security”, Shah underscored their contribution in helping the country emerge stronger. He also said the IB had always helped ensure zero tolerance to terrorism and Naxalism.

The minister pointed to the interlinked challenges of human and weapons trafficking, cross-border infiltration, fake Indian currency notes, hawala transactions, drug trafficking as well as cyber threats. He emphasised the need for a special initiative to tackle these challenges.

Shah also stressed on the importance of coordination between different security and intelligence agencies and asked the personnel for sharper intelligence analysis, along with a prompt phase-wise and time-bound strategy to address national security challenges.

The Home Minister appreciated and acknowledged the hard work and expertise of IB personnel and emphasised that their work would be “etched in golden letters in the annals of history”.