The MHA informed Parliament about the phased implementation of 'PRAHAAR', India's first comprehensive national counter-terrorism policy. The strategy shifts India to a proactive, intelligence-led stance based on seven key pillars.
The government of India is committed to the progressive and phased implementation of the 'PRAHAAR' strategy, India's first comprehensive National Counter Terrorist Policy and Strategy, which provides a national counter-terrorism framework for prevention of, and responding to terrorist activities and radicalization through coordinated "whole of government" and "whole of society" approaches, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Parliament on Wednesday.
The Seven Pillars of PRAHAAR
Unveiled on February 23 this year, PRAHAAR, the MHA said, is predicated on pillars such as prevention of terror attacks to protect Indian citizens and interests; responses, which are swift and proportionate to the threat posed; aggregating internal capacities for achieving synergy in a whole-of-government approach; human rights and 'Rule of Law' based processes for mitigation of threats; attenuating the conditions conducive to terrorism, including radicalization; aligning and shaping the international efforts to counter terrorism; and recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach.
From Reactive to Proactive: Key Objectives
Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nityanand Rai shared the information in a written reply to a query of some MPs in the Rajya Sabha. Asked about the specific objectives of 'PRAHAAR' and the timeline for the operationalisation of this strategy, Rai said: "PRAHAAR addresses all counter-terrorism objectives through a comprehensive, intelligence-led proactive framework built upon a seven- pillar strategy. It shifts India from a reactive security stance to a proactive doctrine by formalising real-time intelligence sharing through the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), securing critical infrastructure, and deploying a swift, coordinated chain of command between State agencies/Police and Specialised Central Forces like the National Security Guard (NSG)."
Integrating Technology and Counter-Financing
Simultaneously, the MoS said, 'PRAHAAR integrates cutting-edge technology, strictly upholds the Rule of Law and human rights, and implements community-collaborative counter-radicalisation modules to dismantle the terror ecosystem. It also counters terror financing by tracing crypto wallets, choking dark web crowdsourcing, and seizing assets through Central Agencies. He said the strategy "aligns with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards and uses international treaties to block cross-border state-sponsored terror funding networks."
Phased Implementation and Review
"The Government of India is committed to the progressive and phased implementation of the 'PRAHAAR' strategy. This approach prioritises immediate institutional and systems integration while thoroughly assessing performance outcomes through a framework of layered oversight mechanisms," stated Rai while responding to the query.
In addition to the regular monitoring and assessments, the MoS further said, one such mechanism is organizing Annual 'Anti-Terror Conference (ATC)' by the NIA under the aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which serves as an important platform to review and strengthen its counter-terrorism strategy by bringing together senior officials from law enforcement agencies, intelligence organizations, security forces, policymakers, and legal experts. The Anti-Terror Conference enables stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of existing counterterrorism measures, identify operational/ administrative gaps and preparedness, recommend policy, legal and institutional reforms, and promote collaboration, capacity building, and a coordinated national response to strengthen and continuously evolve India's counterterrorism framework in response to an increasingly dynamic security environment. (ANI)
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