Amit Shah: Union Home Minister said- IB should strengthen the security structure, be prepared for future challenges

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) of India has to broaden its definition of security and be prepared for future challenges. Shah was addressing the 37th 'Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture' in Delhi.

On this occasion, Shah said that the IB has to prepare itself to become a state-of-the-art intelligence agency and for this young officers will have to come forward and take responsibility. The Home Minister said that in today's visit, the definition of security cannot be limited only to the protection of borders and citizens.

He said, today the definition of sovereignty is not limited to geographical boundaries only. If we do not include innovation, technology, economy, resources, and research and development processes in the definition of sovereignty, then we cannot ensure the security of our country.

The Home Minister also said that the important digital infrastructure of any country can be damaged with the click of a computer. Therefore, the Intelligence Bureau has to expand the definition of security.

Shah stressed the need to increase vigilance on the rapid changes taking place in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Cyberspace. He said that now it is not enough to be alert only about anti-national forces that cause physical harm. Now security monitoring will have to be given a new form, which can deal with these new technologies and threats.

'Strong strategy, technical resources, and readiness needed'

Amit Shah also said that we need a strong strategy, technical resources, and readiness to completely stop the spread of misinformation, rumors, and fake news. He said it is necessary to create a strong ecosystem to deal with these problems. For this, we have to be fully prepared.

'India will become the third largest economy in the world'

The Home Minister clarified that in the coming times, the responsibility for the technical resources and preparation required for the IB will be on the young officers. He said that by 2027, India will become the third-largest economy in the world and in such a situation the threats will increase, which will require a strong framework to deal with.

'A roadmap will have to be made to face the threats'

He also said that as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to make India a fully developed country by 2047, we will have to identify all the possible threats and prepare a comprehensive roadmap to face them. He mentioned the successes achieved by the Modi government in the last ten years in action against terrorism, Naxalism, extremism, drug trafficking, and anarchic elements in India.

'Information warriors are responsible for dealing with the challenges'

Shah said, that today divisive forces are active in the country, which try to break the social fabric of the society using new technologies. The responsibility of dealing with these challenges is now on the information warriors of the country. The Home Minister expressed confidence that just as the security agencies of the country have faced all the challenges so far, they will work with full readiness and vigilance to deal with the threats in the future.