Modi government committed to wipe out terrorism, left-wing extremism in five years: Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that Modi government was committed that terrorism, left-wing extremism and insurgency in the northeast is completely wiped out in the next five years.

Delivering the 32nd Intelligence Bureau (IB) Centenary Endowment Lecture here, he said IB was 'brain' of the national security apparatus and has helped in ensuring zero tolerance to terrorism and Naxalism.

According to an official press release, the Home Minister pointed to interlinked challenges of human and weapons trafficking, cross-border infiltration, fake Indian currency notes (FICN), hawala transactions, drug trafficking as well as cyber threats.

Emphasising the need for a special initiative to tackle these challenges, he stressed the need to co-opt professional experts in specific fields like cybersecurity.

"Modi Government is committed that terrorism, Left-wing extremism and insurgency in the northeast is completely wiped out in the next five years," Shah said, according to the release.

The minister emphasised on the need for coordination between different security and intelligence agencies.

He lauded IB for "ably-tackling" challenges to national security and made special note of the work done by IB in busting terror modules in the last five years.

"Listing out national security challenges in the coming years, especially against the backdrop of the country's aim to become a USD $5 trillion economy, he accorded special focus on securing "land and maritime borders," the release said.

He underscored the importance of coordination between different security and intelligence agencies and exhorted them to move towards sharper intelligence analysis along with a prompt phase-wise and time-bound strategy to address national security challenges.

Encouraging IB personnel to identify solutions to these challenges and look for new ways to counter them, he asked them to change their approach to be more effective.

Noting that IB personnel work tirelessly and anonymously for national security, he underscored their contribution in helping the country emerge stronger. He also appreciated the organisation for having tackled insurgency in the northeast "very effectively" over the years.

"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", the release said.