Amit Shah hints intel shift to ‘duty to share’ mode 

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday sought to give the first broad hint that Indian intelligence agencies must shift from a long-held culture and practice of “need to know” to “need to and duty to share” critical information related to national security among all intelligence organisations.

Speaking at the concluding day of the two-day conference of all directors-general of police and their respective state intelligence chiefs here, Union Home Minister Amit Shah indicated that while TECHINT (technical intelligence) had improved considerably, there was an urgent need to “give equal thrust to the use of HUMINT (human intelligence). The conference was held under the aegis of the Intelligence Bureau.

Claiming that the government has “achieved great success in eliminating” terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the “various extremist groups in the Northeast” as well as Leftwing extremism, Shah said that enacting of new laws, increased coordination with states and rise in budgetary allocation, besides the optimum use of technology had made it possible to strengthen and tighten internal security.

Pointing out that the government intends to “make good use of 5G technology to strengthen the security system”, Shah said that the DGPs conference focused on counter-terror and counter-radicalisation, the challenges faced by security agencies in dealing with Maoist overground and front organisations and the rising threat of crypto currency.

The DGPs shared information on counter-drone technology and the need to use such means to neutralise hostile unmanned aerial vehicles from Pakistan, to maintain heightened cyber and social media surveillance and to ensure protection of islands and ports.

These apart, it was felt that state police forces must prioritise their focus on the demographic changes and growing radicalisation in India’s border areas and drug trafficking.