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Challenges To Internal Security Through Communication
Challenges To Internal Security Through Communication
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SECURITY - 1
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CHALLENGES TO INTERNAL SECURITY THROUGH uk
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COMMUNICATION NETWORK
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4.2. Human induced threats ...................................................................................................3
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5. Importance of Securing Communication Networks .................................................................5
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6. Challenges in Securing Communication Network ....................................................................6
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7. Recent Developments ............................................................................................................7
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8. Way Forward..........................................................................................................................8
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1. Introduction
Communication networks are a part of Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) and are crucial
for the connectivity of other critical infrastructure, viz. Energy; Transportation (air, surface, rail
& water); Banking & Finance; Telecommunication; Defence; Space; Law enforcement, security &
intelligence; Sensitive Government organisations; Public Health; Water supply; Critical
manufacturing; E-Governance etc. Threats to communication networks can be both through the
network as well as to the network.
The cyber-attacks coordinated from remote locations have potential to compromise these
communication networks and disrupt critical infrastructure which depends on them. In India,
where various threats are already present in the form of terrorism, insurgency, naxalism, hostile
nations etc., the protection of communication network pose significant challenges to internal
security.
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includes hardware and software resources such as mobile, laptops, sensors, servers, web
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applications, satellites, SCADA, LAN, WAN, Optic fiber network etc. It provides the
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communication path and services between users, processes, applications, services and external
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networks/the internet.
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Critical Infrastructure (CI) - “Those facilities, systems, or functions, whose incapacity or
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destruction would cause a debilitating impact on national security, governance, economy and
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social well-being of a nation”.
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In section 70 of IT Act 2000, Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) is defined as: “The
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computer resource, the incapacitation or destruction of which, shall have debilitating impact on
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systems in India, critical Sectors are becoming increasingly dependent on their CII. These
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CIIs are interconnected, interdependent, complex and distributed across various geographical
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locations. Threats to CII, ranging from terrorist attacks, through organized crimes, to espionage,
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malicious cyber activities etc., are following a far more aggressive growth trajectory. Any delay,
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distortion or disruption in the functioning of these CIIs has the potential to quickly cascade
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across other CII with the potential to cause political, economic, social or national instability.
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Protection of CII and, hence, Critical infrastructure of the Nation is the one of the paramount
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• Critical Infrastructure sectors use communication network to perform not just auxiliary
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functions but also every vital function, be it human resource management, production,
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• Similarly, smart cities, smart agriculture etc. are heavily dependent on interconnected
systems.
• Large industrial and manufacturing facilities also use automation and thus depend on
information infrastructure
• Also, the government is investing huge resources in creation of e-government though
various programs such as National e-Governance Plan, Digital India, e-Kranti etc.
• Thus, the network infrastructure has become the backbone of the entire critical
infrastructure and is ubiquitous in our lives.
3.1. Special Case – Communication Network in the Smart city
Communications play a very important role in smart city. Communications drives every aspect
of a smart city, from relaying the position of traffic, to transferring data on air quality,
to providing citizens with remote services through apps or their computers.
Communications infrastructure networks allow the city to create the city of the future.
The Communication Network for Indian smart cities include-
• Wired network – optical fiber networks
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• Wireless networks – 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi
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• Satellite network
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Machine-to-Machine connectivity
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• Networks including MAN, WAN, PAN, HAN
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• Dedicated resources that could be allocated for critical communication or communication
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during emergencies or disasters.
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4. Threats to Communication Networks
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As the price of failure of communication network is too high, they are the potential soft targets
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for disruption. Threats to network infrastructure can be broadly classified into two categories:
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Natural threats encompass floods, earthquake, tsunami, volcanic activities, etc. These natural
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disasters could physically damage communication network. For instance, in an ICT driven smart
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city, if a minor earthquake snaps local telecommunication towers, it will disrupt all the ICT
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dependent utility services such as power, water supply etc. The local ATMs and banking services
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might stop functioning. Similarly, solar storms might damage communication satellites orbiting
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earth which will affect all the sectors dependent on satellite communications such as weather
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• Once the network is breached, they can execute commands, steal sensitive information
such as design or configuration or corrupt the information flowing to the interfaces.
• All of actors have different capacities and capabilities. A nation state has the technological
means and the requisite wherewithal to conduct and sustain long-term operations, which
include espionage, data or credentials theft and execution and monitoring of attacks.
• The terrorist organizations are also alleged to be capable of perpetrating attacks on CII, with
the ease of access to the professional skills available in the market.
• Following are the possible targets in network operation infrastructure-
• the devices in form of routers, switches, firewalls, mobile phones, database and domain
name system (DNS) servers;
• Web portals, protocols, the ports and communication channels;
• Satellite network communication systems;
• Network applications such as cloud-based services;
• SCADA
Classification of Human Threat Actors
Though, there is no clear distinction between the human threat actors, but they can be broadly
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classified as follows-
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• Terrorists and Non-state Actors
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The primary objective of a terror outfit generally is to instigate terror in the minds of the
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victims as well as the onlookers. An attack
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on communication network – physical or Examples of Terrorist Attacks and Crippling
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Effects
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cyber- would have crippling effects and
• 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center
far-reaching impact on the victims and
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directly affected banking and finance,
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the psychology of the witnesses, thus telecommunications, emergency services,
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fulfilling the objective of terrorists. air and rail transportation and energy and
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of fact, some of the groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Lashkar-e-
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Taiba are known to have developed their own secure communication applications for
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smartphones.
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Even more, with the support of the adversarial states, terror groups have become a more
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credible threat as they are equipped with enough financial resources and access to
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In addition to terror outfits, cyber criminals are also direct threat to critical information
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infrastructure. Their prime driver is monetary gains that can be easily leveraged by any
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• Nation States
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Nation states are the most potent threat to information infrastructure in terms of resources
at their disposal. In the absence of globally agreed upon norms or legal measures to
dissuade nation states from targeting each other’s CII in the face of any eventuality, the CII
remains a lucrative target. Under such circumstances, cyber-based attacks have the
potential to amount to an act of warfare as they might be utilized to destabilize a nation
state.
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planned and executed meticulously, they hardly leave any trace, and therefore render
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traditional means of security and forensics incapacitated. The APTs can be used to
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disruption of industrial operations or even destruction of industrial equipment.
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5. Importance of Securing Communication Networks
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• The communication networks form the basis of digital ecosystem. For ensuring overall
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cyber security, it is imperative to secure communication networks from all types of possible
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threats – human as well as natural.
• Case of Estonia uk
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National Security: Disruption of
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stability of country especially if network failure in Estonia which is one of the most
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critical sector are targeted. The failure facilities such as e-government, Internet voting and
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rendering them ineffective. This can be In 2007, Estonia witnessed massive Internet traffic,
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and have certain chain of The scale and timing of this attack targeted at the
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both horizontally and vertically, the security forces and agencies use communication
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technologies such as wireless handsets. The working of these devices requires robust
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fuel supplies and communications for its data transmission or to maintain health of the
transmission/distribution networks. Similarly, governments depend on the banking and
financial services for all monetary needs. The banking sector is technology driven, and
communications sector plays a pivotal role in seamless banking operations.
• Protecting Digital Sovereignty: From individual’s perspective, digital sovereignty is all about
exercising control and authority by internet users to decide freely and independently which
data can be gathered, distributed, used and saved about them. Since all these data flow
over the communication networks, digital sovereignty of people would get compromised if
communication networks are not secured properly.
• Building Confidence on Digital Technology: Internet is penetrating all aspects of our lives
and the government also is encouraging its people to use digital services such Digi-Locker
for storing important documents. For people to use these services and participate in such
initiative, it is imperative to secure such communication networks so as to build confidence
and trust of people on digital technology.
6. Challenges in Securing Communication Network
The process of protecting communication networks has many challenges; some of them are
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discussed below:
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• External sourcing of equipment and technology: Much of the software and hardware that
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makes up communication system are imported from other countries (Chinese devices
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account for more than 60% of total telecom equipment imports). These devices may
contain back-window for transmitting information. Recently, Indian Electrical and
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Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA) highlighted the concern of “security threat”
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in critical power infrastructure with increased use of foreign automation and
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communication systems in operation and management of the electricity grid. The malware sh
and spyware in these communicable devices can be activated any time even by remote.
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threats to security systems. This leads to constantly evolving security systems to thwarts
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such attacks which becomes a tedious work as attackers can have the privilege of
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• Involvement of state and non-state actors: The present-day threats are ambiguous,
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uncertain and indistinct in terms of their identity and goals. While nation states have
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broader political or security motivations, motivations of malicious non-state actors are hard
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to comprehend, and could be anything from monetary gain to terrorism or even a narrow
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political agenda.
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infrastructure being so complex. The lack of scientific analysis and tools for comprehending
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• Structural Challenges: India faces structural challenges also where there is demarcation of
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powers between Union and states and there is multiplicity of security agencies.
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o Federalism- Cyber space transcends geographical boundaries and spread across the
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country. Cyber security as a subject is not specifically listed in any of the three lists in 7 th
Schedule. Due to this, sometimes Central Government faces challenges from state
governments in the form of their opposition to its several initiatives. The state
governments’ major concern relate to the preserving federal polity of India For
instance, when NATGRID was setup for coordination of intelligence between security
agencies, it was opposed by state governments.
o Coordination among security agencies: Various departments and ministries of the
government and private sector associations have set up cyber security agencies, which
are more aligned to serve their own mandates and interests. This fragmented approach
poses a substantial challenge, as most of these agencies work in silos and devise
policies according to the small set of stakeholders.
o Lack of a national security architecture that can assess the nature of cyber threats and
respond to them effectively.
• Private sector owning and operating a significant part of the information infrastructure
such as telecom sector (mostly by private sector), banking sector (large number of private
banks), stock exchanges, energy utilities etc. They see measures such as security auditing
and other regulations and frameworks as adding to their costs.
o The government cannot leave it to the private sector alone for securing its own CII.
For example if any cyber-attack takes place on CII owned by a private company, the
consequences of such an attack may have an adverse impact on the entire nation and
not restricted to the company owning the CII. For example, if there is a cyber-attack on
one of our national stock exchanges, it could possibly bring down the entire trade
operations, impacting the economy and creating panic among investors.
o Lack of incentives to improve Cybersecurity: In uncompetitive markets, private firms
are less likely to adequately invest in cyber-security than ordinary firms in competitive
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markets. For instance, power companies and other utilities face little competition; a
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given customer typically will be served by only one Power Company. This absence of
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beneficial market forces may help explain why public utilities often fail to
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implement even relatively costless security measures.
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o Poor enforcement of regulations- Private sector views regulatory control of
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government as an impediment in their organizational objectives, which primarily
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revolve around creation of wealth for the shareholders. Therefore, many firms that
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operate critical infrastructure tend to underinvest in cyber-defence. They deliberately
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search for loopholes in regulations and bypass them for cutting their cost of operation.
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Also, lack of testing capacity with government agencies help network operators procure
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7. Recent Developments
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India has elevated its response to protect communication infrastructure in the recent years.
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• The legal framework to address the threats emanating from cyberspace to it, especially
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from cyber terrorism, was developed in the amendment made in 2008 to the IT Act, 2000.
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• The government launched National Telecom Policy of 2012 where it has set a target for
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domestic production of telecom equipment to meet the Indian telecom sector’s demand to
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• To ensure that imported communication equipment are free from vulnerabilities, number
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of measures, such as making local certification mandatory, have been announced. They
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• The government has notified National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre
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(NCIIPC), under the auspices of National Technical Research Organisation, as the nodal
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agency with respect to Critical Information Infrastructure Protection. The NCIIPC aims to
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reduce the vulnerabilities of CII against cyber terrorism, cyber warfare and other threats. It
is tasked with:
o Identification of all CII elements;
o Providing strategic leadership and coherence across government; and
o Coordinating, sharing, monitoring, collecting, analysing and forecasting national level
threat to CII for policy guidance, expertise sharing and situational awareness.
8. Way Forward
Communication networks form the core of critical infrastructure of our country. Any disruption
to communication networks would have huge implication on stability of India and so their
protection is essential to maintenance of internal security of India. Due to its importance, now
communication network itself is considered as critical infrastructure. Few points to keep in
mind while forging a strategy to secure communication network-
• Today, significant part of critical infrastructure and CII is developed, operated and
maintained by the private sector. The private firms typically know more about their system
architecture and are in a better position to know about weaknesses that intruders might
exploit. On the other hand, the government’s highly skilled intelligence agencies typically
know more than the private sector about malware used by foreign governments and how
to defeat it. This suggests that responsibility for defending the most sensitive systems
against the most sophisticated adversaries should be shared.
• Therefore, government have to move beyond their traditional roles as regulators, and
rather forge partnerships with private sector.
• It is essential for both the private and public sectors to foster the trust and confidence
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which is vital to information sharing and success of any policy measure adopted to protect
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the critical infrastructure.
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Going forward, the protection strategy for critical infrastructure and CII has to address
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technological, policy and legal dimensions.
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• From global perspective, India is a key stakeholder in the future of cyberspace governance.
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As a progressive economy relying upon its CII, It has to pitch its voice to preserve its
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national interests at various multilateral forums.
1. What are the threats posed by communication networks to internal security of India?
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Answer:
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infrastructure, viz. civil aviation, shipping, railways, power, nuclear, oil and gas,
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the hardware and software that make up the communications ecosystem is sourced
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externally; as a case in point, Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei and ZTE have
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• As recent incidents have shown, foreign governments are not behind in taking
advantage of the market penetration and dominance of their companies to
infiltrate and compromise telecommunications networks.
• Expanding wireless connectivity to individual computers and networks has
increased their exposure and vulnerability to attacks. The traditional approach of
securing the boundaries are not effective in this space.
2. ICT revolution is not only a great equalizer for smaller states, but has also brought
power to non-state actors, individuals and terrorist organizations. Examine the
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statement in the context of challenges to India’s national security.
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Approach:
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Firstly, elaborate on the first statement, quoting various examples. Then bring out the
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challenges associated in the realm of cyberspace which could be a threat to India’s
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National security and suggest measures for tackling the same.
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Answer:
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The ICT revolution has brought new challenges to state’s internal security apparatus.
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The dependence of not only state’s critical infrastructure on ICT but of the whole
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vulnerability of the system not only among states but also to non-state actors which
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The effect of ICT on warfare is evident in command and control, in the new surveillance
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Between states, information technologies and their effects have made asymmetric
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between states we see that asymmetric strategies are increasingly common. Cyber war
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raise the cost and deter the use of its military strength by a stronger country.
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Currently, In the name of defence all the major powers are developing offensive cyber
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capabilities as well as using cyber espionage and so are smaller powers that see ICT as
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an equaliser.
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These technologies have also enabled individuals and small groups to use cyberspace
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for their own ends The ICT revolution has also brought power to non-state actors and
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The technology has placed an increasingly lethal power in the hands of non-state
actors. These are not just law and order problems, and they are not amenable to the
traditional responses that states are accustomed to.
What makes this more complicated is the fact that these technologies are not just
available to the state, where laws and policies can control and limit their use. They are
widely available in the public domain, where commercial and individual motives can
easily lead to misuse that is not so easily regulated unless we rethink and update our
legal and other approaches.
Expanding wireless connectivity to individual computers and networks has increased
their exposure and vulnerability to attacks. The traditional approach of securing the
boundaries are not effective in this space.
Evolution of communication networks has made communication system more user-
friendly and accessible. This had made it possible for miscreants in the society to use
these tools for their benefits.
It has become really difficult to track a message through VOIP services & various other
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services. This has served to spread terrorism ideology even across liberal population
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sphere.
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Thus need is to create a climate and environment within which security is built into the
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cyber and communications working methods. And, most important, the government
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must find ways to indigenously generate the manpower, technologies and equipment
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that it requires for maintaining cyber security.
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3. Monitoring social networking sites, phone tapping etc. are an infringement on the
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privacy, but need of the hour in wake of the recent domestic scenario. Examine.
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Approach:
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Examine both the pros and cons of such surveillance programs and offer some practical
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suggestions on how the concerns of groups on both sides of the divide could be
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addressed.
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Answer:
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• Given the rising incidences of terrorism and security threats, nations across the
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This has come to be seen as inevitable given the use of technology by criminals,
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• India’s Central Monitoring System (CMS) and the Prism Program of USA are
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• It has been argued that in the event of a conflict between national interest and
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individual liberties, it is the former that shall prevail. Also, the Right to Privacy is
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• However, the critics express concern over the sheer lack of public information on
such projects. There is hardly any official word from the government about which
government bodies or agencies will be able to access the data, how they will use
this information, what percentage of population will be under surveillance, or how
long the data of a citizen will be kept in the record.
• This makes it impossible for citizens to assess whether surveillance is the only, or
the best, way in which the stated goal can be achieved. Also, citizens cannot gauge
whether these measures are proportionate i.e. they are the most effective means
to achieve this aim.
• In such projects, often there is also no legal recourse for a citizen whose personal
details are being misused or leaked from the central or regional database.
• Blanket surveillance techniques, like the CMS, also pose a threat to online business.
With all the data going in one central pool, a competitor or a cyber criminal rival
can easily tap into private and sensitive information by hacking into the server.
• There is also the possibility that as vulnerabilities will be introduced into Internet
infrastructure in order to enable surveillance, it will undermine the security of
online transactions.
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• These projects can also undermine the confidentiality of intellectual property
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especially pre-grant patents and trade secrets. Rights-holders can never be sure if
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their IPR is being stolen by some government in order to prop up national players.
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• Civil rights groups also argue that security cannot be prioritized by large-scale
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invasions of privacy, especially in a country like India where there is little
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accountability or transparency.
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• In light of these arguments there is an urgent requirement for a strong legal
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protection of the right to privacy; for judicial oversight of any surveillance; and for
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parliamentary or judicial oversight of the agencies, which will do surveillance.
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and security - a system, which takes care of national security aspect and yet gains
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the confidence of the citizens. The secrecy period can be kept restricted to three to
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four years in such projects. Thereafter who all were snooped and when and why
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1. Discuss the advantage and security implications of cloud hosting of server vis-a-vis in-house
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11. References
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• https://www.polyas.de/blog/en/digital-democracy/digital-sovereignty
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• http://www.in4com.de/8-digital-rights/28-digital-sovereignty-what-is-it
• http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/testing-of-telecom-equipment-in-india-mandatory-from-next-
year/article6304138.ece
• http://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/power/foreign-power-equipment-should-the-domestic-
industry-lobby-be-worried-on-grid-security/57548903
• http://csrc.nist.gov/scrm/documents/briefings/Workshop-Brief-on-Cyber-Supply-Chain-Best-Practices.pdf
SECURITY - 2
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CYBER SECURITY uk
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CYBER SECURITY
Contents
1. Introduction to Cyber Security................................................................................................3
1.1. Cyberspace......................................................................................................................3
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1.3. Importance of Cyberspace ...............................................................................................4
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1.4. Challenges in defending cyberspace ................................................................................4
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2. Cybersecurity in India .............................................................................................................5
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2.1. Current situation .............................................................................................................5
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2.2. Steps taken by Government in Cybersecurity ...................................................................5
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2.4.4. Indian cyber-crime coordination centre (I4C) and Cyber Warrior Police force ............8
2.6.1. Structural..................................................................................................................9
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3.1. Malwares ......................................................................................................................10
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3.2. Global Cyber Strategy ....................................................................................................11
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3.3. Need of a global strategy ...............................................................................................11
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3.4. Key Components of such Global Cyber Strategy would include: .....................................11
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3.5. Why Should India not join these Global Efforts?.............................................................12 sh
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3.7.3. ICANN.....................................................................................................................12
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4. Miscellaneous ......................................................................................................................13
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7. References ...........................................................................................................................22
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Cyber-attack is “any type of offensive maneuver employed by individuals or whole organizations
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that targets computer information systems, infrastructures, computer networks with an
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intention to damage or destroy targeted computer network or system.”
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These attacks can be labeled either as Cyber-campaign, Cyber-warfare or Cyber-terrorism
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depending upon the context, scale and severity of attacks. Cyber-attacks can range from
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installing spyware on a PC to attempts to destroy the critical infrastructure of entire nations.
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1.2.2. Cyber terrorism
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Acts of Terrorism related to cyber space or act of terrorism executed using Cyber technologies is
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property or at least cause enough harm to generate fear, Serious attacks against critical
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It should be noted here that if they create panic by attacking critical systems/infrastructure,
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there is no need for it to lead to violence. In fact such attacks can be more dangerous.
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Besides, terrorists also use cyberspace for purposes like planning terrorist attacks, recruiting
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of malicious content online to brain wash, funding purposes etc. It is also used as a new arena
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1.2.3. Cyberwarfare
Oxford Dictionary defines Cyberwarfare as “The use of computer technology to disrupt the
activities of a state or organization, especially the deliberate attacking of information systems
for strategic or military purposes.” These hostile actions against a computer system or network
can take any form. On one hand, it may be conducted with the smallest possible intervention
that allows extraction of the information sought without disturbing the normal functioning of a
computer system or network. This type of intervention is never notice by user and is continuing.
Other type may be destructive in nature which alters, disrupts, degrades, or destroy an
adversary’s computer systems.
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It is used by government to process and store sensitive and critical data which if
compromised can have devastating impact.
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• Taking down cyberspace will result into disruption of many critical public services like-
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railways, defense systems, communication system, banking and other financial system etc.
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• Several states are developing the capabilities in the area of cyberattacks which can alter
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outcomes in the battlefield.
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Individuals are using internet based services at a growing pace making them vulnerable to
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cybercrimes, such as- online bank frauds, surveillance, profiling, violation of privacy etc.
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The task of tackling cyber-attacks is more difficult than conventional threats due to following
reasons
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• Diffused and intangible threat in the absence of tangible perpetrators coupled with low
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• Difficult to locate the attacker who can even mislead the target into believing that the
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the globe
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• Need of international cooperation - Cyberspace are inherently international even from the
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perspective of national interest. It is not possible for a country to ignore what is happening
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in any part of this space if it is to protect the functionality of the cyberspace relevant for its
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own nationals.
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• Rapidly evolving technology needs investment, manpower and an ecosystem to keep track
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competition.
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2. Cybersecurity in India
At the end of December 2017, India had 481 million users, growing 11.34% from 2016. The
pace of growth of internet usage is pushing us towards a digital society and government itself
has rolled out various programs for digitization of India, e.g.- Digital India Programme.
2.1. Current situation
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2016 reported 12,317 cybercrime cases, an
increase of 6% as compared to 2015. Some of the statistics related to cybersecurity are as
follows:
• The number of cybercrime cases registered in India has risen by 350 per cent in the three-
year period from 2011 to 2014, according to a joint study by PwC and Assocham
• Attacks have been mostly initiated from countries such as the U.S., Turkey, China, Brazil,
Pakistan, Algeria, Turkey, Europe, and the UAE.
The implications on security of India due to cyber-attacks can be seen from the following
examples:
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• In 2012, a high profile cyber-attack breached the email accounts of about 12,000 people,
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including those of officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs,
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Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the Indo-Tibetan Border
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Police (ITBP).
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• In 2013, The Executive Director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) stated
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that his company alone was forced to block up to ten targeted attacks a day.
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• 32 lakh debit cards were compromised in 2016.
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• Hacking of emails and twitter accounts by a group of hackers who call themselves ‘Legion’.
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This group also claimed access to “over 40,000 servers” in India, “encryption keys and
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certificates” used by some Indian banks, and confidential medical data housed in “servers
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Government has taken a number of steps to acquire and increase capacity in the field of
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It was brought in the backdrop of revelations by Edward Snowden of the massive NSA
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• Provide fiscal schemes and benefits to businesses for adoption of standard security
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practices.
• Designate CERT-In as the national nodal agency to co-ordinate cyber security related
matters and have the local (state) CERT bodies to co-ordinate at the respective levels.
• Use of Open Standards for Cyber Security.
• Develop a dynamic legal framework to address cyber security challenges
• Encourage wider use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for government services.
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A Digital Signature is an electronic form of a signature. Just as one authenticates a document with
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handwritten signature, a digital signature authenticates electronic documents.
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A Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) can be presented electronically to prove identity, to access
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services on the internet or to sign certain documents digitally. A DSC provides with a high level of
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security for online transactions by ensuring absolute privacy of information exchanged using a DSC.
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The certificate contains information about the user’s identity (name, pin code, country, email address,
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the date the certificate was issued and the name of the certifying authority). A licensed certifying
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authority (CA) issues the digital signature. CA means a person who has been granted a license to issue
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a digital signature certificate under Section 24 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The time
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• The maximum damage, by way of compensation, stipulated by the cyber law amendments
is Rs.5 crore. This is a small figure and hardly provides any effective relief to corporates.
• The issue pertaining to spam has not been dealt with in a comprehensive manner. In fact,
the word ‘spam’ is not even mentioned anywhere in the IT Amendment Act. It is pertinent
to note that the countries like U.S.A., Australia and New Zealand have demonstrated their
intentions to fight against spam by coming across with dedicated anti-spam legislations.
This make India a heaven as far as, spam is concerned.
• It does not address jurisdictional issues. Numerous activities on the internet take place in
different jurisdictions and that there is a need for enabling the Indian authorities to assume
enabling jurisdiction over data and information impacting India, in a more comprehensive
way than in the manner as sketchily provided under the current law.
2.3.4. National Telecom Policy 2012
The telecom policy, adopted in 2012, also includes provisions to address the concerns related to
communication security and network security. The strategy adopted to implement security
measures are:
• Telecom service providers must take adequate measures; to ensure security of the
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communication sent and received through their networks.
•
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Telecom service providers must assist law enforcement agencies within legal framework
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and also keeping in view the individual privacy and also following international practices to
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the extent possible for fulfilling national security needs.
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• Regulatory measures to ensure that safe to connect devices are inducted on to the
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network. To build national capacity around security standards, security testing, and
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interception and monitoring capabilities.
2.4. Institutional Framework uk
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It is India’s cyberspace intelligence agency which will conduct security and electronic
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surveillance. It aims to screen communications metadata and work in close coordination with
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various law-enforcement agencies for intelligence gathering. The body, functioning under the IT
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ministry, would strengthen the country’s cybersecurity posture. Some have expressed concern
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that the body could encroach on citizens' privacy and civil-liberties, given the lack of explicit
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The CERT-In has been established to thwart cyber-attacks in India. It is mandated under the IT
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Amendment Act, 2008 to serve as the national agency in charge of cyber security.
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Charter- "The purpose of the CERT-In is, to become the nation's most trusted referral
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agency of the Indian Community for responding to computer security incidents as and
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Minister of Electronics and Information Technology launched the Cyber Swachchta Kendra–
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Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre for analysis of malware and botnets that affect
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networks and systems. It is part of Digital India initiative. This centre will work in coordination
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with the internet service providers (ISPs) and Industry and will also enhance awareness among
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citizens regarding botnet and malware infection.
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CSK provides various tools to prevent cyberattacks, like-
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M Kavach: Special anti-virus tool for smartphones and tablets.
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USB Pratirodh: It is a USB protector to help clean various external storage devices like USB(s),
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Browser JSGuard: It helps to block malicious JavaScript and HTML files while browsing the web.
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A dedicated cloud to digitize and automate processes, procedures and services for the Indian
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Army, launched as a part of Digital India. This is similar to Meghraj, the national cloud
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initiative.
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India along with other countries is undertaking mutual sharing of information and best-
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practices, both of which are critical in constructing a robust response to conspicuous cyber
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incidents. For instance, India is working with UK, USA, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and
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many other countries on diverse issues such as joint training of cybersecurity professionals,
information exchange, law enforcement and technical capacity building to jointly combat
cybercriminal activity.
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• Attitudinal apathy of users towards issues of cybersecurity.
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2.6.4. Procedural
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• Lack of awareness in local police of various provisions of IT Act, 2000 and also of IPC related
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to cybercrimes.
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• Post-demonetisation, government has pushed the citizenry to go ‘cashless’, without
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building capacity and awareness on the security of devices or transactions thus increasing
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vulnerability.
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Also, the core infrastructure elements of a smart city cover urban mobility, water and
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electricity supply, sanitation, housing, e-governance, health and education, security and
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sustainability, all bounded and harnessed by the power of information technology (IT).
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Given the massive use of IT in the delivery and management of core infrastructure services,
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the volume of citizen data generated in a smart city is expected to grow exponentially over
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time. The current IT Act might not give adequate protection to the citizen data that smart
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Cyber warfare encompasses public and private domains. There is a requirement for intimate
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involvement of the private sector, as they are equal, if not larger, stakeholders. Regular
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meetings must be held and, if needed, working groups created. Current organisations which
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could be tasked to take on the cyber warfare challenge include the NTRO, DRDO, RAW and IB,
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representatives of CERT, NASSCOM, etc. Various measures which may be taken by government
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India can raise a cyber command with responsibility of combating cyberwarfare should be
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of the Armed Forces along with the DRDO and other experts.
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• Perception management and social networks should be handled carefully as the “instant
availability of information” provides a potential tool for psychological and no-contact
warfare. It should form part of any offensive or defensive action.
• Adequate capacity building should be done with required investment and R&D as apart
from being critical from security point of view, this field is going to create millions of jobs in
the future which India can benefit from.
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3. Other Miscellaneous Terms
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3.1. Malwares
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The term ‘Malware’ is contraction of “Malicious Software” and is any piece of software that can
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do harm to data, devices or to people.
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Working of a Malware
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• A malware has specific instructions programmed into it which direct the malware to take
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• Depending on its programming, the malware turns internet-connected devices into ‘bots’,
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Malwares like Reaper and Saposhi are capable of identifying weaknesses in devices and
exploiting them to turn the devices into bots.
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• Once a large enough botnet is created, simultaneous pings are sent to a single server,
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causing a server failure, which is called a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack.
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• Depending on the size of the botnet, malwares can execute multiple DDOS attacks at the
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United Nations General Assembly has regularly passed resolutions on information security.
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Several regional initiatives like the European Convention on Cybercrime have been in existence
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for decades. These efforts can be consolidated in the form of a global cyberspace convention.
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3.3. Need of a global strategy
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Risks in cyberspace can destabilize international and national security.
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• The growth of social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) has created a new medium for strategic
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communication that by-passes national boundaries and national authorities.
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The global data transmission infrastructure also depends critically on the network of
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National governments should have the sovereign right to make national policies on ICT
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• A global culture of cyber security based on trust and security should be encouraged.
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• Balance between the need to maintain law and order and fundamental human rights
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should be maintained.
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• It would put the obligations on states not to take any overt or clandestine measures which
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It is the only multilateral treaty on cyber security that addresses Internet and computer
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• Its focus is on harmonizing national laws, improving legal authorities for investigative
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techniques and increasing cooperation among nations.
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• Developing countries including India have not signed it stating that the developed countries
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lead by the US drafted it without consulting them
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3.7.2. Ground Zero Summit
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Ground Zero Summit is the largest collaborative platform in Asia for Cyber security experts and
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technologies. It is the exclusive platform in the region providing opportunities to establish and
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• The Summit gets its name from a piece of ancient Indian history. India is the ground where
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It is being organized by the Indian Infosec Consortium (IIC), which is an independent not-
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• Aim of the summit: The summit was organized to deliberate upon various issues related to
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The theme for the Summit - Digital India – ‘Securing Digital India’
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3.7.3. ICANN
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ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is a non-profit public
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benefit corporation and also a global multi-stakeholder organization that was created by
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• It coordinates the Internet Domain Name Servers, IP addresses and autonomous system
numbers, which involves a continued management of these evolving systems and the
protocols that underlie them.
• While ICANN began in the U.S. government, it is now an international, community-driven
organization independent of any one government.
• ICANN collaborates with a variety of stakeholders including companies, individuals, and
governments to ensure the continued success of the Internet. It holds meetings three times
a year, switching the international location for each meeting.
4. Miscellaneous
4.1. Ransomware Cyber Attacks
Recently, a ransomware called Wannacry,
infected more than 100,000 computers A ransomware typically logs users out of their own
all over the world. There are many types systems through forced encryption of data and asks
of malware that affect a computer, them to pay a ransom (in the case of WannaCry, the
ransom was demanded in bitcoin) if they want to
ranging from those that steal information
access the encrypted data. Infected computers
t those that just delete everything on the
appear to largely be out-of-date devices or, in some
device. The country most affected by cases, machines involved in manufacturing or
WannaCry was UK, where National hospital functions that proved too difficult to patch
Health Service trusts were impacted, without possibly disrupting crucial operation.
causing widespread disruption to health
services.
Effect on India
• India’s vulnerability was higher because most official computers run Windows and regular
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updates were not a habit.
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• A lot of personal data online is now connected to the Aadhaar data and therefore future
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such attacks can make privacy of millions of Indians vulnerable.
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Another ransomware attack named Petya was What is encryption?
reported about which CERT-In issued an advisory.
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Encryption is the process of encoding
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4.2. Issue of Encryption in India
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messages or information in such a way
that only authorized parties can read it.
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Under Section 84A of Information Technology Act, sh
For example: word "IAS" can become "JBT"
2000 Rules are to be framed to prescribe modes or
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methods for encryption. In this regard, a draft replaced by next alphabet. Those who
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National Encryption Policy was formulated by an know how it is encoded can only able to
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enable information security environment and secure transactions in Cyber Space for individuals,
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Storing the plain text of the encrypted messages for 90 days by all citizens and provide it to
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• All vendors of encryption products need to register their products with the designated
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• All encryption technology used in India shall be cleared by the government and only those
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encryption technologies can be used which are in the government’s prescribed list. It
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Key concerns
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• Policy affected almost all Internet users- a majority of them were not even aware that they
were using encryption technologies.
• “On demand” need to store all communication in plain text for 90 days and making it
available to law enforcement agencies poses challenges like - Most of the users in India do
not know the meaning of plain text and in such a case they can be held liable for not storing
their encrypted data in plain text format.
• Additionally, service providers located within and outside India, using encryption
technology for providing any type of services in India, would be required to enter into an
agreement with the government. This is seen as impractical as there are many service
providers around the world that use encryption. It would be highly unrealistic for all of
these to enter into an agreement with the Indian government.
• Keeping a copy of the data will require huge storage and that will come at a cost.
• There is a fear that the policy will start a new “registration raj”, now that all encryption
technologies that can be used in India will need to be certified and listed by the agencies
concerned.
However, India needs encryption policy due to following reasons:
• To promote use of encryption for ensuring the security/confidentiality of internet
communication and transactions
• To facilitate investigation of crimes and threats to national security in the age of
sophisticated encryption technology
• To promote research in encryption technology as it is restricted and not available to India
under Wassenaar agreement.
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• To build consumer confidence in retail and e-governance, encouraging more Indians to go
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online and strengthening the country’s underdeveloped cybersecurity sector.
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To check misuse of encryption.
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For example - Take the case of terrorist Abu Dujana’s iPhone 7. While dealing with secure
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devices, law enforcement agencies themselves rue the increasing use of encryption. Thus far,
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Indian intelligence agencies have relied on ‘zero days’ — vulnerabilities that exist in the original
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design of a software — to break into encrypted devices, but Internet companies now promptly
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patch their flaws, diminishing the utility of such tools. sh
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The reality is that a lot of online content is today out of the reach of law enforcement officials.
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Platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram are ‘end-to-end’ encrypted, making it difficult for police
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at the State and local level — who don’t have access to zero days — to register cases based on
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information contained in them. The distinct trend towards greater adoption of encryption poses
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a dilemma for Indian policymakers. Strong encryption protocols increase consumer confidence
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in the digital economy, but the Indian government fears a scenario where criminals or terrorists
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The policy should leave room for innovation in the field of encryption technology so that
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industry leaders have incentives to innovate and offer consumers more secure information
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services. The policy should go for securing information through a minimum standard, instead of
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The policy must be sensitive to the need to promote cybersecurity research in India. The
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process to retrieve encrypted data must be transparent and necessarily be backed by a court
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warrant from a civil court, obtained through an open judicial hearing. The policy should provide
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guidance on the use of information/ data within the country in a regulated manner and ensure
that our government agencies can access them for investigating serious issues related to
terrorism, national security and critical infrastructure.
The new policy would need to focus on enterprises such as e-commerce companies to ensure
their encryptions were good enough to secure customer's financial and personal data. The
policy should prescribe technologies which are globally accepted. It should also talk about
revising them from time to time, which is very important as this is a dynamic space.
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government and citizens’ data and transactions in cyberspace and will bring
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transparency, efficiency and citizen participation in the public governance.
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However, cyber space is under constant threat because:
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• India has little control over hardware used in India as well as the information
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carried on internet.
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• India’s infrastructure is susceptible to espionage, which involves intruding into
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systems to steal information of strategic or commercial value; cybercrime, referring
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to electronic fraud or other acts of serious criminal consequence; attacks, intended
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Constant cyber attacks in Banking sector, Social media accounts and even
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infrastructure.
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• No national security architecture that can assess the nature of cyber threats and
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These vulnerabilities in the cyberspace put the success of Digital India programme at
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risk, in fact, if cyber-security is not adequate then it can cause more harm than
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benefits. It can threaten the national security, privacy of citizens, financial security and
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2. NATGRID has been touted as an idea, which would help a great deal in combating
terrorism emerging out of Indian soil. In this context, examine how NATGRID would
strengthen India's security architecture.
Approach:
• Start the answer with providing brief background about the genesis and objective
of idea of NATGRID.
• Then show how it would be an important tool in strengthening India’s security
architecture and fighting terrorism.
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• Then also highlight some apprehension about this project.
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• Then conclude with a positive note with suggesting safeguard against misuse.
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Answer:
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Background of NATGRID:
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The idea of setting up Natgrid or National Intelligence Grid came into much focus
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after 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack. The concept behind this is to merge all
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databases of individuals into one which could be accessed by various agencies.
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• The Natgrid is supposed to network and mesh together 21 sets of databases to
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achieve quick, seamless and secure access to desired information for intelligence
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• Coordination and cooperation - Security agencies point out that although India
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does have a capable policing wing across all states they remain handicapped for
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the want of data. Take for instance if a terrorist of Gujarat origin is nabbed in
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Rajasthan, then the police teams of both states will need to coordinate. In the past
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we have seen due to lack of coordination and most of the time ego clashes
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between the police departments of both states information is not shared. With
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Natgrid, this issue would be solved and the respective departments could access
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• Natgrid would also help the police and the Intelligence Bureau keep a tab on
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persons with suspicious backgrounds. The police would have access to all his data
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and any movement by this person would also be tracked with the help of this data
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base. An operational Natgrid, for instance, could have intercepted David Coleman
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Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist who played a key role in the 26/11
Mumbai attacks, when he undertook nine trips to India between 2006 and 2009.
• Timely access to information - When there is an issue with a particular person, the
police would have access to that person at the click of a button. Prior to this, the
police of a particular state had to call his colleague in another state and after a lot
of bureaucratic procedures, the data was shared. This procedure normally took
anything between a week or two, which in turn gave time for the person in
question to slip out.
Challenges:
• But the apprehensions related to security of private data and its possible misuse by
over-zealous officers are creating fear regarding this new security tool.
• Also there will be need to update the data from local police station, which is not an
easy task as our police is not that much e-literate.
• There are also issues regarding the agencies, which can access the database.
Although the need for an integrated database for the purpose of India’s security from
terrorist attacks cannot be overemphasized but there are some outstanding
issues/challenges, which are being considered. After addressing them in their entirety
only, India can accrue the maximum benefit from NATGRID.
3. Cyberspace, like outer space, is unbounded and equally accessible to all. In this
context, evaluate the merits and demerits of having a body like the United Nations to
govern it. Also, comment on the role that India has played so far in reforming internet
governance structures.
).
Approach:
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The introduction should reflect clear understanding of the current governance
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structure. Discuss multilateral approach arguments- democratisation v/s centralisation
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and multiple governments exercising control. Mention the independent position taken
by India regarding multilateral approach with participation of multiple stakeholders.
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Answer:
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Cyberspace is virtual space of all IT systems linked at data level on a global scale. The
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basis for cyberspace is the Internet as a universal and publically accessible connection
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and transport network. Currently, the Internet is governed largely by three non-profit
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institutions- ICANN (International Commission for Assigned Names and Numbers), IETF
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(Internet Engineering Task Force) and the Internet Society. ICANN is the body that
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manages Critical Internet Resources (CIRs), such as Domain Name Servers (DNS). These,
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along with private companies like Verisign, which own .com and .net domains, are
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incorporated under Californian laws and all the edits they make are audited and
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gives it unilateral power over control of Internet. As Internet has grown and spread
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across the globe, many countries question as to why the US should have outsize
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Cyberspace governance comprises of both issues – the public policy aspects, i.e.
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freedom, privacy, access and human rights, as well as technical aspects, i.e.
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management of CIRs. Even though states have laws regarding the former, their
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implementation will depend on if the states have access to manage of CIRs. In this
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regard, various models of management of CIRs or, more specifically, the oversight of
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ICANN have been put forward by different countries. This process has gained currency
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slow and ineffective. ICANN under the oversight of various countries will make it
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even less accountable to grievances of individual users.
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It can be seen that demerits for having a multilateral body like the UN far outweigh the
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merits. Upending the fundamentals of the multilateral model is likely to balkanize the
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Internet at best and suffocate it at worst.
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Role played by India in reforming Internet governance structure:
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India has been critical of the unilateral control enjoyed by the United States and has
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advocated for a democratic, transparent and inclusive arrangement for running the
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medium. Earlier, the Indian position was for a multilateral approach, but lately, it has
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and vice-versa. Along with proposing a UN Committee for Internet Related policies (UN-
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CIRP), another demand has been that traffic originating and terminating in a country
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should stay within that country, rather than routing through servers located under
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foreign jurisdictions. Even though it has argued for making current system of IP address
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allocation by ICANN as ‘fair, just and equitable’, its (ICANN) relationship with CIRP,
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Approach:
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Use the examples of intelligence agencies’ surveillance practices and Silk Road to
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It makes use of an anonymity network called ‘Tor’ which encrypts the data and then
distributes the small packets of data across multiple relays set-ups by users across the
world.
There is a certain need of deep web these days. With news of intelligence agencies’
surveillance practices, it has become crucial to keep critical and important documents
private. It can also be the solution for research of sensitive topics, facilitator for hidden
military communication and safe submission of sensitive documents to governments,
police etc. The journalist community should make maximum use of the Deep Web
because it is safer than any other privacy measure.
But it can raise some major challenges also. Deep Web exists in order to provide
services to people and organisations that require anonymity to release information or
communicate without fear. This can cause some problems. There is a sense of security
below the surface of the Deep Web, an assumption that with a bit of vigilance any
online action could be invulnerable the law. The Tor browser lets users access and even
host websites anonymously, Bitcoins allow payment, and an ever-more efficient global
postage system will even deliver. Recently FBI arrested the alleged administrator of a
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flourishing anonymous online drug market called ‘Silk Road’. Apart from drugs there
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are many such illegal anonymous businesses such as arms dealing and contract killing
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that are operational. So before using Deep Web frequently, a good cyber security
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infrastructure has to be put in place.
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5. "Indian cyber laws lack teeth to bite data hackers." Analyze.
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Approach:
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Explain that the fertile liberal treatment meted out to cyber criminals, by the IT Act,
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facilitating the environment where they can tamper with, destroy and delete
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electronic evidence, is likely to make a mockery of the process of law and would put
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Answer:
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The current cyber laws are not sufficient to deal with data hacking in India. A lot more
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needs to be done under the Indian cyber security law to deal with hackers:
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• Indian information technology (IT) laws are not stringent enough to deal with
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the maximum punishment is three years and Rs. 5 lakh fine under Section 66 of the
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• In the 14-odd years since Internet has been commercially introduced in our
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• Hacking is a bailable offence in India, unlike say, the US, where it is a non-bailable
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offence.
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• Keeping in account human behavior and psychology, it will be but natural to expect
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that the concerned cyber criminal, once released on bail, will immediately go and
evaporate, destroy or delete all electronic traces and trails of his having committed
any cyber crime, thus making the job of law enforcement agencies to have cyber
crime convictions, a near impossibility.
• It is often difficult to attribute guilt using the existing statutes since the act of
trespassing into a system and tampering with virtual data is not specifically defined
in law.
• In the US and Europe, there is a complete legislation dedicated to data protection.
However, under the Indian law, there are only two related provisions. And even
under these, there is no clarity.
• While hacking attacks remain under the jurisdiction of cyber laws, it is the lack of
privacy laws in India that allows cyber criminals to misuse user's data on social
networks.
• Cyber criminals recognize the confusion over cyber laws and are making the most
of it. In most forms of cyber attacks on social networks, it is the user who clicks on
malicious links and, unknowingly, passes on the virus or spam to his contacts. There
are no specific provisions in Indian cyber law to deal with these kinds of threats.
• In the US, when the Sony Playstation network was hacked, users filed lawsuits
against the company. In India, users who lost their data could do nothing against
the company.
• Cyber crimes like data hacking in India are investigated by a low-level police
inspector. The efficacy of such an approach is hardly likely to withstand the test of
time, given the current non- exposure and lack of training of Inspector level police
officers to cyber crimes, their detection, investigation and prosecution.
The expectations of the nation for effectively tackling cyber crime and stringently
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punishing cyber criminals have all being let down by the extremely liberal IT act, given
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their soft corner and indulgence for cyber criminals. All in all, given the glaring
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loopholes as detailed above, the IT Act are likely to adversely impact all users of
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computers, computer systems and computer networks, as also data and information in
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the electronic form.
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6. Crisis Management Plan for Cyber Attacks is inadequate without Public Private sh
Partnership (PPP) in Critical information Infrastructure. Examine.
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Approach:
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Answer:
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following analysis of some of these sectors shows that a significant part of the Critical
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Information Infrastructure (CII) is owned and operated by the private sector in India:
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• The telecom sector is mostly governed by private players, except MTNL and BSNL.
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by private players.
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• The banking sector, where more than30% of the transactions are done online, and
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the value of these transactions is over 80% of total transaction value, has a large
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• Stock Exchanges – The major stock exchanges BSE and NSE are private players,
wherein most of the transactions are done through the electronic medium.
• The airline industry is dominated by private players, with Air India being the only
government enterprise.
• Energy and Utilities – Though this sector is largely dominated by government
players, the distribution in major cities is largely controlled by private partners.
Thus, the private sector is equally important when it comes to securing a nation’s
cyberspace. However, the government cannot leave it to the private sector alone for
securing its own CII. This is because if any cyber-attack takes place on CII owned by a
private company, the consequences of such an attack may have an adverse impact on
the entire nation and not restricted to the company owning the CII. For example, if
there is a cyber-attack on one of our national stock exchanges, it could possibly bring
down the entire trade operations, impacting the economy and creating panic among
investors.
Therefore, there is an urgent need of appropriate collaboration and partnership
between the government and the private sector for securing CII and the private sector
needs to be greatly involved in government’s cyber security initiatives through various
mechanisms, which can include PPP in the following areas:
• Security Information Sharing and Analysis
• Innovation in Regulatory Approach
• Innovation in Security Programs
• Pro-active threat and vulnerability management
• Promoting best practices in CII
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• Assessing and monitoring security preparedness
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• IT supply chain
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Taking leadership and partnership in international efforts like Financial Action Task
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Force (FATF).
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• R&D, capacity building, creating awareness in general masses and collaboration in
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specific areas such as defence etc. are other prominent areas which seek the PPP in
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CII.
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6. Previous Years UPSC Questions uk
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1. Discuss the potential threats of Cyber attack and the security framework to prevent it.
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(2017)
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2. Use of Internet and social media by non-state actors for subversive activities is a major
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concern. How have these been misused in the recent past? Suggest effective guidelines to
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3. Discuss the advantage and security implications of cloud hosting of server vis-a-vis in-house
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4. Considering the threats cyberspace poses for the country, India needs a “Digital Armed
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Force” to prevent crimes. Critically evaluate the National Cyber Security Policy, 2013
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5. What are social networking site and what security implications do these sites present?
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(2013)
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6. What is digital signature? What does its authentication mean? Giver various salient built in
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7. Cyber warfare is considered by some defense analysts to be a larger threat than even Al
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Qaeda or terrorism. What do you understand by Cyber warfare? Outline the cyber threats
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which India is vulnerable to and bring out the state of the country’s preparedness to deal
with the same. (2013)
7. References
1. http://www.idsa.in/system/files/book/Transcriptcybersecurity.pdf
2. http://www.idsa.in/idsacomments/NationalCyberSecurityPolicy2013_stomar_260813
3. http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/soon-the-net-will-be-free-of-us-control-have-new-
governors-in-new-icann-who-can/
4. https://niccs.us-cert.gov/glossary
5. https://www.enisa.europa.eu/topics/csirts-in-europe/glossary?tab=articles
6. http://fortune.com/2015/09/01/why-israel-dominates-in-cyber-security/
7. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/Vulnerable-in-cyberspace/article16835147.ece
8. http://nciipc.gov.in/
9. http://www.cyberswachhtakendra.gov.in/
10. https://www.icann.org/
11. http://www.idsa.in/backgrounder/china-first-cyber-security-law_apsingh_231216
12. http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=93289
13. http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/but-what-about-section-69a/
14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddMpugGIHVE&t=308s
15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OzbwH-9oZA
16. http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/digital-signature-electronic-
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documents-digital-signature-certificate-online-transactions-2844290/
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SECURITY - 3
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MONEY LAUNDERING uk
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MONEY LAUNDERING
Contents
1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................2
1.1. Why is Money Laundered? ..............................................................................................2
1.2. How is Money Laundered? ..............................................................................................2
1.3. Various Techniques Used for Money Laundering ..............................................................3
1.4. Hawala and Money Laundering .......................................................................................3
1.4.1. Cryptocurrency: The New Hawala .............................................................................4
2. Impact of Money Laundering on Nation .................................................................................4
3. Prevention of Money Laundering ...........................................................................................5
3.1. Indian Mechanisms to Combat Money Laundering ..........................................................5
3.1.1. Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) ..................................................5
3.1.2. Financial Intelligence Unit - India (FIU-IND) ...............................................................5
3.1.3. Enforcement Directorate...........................................................................................6
3.2. Global mechanisms to Combat Money Laundering: .........................................................6
3.2.1. Vienna convention ....................................................................................................6
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3.2.2. The Council of Europe Convention ............................................................................6
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3.2.3. Basel Committee’s Statement of Principles ...............................................................6
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3.2.4. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF).......................................................................6
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3.2.5. United Nations Global Programme Against Money Laundering (GPML) .....................7
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3.2.6. Other Organization and Initiatives against Anti-Money-Laundering (AML).................7
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4. Challenges in Prevention of Money Laundering ......................................................................8
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5. Way forward ..........................................................................................................................8
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6. Previous Years Vision IAS GS Mains Test Series Questions .......................................................9 sh
7. Previous Years UPSC Questions.............................................................................................13
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8. References ...........................................................................................................................13
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1. Introduction
As per OECD, “Money laundering is the process of concealing illicit gains that were generated
from criminal activity”. Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002 defines the offence of
‘Money Laundering’ as, “Whosoever directly or indirectly attempts to indulge or knowingly
assists or knowingly is a party or is actually involved in any process or activity connected with
the proceeds of crime and projecting it as untainted property shall be guilty of offence of
money-laundering”.
In simple terms, Money laundering is the process of taking money earned from illicit activities,
such as drug trafficking or tax evasion, and making the money appeared to be earnings from
legal business activity.
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look ‘clean’. The criminals need a way to deposit the money in financial institutions. Yet they
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can do so if the money appears to come from legitimate sources. By successfully laundering the
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proceeds, the proceeds can be made to appear ‘clean’ and the illicit gains may be enjoyed
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without fear of being confiscated or being penalized.
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1.2. How is Money Laundered?
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Traditionally money laundering has been described as a process which takes place in three
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distinct stages. sh
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purchase monetary
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Layering stage - It is the stage at which complex financial transactions are carried out in order
to camouflage the illegal source. In other words, the money is sent through various financial
transactions so as to change its form and make it difficult to follow. Layering may be done by
below mentioned ways:
• Several bank-to-bank transfers which may be in small amounts.
• Wire transfers between different accounts in different names in different countries.
• Making deposits and withdrawals to continually vary the amount of money in the accounts.
• Changing the money's currency.
• Purchasing high-value items such as houses, boats, diamonds and cars to change the form
of the money.
• Disguising the transfers as payments for goods or services provided
Integration stage – This is the final stage at which the ‘laundered’ property is re-introduced into
the financial system as legitimate money. At this stage, the launderer might choose to invest the
funds into real estate, luxury assets, or business ventures. At this point, the launderer can use
the money without getting caught. It's very difficult to catch a launderer during the integration
stage if there is no documentation during the previous stages.
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and balance sheets.
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3. Third-Party Cheques: Counter cheques or banker’s drafts drawn on different institutions are
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utilized and cleared via various third-party accounts. Since these are negotiable in many
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countries, the nexus with the source money is difficult to establish.
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4. Bulk cash smuggling: This involves physically smuggling cash to another jurisdiction and
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depositing it in a financial institution, such as an offshore bank, with greater bank secrecy
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or less rigorous money laundering enforcement.
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5. Credit Cards : Clearing credit and charge card balances at the counters of different banks.
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Such cards have a number of uses and can be used across international borders. For
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The word "Hawala" means trust. Hawala is a system of transferring money and property in a
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parallel arrangement avoiding the traditional banking system. It is a simple way of money
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How it works?
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In a hawala transaction, no physical movement of cash is there. Hawala system works with a
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network of operators called Hawaldars or Hawala Dealers. A person willing to transfer money,
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• In India, FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) 2000 and PMLA (Prevention of Money
Laundering Act) 2002 are the two major legislations which make such transactions illegal.
Hawala network is being used extensively across the globe to circulate black money and to
provide funds for terrorism, drug trafficking and other illegal activities. Inspite of the fact that
hawala transactions are illegal, people use this method because of the following reasons:
• The commission rates for transferring money through hawala are quite low
• No requirement of any id proof and disclosure of source of income
• It has emerged as a reliable and efficient system of remittance
• As there is no physical movement of cash, hawala operators provide better exchange
rates as compared to the official exchange rates
• It is a simple and hassle free process when compared to the extensive documentation
being done by the banks
• It is the only way to transfer unaccounted income
1.4.1. Cryptocurrency: The New Hawala
• Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin provides absolute anonymity and facilitates terror financing
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which was evident in the 2015 Paris terrorist attack.
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• The Financial Action Task Force in Paris reported in 2015 that some terrorist websites
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encouraged sympathisers to donate in bitcoins.
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• After, demonetisation action by the Government of India in 2016, there was noticed a flood
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of such digital transactions.
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• This new Hawala has a potential to become an easy way to provide funds for terrorists and
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other illegal activities.
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• So, there is a need to have proper control over bitcoin in the interest of the economy and
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the security of the country.
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o Transfers the economic power from the right people to the wrong
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• Economic Impact:
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o Legislative bodies find it difficult to quantify the negative economic effects of money
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laundering on economic development and its linkages with other crimes – trafficking,
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terrorism etc. becomes
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3. Prevention of Money Laundering
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Anti-money laundering involves the laws and regulations designed to prevent criminals from
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generating income through illegal activities. The government has become increasingly vigilant in
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its effort to curb money laundering by passing anti-money laundering regulations. These
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regulations require financial institutions to have systems in place to detect and report
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• The Act and Rules notified thereunder impose obligation on banking companies, financial
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institutions and intermediaries to verify identity of clients, maintain records and furnish
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• It seeks to bring certain financial institutions like Full Fledged Money Changers, Money
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Transfer Service and Master Card within the reporting regime of the Act.
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It adds a number of crimes under various legislations in Part A and Part B of the Schedule to
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return the confiscated property to the requesting country in order to implement the
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• FIU-IND is also responsible for coordinating and strengthening efforts of national and
international intelligence, investigation and enforcement agencies in pursuing the global
efforts against money laundering and related crimes.
• FIU-IND is an independent body reporting directly to the Economic Intelligence Council
(EIC) headed by the Finance Minister.
3.1.3. Enforcement Directorate
• It is a government agency responsible for enforcement of the Foreign Exchange
Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) and certain provisions under the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PML).
• The Directorate is under the administrative control of Department of Revenue for
operational purposes; the policy aspects of the FEMA, its legislation and its amendments
are within the purview of the Department of Economic Affairs.
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deal with the problem at the international level. The major international agreements
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addressing money laundering are as:
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3.2.1. Vienna convention
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It was the first major initiative in the prevention of money laundering held in December 1988.
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This convention laid down the groundwork for efforts to combat money laundering by obliging
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the member states to criminalize the laundering of money from drug trafficking. It promotes
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international cooperation in investigations and makes extradition between member states
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applicable to money laundering.
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This convention held in 1990 establishes a common policy on money laundering to facilitate
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of the proceeds of all types of criminality, particularly serious crimes such as drug offences,
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arms dealing, terrorist offences etc. and other offences which generate large profits. It sets out
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a common definition of money laundering and common measures for dealing with it.
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In December 1988, the Basel Committee on Banking Regulations and Supervisory Practices
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issued a statement of principles which aims at encouraging the banking sector to adopt
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common position in order to ensure that banks are not used to hide or launder funds acquired
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The FATF is an inter-governmental body established at the G7 summit at Paris in 1989 with the
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objective to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and
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operational measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing and other related
threats to the integrity of the international financial system. It has developed a series of
Recommendations that are recognized as the international standards for combating money
laundering and the financing of terrorism. They form a basis for a co-ordinated response to
these threats to the integrity of the financial system and help ensure a level playing field.
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Database (AMLID) that analyses jurisdictions' national anti-money laundering
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legislation.
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• Wolfsberg AML Principles
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o This gives eleven principles as an important step in the fight against money laundering,
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corruption and other related serious crimes.
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o Transparency International (TI), a Berlin based NGO in collaboration with 11
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International Private Banks under the expert participation of Stanley Morris and Prof.
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Mark Pieth came out with these principles as important global guidance for sound
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business conduct in international private banking.
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o The importance of these principles is due to the fact that it comes from initiative by
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private sector.
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o The Wolfsberg Principles are a non-binding set of best practice guidelines governing
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clients.
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o The Egmont Group is the coordinating body for the international group of Financial
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o The Egmont Group consists of 108 financial intelligence units (FIUs) from across the
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world. Financial intelligence units are responsible for following the money trail, to
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o FIUs participating in the Egmont Group affirm their commitment to encourage the
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development of FIUs and co-operation among and between them in the interest of
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combating money laundering and in assisting with the global fight against terrorism
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financing.
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• Many Tax Haven countries exist which allows the creation of anonymous accounts with
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strict financial secrecy laws prohibiting the disclosure of financial information to foreign tax
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authorities.
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• The provision of financial confidentiality in other countries which are unwilling in
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compromising with this confidentiality.
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5. Way forward
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• Implement procedures for Anti Money Laundering provisions as envisaged under the uk
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Prevention of Money laundering Act, 2002. Such procedures should include inter alia, the
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following three specific parameters which are related to the overall 'Client Due Diligence
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Process:
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• Bankers also has vital role and without their involvement, the operation cannot be
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successful.
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• The global nature of money laundering requires international law enforcement cooperation
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to effectively examine and accuse those that initiate these complex criminal organizations.
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• Money laundering must be combated mainly by penal ways and within the frameworks of
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• There is a need to draw a line between financial confidentiality rules in various financial
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between the Centre and the State. The FATF Recommendations set out a comprehensive
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combat money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as the financing of proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction. Some of them are as
o Identify the risks, and develop policies and domestic coordination.
o Countries should criminalise money laundering on the basis of the Vienna Convention
and the Palermo Convention. Countries should apply the crime of money laundering to
all serious offences, with a view to including the widest range of predicate offences.
o Countries should implement targeted financial sanctions regimes to comply with United
Nations Security Council resolutions relating to the prevention and suppression of
terrorism and terrorist financing.
o Countries should review the adequacy of laws and regulations that relate to non-profit
organisations which the country has identified as being vulnerable to terrorist financing
abuse.
o Apply preventive measures for the financial sector and other designated sectors.
o Countries should ensure that financial institution secrecy laws do not inhibit
implementation of the FATF Recommendations.
o Financial institutions should be required to maintain, for at least five years, all
necessary records on transactions, both domestic and international, to enable them to
comply swiftly with information requests from the competent authorities.
o Establish powers and responsibilities for the competent authorities (e.g., investigative,
law enforcement and supervisory authorities) and other institutional measures.
o Enhance the transparency and availability of beneficial ownership information of legal
persons and arrangements.
o Facilitate international cooperation to ensure that their competent authorities can
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rapidly, constructively and effectively provide the widest range of international
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cooperation in relation to money laundering, associated predicate offences and
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terrorist financing.
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Therefore, to have an effective anti-money laundering regime, nations need to think regionally,
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nationally and globally to mitigate internal security threat associated with it.
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6. Previous Years Vision IAS GS Mains Test Series Questions
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1. Any counter-terrorism strategy can succeed only if sources of terrorist funding are
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blocked by efficient financial regulation. In light of the statement discuss the need for
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an efficient legal framework to combat terror financing in India and steps taken by
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Approach:
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Answer:
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Terrorism finance (TF) has been termed as the lifeblood of terrorism, one of the most
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important factors sustaining its continuing threat, both from within and without.
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efforts. Preventing terrorists from raising, moving, placing and using funds is central
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to this effort. Government must deprive terrorists of their enabling means, which
includes financial support, by expanding and enhancing efforts aimed at blocking
the flow of financial resources to and among terrorist groups and to disrupt
terrorist facilitation and support activities, pursuing prosecutions to enforce
violations and dissuade others.
• Efficient legal framework helps in checking activities that generate funds for
terrorist activities like drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms smuggling and range
of the activities. In India we have numerous legal instruments to block the sources.
Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), the Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
Act, 1967 (UAPA) are some of the legislations that are aimed at blocking the
activities that produce funds for terrorist activities.
• However, these legislations need changes in light of the best international
practices. PMLA needs changes. It must expand the list of financial institutions
under scrutiny list, non-business entities must be under the PMLA supervision and
the agencies working to investigate cases must get access to information for
effective implementation. To secure compliance to PMLA rules, sanctions under the
act must be harsh to check evasion.
• The Financial Intelligence Unit, India (FIU-IND), as an independent body is
responsible for coordinating and strengthening efforts of national and international
intelligence, investigation and enforcement agencies in pursuing the global effort
against money laundering, terrorist financing and related crimes. They need
Protection from criminal and civil proceedings for breach of restrictions and
disclosure of the information during investigation.
Steps taken by Government:
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• India has joined as the 34th member of Financial Action Task Force (FATF). FATF
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membership is important as it will help India to build the capacity to fight terrorism
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and trace terror funds and to successfully investigate and prosecute money
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laundering and terrorist financing offences.
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PMLA has been amended in 2013 to overcome the difficulties being faced in its
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enforcement and to conform to international standards. The definition of money
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laundering has been expanded, new category entities is created to include non-
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financial businesses. Sanctions are substantially increased in the amended act along
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• Amended act provides empowers the FIU to seek compliance to the PMLA and
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• UAPA Act amended in 2013, adds to the efficiency of existing framework and meets
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standards set by FATF. Amended act terms production smuggling and circulation of
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2. India has put in place stringent rules to tackle money laundering. The growing
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Approach:
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• The Financial Intelligence Unit - India (FIU-India) is the nodal agency in India for
managing the AML ecosystem and has significantly helped in coordinating and
strengthening efforts of national and international intelligence, investigation and
enforcement agencies in pursuing the global efforts against money laundering and
related crimes; while the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), forms the
core framework for combating money laundering in the country.
There are many a key constraints which need to be addressed to implement an
effective AML regime in India. Some of the key constraints are as follows:
• Unlike relatively mature regulatory countries, Indian AML regulations are being
viewed as a compliance tool by the financial services community rather than as a
risk management tool. Hence the objective has been basic compliance rather than
using it as a risk management practice.
• Lack of adequate number of skilled and certified AML workforce is also a big
operational challenge. Unawareness about the grave problem of money-laundering
among the common people and dealing staff is also an impediment in having a
proper AML regime.
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• AML compliance brings a huge financial burden on the financial institution. To keep
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up with the regulatory environment, sound investments are required in customer
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due diligence, customer identification and acceptance procedures, monitoring
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suspicious transactions and related AML processes and procedures.
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• Absence of comprehensive enforcement agency to tackle exclusively cases of
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money-laundering. Separate wings of various law enforcement agencies are dealing
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with digital crimes, money laundering, economic offences and terrorist crimes.
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These agencies lack convergence on matters of money-laundering. The Special
Investigation Team (SIT) on black money recommended an integrated system ofuk
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measures.
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• Despite all available infrastructures through government bodies, the onus of AML
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financial and operational burden. Depending on the size and different lines of
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business for a given financial institution, the scope of a given AML programme can
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vary significantly. A lack of clarity over compliance and tighter timelines can result
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solution.
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Another significant issue is lack of enforcement. Despite the laws that criminalise
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convictions have been few and the rate of confiscation is low. Based on the
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findings, the SIT has recommended to the government stricter enforcement of tax
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laws and expediting pending prosecutions. Government records revealed that over
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8,000 prosecution cases pertaining to direct tax laws had been pending for the past
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several years. Nearly 5,000 other cases had been pending before lower courts for
over a decade in Mumbai alone.
India has a long way to go before we can match the efforts of developed countries in
the area of AML. The government needs to take more effective action and generate a
grassroots-level focus amongst financial institutions. It is difficult to implement control
over money laundering activities without support from legislative and executive bodies.
3. Over the years, laws dealing with money laundering have proved to be less than
effective. Briefly discuss the statement in the context of government's proposal to
make money laundering a separate criminal offence. Also enumerate the
recommendations made by FATF to combat money laundering.
Approach:
• In the introduction briefly highlight the seriousness of money laundering and then
proceed to delineate laws dealing with money laundering.
• Briefly discuss arguments regarding there ineffectiveness.
• Link the above discussion with the new proposal to deal money laundering as a
separate criminal offence.
• Lastly, enumerate FATF recommendations.
• Conclude by highlighting the progress made by India in combating money
laundering.
Answer:
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Money laundering is the process of transforming illegally gained money or proceeds of
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crime into legitimate money and assets. It helps in flourishing organised crime and has
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debilitating impact on economy as well as society of any country. To curb this menace,
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India has brought several laws over the years such as:
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• The Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling
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Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA)
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The Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act, 1976 (SAFEMA)
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Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 (FERA) sh
• Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA)
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The PMLA 2002 is comprehensive legislation aiming to prevent money laundering and
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to provide for confiscation of property derived from money laundering. However, it has
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not been effective in prevention of money laundering from India. The law has seen only
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one conviction in 15 years of its history. To make anti-money laundering measures more
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criminal offence.
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With this, the money laundering offence will be investigated by the Enforcement
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Directorate, irrespective of a probe by other agencies. This will facilitate quick action.
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Under the current arrangement in India, the fate of money laundering cases depends
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These restrictions cause impediments in taking the money laundering cases to their
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logical conclusion.
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It will also align India’s quest against money laundering with best practices around the
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world. Several countries such as the United Kingdom have defined it as a separate
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criminal offence.
However, the government will have to bring about several amendments to the PMLA,
including the current definition of the “proceeds of crime” that is right now dependent
upon the predicate offences as listed in the Act’s schedule.
FATF’s key recommendations
• Identify, assess and take effective action to mitigate their money laundering
and terrorist financing risks.
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money laundering and terrorist financing investigations.
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• Take immediate steps to become party to important global conventions framed to
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combat money laundering.
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• Provide mutual legal assistance in relation to money laundering.
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• Effectively execute extradition requests in relation to money laundering and
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terrorist financing.
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7. Previous Years UPSC Questions
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1. Money laundering poses a serious threat to country’s economic sovereignty. What is its
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significance for India and what steps are required to be taken to control this menace?
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(2013)
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8. References
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http://www.nja.nic.in/4.1.%20Paper-
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%20Money%20Laundering_1_%20Paridhi%20Saxena.pdf
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• http://www.fatf-gafi.org/publications/methodsandtrends/documents/role-hawalas-in-ml-
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tf.html
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• http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/why-no-one-has-gone-to-jail-for-
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money-laundering-116061100602_1.html
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• http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-commentary/bitcoin-the-new-hawala/
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• http://www.igidr.ac.in/conf/money/mfc-11/Singh_Vijay.pdf
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• http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/money-laundering-may-be-made-criminal-
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offence/article18279241.ece
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• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/first-money-laundering-
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conviction-ex-min-jailed-for-7-yrs/articleshow/56890458.cms
• http://www.fatf-
gafi.org/media/fatf/documents/recommendations/pdfs/FATF_Recommendations.pdf
SECURITY - 4
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ROLE OF MEDIA AND SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES IN uk
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Contents
1. Media ....................................................................................................................................2
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1.2. Role of Media in India......................................................................................................2
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1.3. National Security& Media................................................................................................2
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1.4. Where Media is Misleading? – Threat to Internal Security ...............................................3
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1.5. Existing Regulations and Restrictions ...............................................................................3
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1.6. Measures to tackle the threat ..........................................................................................4
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2. Social Media...........................................................................................................................6
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1. Media
1.1. Introduction
Any communication channel through which any kind of information, news, entertainment,
education, data, promotional messages etc. can be disseminated is called media.
Mass media refers to communication devices, which can be used to communicate and interact
with a large number of audiences in different languages. Be it the pictorial messages of the
early ages, or the high-technology media that are available today, mass media has become an
inseparable part of our lives.Media can be broadly classified as:
• Print Media (newspapers, magazines, books and Brochures, Billboards, etc.)
• Electronic Media (news websites, social networking sites, mass SMS schemes, television,
internet, radio, cinema etc.)
• New Age Media (Mobile Phones, Computers, Internet, Electronic Books)
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interests remains the access to information and expression. It helps citizens to make
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responsible and objective choices, to promote accountability by its officials, to provide solutions
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to conflict resolution, and also to encourage diverse views of its diverse people. This access of
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information has allowed the Indian media to play the role of watchdog that holds the
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for its people.
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The role of media in a democracy like India, therefore, can be summed up as to:
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• Inform and educate people objectively, impartially and in an unbiased manner about sh
security threats and challenges
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• Inform, educate, entertain, publicize and most importantly correct the excesses in any
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society.
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• Highlight the trouble spots in the society and press the government and public to devise
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• Shape the perceptions of government, influence public opinion, promote democracy, good
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governance as well as influence peoples’ behavior and support people- oriented policies
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Following the globalization, the responsibilities of media have also widened. It has to play a role
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for preserving and pursuing the national interests of the state and highlighting its perspective
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along with the global issues. It has to examine the conduct of international relations and again
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administrations with low approval ratings and certainly administrations whose policies are
undeveloped or who do not have a solid philosophical basis of operation; are subject to greater
degrees of influence by dramatic reporting.
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1.5. Existing Regulations and Restrictions
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The rights and responsibilities of the media are not directly enshrined in the written
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Constitution; however, Article 19 of the Indian Constitution dealing with the freedom of
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speech and expression broadly highlights the powers and functions of the media as a body
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of information.
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• Articles 105(2) and 194(2) allow the Indian Press to publish or report the proceedings of
the parliament and the state legislatures.
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A number of press laws such as the Press Council Act of 1978 that nominates bodies to
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govern press functioning in India and the National Security Act of 1980 puts restrictions on
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the Indian press while reporting on issues that may need to be confidential and whose
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The Government has been able to restrict the media during emergencies and has imposed
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laws that diminish its freedom in a limited manner mainly to deal with national security
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o Defence of India Act, 1962 – it came into force during the Emergency declared in 1962
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– the Sino India war. This Act aimed at restricting the Freedom of the Press to a large
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extent and in turn empowered the Central Government to issue rules with regard to
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printing or publishing any matter in any newspaper that may contain such content.
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o CivilDefence Act, 1968 – It allows the Government to make rules for the prohibition of
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printing and publication of any book, newspaper or other document damaging to the
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o The Broadcasting Code – It was adopted by the Fourth Asian Broadcasting Conference
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✓ providing programmes for the young which, by variety and content, will inculcate
the principles of good
“The coverage of the Mumbai terror attack by
citizenship.
the mainstream electronic media has done
✓ promoting communal harmony,
much harm to the argument that any regulatory
religious tolerance and mechanism for the media must only come from
international understanding. within”, the Supreme Court 2012
✓ treating controversial public Supreme court in its ruling after 26/11 slammed
issues in an impartial and the TV channels for live coverage of the 26/11
dispassionate manner. Mumbai terror attack. "Any attempt to justify the
✓ respecting human rights and conduct of the TV channels by citing the right to
dignity. freedom of speech and expression would be
• News Broadcasting Standards Authority totally wrong and unacceptable in such a
-It is an independent body set up by the situation. The freedom of speech and expression,
News Broadcasters Association. Its task like all other freedoms under Article 19, is
subject to reasonable restrictions.
is to consider and adjudicate upon
complaints about broadcasts. An action tending to violate another person’s
right to life guaranteed under Article 21 or
• The Indian Broadcasting Foundation has
putting the national security in jeopardy can
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also released ‘Self-Regulatory Content
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never be justified by taking the plea of freedom
Guidelines for Non-News and Current
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of speech and expression.
Affairs Television Channels’, after the
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critical broadcasting of the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 that brought in media experts
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and journalists to review the coverage and revise the content of the Indian media.
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1.6. Measures to tackle the threat
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Considering the potential of media to harm the national security and health of a nation,
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following measures shall be undertaken to tackle the national threat:
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• Accuracy in reporting-
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o If despite this there are errors, channels should be transparent about them. Errors must
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privacy of women is concerned, their names, pictures and other details shall not be
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broadcast/divulged.
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• Privacy
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o As a rule channels must not intrude on private lives, or personal affairs of individuals,
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unless there is a clearly established larger and identifiable public interest for such a
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broadcast.
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through the predetermined principle of prior permission; hence door stepping
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individuals or authorities for the purpose of newsgathering may be used only in the
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channel should attempt, where possible, to seek the consent of the parent or legal
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• National security
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interests, all news channels shall use specific terminology and maps mandated by law
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o News channels shall also refrain from allowing broadcasts that encourage secessionist
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groups and interests, or reveal information that endanger lives and national security.
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and loopholes in national security and reporting these cannot be confused with
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o News channels shall not broadcast any material that glorifies superstition and occultism
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in any manner.
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o In broadcasting any news about such genre, news channels will also issue public
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disclaimers to ensure that viewers are not misled into believing or emulating such
beliefs and activity.
o Therefore news channels shall not broadcast "as fact" myths about "supernatural" acts,
apparitions and ghosts, personal or social deviations or deviant behavior and
recreations of the same.
• Sting operations
o As a guiding principle, sting and under-cover operations should be a last resort of news
channels in an attempt to give the viewer comprehensive coverage of any news story.
o News channels shall not allow sex and sleaze as a means to carry out sting operations,
the use of narcotics and psychotropic substances or any act of violence, intimidation, or
discrimination as a justifiable means in the recording of any sting operation.
o News channels will as a ground rule, ensure that sting operations are carried out only
as a tool for getting conclusive evidence of wrong doing or criminality, and that there is
no deliberate alteration of visuals, or editing, or interposing done with the raw footage
in a way that it also alters, or misrepresents the truth or presents only a portion of
truth.
“The internet is the largest experiment involving anarchy in history. (…) It is a source for
tremendous good and potentially dreadful evil, and we are only just beginning to witness its
impact on the world stage.”
- Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google and Jared Cohen,
Director, Google Ideas
2. Social Media
2.1. Introduction
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Social media is best understood as a group of new kinds of online media, which share most or
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all of the following characteristics:
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• Participation: Social media encourages contributions and feedback from everyone who is
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interested. It blurs the line between media and audience.
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Openness: Most social media services are open to feedback and participation. They
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encourage voting, comments and the sharing of information. There are rarely any barriers
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to accessing and making use of content, password-protected content is frowned on.
• Conversation: Whereas traditional media is about “broadcast” (content transmitted oruk
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• Connectedness: Most kinds of social media thrive on their connectedness, making use of
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Social Media and Social Networks in actual terms differ as social media is a communication
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channel that transmits information to a wide audience and is usually a one-way street, while
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social networks facilitate the act of engagement between likeminded people, groups or
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communities.
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• Social networks: These sites allow people to build personal web pages and then connect
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with friends to share content and communication. The biggest social networks are
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MySpace, Facebook.
• Blogs: a blog is an online journal where the entries are written in a personal, conversational
style. They are usually the work of an identified author or group of authors
• Wikis: These websites allow people to add content to or edit the information on them,
acting as a community document or database. Example- Wikipedia
• Forums: Areas for online discussion, often around specific topics and interests. Each
discussion in a forum is known as a ‘thread’, and many different threads can be active
simultaneously. This makes forums good places to find and engage in a variety of detailed
discussions.
One major difference between forums and blogs is that the Blogs have a clear owner,
whereas a forum’s threads are started by its members.
• Content communities: They organize and share particular kinds of content. Here, you have
to register, you get a home page and then make connections with friends. The most
popular content communities tend to form around photos (Flickr), 4 bookmarked links
(del.icio.us) and videos (YouTube).
• Micro-blogging: Social networking where small amounts of content (updates) are
distributed online and through the mobile phone network. Example- Twitter
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capabilities over time”
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Security and law enforcement agencies can use social media platforms in the following ways for
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internal security:
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• to use data available freely on social media platforms to gauge the mood of citizens on
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issues, predict patterns and possible flash points of disturbances, and prevent and react to
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cyber-crimes;
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• to build actionable intelligence which may support human intelligence efforts which could
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be shared across agencies, with built in safeguards to ensure that there is no encroaching
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o The ability to forestall future strategic and tactical contexts is of paramount importance
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in order to reduce the possibilities to be caught by surprise by threats and increase the
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resilience to them.
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competitiveness and efficiency standards, protect their own strategic interests and
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o Social Media can help reach this kind of competitive advantage since they increase the
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agility and flexibility of the information sharing procedures and accelerate the decision-
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making process.
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o to inform and engage with citizens to build secure communities which share
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information;
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which may trigger problems for internal security and law and order, and prepare
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• Protest Movements and Revolution:
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o Social Media constitute an asset of great importance both for protest movements and
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for revolutions. Rebels and revolutionary groups turn to such tools to better organize
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and spur masses to action, to arrange protest or struggle activities and manage their
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tactical and operational aspects.
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o It has a potential for disrupting public order, either involuntarily through the
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unchecked spread of rumors, or deliberately through the propagation of
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misinformation with the intent of creating enmity between groups. sh
• Criminality:
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o This kind of illicit activities can be either purely information ones (i.e. spreading child
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pornography with fee, “virtual” identity thefts, phishing, spread of viruses, trojans,
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worms, etc.), or
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Mobile phone technology provides easy and instant digital camera and video facilities, and
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Cases of cyber bullying, misuse and corruption of personal information, the posting of
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material about an individual by third parties, often of a malicious nature, and publishing of
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material involving others, without their consent, which can be embarrassing or worse.
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• War:
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o According to a recent NATO provisional study, future conflicts will occur in more and
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fledged guidelines that should be adopted on such a network.
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Supreme Court has also expressed its concern for uncharitable comments, trolls and aggressive
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reactions on social media platforms on almost every issue, including judges and judicial
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proceedings. As use of social media evolves, for security and law enforcement agencies,
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questions regarding ‘relevancy’ of such data, and its ‘admissibility’ etc. will also be raised.
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Under the existing legal frameworks, Sections 69 and 69(a) of IT Act 2000 empowers the
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government of India to:
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• issue directions for blocking of information for public access and to issue directions for
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when circumstances threaten public order, defence, security, sovereignty and integrity of
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India, or friendly relations with other states or to prevent incitement to the commission of
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• Article 69 (b) of the IT Act 2000 empowers agencies of the government of India, in this case
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the Dept. of Electronics and Information Technology, “to authorise to monitor and collect
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traffic data or information through any computer resource for cyber security” for cyber
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Safeguards: Rules under 69 (a) of IT act 2000 (rule 7), authorizes Secretary, DeitY as a
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competent authority to issue directions for blocking of information for public access after
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Secretaries of MHA, Ministry of Law and Justice, Information and Broadcasting and ICERT.
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The nature of the medium is such that it has raised valid questions as to whether regulation is
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possible without infringing on the fundamental rights of the citizen relating to freedom of
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speech and privacy. Due to its characteristics, its constituents, its contents and its evolving
power, Social Media cannot be controlled, censored or shut down. Social media has to be
understood and adopted.
• The authorities can use the same medium to provide correct information and nip rumors in
the bud. Existing technologies and laws provide sufficient leeway to the authorities to
effectively monitor internet traffic, including social media, in real-time, but are under-
utilized for a variety of reasons, largely to do with coordination.
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sharing of information across social networks is necessary. There are risks in the use of and
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social networking software, though these are often not well recognized.
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A strengthening of legislation designed to protect personal information.
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• Working to define and then to protect data ownership rights in a web-based environment.
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Along the matrix of cyber security challenges, social media pales in comparison to other
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challenges, such as securing critical infrastructure and countering cyber espionage, which are
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much more pressing and can have greater negative consequences.
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The unique way that the internet continually improves in response to user experience is driving
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for new ways to communicate and to the increasingly flexible ways to go online. Its future
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direction is impossible to predict. What is beyond doubt is that social media – however it may
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be referred to in the future – is a genie that will not be disappearing back in to its bottle.
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1. The Supreme Court of India on the reckless media coverage of the 26/11 attacks
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noted that - “By covering the attack live, the Indian TV channels were not serving any
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national interest or social cause. On the contrary, they were acting in their own
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commercial interests, putting national security in jeopardy.” In the light of the above
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observation, mention the principles and concerns that mass media should keep in
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Approach:
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criticism of media in Mumbai terror attacks. The statement is only to highlight the
importance of sensitivity in media reporting.
Answer:
Media, due to its power to influence the decisions of others and its role of information,
education and communication, is considered as the fourth pillar of democracy. Hence,
it becomes necessary that media follows certain principles of self-regulation so that it
does not create, intentionally or unintentionally, problems for national security and law
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6. Respect individual privacy: Channels must not intrude into personal affairs of
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individuals unless there is a clearly established larger and identifiable public
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interest.
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7. Should not endanger national security: News channel should refrain from allowing
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broadcasts that encourage secessionist groups and interests. They should not
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reveal information that endangers lives and national security.
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8. Refrain from sensationalizing: Media should take care that they do not indulge in
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sensationalizing news to gain more TRP. Special care is needed in instances of
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communal violence and sectarian conflicts to ensure that biased and prejudicial
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The Supreme Court’s observation should act as an early warning to the media, which
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has been blinded by the need for greater audience and TRP. Self-regulation is the best
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form of regulation, especially in case of media. Hence media should try to stick to
above principles so that its freedom remains ensured.
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2. “While social networking sites have created a seamless and interconnected platform
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for communication, they have also created many challenges for our internal security”.
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Comment.
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Approach:
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Justify the statement in the question in brief, citing how social media has broken down
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barriers of communication in modern era. Thereafter, one should highlight some of the
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challenges posed by misuse of social media to internal security. End the answer with a
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brief description of challenges and steps that should be taken by the government with
regards to this problem.
The biggest positive of the social networking sites is that anybody can freely access
them and use them for self-expression. Social networking site have reduced the
communication barriers among the people. Many organisations are known to use social
media strategies to reach out to customers and peers quite successfully. Even the
governments have been using social media for broadcasting information about
schemes and programmes to a great effect.
While at the same time the biggest danger lies in the possibilities of misuse of these
sites from within or across the borders by anyone, either individually or through
organized means. These sites are a store house of personal information and mass
dispersion of information both; hence, there misuse can pose major security threats.
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east inciting violence against them.
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Why have these sites been able to pose a threat to internal security? The Problems:
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Proxy servers and virtual private network services which conceal the user identity
operating from a number of countries appear to have been used for inciting
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passions and spreading misinformation.
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Google, you-tube, Twitter and Blogspot.com, do not show willingness to share the
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IP addresses of the users and their information directly who indulge in cyber
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terrorism. They request the governments to approach them through US sh
government as they function under US IT laws, although India has a mutual legal
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• Google was more cooperative and any content which could incite violence was
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already blocked on it, but other sites like twitter refused to remove a major chunk
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of the inflammatory content, siting that inflammatory content was outside the
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The government finds itself in a new information battlefield with no contingency plan,
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for the moment. Impulsive reaction was an immediate crackdown but, India has
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become second highest user of facebook., this is an audience that the government
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should reach out to, along with keeping a track that no population become victims of
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cyber-attacks.
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3. While social media is being increasingly used to instigate communal riots and create
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social tensions, any effective strategy to check its misuse must balance security
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concerns and individual rights. Discuss in the context of recent developments in India.
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Approach:
• Introduce answer with commentary on use of social media for creating tension in
society.
• Discuss the restriction imposed by government.
• Comment on the Supreme Court judgment on Section 66A of IT Act.
• Suggest measure to balance the individual right and public order.
Answer:
In recent years, the social media has been increasingly used (in India) to instigate
communal and social tensions. Law enforcement agencies have witnessed a worrying
trend in last few years where social media posts and circulation of doctored audio-
visual material over social networking site led to communal incidence.
• Riots in Muzaffarnagar, exodus of people from North-East from southern states are
some of the events that highlight the threat from social networking sites.
Circulation of inflammatory audio-visual material was the prime factor in these
incidences.
• In response there is tendency among law enforcement agencies to impose
additional restrictions on what is said and propagated on the social media. Any
strategy to check the misuse of potential threats from the social networking site
may lead to curtailment of fundamental rights guaranteed in constitution. Indian
government amended the Information Technology Act (IT Act 2000) in 2009 to
include section 66A aimed at checking misuse.
•
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However, its blatant misuse led to denying rights essential for healthy democracy.
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The Supreme Court of India recently passed a judgment declaring the section as
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unconstitutional. The case highlights the importance of a proper balance between
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civil liberties, individual human rights, and the responsibility of the state to
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maintain peace and order.
•
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It is not a simple case of misuse of law. In fact, the law suffers from the vice of non-
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application of mind. A bare reading of the section reveals how vaguely worded it is.
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It prescribes a maximum punishment of a prison term of 3 years with fine for
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sending information that is "grossly offensive" or has "menacing character" and for
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sending e mails causing "annoyance or "inconvenience" to the recipient.
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public disorder cannot be denied. Section 66A has proved to be a useful remedy,
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sentiment; for instance the episode of the exodus of north-east students from
Bangalore where the Police Authorities were forced to take recourse to section to
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avoid spreading of rumours to incite violence against persons of the North Eastern
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community.
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• Such instances where religious and communal harmony have been disrupted by
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come with amendments to the scraped section so that it reduces the discretion in
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SECURITY - 5
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SECURITY CHALLENGES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT IN uk
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BORDER AREAS
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3. Indo-Pakistan .........................................................................................................................6
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3.1. Challenges Along the Border............................................................................................6
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3.2. Initiatives Taken by Government......................................................................................9
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4. Indo-Nepal ...........................................................................................................................10
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4.1. Challenges Along the Border..........................................................................................10
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5. Indo-Bhutan .........................................................................................................................10
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6. Indo-Bangladesh ..................................................................................................................11
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7. Indo-Myanmar .....................................................................................................................13
7.1.1. Recent Dispute: Border Fencing between BP No.79 and 81 in Moreh ......................14
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10. General Government Initiatives for Border Management ...................................................16
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10.1. Border Area Development Programme ........................................................................16
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10.2. Development of Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) .............................................................17
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11. Coastal Security ..................................................................................................................17
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11.1. Challenges ...................................................................................................................17
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13. Previous Years Vision IAS GS Mains Test Series Questions ...................................................21
1. Introduction
India has 15,106.7 km of land border and a coastline of 7,516.6 km including island territories.
Securing the country’s borders against interests hostile to the country and putting in place
systems that are able to interdict such elements while facilitating legitimate trade and
commerce are among the principal objectives of border management. The proper management
of borders, which is vitally important for national security, presents many challenges and
includes coordination and concerted action by administrative, diplomatic, security, intelligence,
legal, regulatory and economic agencies of the country to secure the frontiers and subserve its
best interests.
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guarding, creation of infrastructure such as roads, fencing & flood lighting of the borders and
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implementation of the Border Area Development Programme (BADP).
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Some problems currently afflicting the management of our borders including maritime
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boundaries are:
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• Hostile elements have access to latest technology, unprecedented use of money power,
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organisational strength, maneuverability, wide choice available for selecting theatre of
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action for surprise strikes and strategic alliances with other like-minded groups.sh
• No proper demarcation of maritime and land borders at many places leading to conflicts.
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• Artificial boundaries having difficult terrains like deserts, swampy marshes etc. which are
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not based on natural features thus making them extremely porous and easy to infiltrate.
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and control.
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In light of above stated problems, there is need of utmost vigilance on the borders and
strengthening the border guarding forces. However, it should also be taken care that the
security of borders does not impede cross-border interactions and is beneficial to mutual
economic and cultural relationship. A detailed discussion on border management with
2. Indo-China Border
India and China share a 3,488 km long boundary that runs along the states of Jammu &
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Unfortunately, the
entire boundary, called the McMahon line, is disputed. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force
(ITBP) guards Indo-China border. India and China had never shared a common boundary till
China “liberated” or occupied Tibet in 1950. It was then that the hitherto India Tibet boundary
was transformed into India-China boundary. Since 1954, China started claiming large tracts of
territory along the entire border such as Aksai Chin in Jammu and Kashmir, some areas in
Uttrakhand and the entire Arunachal Pradesh.
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almost has no Infrastructure.
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• Border Disputes:
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➢ Western Sector - Aksai Chin
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In 1865, Johnson line which put Aksai Chin in Jammu and Kashmir but China at that
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time did not control Xinjiang so it was not presented to them. By 1890, China
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1950s China built a road falling south of this line in the Aksai Chin region. Intermittent
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clashes along the border culminated into Indo-China war in 1962 which resulted into
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existing line which is known as Line of Actual Control (LAC). The region also witnessed
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stand-off between India and China in Daulat Beg Oldie sector in 2013.
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In Shimla Accord (1913-14), boundary between Tibet and British India was defined by
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negotiations between British India, China and Tibet. This boundary named as
MacMohan Line is disputed by China. However, interestingly, China accepts MacMohan
line as its boundary with Myanmar provided by the same agreement.
• Indian side of border is being guarded by different agencies which include ITBP, Special
Frontier Forces, Assam Rifles, Indian Army and proposed Sikkim Scouts leading to lack of
coordination among these agencies. On the other hand, on the Tibetan side, the entire LAC
is managed by Border Guards divisions of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) under
a single PLA commander of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
• China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): China’s CPEC passes through parts of Jammu &
Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan. China can use CPEC to mobilize troops in case of
conflict and also will provide some cushion against choking of Strait of Malacca by India in
case of conflict.
Water disputes: China recently cut off the flow of a tributary of the Brahmaputra River, the
lifeline of Bangladesh and northern India, to build a dam as part of a major hydroelectric
project in Tibet. And the country is working to dam another Brahmaputra tributary, in order to
create a series of artificial lakes.
China has also built six mega-dams on the Mekong River, which flows into Southeast Asia,
where the downstream impact is already visible. Yet, instead of curbing its dam-building, China
is building several more Mekong dams.
).
o In 1988, following PM Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to China, the Joint Working Group (JWG) was
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set up to look into border problem.
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o In 1993, the Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of
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Actual Control (LAC) was signed and the
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Confidence Building Measures
India-China Expert Group of Diplomatic and
• regular interaction between the
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Military Officers was set up to assist the JWG.
Army Headquarters and Field
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o In 1996, the Agreement on Confidence
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Commands of the two sides
Building Measures (CBMs) in the Military • additional
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border personnel
Field along the LAC was signed.
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meeting points
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each from India and China) were appointed between their forward posts at
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dispute.
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o Till 2009, these two special representatives had held 17 rounds of talks, but it seems
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o Recently, NSA Ajit Doval was appointed as Special Envoy for talks.
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Unfortunately, despite several rounds of talks, disagreement on actual border continues and
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both the sides regularly send patrols to LAC as per their perception and leave markers in the
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form of burjis (piles of stones), biscuit, cigarette packets etc. to lay stake to territory and assert
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•
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To redress the situation arising out of poor road connectivity which has hampered the
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operational capability of the border guarding forces deployed along the India-China
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totalling 804 km in the border areas along States of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Present status as on 30-04-2017 is
that 672.46 Kms of formation work and 409.53 Kms of surfacing work has been completed.
• Spy Cam Project - Putting up cameras with 20-25 km range at 50 locations in Himachal
Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh after 21-day face-
off with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China at Depsang Valley in the Ladakh region
in 2013. But project failed since weather is not favourable there as high-velocity winds and
frost tend to blur the images.
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3. Indo-Pakistan
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India shares 3323 km long boundary with Pakistan. Indo-Pakistan border is spread across
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extreme climatic conditions as the boundary runs from the hot Thar Desert in Rajasthan to the
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cold Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir. Thus, the India-Pakistan boundary can be categorized
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under three different heads
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• First - It is 2308 km long and stretches from Gujarat to parts of Jammu district in Jammu
and Kashmir. It is known as the ‘Radcliff line’. uk
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• Second – It is 776 km long, and runs along the districts of Jammu (some parts), Rajouri,
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Poonch, Baramula, Kupwara, Kargil and some portions of Leh. It is the line of control (LoC),
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or the Cease Fire Line, which came into existence after the 1948 and 1971 wars between
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Third – It is 110 km long and extends from NJ 9842 to Indira Col in the North (Siachin Glacier). It
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Border Disputes
l is
➢ Sir Creek
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square miles of EEZ for India.
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• Energy resource - Much of the region is rich in oil and gas below the sea bed.Fisherman
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misery: The Sir Creek area is also a great fishing destination for hundreds of fishermen
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from both India and Pakistan.
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• Drug syndicate / Smuggling: Over the year this region has become main route to
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smuggle drugs, arms and petroleum product to India.
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• Terror design: Terrorists are using disputed area to cross over Indian side. In 26/11
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terror attack, terrorists captured an Indian fishing vessel, Kuber, off Sir Creek to enter
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Mumbai.
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Way Forward
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Alternatively, given the creek's ecological sensitivity, both countries could designate the
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➢ Siachen Dispute
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Reason of Dispute:
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the Indus Water Treaty.
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The International Court of Arbitration in its "final award" in 2013 allowed India to complete
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construction of the Kishanganga dam with condition that 9 m3/s of natural flow of water
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must be maintained in Kishanganga river at all times to maintain the environment
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downstream.
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About Indus Water Treaty -1960
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The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World
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Bank. The treaty was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960 by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
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• control over the three "eastern" rivers-the Beas, Ravi and Sutlej-was given to India and the three
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• exchange of data and co-operation in matters related to its provisions. For this, it establishes a
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Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) with each country having one commissioner in it
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In the wake of the Uri attack, several experts have demanded that India withdraw from the Indus Waters
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Treaty whose terms are considered generous to Pakistan. However, officials made it clear that the IWT
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will hold, at least for the moment. Instead, the Centre drew up a list of measures to optimize use of the
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Indus waters that India has so far failed to do. Thus, following decisions were taken by the government
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• build more run-of-the-river hydropower projects on western rivers, to exploit the full potential of
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• review restarting the Tulbul navigation project that India had suspended after Pakistan’s objections in
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1987
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Revoking is not the right way forward as it may threaten regional stability and India’s credibility globally.
Stopping the waters of the Indus rivers can be counterproductive also. India has water-sharing
arrangements with other neighbours and not honouring the Indus Treaty would make them uneasy and
distrustful. India would would lose her voice if China, decides to do something similar.
).
infiltration on the 2,900-km western border with Pakistan. Close Circuit Television cameras,
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thermal imagers and NVDs, BFSRs, underground monitoring sensors, and laser barriers will
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be placed along the border to track all movement from the other side. The integrated setup
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will ensure that in the event of a transgression, if one device fails to work, another will alert
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the control room. Laser barriers will cover 130 unfenced sections, including riverine and
mountain terrain from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat, which are often used by infiltrators.
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The border has been electrified, connected to a range of sensors and strewn with
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landmines. The entire border is also lit up with strong floodlights installed on more than
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50,000 poles. As a result, the Indo-Pak border can actually be seen from space at night.
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• Outposts - There are about 700 border out posts, one Integrated Check post is there at
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Attari, Amritsar.
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• A program for Optimal Utilization of Waters of Eastern Rivers of Indus River System has
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Way Forward
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local people
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•
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Study the pattern of illegal activities like money laundering and checking them
•
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The government also established a Task Force on border management under the
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Chairmanship of Madhav Godbole. The report observed that the country’s borders could
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not be effectively managed because of certain inherent problems such as their disputed
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status, artificiality, porosity etc. which give rise to multiple other problems including illegal
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•
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• The border-guarding force should not be deployed for other internal security duties.
• A Marine police force should be established along with the strengthening of the Indian
Coast Guard and setting up of an apex institution for coordinating various maritime issues.
• Accelerated development of infrastructure along the border should be taken up, especially
to wean the border population from illegal activities.
4. Indo-Nepal
India shares a 1751 Km long border with Nepal. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal
and Sikkim are the States, which share the border with Nepal. Bihar shares the largest border
and Sikkim the smallest with Nepal.
The border with Nepal is an open border and was virtually unattended till very recently as
Nepalese citizens have free access to live and working India under a 1950 treaty between the
two countries. Nepal is a landlocked country and its closest access to the sea is through India.
As a result, most of its imports pass through India. Keeping this in consideration, India has
granted Nepal 15 transit and 22 trading points along the border.
4.1. Challenges Along the Border
• Pakistan is using the open borders to carry out anti-India activities including pushing of
terrorists and fake Indian currency.
• Fear of spread of Maoist insurgency and links with Maoists groups in India
• Issue of land grabbing - Allegations of excesses such as intimidation, and forcible grabbing
of land by either side along the disputed border also surface from time to time.
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• Easy escape & illegal activities - Insurgents, terrorists, many hard-core criminals pursued by
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Indian and Nepalese security forces escape across the open border.
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4.2. Initiatives Taken for Effective Border Management
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•
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25 batallions of Shashastra Seema Bal under Ministry of Home Affairs have been deployed
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• Bilateral talks - Bilateral mechanisms in the form of Home Secretary-level talks and
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Joint Working Group at the level of Joint Secretaries exist between the two countries.
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Border District Coordination Committee - at the level of district officials of the two
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countries- has been established as platforms for discussing issues of mutual concern
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construction of 1377 km of roads along Nepal border in the States of Uttarakhand, Uttar
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Security agencies of both countries should coordinate more closely and effectively for better
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monitoring of the border. An increased use of technology in monitoring border movement can
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5. Indo-Bhutan
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Indo-Bhutan border is demarcated except along the tri-junction with China. The process of
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demarcation of the India-Bhutan border started in 1961 and was completed in 2006. This
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border is defined by foothills, unlike the complex topography of dense forests, rivers and
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India has a Friendship treaty with Bhutan which was re-negotiated in 2007 under which India
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from its territory some years ago, the border has been relatively quiet. But still fears are
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persistent about criminal and militant activity.
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•
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Smuggling - Chinese made goods, Bhutanese cannabis, liquor and forest products are major
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items smuggled into India. Livestock, grocery items and fruits are smuggled out of India to
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Bhutan.
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• Free movement of people & vehicles – Bhutan’s wants free movement of its citizens and
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vehicles once they enter Indian territory. During the Gorkhaland movement in West Bengal
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vehicles belonging to Bhutanese nationals were destroyed.
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• Migration –As areas bordering Bhutan are largely underdeveloped, many Indians work as
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manual labour in construction sites in that country, where they manage to earn more
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decent wages. This migration has provoked concerns of altering demographies in both
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countries.
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•
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• Deployment of forces - Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is the main boarder guarding force with
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•
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has proved to be very useful in assessing threat perception of the two countries
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from groups attempting to take advantage of this open border and in discussing ways of
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•
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Road construction - The Government of India has approved construction of 313 km. road
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6. Indo-Bangladesh
The Indian side of the Indo-Bangladesh border passes through 5 Indian states- West Bengal,
Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and MIzorom. The entire stretch consists of plains, riverine belts,
hills and jungles. The area is heavily populated and is cultivated right upto the border. India and
Bangladesh share 54 trans-boundary rivers.
India and Bangladesh have been able to solve some contentious issues through negotiations
which experts consider as the best example of border management such as:
• India and Bangladesh successfully resolved issue of enclaves through mutual agreement
and India enacting 100th Constitutional Amendment Act to this effect.
• Sharing of Ganga water through a 1996 Agreement between the two countries. However,
Bangladesh has expressed concerns over Farakka Barrage which diverts water to the
Hooghly river claiming that it does not get a fair share in dry season and gets flooded when
India releases water.
• Maritime disputes: In 2009, Bangladesh instituted arbitral proceedings for the delimitation
of the maritime boundary with India under UNCLOS, the verdict of which settled the
dispute in 2014.
Outstanding Issues between the two neighbours
• Teesta River Water Dispute: After a long time, in 2011 two sides had agreed to share the
river’s water 50:50 as the river is important for both India and Bangladesh for its
agricultural use. However, this agreement was not signed due to opposition from chief
minister of West Bengal.
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•
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Tipaimukh Hydro-Electric Power Project on the Barak River- Bangladesh is opposing the
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project as it says that the dam will disrupt the seasonal rhythm of the river and have an
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adverse effect on downstream agriculture, fisheries and ecology of the region. Indian
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government has assured Bangladesh that it will not take any unilateral decision on the
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Project which may adversely affect Bangladesh.
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• Due to high degree of porosity of Indo-Bangladesh Border, millions of Bangladeshi
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immigrant mostly illegal have poured into India.
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• Border fencing issue - There have been some problems in construction of fencing in certain
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stretches on this border due to
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o Protests by border population, which has led to delay in completion of the project.
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• Unauthorised cross-border trade in goods such as jamdani sarees, rice, salt and diesel has
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flourished, despite the presence of strict trade regulations and barriers. Although India and
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Bangladesh officially trade goods worth $7 billion, illegal trade between the two countries is
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• Cattle smuggling and killing of smugglers -Cattle confiscated on border alone are around
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one lakh annually thus a loss of revenue of around 10000 crore annually for the
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government. A large number of Bangladeshi nationals who are caught smuggling cattle
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across the border are killed. While the number of recorded deaths has reduced significantly
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after India introduced a new policy of having only non-lethal weapons for BSF’s use, the
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measure has emboldened criminals and led to an increase in attacks on BSF personnel.
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• Strengthening vigilance and regulation - Steps have been taken to strengthen border vigil
through enhancement of border guards. India is also establishing integrated check posts
(ICP) at its land borders which will house, under one roof all regulatory activities such as
immigration, security and customs.
• Bilateral cooperation - India and Bangladesh have both signed a border management plan
that envisions joint patrols and information-sharing. India and Bangladesh have also
established border haats to deal with illegal or unauthorised trade. Two MoUs - one on
Bilateral Cooperation for Prevention of Human Trafficking, Smuggling and Circulation of
Fake Currency Notes and second on cooperation between the Coast Guards of India and
Bangladesh: to prevent crimes at sea – have been signed. Border forces of two countries
also undertake joint exercise such as Sundarban Moitry’ (Sundarbans Alliance)
7. Indo-Myanmar
India shares 1,643 km long border with Myanmar. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and
Mizoram are the four States, which share the border with Myanmar. India and Myanmar permit
a Free Movement Regime (FMR) for tribes residing along the border to travel upto 16 km across
the border.
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While the FMR has helped the tribes continue maintain their age old ties, it has also become a
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cause of concern for the security establishment. The insurgents have been taking advantage of
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the FMR and have been crossing over to Myanmar to receive training in arms, establish safe
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havens and re-enter India to carry out subversive attacks.
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7.1. Challenges at Indo-Myanmar border
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Though the boundary is properly demarcated, there are a few pockets that are disputed. The
major issues along the border are as follows: uk
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• Rugged terrain – It makes movement and the overall development of the area difficult.
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•
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Weak vigilance - There is practically no physical barrier along the border either in the form
of fences or border outposts and roads to ensure strict vigil.
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• Insurgency - Insurgents make use of the poorly guarded border and flee across when
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pursued by Indian security forces. Close ethnic ties among the tribes such as Nagas, Kukis,
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Chin, etc., who live astride the border help these insurgents in finding safe haven in
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Myanmar. These cross-border ethnic ties have facilitated in creation of safe havens for
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• Drugs menace- The location of the boundary at the edge of the “Drugs golden triangle”
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facilitates the unrestricted illegal flows of drugs into Indian territory. Heroin is the main
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item of drug trafficking. The bulk of heroin enters India through the border town of Moreh
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in Manipur. It is reported that the local insurgent groups are actively involved in drugs and
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and children from the Northeast to Myanmar and further to Southeast Asia are also
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• Boundary dispute - Even though the international boundary between the two countries
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had been formally delimited and demarcated following the 1967 Boundary agreement, the
boundary has not crystallised on the ground as lines separating two sovereign countries.
• Lack of attention - the policymakers in Delhi have not given adequate attention to the
India-Myanmar border and as a result it continues to be poorly managed
• Lack of support from military Junta govt in Myanmar : India’s patchy engagement with the
military junta in Myanmar and its initial support to the democratic movement in that
country have been largely responsible for Myanmar’s reluctance to cooperate with India.
).
insurgency operations and only 15 battalions for guarding the borderthus functioning more
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like a counter insurgency force rather than a border guarding force.
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•
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Panel to study free movement regime – to stop insurgents like NSCN-K from misusing FMR
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for receiving training in arms, establish safe havens and re-enter India to carry out
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subversive attacks.
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7.3. Way Ahead
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Given that the vulnerability of the India-Myanmar border is posing a serious challenge to the
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internal security of the country, the Government of India should pay immediate attention to
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• It should first strengthen the security of the border by either giving the Assam Rifles the
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single mandate of guarding the border or deploying another border guarding force such as
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travel.
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• The construction of the ICP along with other infrastructure should be expedited.
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• Finally, India should endeavour to meaningfully engage with Myanmar and solicit its
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cooperation in resolving all outstanding issues and better manage their mutual border.
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8. Indo-Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka shares maritime border with India and is a very important country strategically placed
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fit them with the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) is under consideration. Besides,
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all fishing vessels are also being registered under a uniform registration system, and the data is
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being updated online. Colour codes are being assigned to them for easy identification at sea.
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The colour codes are different for different coastal states. Furthermore, Distress Alert
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Transmitters (DATs) are being provided to fisher men so that they can alert the ICG if they are in
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distress at sea. For the safety of fisher men at sea, the government has implemented a scheme
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of providing a subsidised kit to the fisher men which includes a Global Positioning System (GPS),
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communication equipment, echo-sounder and a search and rescue beacon. Coastal securitysh
helpline numbers 1554 (ICG) and 1093 (Marine Police) have also been operationalized for
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The following steps can be considered to resolve the disputes and challenges between the two
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countries:
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•
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Sustainable fishing and alternate livelihood – It will address the underlying cause. There is
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a glaring need for institutionalisation of fishing in Indian waters by the government of India
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so that alternative means of livelihood are provided. Government will have to mark up a
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comprehensive plan to reduce the dependence of Indian fishermen on catch from Palk Bay
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and the use of bottom trawlers from Tamil Nadu, India. For this deep-sea fishing, and inland
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alternatives need to be promoted, else India’s fishermen will be locked in a conflict with
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their Sri Lankan counterparts as well as with a hostile Sri Lankan Navy.
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• Institutional mechanism - Last year, the two countries agreed on establishing a Joint
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Working Group (JWG) on fisheries to help resolve the dispute, setting up a hotline between
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the Coast Guards of India and Sri Lanka, convening of the JWG once in three months, and
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meetings of the fisheries ministers every half-year were the components of the mechanism
to be put in place.
• Indian Navy or Coast Guard should join the Sri Lankan Navy in jointly patrolling the
international boundary to prevent trespassing.
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should be that of the Indian Army.
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•
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Effective control - The principle of ‘single point control’ or one-force-one-border principle
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must be followed.
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• There should be comprehensive long term planning for deployment of central police
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organizations (CPOs) which is currently characterized by ad-hoc decisions and knee-jerk
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reactions to emerging threats and challenges. Security strategies should be designed for a
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‘fire prevention’ or proactive approach rather than ‘fire fighting’ approach.
•
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Enhancing operational effectiveness by making all Para-military forces managing unsettled
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borders operate directly under the control of the army.
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The Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs has been implementing a
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Border Area Development Programme (BADP) through the State Governments as part of a
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comprehensive approach to Border Management. Its aim is to meet the special developmental
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needs of the people living in remote and inaccessible areas situated near the international
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border and to saturate the border areas with essential infrastructure through convergence of
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Central/State/ BADP/ Local schemes and participatory approach and to promote a sense of
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•
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BADP covers all the villages which are located within the 0-10 Km of the International
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Border.
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Funds are provided to the States as a non-lapsable Special Central Assistance (SCA) for
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11. Coastal Security
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India’s coastline runs through nine States viz. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala,
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Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and four Union Territories viz. Daman &
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Diu, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands situated on the coast.
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India’s 7516 km long coast line presents a variety of security concerns that include landing of
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arms and explosives at isolated spots on the coast, infiltration/ex-filtration of anti-national
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elements, use of the sea and off shore islands for criminal activities, smuggling of consumer and
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intermediate goods through sea routes etc. Absence of physical barriers on the coast and
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presence of vital industrial and defence installations near the coast also enhance the
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vulnerability of the coasts to illegal cross border activities. Some instances of vulnerability of
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• The smuggling of explosives through the Raigad coast in Maharashtra and their use in the
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•
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The infiltration of the ten Pakistani terrorists through the sea route who carried out the
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Broadly, coastal security is understood as a subset of maritime security that involves securing
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the country’s coasts by guarding its maritime approaches against any threat or challenge that
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11.1. Challenges
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•
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India’s coasts are characterised by a diverse range of topography such as creeks, small bays,
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back waters, rivulets, lagoons, estuaries, swamps, mudflats, as well as hills, rocky outcrops,
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• The physical proximity of India’s coasts to politically volatile, economically depressed and
unfriendly countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Gulf countries adds to its
vulnerability.
• Unsettled maritime boundaries not only pose serious security challenges but also hinder
offshore development such as India’s maritime boundaries with Pakistan (Sir Creek) and
Bangladesh are not delineated because of overlapping claims.
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4. Infiltration, illegal migration and refugee influx: India’s land boundaries have always been
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porous to infiltration by terrorists/militants and large scale illegal migration. These large
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scale influxes over the decades have resulted in widespread political turmoil in the Border
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States. To prevent infiltration and large scale illegal migration, the Indian government
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implemented widespread security measures, included maintaining strict vigil along the
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borders, the erection offences, and the thorough checking of immigrants. The elaborate
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security arrangements on land forced the terrorists and illegal migrants to look towards the
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sea where security measures are comparatively lax, enabling them to ‘move, hide and
strike’ with relative ease. uk
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5. The straying of fishermen beyond the maritime boundary: The frequent straying of
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fishermen into neighbouring country waters has not only jeopardised the safety of the
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fishermen but has also raised national security concerns (as discussed in Indo-SriLanka).
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One of the earliest challenges to coastal security that India has had to encounter was sea-borne
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smuggling. Alarmed by the rising graph of sea-borne smuggling and mindful of the inadequacies
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faced by the maritime law enforcement agencies, GoI created two specialised forces within a
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span of a few years: the Customs Marine Organisation and the Indian Coast Guard.
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CMO was created following the recommendations of the Nag Chaudhari Committee. The
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objective of the committee was to suggest the optimum assets required for anti-smuggling
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operations as well as recommend ways to curb smuggling through the sea. Once the Indian
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Coast Guard was formed in 1977, the CMO was merged with the newly created organisation.
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The ICG was established on February 1, 1977 in the naval headquarters, and placed under the
ministry of defence (MoD). On August 18, 1978, with the enactment of the Coast Guard Act,
the organisation formally came into being as the fourth armed force of India. The Act stipulates
that the ICG as an armed force would ensure the security of the maritime zones of India, and
protect its maritime and national interests in such zones.
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through aerial surveillance.
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Close coastal patrolling is done by State Marine Police.
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The State’s jurisdiction extends up to 12 nautical miles in the shallow territorial waters.
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11.4. Initiatives in Coastal Security Architecture
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The mind-set that coastal security is not an essential component of national security eventually
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changed post 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.
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Since 2008, coastal and maritime security has been strengthened substantially by successful
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agencies. Plugging gaps, where identified, is continuous process that is being addressed
appropriately. The Indian Navy has been the lead agency in this regard and is assisted in this
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task by the Indian Coast Guard, Marine Police and other Central and state agencies. Steps taken
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are:
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of Marine Police Force in coastal states/UTs. CSS seeks to strengthen patrolling of coastal
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areas through Coastal Police Stations, Coastal check posts, deployment of boats, vessels,
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overlapping coastal radars, for gapless cover along the entire coast.
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• Coordination- At the apex level the National Committee for Strengthening Maritime and
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Coastal Security (NCSMCS), headed by the Cabinet Secretary, coordinates all matters
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national and state agencies has improved dramatically, only due to regular “exercises”
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• Joint Operations Centres (JOCs)- are set up by the Navy as command and control hubs for
coastal security at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair are fully operational.
These JOCs are manned 24×7 jointly by the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and Marine
Police.
• Continuous surveillance- Coastal patrolling by Navy, Coast Guard and marine police has
increased sharply over the last few years. At any given time, the entire west coast is under
continuous surveillance by ships and aircraft of Navy and Coast Guard.
).
marine police in all coastal states. In order to have a permanent police training facility,
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Marine Police training institutes in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have been approved by the
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Government.
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• The Indian navy is also required to raise a specialised force called the Sagar Prahari Bal for
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protecting its bases and adjacent vulnerable areas and vulnerable points. Once the force is
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fully raised, it would comprise 1000 naval personnel equipped with 80 interceptor boats to
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patrol the approaches of the naval bases and other strategic installations.
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• An informal layer of surveillance comprising the fishermen community - created following
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the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts - has also been formalised and activated in all coastal
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states. By virtue of their role in surveillance and intelligence gathering, the fishermen
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communities are referred to as the ‘ears and eyes’ of coastal security. These fisher men
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groups, christened Sagar Suraksha Dal, 49 comprising of trained volunteers who monitor
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• Electronic Surveillance to provide near gapless surveillance of the entire coastline as well
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as prevent the intrusion of undetected vessels under the coastal surveillance network
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project. The network comprises the Coastal Radar Chain, the Automatic Identification
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• Harbour Defense And Surveillance System - Indian Navy has installed Integrated
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naval harbour. Designed by Israeli Aerospace Industry called ELTA, it comprise of Coastal
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Surveillance Radars, High Power Underwater Sensors and Diver Detection Sonars. It is
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capable of detecting, identifying, tracking and generating warnings for all types of surface
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and subsurface Threats to harbor security. This integrated system (already installed at Kochi
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and Visakhapatnam) will enhance the security of naval dockyard of Mumbai by providing
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trained. The Indian navy should be eased out from coastal security responsibilities and
allowed to concentrate on developing its blue water capabilities and defending the country
during times of war.
• The ICG should be treated as a border guarding force and brought under the Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA). This will ensure administrative cohesion and revenue flows for the ICG
to grow as an independent entity.
• The MHA should concentrate on the issue of training the marine police as its next step. It
should set up specialised marine training institutes in the country, which will provide a
comprehensive and uniform course in sea-faring, sea-policing, sea-navigation as well as
laws and regulations pertaining to crimes at sea.
12. Conclusion
The proper management of borders, which is vitally important for national security, presents
many challenges and includes coordination and concerted action by administrative, diplomatic,
security, intelligence, legal, regulatory and economic agencies of the country to secure the
frontiers and sub serve its best interests.
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On the lines of many developed countries, there is a need to adopt a participative and multi-
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national integrated border management system in India. People oriented measures
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(Involvement of Stakeholders) should be taken such as
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• Community Participative Border Management, sensitive to the varied cultures. This would
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require preventing alienation of border population. Community policing and Village defence
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and development committees would also go a long way in achieving secure borders.
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Community development by Border Guarding Forces (BGF). This would help earn the
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goodwill of people. sh
• Enhancement of border trade with neighbouring countries for the benefit of the people.
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Flourishing border trade will promote peaceful borders in the long run.
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• Employment opportunities locally: It will prevent the pull towards illegal activities like drug
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or arms trafficking.
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security” by “grid border protection”, Better coordination by BGF with local police and
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Intelligence generation
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The concept of Village Volunteer Forces (VVFs) helping in border management has a great deal
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to commend itself and has worked with a good degree of success in areas where it has been
ed
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1. Discuss the problems of maritime security in India and the functioning of multi-tier
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Approach:
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Straight forward question. Discuss the issues, threats and challenges of maritime
security in India and the three-tier structure of maritime security.
Answer:
India’s perception of maritime security stems from the “Freedom to use the Seas”. The
maritime security issues are complex while threats and challenges are vast and varied.
• India has to defend a long coastline of 7516 km; islands on both the sides; states
and metros in coastal zones; and her major and minor ports.
• Geopolitics: There are 56 nations in the region and around one third of the world’s
population lives in this area. This number combined with the different state of
economies and governance has created an imbalance that has resulted in a number
of conflicts and the proliferation of nuclear issues. Thus India is forced to
strengthen her presence in the region to ensure safety of shipping and security of
national interest.
• Energy, Trade and Commerce: Oil and gas traversing the Indian Ocean is of great
importance to the global economy. Roughly 55 per cent of known oil reserves and
40 per cent of gas reserves are in the Indian Ocean region. It also accounts for 65%
of strategic raw material reserves. Indian Ocean ports handle about 30 per cent of
global trade and half of the word’s container traffic traverses the ocean. The Indian
Ocean has some of the world’s most important choke points, notably the Straits of
Hormuz, Malacca, and the Bab el Mandeb. As these choke points are strategically
important for global trade and energy flow, a number of extra-regional states
maintain a naval presence in the Indian Ocean.
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• Communication: The protection of sea lines of communication (SLOCs), are
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paralleled by increasing importance of ensuring the security of the broadband
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communication connections between Asia, Europe, and the United States that are
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linked by undersea cables traversing the Indian Ocean.
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• Piracy and terrorism: Maritime piracy, which includes hijacking for ransom, robbery
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and criminal violence, is very prevalent in the Indian Ocean. Piracy around the Horn
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of Africa has increased alarmingly. It not only threatens commerce, but also peace
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and regional stability, international trade and energy flows. The threat of global
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terrorism, piracy and international crime coming together is very real. Mumbai
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• Gun running, human and drug trafficking are issues that also affect the maritime
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security environment.
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Post 26/11, several initiatives have been taken by the Government to strengthen
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security of the coastal areas. One of the most significant achievements has been the
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integration of all maritime stakeholders, including several State and Central agencies
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into the new coastal security mechanism. A multi-layered security mechanism has been
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put in place.
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The immediate waters up to three nautical miles (nm) in the territorial sea are
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under the collective charge of the Marine Police, the Coast Guard and the Customs.
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• The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is looked after solely by the Coast Guard
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• The Navy is responsible for surveillance and patrolling of the high seas. In addition,
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Navy is also responsible for overall maritime security. It has setup four Joint
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Over the decades illegal migration has significantly altered NE’s demography due to
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porous borders. This has created insecurity amongst the NE people who fear that their
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Identity may be submerged and they may be reduced to minorities.
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It also places enormous burden on state’s resources as well. The welfare benefits such
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as food, fuel subsidies, free education, heath etc. in a resource scarce country have to
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be shared with increasing number of people. It also places pressure and creates
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competition for various economic resources and opportunities such as land, jobs etc.
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Above factors create socio-political tensions and result in discontent which can be
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harnessed by anti-national elements. Further, terrorists can enter and launch, under
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Solutions
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• Coordinated actions against terrorists between centre and border states as well as
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easy points of ingress and egress. Discuss in the context of India's international border
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Approach:
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threats.
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• Second part should discuss in detail the border management in the NE region.
Answer:
The NE Region of India is vulnerable due to its
• peculiar geo-strategic location,
• hostile elements inhabiting the region, and
• porous borders with neighboring countries.
The porous nature of these borders, which pass through difficult terrain of forest, rivers
and mountains, make the task of guarding all the more challenging.
The NE borders with our neighbors poses different challenge owing to varying nature of
our relations. In an increasingly interconnected world it is the unconventional sources
that present a greater threat. These threats are:
• Militancy: The presence of militant outfits in most of the North Eastern States and
their ability to indulge in hit and run operations across borders is detrimental to
both inter-state and intra-state relations.
• Drug Trafficking: Due to their proximity to the “Golden Triangle” (Drug haven in
Southeast Asia) has led to growing incidence of substance abuse and drug
trafficking in the NE states.
• Smuggling: While the issue of human, cattle smuggling and counterfeit currency in
Indo-Bangladesh border is the main threat, it is illegal arms and narcotics that
passes through porous Indo- Myanmar border and destabilize the whole region.
• Illegal Migration and human trafficking: Improperly managed borders have led to
unhindered migration from neighboring countries, severely impacting the
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demography of the region. Further, there have been cases of human trafficking
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from across the border.
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The Indian government started fencing of Bangladesh border from 1985 onwards to
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curb illegal migration. Simultaneously, efforts have been done in collaboration with the
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Myanmar government to conduct joint operation for destroying safe havens and
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militant training camps.
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The Government has taken the following measures:
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• Increased cooperation with some neighbouring countries: For example,
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"Operation All Clear" of 2003 by the Bhutanese Army flushed ULFA’s cadres out and
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India's borders with Bhutan are more or less secure today. The Land Boundary
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been entrusted with the task of fencing of the borders in NE region on priority. The
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Border Area Development Programme has been expanded to cover the border
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• Setting up of Integrated Border Check Posts: India and Bangladesh are in the
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process of setting up integrated check posts, along with the development of the
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stability with the adjoining states. For example: Bangladesh government changes,
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Suggestions
• Flood light system along the fence. Floating fences across river streams.
• There is a need to settle friendly population along the fencing as a second line of
defence.
• Friendly relations with neighboring countries, as far as sound border management
is concerned, have to be vigorously pursued.
Since India's international borders in the North East present an interesting mix of both
friendly and unfriendly neighbours, a far greater effort needs to be put into the entire
strategy of border management. While India's North East stands to gain from a
cooperative framework in the region, important issues of security and development can
only be addressed through effective border management.
).
in view of the long porous borders with most countries of South Asia and Myanmar?
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2. In 2012, the longitudinal marking of the high-risk areas for piracy was moved from 65° East
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to 78° east in the Arabian Sea by International Maritime organisation. What impact does
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this have on India’s maritime security concerns?
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3. How illegal transborder migration does pose a threat to India’s security? Discuss the
strategies to curb this, bring out the factors which give impetus to such migration.
81
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4. Border management is a complex task due to difficult terrain and hostile relations with
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some countries. Elucidate the challenges and strategies for effective border management.
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3.6. Factors that Sustain the Movement .................................................................................8
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3.7. The Government of India’s Approach...............................................................................9
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3.8. Review and Monitoring Mechanisms ...............................................................................9
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3.9. Important Schemes for LWE Affected States ..................................................................10
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3.10. What needs to be done? .............................................................................................11
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4. North-East Insurgency ..........................................................................................................13
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4.1. Causes for NE Insurgency...............................................................................................13
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4.2. Reasons for the Existence of the Armed Ethnic Groups ..................................................15
4.3. Government Initiatives Towards North East Insurgency..................................................17 uk
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1.1. Terrorism
‘Terrorism is a complex and contested issue, as are the associated labels of extremism, violent
extremism and radicalisation’
There is no single universally accepted definition for terrorism because the concept is invariably
political and cannot be framed in a manner that excludes the state. Most acceptable words to
understand terrorism are ‘acts committed with the objective of seriously intimidating a
population, destabilising or destroying structures of a country or international organisation or
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making a government abstain from performing actions’.
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1.2. Extremism
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‘Violent extremist ideologies have found fertile ground in fragile communities characterised by
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little access to development’
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Extremism is generally understood as constituting views that are far from those of the majority
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of the population. Accordingly, one definition describes extremism as ‘activities (beliefs,
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attitudes, feelings, actions, strategies) of a character far removed from the ordinary’. Though this
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is clearly a relative term which invites disagreement regarding benchmarks, it is broadly agreed
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that extremist views are not necessarily illegal and do not automatically lead to violence or harm.
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Indeed those with extremist views, who may also choose to observe extreme practices with no
impact on the civil liberties of fellow citizens, are rightly protected under fundamental freedoms
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Extremism becomes a concern when those views threaten democratic and tolerant societal ideas,
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or promote the use of violence to coerce their followers or to achieve their objectives. This form
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of extremism is described as violent extremism, a term which remains contested, but which
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generally refers to the creation of ideologically motivated or justified violence, as well as support
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1.3. Radicalisation
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‘Radicalisers work by pointing to social, political and economic injustice around their followers.’
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Like terrorism and violent extremism, radicalisation is a contested term with various definitions.
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experienced commitment to extremist political and religious ideologies.It does not necessarily
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mean that those affected will become violent. However, when a decision is made that fear, terror
and violence are justified to achieve ideological, political or social change, radicalisation to violent
extremism occurs.
a country with such diversity and culture as India. Aspirations vary and expectations of the
common people from the Indian state are high.
The internal security challenges in India, which has the greatest impact on state security, are
poverty and unemployment. Mired in inequalities, the consequences of poverty and
unemployment are the armed internal challenges like Naxalism and Northeastern insurgencies.
We happen to see the conflict between the development and extremism.
There is a cause and effect relationship between the components of development and
extremism; the presence of which leads to the all round development whereas in absence of
these creates the breeding ground for extremism in the society creating threat to internal
security of India.
Internal security situation in the country can broadly be categorized as under:
▪ Terrorism in the hinterland of the country.
▪ Cross-Border terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir.
▪ Insurgency in the North Eastern States.
▪ Left Wing Extremism in India.
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While the causes of armed violence could be many, the reality that young Indian citizens risk their
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lives to take up arms against the state in such dire consequences is something we need to grapple
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with in a realistic manner.
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3. Left Wing Extremism (Naxalism) in India
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3.1. Origin and Evolution
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The roots of LWE in India lie in the leftist/Communist political movements, labour and agrarian
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unrests, the revolutionary societies and the tribal revolts that erupted during various phases of
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The independence of India from the clutches of foreign rule raised immense hopes among the
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landless, tribals and other downtrodden sections within the country. It didn’t take too long for
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the masses to realise that independence had brought nothing new for them and almost
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everything had remained the same. Neither was there any hope of change in the future. Electoral
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politics was dominated by the land owners and the land reforms that were promised were not
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being taken up in the expected spirit. The old exploitative structure had continued in a different
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garb. This led to a lot of disillusionment and frustration among the masses. They could recollect
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the prophesies of the early leftist leaders and revolutionaries that the political independence of
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India from British rule would in effect mean a change of exploiters and the socio-economic
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structure would remain the same and that an armed revolution will be needed to end the
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exploitation.
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This disillusionment found expression in the increased support in favour of the left parties in
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second general elections in Kerala. At the same time, the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Bengal
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was also gaining strength and the United Front (of which it was a part) was the main opposition
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party. The radicals within the party accused the party leadership of being “revisionists” as they
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opted for parliamentary democracy. The growing dissensions within the party ultimately led to
the split of the CPI. The newly formed party, i.e. Communist Party of India (M) also participated
in the United Front governments in Bengal and Kerala in 1967. But nothing substantial was
realised on the ground.
The discontentment grew and the radicals within the CPI (M) began to doubt the revolutionary
zeal of the leadership. They were convinced that an armed revolution was the only way out. Since
they were deeply inspired by Mao’s success in China, they wanted to replicate the same in India.
They lost patience and started mobilising the tribals, the landless and the share-cultivators and
began what is termed as the revolutionary “armed struggle” in certain pockets of Bengal. The
movement crystallised into an organised armed movement in the aftermath of a police firing
incident in Naxalbari village in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal on May 25, 1967.
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party. It failed and the radical leaders were expelled from the party. They then formed a new
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party called Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) i.e. the CPI (ML), on April 22, 1969. The
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party was to follow the Maoist line to achieve revolution.
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During 1969-72, fierce battles raged between CPI (ML) and government authorities, resulting in
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largescale violence and bloodshed. The government also seriously undertook land reforms. With
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the coming into power of the Congress supported government in Bengal in the year 1971, a major
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operation named “Steeple Chase” was launched in which the military, paramilitary and state
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forces participated jointly in the Naxal affected areas. The extremist movement was brought
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under control within two months. The movement finally died out after the arrest and death of
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Charu Majumdar in July 1972.6 In other parts of the country as well, the movement died out
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Even though the “Naxalbari uprising” was a failure, it marked the beginning of the violent LWE
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movement in India, and the terms “Naxalism” and “Naxalite” were born. Identification of
revolutionary politics with the name of a village, and not with the name of the leader is unique
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in history.
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During this phase, the movement could not win the support of the poor peasants, sharecroppers,
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agricultural labourers, urban middle class and the workers at large as they did not view it as a
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struggle for their own cause. Besides, the masses were not mentally prepared to go in for an
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“armed struggle.” The excessive identification with China robbed the extremists of a nationalistic
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image and this factor, to a large extent, was responsible for their isolation from the common
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people. The movement was based on an over-optimistic evaluation of the possibility of advancing
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rapidly and the under-estimation of the state’s strength. Devoid of broader mass support, the
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movement, notwithstanding the courage, sacrifice and motivation of the activists and the
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However, the leaders succeeded in providing both an ideological veneer and cutting edge
militancy to the nascent Marxist-Leninist movement. They also succeeded in attracting some of
the best minds among the idealistic youth of the country.
Post-CharuPhase: Early 1970s-2004
Charu Majumdar’s death came as a blow to the Naxalites across the country. Thereafter, the CPI
(ML) disintegrated into innumerable groups and subgroups which were engaged in internecine
squabbles and accusing each other of betrayal and pursuing the wrong line of thought and action.
The 1970s and 1980s were witness to bitter polemics which divided these groups, but, at the
same time, there were efforts to rebuild the Maoist movement as a whole.
In 1971, Satyanarain Singh revolted against Charu Majumdar’s “annihilation” policy and started
his own group called the CPI (ML) Satyanarain Singh Group (SNS).8 Similarly, during the 1971
Indo-Pak War, Ashim Chatterjee and Santosh Rana also left the CPI (ML) due to Charu Majumdar’s
opposition to the Indian government’s position.9 Mahadev Mukherjee and B N Sharma assumed
the leadership of the CPI (ML) after the death of Charu Majumdar. But the unity did not last long
as Mahadev Mukherjee expelled Sharma. Another split in the Mahadev Mukherjee camp came
when CPI (ML) split between pro-Lin Biao and anti-Lin Biao groups.
From the late 1970s onwards, the centre of gravity of Naxalism gradually shifted from West
Bengal to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. The “Liberation” group in Bihar and the People’s War Group
(PWG) in Andhra Pradesh emerged as the two most important LEGs. In 1974, the pro-Mao, pro-
Charu Majumdar, anti-Lin Biao faction of the CPI (ML) was reorganised by Subrata Dutta alias
Jauhar and renamed CPI (ML) “Liberation.” This faction emerged as one of the strongest of all
Naxal outfits and claimed to be the rightful successor of Charu Majumdar’s CPI (ML).
Vinod Mishra was elected as general secretary of “Liberation” in 1975. Although he claimed to
).
follow the Charu Majumdar line, he was the first Naxal leader to recognise the futility of armed
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rebellion against the Indian government. Without explicitly renouncing the methods of Charu
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Majumdar, he started a “rectification movement” which was aimed at rectifying the
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shortcomings and lapses in the armed rebellion. As a part of this new line of thinking, “Liberation”
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joined the mass mobilisation and jumped into electoral politics in 1982 through a front
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organisation called the Indian People’s Front (IPF). The IPF was envisioned as a nationwide
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alternative to the Congress Party. In the year 1989, IPF won a seat in the parliamentary elections
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and the first Naxalite member entered the Indian Parliament.
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Yet another group in Bihar, which was then called “Dakshin Desh,” was founded in 1969 by Kanhai
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Chatterjee and Amulya Sen. This group mainly comprised lower caste and landless people and
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wasextremely savage in executing landlords. The landlords belonging to the upper/middle caste
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saw this group as a threat to their dominance and raised private militias. Gangs like RanvirSena
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ruthlessly massacred Naxalites and those who were suspected to be Naxalite sympathisers.MCC
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merged with the Revolutionary Communist Centre, India (Maoist) to form the Maoist Communist
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The Maoist insurgency doctrine, as elicited from copious documents recovered from their
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hideouts during several raids and encounters, is based on the glorification of the extreme left
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ideology. It legitimises the use of violence to overwhelm the existing socio-economic and political
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structure. Based on this ideology, People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army was created as an armed
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wing of the Communist Party of India – Maoists (CPI-M). The movement got strengthened in 2004
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with the merger of People’s War Group (PWG) that was influential in Andhra Pradesh, the Maoist
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Communist Centre of India (MCCI) with a stronghold in the central Indian states and the CPI-M
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(Oetken 2008). This merger significantly upgraded the combat capabilities of LWE groups
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together.
Over the decades since, the LWE movement is assessed to have impacted 40 percent of India’s
territory and 35 percent of its population. In 2016, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA), 106 districts in 10 states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, were intensely affected
by the LWE movement.
Based on the intensity of insurgency, 35 of the 108 districts spread over the ten States mentioned
above, have been classified as most affected LWE districts.
• The States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Bihar are considered severely affected.
• The States of West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are considered
partially affected.
• And the States of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are considered slightly affected.
Currently, the lethality of the LWE movement has increased multi-fold, establishing a complex
web across the 10 states of India. It is estimated that these extremist outfits now have around
9,000-10,000 armed fighters with access to about 6,500 firearms. In addition, there are estimates
of about 40,000 full-time cadres (Government of India 2017).
Present Status
The trend analysis of the Naxal movement from 2010 till 2017 suggests that Maoists are
strengthening coordination efforts between their parent organisation CPI-M and other like-
minded organisations to undertake programs against alleged ‘state violence’ and for ‘protection
of their democratic rights’. For example, the issue of displacement of local communities remained
).
the main plank of mobilisation by their
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front organisations like Niyamgiri
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Suraksha Samitee actively agitating in
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the NiyamgiriHills area and Jharkhand
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VisthapanVirodhi Jan Vikas Andolan, a
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front of CPI (Maoists), protesting against
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amendments to the Chhotanagpur
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(1908) and Santhal Pargana Tenancy
Acts (1949). These amendments
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pertained to the modifications in the
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The core objective of the LWE movement is the establishment of People’s Revolutionary State,
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which is supposed to be achieved by establishing a ‘Red Corridor’, stretching from the Nepal
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This objective is to be achieved by using armed struggle as the prime tool to garner the support
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of the oppressed and the exploited. Violent protracted struggle is therefore expected to continue
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to help the movement consolidate and extend the Corridor. Naxal leaders support various issues
like protecting people’s rights of Jal (water), Jungle (Forest) and Jamin (Land) (JJJ).
These are prominent concerns of the people mainly in the rural India as most of the people
depend on agriculture and forest for their livelihood. Thus, any threat to these three elements is
seen as a threat to their livelihood and triggers a high level of anxiety. In addition to the building
up an effective web of armed operatives to spread terror, Naxals also recruit influential local tribal
leaders to maintain their firm grip over villagers in remote locations, like in the dense forests of
Chhattisgarh and eastern states of India. All available literature on the Maoist movement
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While the goal of the left extremists was to actualise their own vision of the State through
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‘revolution’, they chose to usher that revolution by enlisting the support of the deprived and
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exploited sections of society particularly in areas where such sections constituted a significant
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part of the population. Breeding grounds are most glaring in forest areas predominantly
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inhabited by tribal populations who thus become the main instruments and victims of left
81
extremist violence. Few causes triggering the masses are as under:
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Land Related Factors
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Evasion of land ceiling laws.
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• Encroachment and occupation of Government and Community lands (even the water-bodies)
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• Poor implementation of laws prohibiting transfer of tribal land to non-tribals in the Fifth
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Schedule areas.
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Displacements caused by irrigation and power projects without adequate arrangements for
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rehabilitation.
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• Large scale land acquisition for ‘public purposes’ without appropriate compensation or
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rehabilitation.
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Lack of food security – corruption in the Public Distribution System (which are often non-
functional).
• Disruption of traditional occupations and lack of alternative work opportunities.
• Deprivation of traditional rights in common property resources.
Social Exclusion
• Denial of dignity.
• Continued practice, in some areas, of untouchability in various forms.
• Poor implementation of special laws on prevention of atrocities, protection of civil rights and
abolition of bonded labour etc.
Governance Related Factors
• Corruption and poor provision/non-provision of essential public services including primary
health care and education.
• Incompetent, ill trained and poorly motivated public personnel who are mostly absent from
their place of posting.
• Misuse of powers by the police and violations of the norms of law.
• Perversion of electoral politics and unsatisfactory working of local government institutions.
3.6. Factors that Sustain the Movement
An Appealing Ideology
The movement derives strength from the mainspring of the international Communist movement.
One constant feature of Naxal ideology has been that at all times it visualises and propagates
that imperialism is heading towards total collapse. This belief is the driving force of the
movement. This belief also allows them to blame the present wrongs on the capitalist economic
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structure.
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Organisational Strength of Extremists Groups
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The consolidation of various factions of the LEGs has been attributed to the organised,
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institutionalised and planned manner in which the Naxals function. The ideological dedication,
81
the cadre-based organisational set-up and understanding of the micro socio-economic situation
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in the various regions of India makes the extremists plan, operate and implement their strategies
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efficiently. sh
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Funding Sources
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The Naxals have been able to strategically target every source of wealth generation in their areas
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of influence as funding is essential for their sustenance. To finance their activities, the Naxalites
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“accept contributions” in the form of “taxes and levies,” loot government treasuries and banks
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and also extort vast amounts from businesses, industries, political leaders, government officials,
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rich landlords and professionals. The Naxals exercise a monopolistic control over the forest
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The extremists have been able to ensure both financial and social security to the youth in the
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deprived regions of the country. Lack of employment opportunities for the youth lures them
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towards the Naxals. Apart from economic security, it gives them a sense of empowerment and
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dignity. The prevailing security scenario also compels them to opt to join the Naxals for safety
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reasons as well.
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An appropriate assessment of any problem is the key to conceptualise, develop and implement
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appropriate strategies to counter it. It has been observed that there is no clear understanding of
the nature and enormity of the threat that LWE poses. This has resulted in divergent approaches
being adopted by different states and the central government, and their efforts remain largely
uncoordinated. As of today, the notion of the formation of the “Red Corridor” that could
compromise the territorial integrity of the state has been used to shift the discourse of Naxalites
from being a “law and order problem” to being the “biggest internal security threat”.
National security is being used as a blanket term to cover up the state’s confusion on devising
ways and means to react to the multi-dimensional challenge the Naxal movement poses.
Intrusive and insensitive security forces action in the Naxal affected regions also poses a threat
to the socio-political and economic structures of those regions. The state’s response to the Naxal
movement has been reactive, uncoordinated and inadequate.
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lies primarily in the domain of the State Governments. The Central Government closely monitors
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the situation and supplements and coordinates their efforts in several ways. These include:
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• providing Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Commando Battalions for Resolute Action
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(CoBRA);
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• sanction of India Reserve (IR) battalions, setting up of Counter Insurgency and Anti Terrorism
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(CIAT) schools;
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• modernisation and upgradation of the State Police and their Intelligence apparatus under the
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Scheme for Modernization of State Police Forces (MPF scheme);
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• re-imbursement of security related expenditure under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE)
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Scheme;
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• providing helicopters for anti-naxal operations, assistance in training of State Police through
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the Ministry of Defence, the Central Police Organisations and the Bureau of Police Research
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and Development;
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The underlying philosophy is to enhance the capacity of the State Governments to tackle the
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To give special focus to development in the LWE affected areas, MHA has been reviewing the LWE
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situation regularly through number of review and monitoring mechanisms. Reviews cover
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operational and developmental issues including those of other Ministries of the Government of
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The Union Home Minister convenes the meetings of Chief Ministers of LWE affected States.
The last two meetings were held in February, 2015 and May, 2017.
• The Union Home Minister and the Minister of States (Home) visit LWE affected States to
review the LWE situation.
• Review Group Meeting under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary.
• Meetings by Union Home Secretary with Secretaries of Central Ministries and Chief
Secretaries of the LWE affected States and Central Ministries.
• Empowered Committee under AS(LWE), constituted in May, 2015 to review the progress of
various developmental schemes/projects.
Solution SAMADHAN
During the recent review meeting of the Chief Ministers of the LWE affected States in May, 2017,
the Union Home Minister enunciated an integrated strategy through which the LWE can be
countered with full force and competence. The new strategy is called Samadhan, which is a
compilation of short term and long term policies formulated at different levels. The meaning was
well defined by the Home Minister as:
• S- Smart Leadership
• A- Aggressive Strategy
• M- Motivation and Training
• A- Actionable Intelligence
• D- Dashboard Based KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Areas)
• H- Harnessing Technology
• A- Action plan for each Theatre
• N- No access to Financing
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3.9. Important Schemes for LWE Affected States
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• Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme:Under it assistance is provided to 106 LWE
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affected districts in 10 States for recurring expenditure relating to operational needs of
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security forces, training and insurance and also for Left Wing Extremist cadres who surrender
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in accordance with the surrender and rehabilitation policy of the concerned State
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Government, community policing, security related infrastructure by village defence
committees and publicity material.
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•
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approved the Road Requirement Plan PhaseI (RRP-I) in 2009 covering 34 LWE affected
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districts of 8 States i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
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Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. The scheme envisages 5,422 km road lengths ;4,290
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km roads have been completed.08 critical bridges are also being constructed under RRP-I in
6 LWE affected States. The progress is being reviewed regularly. Out of 8 bridges, 2 have been
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completed in Telangana (1) and Maharashtra (1), while other 6 are under progress at various
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stages.
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• Road Connectivity Project for LWE affected areas (RRP-II): The Government approved this
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scheme in 2016 for further improving road connectivity in 44 districts of 9 LWE affected
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States. This Scheme envisages 5412 km roads and 126 bridges. Ministry of Rural
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Development is the nodal Ministry for this project. The roads included under the scheme
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have been identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs in consultation with the State
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LWE Mobile Tower Project: To improve mobile connectivity in the LWE areas, the
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Government in 2014 approved installation of mobile towers in LWE affected States, namely:
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Andhra Pradesh (227), Bihar (184), Chhattisgarh (497), Jharkhand (782), Madhya Pradesh
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(22), Maharashtra (60), and Odisha (253). The Department of Telecommunication, has been
implementing this Scheme. 2187 mobile towers have been installed and the project stands
completed.
• Scheme of Fortified Police stations: The Ministry has sanctioned 400 police stations in 10
LWE affected States under this scheme. A total of 373 of PSs have been completed, work at
27 PSs is under progress.
• Civic Action Programme (CAP): This scheme is under implementation from 2010-11 in LWE
affected areas. Under this scheme funds are provided to CAPFs (CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB) @
Rs. 3.00 lakh per company per year for conducting various civic activities for welfare of local
poor peoples in LWE affected areas. This is a very successful scheme to bridge the gap
between the Security Forces and the local people and also helpful for winning their hearts
and minds.
• GIS Mapping: LWE Division initiated a new proposal of GIS mapping of the essential services
in the 35 most affected LWE districts. A project has been initiated for mapping of financial
services, school, post offices, health facilities, mobile towers, PDS services, Road and security
features etc. in time bound manner. This will help to the stakeholder to take informed
decision on the developmental and security related issues.
• Unified Command: A Unified Command has been set up in the States of Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. The Unified Command has officers from the security
establishment, besides civilian officers representing the civil administration and it will carry
out carefully planned counter LWE measures.
• PESA implementation: The Left Wing Extremism affected States have been asked to
effectively implement the provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas)
Act, 1996 (PESA) on priority, which categorically assigns rights over minor forest produce to
the Gram Sabhas.
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• ‘Clear, hold and develop’ strategy: it uses development as a tool to win back the support of
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the tribal population, who overwhelmingly appear to sympathize with the extremists.
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Skill Development in 34 Districts of LWE under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna’
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(PMKVY).
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3.10. What needs to be done?
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While India’s military approach has failed to make much headway owing to a range of weaknesses
among the forces, the development approach too has been critiqued for being too romanticised
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and unreal for implementation. There is an obvious need for a policy rethink and clarity of
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approach if the challenge is to be met. It is essential that the policy to deal with the problem
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• The country has to arrive at a consensus on the kind of approach it wishes to pursue against
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the extremists.
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to thrash out emerging differences between the Centre and the States.
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• Augmenting the capacities of the police as the primary force against Maoist violence will be
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semblance of order precede injection of resources into the extremist affected areas.
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Development must operate in tandem with the security forces. Resumption of administrative
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that not just brandishes the extremists as essentially bad, but is also honest about its own
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honourable intentions.
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• Holding elections for institutions of local self-government in the affected areas followed by
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the strengthening of these institutions with additional financial and decision-making powers
is a necessity.
• Success of security force operations need to be based on the concept of just war that strives
to do the maximum to avoid collateral damage.
• Government needs to stay away from propagandist claims about winning the war in quick
time.
It is the belief of the Government of India that through a holistic approach focussing on
development and security related interventions, the LWE problem can be successfully tackled.
However, it is clear that the Maoists do not want root causes like underdevelopment to be
addressed in a meaningful manner since they resort to targeting school buildings, roads, railways,
bridges, health infrastructure, communication facilities etc in a major way. They wish to keep the
population in their areas of influence marginalized to perpetuate their outdated ideology.
Consequently, the process of development has been set back by decades in many parts of the
country under LWE influence. This needs to be recognised by the civil society and the media to
build pressure on the Maoists to eschew violence, join the mainstream and recognise the fact
that the socio-economic and political dynamics and aspirations of 21st Century India are far
removed from the Maoist world-view. Further, an ideology based on violence and annihilation is
doomed to fail in a democracy which offers legitimate forums of grievance redressal.
14-Point Policy
14-Point Policy was unveiled by the Union Home Ministry in 2006 to deal with the menace of
naxalism. The policy stated inter alia that:
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1. The Government will deal sternly with the naxalites indulging in violence.
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2. Keeping in view that naxalism is not merely a law and order problem, the policy of
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government is to address this menace simultaneously on political security,
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development and public perception management fronts in a holistic manner.
3. Naxalism being an inter-state problem, the states will adopt a collective approach and
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pursue a coordinated response to counter it.
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4. The states will need to further improve police response and pursue effective and
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sustained police action against naxalites and their infrastructure individually and jointly.
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5. There will be no peace dialogue by the affected states with the naxal groups unless the
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6. Political parties must strengthen their cadre base in the naxal-affected areas so that
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the potential youth there can be weaned away from the path of naxal ideology.
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7. The states from where naxal activity/influence, and not naxal violence, is reported should
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development of the backward areas and regular inter action with the NGOs,
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intelligentsia, and the civil liberties groups to minimize over ground support for the
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8. Efforts will continue to be made to promote local resistance groups against naxalites but
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in a manner that the villagers are provided adequate security cover and the area is
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9. Mass media should also be extensively used to highlight the futility of naxal violence and
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loss of life and property caused by it and developmental schemes of the government in
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the affected areas so as to restore people's faith and confidence in the government
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machinery.
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10. The states should announce a suitable transfer policy for the naxal-affected districts.
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Willing, committed and competent officers will need to be posted with a stable
tenure in the naxal affected districts. These officers will also need to be given greater
delegation and flexibility to deliver better and step-up government presence in these
areas.
11. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has an effective surrender and rehabilitation
policy for naxalites and has produced good results over the years. The other states should
adopt a similar policy.
12. The state governments will need to accord a higher priority in their annual plans to ensure
faster socio- economic development of the naxal-affected areas. The focus areas
should be to distribute land to the landless poor as part of the speedy implementation of
the land reforms, ensure development of physical infrastructure like roads,
communication, power etc. and provide employment opportunities to the youth in these
areas.
13. Another related issue is that development activities are not undertaken in some of the
naxalite affected areas mainly due to extortion, threat or fear from the naxalite cadres. In
these areas, even contractors are not coming forward to take up developmental work.
Adequate security and other measures would need to be taken to facilitate uninterrupted
developmental activities in the naxal-affected areas.
14. The Central Government will continue to supplement the efforts and resources of the
affected states on both security and development fronts and bring greater
coordination between the states to successfully tackle the problem.
4. North-East Insurgency
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At the time of independence the state of
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Assam covered most of the Northeastern part
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of India, representing a plethora of culturally
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distinct populations of people. Over time, the
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Indian government organised the region into
smaller states along ethnic and tribal lines,
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creating the so-called ‘Seven Sister’ states of
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the Northeast. These new states were
created in response to sometimes violent
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disputes that sprang up along ethnic divisions
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Historical Background
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traditional tribes in the Northeast are largely of Tibeto-Burman/Mongoloid stock and closer to
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Southeast Asia than to South Asia. It is ethnically, linguistically and culturally very distinct from
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the other states of India. Though cultural and ethnic diversity per say are not causes for conflict,
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but one of the major problem areas is that the Northeast is territorially organized in such a
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manner that ethnic and cultural specificities were ignored during the process of delineation of
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state boundaries in the 1950s, giving rise to discontentment and assertion of one’s identity.
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Whereas,the colonial rulers took nearly a century to annex the entire region, and administered
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the hills as a loose ‘frontier area’, with the result, that large parts of the north-eastern hill areas
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Hence, their allegiance to the newly formed Indian nation-state was lacking from the beginning
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– accentuated by the creation of East Pakistan (today’s Bangladesh) – which meant the loss of a
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major chunk of the physical connection between mainland India and Northeast India.
Interestingly, 99 percent of the Northeast’s boundaries is international and only one percent is
domestic boundary.
4.1. Causes for NE Insurgency
There are certain valid reasons why the north-east in particular has been wreaked by insurgency.
There are five major factors that have promoted insurgency in the region –
• immigration,
• economic underdevelopment,
• poorly developed transport and communications links,
• the negligence of the central government, and
• corruption among local politicians and elites
Other factors stands – language/ethnicity, tribal rivalry, control over local resources, governance
issues and a widespread feeling of exploitation and alienation have resulted in violence and
diverse demands by various Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs).
The demands vary from sovereignty in some cases to independent State or Homeland or simply
better conditions for ethnic groups they claim to represent. The underground outfits indulge in
violent and terror activities and intimidate people with arms in order to achieve their objectives
/demands. They maintain cross-border links, procure arms, recruit and train their cadres, and
indulge-in unlawful activities such as damaging of public properties, bomb explosions, extortions,
killing of innocent civilians, Security Forces Personnel, attacks on/abduction of Government
employees, politicians, and businessmen.
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4.2. Reasons for the Existence of the Armed Ethnic Groups
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Political motivation
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Politics forms the core of insurgent groups’ strategy of violence. Most insurgent groups garner
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popular support for their violent activities by citing a political cause, significantly important to
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the target population. According to Mao Tse Tung, the promise of mobilizing for revolution will
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exist in any country where the formal administrative structures fail to meet its basic obligations
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of providing the minimum standard of life to its citizens. Political mobilization is the first vital
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phase in any armed movement in order to acquire critical mass and create the space for conflict
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escalation.
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Insurgent groups utilize violent means for political ends when the opportunity for armed
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rebellion exists in a given situation. The feasibility hypothesis argues that “where rebellion is
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materially feasible, it will occur”. The material conditions for an armed rebellion to exist are
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financial and military. The easy availability of arms in Northeast India enables the NSCN (IM), the
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ULFA, the UNLF and the PLA to sustain their armed movements.
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An insurgent group critically depends on its popular support base for purposes of funding, base
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areas, recruitment, food supply and intelligence networks. Since insurgent groups portray
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Space
The geography and terrain of a particular place is critical for the continuation of insurgent
movements. Without supportive terrain, lightly armed, highly mobile insurgent cadres stand
little chance to offset the technological superiority of the stronger power.
External Support
Perhaps one of the most critical dimensions of insurgent groups is external support. Support
from neighbouring countries could be political, moral, military, economic, territorial or cultural
and based on ethnic ties. 2010 RAND study on insurgencies indicates that without external
support and available sanctuaries, no internal insurgency can thrive over a period of 10 years.
Strategy and Nature of these Outfits
The NSCN (IM), ULFA, UNLF and the PLA have a declared strategy of protracted armed conflict.
Interestingly, cease-fires are seen as phases to re-group, recruit, finance and re-arm. This has
happened in most cases. The ULFA and the NSCN (IM) has decidedly re-armed and re-grouped
during the cease-fire phase.
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without any accountability. This Act has been facing a lot of resistance from various Human Rights
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groups due to the provision of sweeping powers and immunity to the army in these “conflict-
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ridden” or “disturbed” areas. Irom Sharmila, a public activist, has refused to eat or drink since
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November 2000 demanding the repeal of AFSPA.
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Peace Process with States
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The Government has shown its willingness to enter into dialogue with any group, which is willing
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to abjure the path of violence and place its demand within the framework of the Constitution of
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India. Pursuant to the above policy of the Government, a number of outfits have come for talks
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with the Government for resolution to their grievances and a number of cadres of insurgents
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The Ministry of Home Affairs has been implementing a scheme for Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation
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of militants in North East to wean away the misguided youth and hardcore militants who stray
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into the fold of militancy and later find themselves trapped into that net. The Scheme also seeks
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to ensure that the militants, who have surrendered, do not find it attractive to join militancy
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again.
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• Payment of stipend of Rs. 3,500/- per month to each surrenderee for a period of one year.
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The Central Government has been implementing a Non-Plan scheme for reimbursement of
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Security Related Expenditure (SRE) for the States seriously affected by militancy/insurgency. The
scheme is being implemented in all States of the region except Mizoram and Sikkim.
Under it, the expenditure incurred by them on various items, is being reimbursed. It includes-
▪ raising of India Reserve Battalions,
▪ logistics provided to the CAPFs/Army deployed in the State,
▪ ex-gratia grant and gratuitous relief to the victims of extremist violence,
▪ 75% of the expenditure incurred on POL (petrol, oil and lubricants) in operations and
honorarium,
▪ paid to Village Guards/Village Defence Committees/Home Guards deployed for security
purposes,
▪ expenditure incurred on maintenance of designated camps set up for groups with whom the
Central Government/State Governments have entered into agreement for Suspension of
Operations
Civic Action Programme in the North Eastern States
In order to take the local populace in confidence and boost the image of armed forces among
the common people, Army and Central Armed Police Forces conduct Civic Action Programme.
Under this Programme, various welfare/developmental activities are undertaken viz. holding of
medical camps, sanitation drives, sports meets, distribution of study material to children, minor
repairs of school buildings, roads, bridges and running adult education centers etc.
Advertisement and Publicity
Keeping in view the peculiar problems of the North East, viz. militancy, infiltration, and perceived
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feeling of alienation, Ministry of Home Affairs implements a scheme of Advertisement and
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Publicity in North Eastern States with a view to highlight the activities being undertaken by the
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Government for peace in the region and also with a view to convey that “Peace pays”.
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Modernisation of Police Force
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The Ministry of Home Affairs is implementing a Non-Plan scheme, namely Scheme for
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Modernization of State Police Forces (MPF) towards modernization of the State Police Forces,
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especially for meeting the emerging challenges to internal security in the form of terrorism,
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naxalism etc. All major items of Police infrastructure have been included under the Scheme i.e.
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construction of secure Police stations, outposts, Police lines, mobility, modern weaponry,
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At present, the helicopter services are in operation in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim,
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Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura with subsidy from Ministry of Home Affairs. The subsidy
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portion is limited to 75% cost of operation of helicopter service minus recovery from passengers.
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The balance cost of operation of the helicopter service is met by concerned State Governments.
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Other Initiatives
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The Central Government is supplementing the efforts of the Sate Governments through various
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intelligence to carry out Intensive counter insurgency operations in a coordinated and focused
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manner.
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• Measures are being taken by the Security Forces to ensure vigilance and surveillance on the
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border including construction of border fencing and flood lighting along the Indo-Bangladesh
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Border.
• Government is open to dialogue with groups who abjure violence and surrender their
weapons and are willing to seek redressal to their perceived grievances in a peaceful manner
within the frame work of Constitution.
are common need to be explored with specifics derived from them for specific regions and
groups.
• Meeting the political aspirations of groups by giving them autonomy. Implementing sixth
schedule provisions in these areas will help them to preserve their identity and culture while
giving them greater autonomy. Economic development of the area in a calibrated manner.
Any development should be sustainable andshould have the participation and acceptance by
the locals.
• Improving Governance and delivery mechanisms of the government and administration.
• The pre-condition of complete abjuring of violence for holding peace talks is a flawed notion.
If violence is discarded and peace is established then the need of peace talks become futile.
Dialogue should be ongoing process to reach concrete solutions by involving all the
stakeholders and not a single group.
• Coordinating operations with the neighboring countries and use of force only when needed.
Draconian lawslike AFSPA should be repealed as it is one of the causes for inflating insurgency
in north east.
• Rebel groups must also be more pragmatic by seeking greater autonomy within the
constitutional mandate rather than demanding newer states and regions based on ever
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narrowing ethnic and linguistic identities, which are beyond acceptance.
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• Centre and states should coordinate in decision making. In the recent agreement of the
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Centre with NSCN (IM), it did not take concerned state governments and other groups on
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board. It should be avoided.
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• State police and central forces should cooperate on intelligence sharing, investigation and
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operations against militants. It has been alleged by the army that the June ambush of the
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army became possible because state police did not share the intelligence about the attack
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with it. It is unfortunate and counter-productive. sh
• Alternative Conflict resolution- Whenever tempers rise on perceived transgression, there
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are no social groups that can mediate to cool down the tempers to maintain peace. Under
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such circumstances, alternative conflict resolution and building capacity for peace through
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informal initiatives assume significance. Initiatives by people’s forum can become ‘small
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steps with big impact’, and such small changes may bring about a change in mutual attitude
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various warring ethnic groups. Such an initiative can prevent or step-in if there is
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committed, let us focus on the individuals It is a way to resolve the conflicts through
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normalisation of situation after every • Members of all ethnic groups (those who
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prevented. The situation of the blockade on the humanitarian ground can be negotiated.
“Use of goodwill is far better than the use of force.”
o Neutral Fact-Finding. Under the prevailing circumstances, there is a complete distrust
among the ethnic communities. Every group pretends to be a victim and excesses are
always put on rival group. Government reports are either too late or perceived biased.
The party that is blamed by government feels that aggrieved. People’s forum can act as
neutral fact-finding and can themselves satisfy who has crossed the red line.
o Neutral Evaluation of Grievances. Government sponsored negotiations always fail since
grievances are non-addressable. Neutral evaluation and spot visit by the people’s forum
could set such doubt at rest.
o Forum for Dissent, Disagreement, Demonstration and Discussion. One may disagree,
display dissent, demonstrate annoyance, disagree with each other but if at the end of
the day they agree to discuss, I think the forum has achieved its objective.
o Prevention of Misuse of Media to Fuel Division. It is very difficult for the government to
prevent misuse and spread of rumours through media. It can best be done by local peace
committees by denouncing such rumours since local peace committees can confirm
authenticity of the news.
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5. Jammu and Kashmir Insurgency
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Throughout ancient times, the breathtakingly beautiful Valley of Kashmir has stood for peaceful
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contemplation, intellectual advancement and religious diversity coexisting in an atmosphere of
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tolerance for the most part. In the modern geopolitical era, this same diversity, evident from the
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blend of Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism in this single state, has made it a center of
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warfare rather than cultural advancement. In the late 1980s, an insurgency in the valley
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threatened not only to rip Kashmir apart, but also pull the rest of the world into a dangerous war.
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Historical Background
The origins and development of the Kashmir independence movement is evident since
independence. Aspirations for the same never disappeared from the Kashmiri consciousness,
despite their accession to India in 1947.
The insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir or the Kashmiri Insurgency is a conflict between
various Kashmiri separatists and nationalists sometimes known as "ultras" (extremists), and
the Government of India. Few groups favour Kashmir accession to Pakistan, while others seek
Kashmir's complete independence. Since 2002, skirmishes with the local insurgents have
constituted the main conflict in the Kashmir region. The conflict in Jammu and Kashmir has
strong Islamist elements among the insurgents, with many of the "ultras" identifying with Jihadist
movements and supported by such.
The roots of the conflict between the Kashmiri insurgents and the Indian Government are tied to
a dispute over local autonomy. Democratic development was limited in Kashmir until the late
1970s and by 1988 many of the democratic reforms provided by the Indian Government had been
reversed and non-violent channels for expressing discontent were limited and caused a dramatic
increase in support for insurgents advocating violent secession from India. In 1987, a disputed
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State election created a catalyst for the insurgency when it resulted in some of the state's
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legislative assembly members forming armed insurgent groups. In July 1988 a series of
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demonstrations, strikes and attacks on the Indian Government began the Kashmir Insurgency
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which during the 1990s escalated into the most important internal security issue in India.
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5.1. Two Dimensions of the Kashmir Conundrum
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There are two dimensions to the Kashmir conundrum as seen from the Indian perspective:
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the external dimension, due to Pakistani involvement and its claims over the state of J&K;
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the internal dimension, due to the socio-political demands of the people of J&K from the
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Indian state
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The external dimension has resulted in four conventional wars, several near-wars, and
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disquieting nuclear rattles between India and Pakistan. The extension of a proxy war by Pakistan
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against India through Kashmir has kept our internal security situation constantly on the boil.
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Besides alienating J&K from the national mainstream, it is a serious bug in India’s growth story.
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It has been a continuous drain on the county’s resources, resulting in enhanced defence
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expenditure. It has also become an impediment in India’s proclamation of being a great world
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powerdue to allegations of human rights violations and other social restrictions, thus
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The internal dimension of J&K, on the other hand, is a complex interplay between religion and
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region as well as multi ethnicity/multi cultural and political issues. The state has a special status
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in the Indian Constitution, and has its unique identity. There are several layers of complexities in
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it. Protests, agitations, and shut downs demanding greater autonomy and exclusive rights have,
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time and again, brought the state to a standstill, and highlighted the unsettled nature of its polity.
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The resolution of the problem has not been easy due to the interplay of several interconnected
issues like-
• Indian territorial defensibility,
• the Pakistani state argument, and
• Kashmiri nationalism making it an awkward a zero sum game,
All of this prevent any clean win-win situation for the involved parties.
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to anti-government sentiment. A government report found that almost half of all
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Kashmiri Panchayat Raj positions were vacant and the reason for this was the destabilising effect
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of the conflict. The Panchayat Raj is a system of elected village level governance created by the
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73rd amendment to the Indian constitution. The report also noted that their ability to effectively
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govern was "crippled."
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However, 2014 Assembly elections saw highest voters turnout in last 25 years since insurgency
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has erupted. It recorded more than 65% of voters turnout which is more than usual voters
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turnout in other states of India. It considered as increase in faith of Kashmiri people in democratic
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process of India.
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ISI's role
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The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence has allegedly encouraged and aided the Kashmir
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independence movement through an insurgency due to its dispute on the legitimacy of Indian
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rule in Kashmir, with the insurgency as an easy way to keep Indian troops distracted and cause
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government intelligence agency, in their first ever open acknowledgement in 2011 in US Court
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said that Inter-Services Intelligence(ISI) sponsors terrorism in Kashmir and it oversees terrorist
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Mujahideen influence
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After the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, Mujahideen fighters, with the aid of
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Pakistan, slowly infiltrated Kashmir with the goal of spreading a radical Islamist ideology.
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Religion
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Jammu and Kashmir is the only Muslim majority state in Hindu-majority India. While India itself
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is a secular state, Muslims are politically, culturally and economically marginalised when
compared to Hindus in India as a whole. The Government's decision to transfer 99 acres of forest
land to a Hindu organisation (for setting up temporary shelters and facilities for Hindu pilgrims)
solidified this feeling and led to one of the largest protest rallies in Jammu and Kashmir.
Humanitarian abuses
After insurgency started in Kashmir valley because of above reasons in late 1980s, Indian troops
entered in Kashmir valley to control the insurgency. The troops have been accused of
humanitarian abuses and have engaged in extrajudicial killings.Military forces in Jammu and
Kashmir operate under emergency powers granted to them by the central government. These
powers allow the military to curtail civil liberties, creating further support for the insurgency.The
insurgents have also abused human rights, engaging in what some have called an ethnic
cleansing by exterminating Kashmiri Pandits from the valley of Kashmir. The government's
inability to protect the people from both its own troops and the insurgency has further eroded
support for the government.
Other reasons
The Indian National Census shows that Kashmir lags behind other states in most socio-
development indicators such as literacy rates and has unusually high levels of unemployment.
This contributes to anti-government sentiment.
5.3. Government’s Approach Towards Insurgency in J & K
The response of the Indian state towards the political insurgency in Kashmir during the last two
decades has gone through various stages. In the final outcome, New Delhi’s response to the
insurgency has moved from a heavy handed approach devoid of non-violent means for the most
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part to an active search for dialogue and broader peaceful interventions. As the situation has
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moved from
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stable peace prior to the troubles of the 1980s to war and back towards crisis and unstable
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peace along the conflict curve, an increasing emphasis on peacebuilding approaches aimed at
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bringing about sustainable peace and harmony have been on display. And yet, the Indian state’s
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actions have not fully moved away from militarism that continues to impede faster
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transformation to a normalized situation.
UDAAN Scheme
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Udaan, the Special Industry Initiative (SII) for J&K is funded by Ministry of Home Affairs and
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implemented by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The programme is a part of the
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overall initiative for addressing economic issues in J&K. While steps are being taken by the State
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and Central Government to revive economic activity in J&K, Udaan programme is a special
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Udaan program is focused on youth of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) who are graduate, post graduate
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and three year diploma engineers. The aim is to provide skills and job opportunities to the youth.
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Simultaneously, the aim is also to provide exposure to corporate India towards the rich talent
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pool available in J&K. The target was to reach out to 40,000 youth in J&K over a period of 5 years.
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It was observed that youth from J&K were unable to find employment in many companies as
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either they were unaware of the opportunity in the companies or the companies were unaware
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of the talent pool that existed in J&K. The principal focus of the Udaan programme is to create
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an ecosystem that would bridge this gap. The Udaan programme is designed to encourage
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corporates to travel to J&K meet with the youth and hire aspiring youth in J&K who wish to
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explore the opportunity to work with corporates. Udaan provides a framework of support to the
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youth to travel, undergo training in firms and transit to work.Udaan has two objectives :
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• To provide exposure to the graduates and post graduates of Jammu and Kashmir to the best
of corporate India and
• To provide corporate India with exposure to the rich talent pool available in the state
Rehabilitation Policy
The objective of this Rehabilitation Policy is to offer facility to those terrorists who undergo a
change of heart and eschew the path of violence and who also accept the integrity of India and
Indian Constitution to encourage them join the mainstream and lead a normal life and contribute
towards prosperity and progress of the State as well as the Nation.
Surrender Policy
The policy is intended to facilitate the return of ex-militants who belong to J&K state and had
crossed over the PoK/Pakistan for training in insurgency but have given up insurgent activities
due to a change of heart and are willing to return to the State.
Other Initiatives
• Placement of Special Police officers for their services in the state
• Subsidised Helicopter services in the state
• Scheme for providing financial assistance to the families of displaced persons of PoJK
• Central scheme for assistance towards damaged immovable/movable property during action
by CPMFs and army in jammu&kashmir.
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• Rehabilitation of surrendered militants.
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• Disposal/resolution of cases against terrorists for waging war against the Indian nation.
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Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits and other Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
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• Reconstruction of the state.
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• Revival of Kashmiriyat and Sufism to reduce the adverse impact of fanatic jihadi ideology.
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Conflict resolution.
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Role of the media.
5.5. Why Militancy has failed in Kashmir? uk
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The situation in Kashmir can be significantly cooled down by the state and Central governments
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reducing steps which exacerbate ethnic and religious tensions and by improving the stagnant
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quality of governance. Following are the few reasons due to which militancy has failed to succeed
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in Kashmir:
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The Kashmir issue affects just six per cent of the Indian population and is extremely localised.
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The concerns of the Kashmiri Muslims have failed to find resonance with the Muslim
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• Likewise, the concerns of other ethnic groups like the Kashmiri Pandits, have also failed to
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find resonance with major segments of the Indian population which are more concerned with
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The moderate Kashmiri leadership has failed to emerge and lacks the vision to espouse the
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Kashmiri cause. The constant bickering, one-upmanship and a congenital disdain and abuse
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for anyone seen close to the Indian leadership in New Delhi has cost Kashmiri leaders dearly.
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• With the increasing authority and spread of Indian government resources, the ability of
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terrorists to strike has been eroded and jihadi propaganda has lost its punch. The lure of a
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secure government job has eclipsed the lure of jumping across the border and pick up the
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gun.
• The disillusioned Kashmiri youth now want to fight its war on social media rather than adopt
guerrilla warfare. Social media has opened new channels for Kashmiris to express their
feelings of discontent and dissent.
• World sees Kashmir as a border dispute between India and Pakistan and not an ethnic terror
conflict
• Indian soft power has permeated the bowels of the Valley and overthrown Pakistani
propaganda and the demonstration of India's pluralistic society is on display at all times. It
has played a great role in forming public awareness and shaping public attitudes in Kashmir
enhancing India’s soft power.
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killings of security forces and high profile individuals, is primarily responsible for the rise
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in incidences of violence.
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In order to counter the grave security threat, the government of India has been taking
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various institutional, developmental as well as capacity building steps.
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Institutional Measures:
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• A Police Modernization Scheme in areas affected by Naxal movements. Under this
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scheme, modernization of police equipment and tactical gear including latest
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communication, vehicles and infrastructure facility is taken up and to determine
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police stations and outposts susceptible to Naxal attacks to be fortified.
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• Due to increased use of IED by the Naxalites and the increased number of casualties,
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• Central Para Military Forces have been deployed on a long term basis by the
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• The government, to strengthen the security network in the states, had set-up the
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Indian Reserve (IR) battalions. These forces along with providing additional security
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Developmental Measures:
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scheme on 100% grant basis in November 2010, under which the funds were to be
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placed at the disposal of district level committee which will have flexibility to spend
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districts.
• Saranda Action Plan: It is a rural livelihood development plan for naxal hit areas of
under developed regions (Saranda is in West Singhbhum District, Jharkhand)
launched by the Government of India in 2011. As Development and security are
integral to each other, so the main aim is to bring about rural development, in
backward areas, especially tribal and adivasi areas and weed out Maoism in these
areas. Similarly Sarju Area Development Plan was started in Sarju Kone area of
Latehar.
• The government started the Backward Districts initiative in 2003-2004 and the
Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) where worst affected areas in states were to
be provided with funds to tackle the problem of Naxalism. Around 250 districts have
been included in the BRGF scheme to accelerate socio-economic development in
these districts.
Steps for Capacity Building in security arena:
• Revising the sanctioned strength of police stations and filling the vacancies that exist.
Strengthening the manpower by transferring district/state armed reserve to police
stations can also be done.
• Building the basic infrastructure on a priority basis with timelines in naxal affected
districts, particularly improvement of police infrastructure, intelligence and military
capabilities along with the formation of specialized forces.
• Many states are adopting the capacity building program based on the reverse
application of the revolutionary field tactics used by Maoists, which has been
successfully used by the Greyhounds in Andhra Pradesh. For example, while surprise,
secrecy and speed have been the driving tactics for the Maoists, the greyhounds in
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Andhra Pradesh have used a reversal of the same strategy that has proved to be
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triumphant for the state.
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To prevent the spread of Naxalism, the best strategic response would be to work with
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civil society actors to counter the Naxal narrative and ideology. This requires a
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fundamental re-conceptualization of the strategy to counter Naxalism. State response
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must be recalibrated to privilege the use of “brain force” over “battalion force”. A
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consensus needs to be arrived at that can serve as a force-multiplier for the security
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2. While extreme inequalities are a major source of tension, the developmental deficits in
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the country are too great to allow developmental interventions to play any defining
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role in the resolution of existing conflicts within a reasonable time frame. Analyse with
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Answer:
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All the regions in which the Naxal, the Maoist and the left wing movement took hold are
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ones with alarming levels of poverty and inequality. Many of these inequalities have also
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a. Unequal development under five year plan: The economic development under five
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year plan led to the formation of the growth poles, i.e. unequal development,
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produce and land which had constituted a significant part of their income and social
fabric, resulted in their extreme deprivation, poverty, bonded labor etc
c. Policies of agrarian development: It focused on massively improving output without
doing enough to check economic and social disparity.
d. Policies of Industrial development: The land acquisition policies, low compensation
to the landowners, degradation of the environment by the industrial setups, all
formed the part of the trajectory of the industrial development.
This trajectory of development has created discontent. The Inequality in the form of class
inequality, regional inequalities, caste inequality and agrarian and economic
exploitations at the hands of the landed class and money lenders manifested itself in the
form of unrest against the landowners, petty bourgeoisie, the beneficiaries of this
development and the state that failed to address the injustices.
Now with the growth of the left wing extremism in these regions of development deficit,
the steps that are require to cure this developmental deficit are further facing major
hurdles as mentioned below:
Lack of Infrastructure: The basic infrastructure that is required for the development to
reach these remote sites of left wing extremism, majorly do not have transport and
communication connectivity and are lack basic infrastructures like bridges, schools,
hospitals etc. which bear the brunt of extremist violence.
Skilled Human Resource Deficit: The skilled human resource in the form of doctors,
teachers and engineers required to bring development to these regions do not wish to
tread these regions due to the threat involved in service to these areas.
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Inaccessibility of government schemes in these remote regions: Absence of government
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machineries and parallel government running in these regions hinder state sponsored
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development to reach these regions.
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Government’s approach in tackling left wing extremism in these regions
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The government approach to this problem has been to deal with left wing Extremism as
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a security problem first and clear all the hurdles from developing these areas, so that the
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discontent fuelling the extremism can be addressed. These include measures like:
Law and Order approach uk
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Police Modernization Scheme in areas affected by Naxal movements. Under this scheme
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huge sums of money have been provided to the state governments by the central
government to modernize their equipment and tactical gear including latest
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communication, vehicles and infrastructure facility. States have also been told to
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determine police stations and outposts that are susceptible to Naxal attacks and have to
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be fortified.
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The government started the Backward Districts initiative in 2003-2004 and the Backward
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Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) under which 55 of the worst affected areas in 9 states were
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to be provided with funds to the tune of Rs. 2475 crores to tackle the problem of
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Naxalism.
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Rehabilitative Approach
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Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007. The main aim of this act is to minimize
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alternatives.
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Forest Rights Act, 2006, The Ministry of Environment and Forests has also allowed use
of 1 hectare of land for non-forest purposes and conversion of kutcha roads into pukka
roads
Approach of Developing Grassroots Democracy
Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 or PESA enable Gram Sabhas to
self-govern their natural resources.
These approaches as a whole with an inclusive development and not development alone
can solve the problems of left wing extremism in the conflict ridden regions.
3. Although insurgency groups are present in both Kashmir and the North-east, their
nature and model of sustenance are entirely different. Analyse. Also, compare the
linkages between organised crime and terrorism in both these areas.
Approach:
Mention the identity based nature of conflict – tribal v/s religious in the two areas.
Comparison of the relationship between organised crime and terrorism should follow
from presence (in NE) and absence (in Kashmir) of parallel governments, kidnapping and
extortion, percolation of government funds to terrorists, etc. should be mentioned. Role
of external factors should also be mentioned.
Answer:
Insurgency is a violent rebellion against a constituted authority, where those taking part
are not recognised as belligerents. The parameters to differentiate the nature of
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insurgencies roll back to their originating factors and the targets desired. Differences in
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models of sustenance can be gauged by (i) structures which support them, such as
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external state and non-state assistance, (ii) sympathy of locals, mostly through
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propaganda, and most importantly, (iii) access to sound financial resources. Both J&K and
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North-east India have witnessed insurgency during larger part in post-independence
period; however, there are certain differences in its nature and model of sustenance.
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Difference in Nature
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• While conflicts in North-east have their origin in distinct tribal identities, the one in
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Kashmir is based on religious identity.
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• Perceived alienation from the mainland has been an important factor in case of
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continuous inflow of migrants from across the border as well as from other states.
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Conflict in Kashmir, on the other hand, is instigated and sponsored from across the
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border, with an overt demand for independence and a tacit understanding for uniting
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with Pakistan.
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however, the attacks are more overt with an intention to keep alive the separatist
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and Manipur in particular), the insurgents mostly run parallel governments through
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extortion, kidnappings and keeping people under constant fear. In Kashmir, the
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governance structures are better established and insurgents have to regularly play
victims of the state in order to win some support.
• External state, i.e. Pakistan is heavily involved in sponsoring of terrorist activities in
the valley directly through ISI and indirectly through jihadist terror outfits. While
many groups in north-east receive support from external states, their role has been
limited and the major source for finance is trafficking, smuggling and extortions.
Comparison of linkages between Organised Crime (OC) and Terrorism in J&K and NE:
In India, linkages between OC and terrorism exist both at national and transnational level.
In North east:
• The organised crime network and the militants are virtually inseparable. Apart from
kidnappings and extortions as criminal sources of finance, much of the government
funds and food supplies are also siphoned-off due to mal-governance. Government
servants are often threatened or bribed to award contracts to individuals patronised
by the militants. These are clear examples of linkage between OC and terrorism.
• These activities are, however, not sufficient to finance their nefarious acts. This is
where transnational linkages through drugs and arms syndicates come into play.
Insurgent groups mobilize funds by becoming couriers of drugs, arms and human
beings. Moreh in Manipur and Chittagong hill tract on India-Bangladesh-Myanmar
border are crucial transit points of the Golden Triangle. Initially the international
crime syndicates (ICS) had their own network; however, with these routes being
taken over by various insurgent groups in the NE, the ICS have started using these
groups as couriers rather than bribing them.
In Kashmir:
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• There is minimal reliance on funds from extortion and other means. There are no
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parallel government structures and the government resources do not easily reach
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the terrorists, even if they may be lost due to corruption.
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• However, external funds compensate more than enough for lack of internal
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mobilisation. Funds mobilised in Pakistan and Gulf countries, mostly in name of
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religious or philanthropic activities reach Kashmir through Hawala (money
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laundering) route.
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Besides, it is also believed that funds from drug trade in the Golden Crescent finance
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terror fuel violence and disorder, the challenge becomes particularly grave. Such threats
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1. Article 244 of Indian Constitution relates to administration of scheduled areas and tribal
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areas. Analyze the impact of non-implementation of the provisions of fifth schedule on the
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2. The persisting drives of the government for development of large industries in backward
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areas have resulted in isolating the tribal population and the farmers who face multiple
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displacements. With Malkangiri and Naxalbari foci, discuss the corrective strategies needed
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to win the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) doctrine affected citizens back into mainstream of
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