On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah instructed officials to speed up the process of fencing and road construction in border regions. He also urged officials to conduct on-site visits to oversee the progress of development programs and stressed the significance of sensitivity and the necessity for all senior officials to establish a personal connection. On April 18, a brainstorming session known as ‘Chintan Shivir’ was led by Mr. Shah, involving senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) throughout the day.  

The primary goal was to assess the Ministry’s efforts and develop a course of action for realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Vision 2047’. The two sessions begin with a thorough evaluation of the extent to which the directives provided by the Home Minister had been followed, setting the tone for subsequent discussions. During the meeting, Mr. Shah assessed the performance of various systems such as the MHA dashboard, Government Land Information System, e-office, budget utilisation, and special recruitment drive. 

On the other hand, he also discussed the priorities and goals for the upcoming years, as well as the stance on Aatma Nirbhar Bharat. Mr. Shah highlighted the need to establish a robust system for managing cybercrime, upgrade the police forces, utilise technology for the criminal justice system, manage land borders effectively, and strengthen coastal security. 

According to him, there should be increased utilisation of Artificial Intelligence to leverage the database of Crime and Criminal Tracking and Network Systems for comprehensive scrutiny of crimes, with the aim of enhancing safety for women, children, and other vulnerable groups in cities.

As per the details released by the Ministry, the Minister emphasised the importance of expediting the recruitment process and recommended starting the recruitment process well in advance to anticipate future vacancies. He also suggested that Departmental Promotion Committees should convene meetings regularly to ensure timely promotions for employees.

In addition, he highlighted the need for implementing diverse welfare initiatives for the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) members, such as establishing healthcare amenities and enhancing the housing satisfaction index, among other measures. The Minister of Home Affairs also underlined the significance of regular training for all departments of the MHA.