Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Thursday that the central government will soon introduce a “national counter-terrorism policy and strategy.” He emphasized the need for a unified approach to combat “terrorism, terrorists, and their network.”

The union minister added that the government has prepared documents for the states and union territories on a model Special Task Force (STF) and anti-terrorism squad (ATS), which, if approved, will serve as a common framework and platform to combat the threat of terrorism. Addressing the chiefs of state police, senior security officials, and central agencies at the opening session of the two-day Anti-Terror Conference 2024 organized by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi, Shah stated, “We need to work together to fight terrorism, terrorists and their ecosystem. And that’s why, we are bringing a new national counter-terrorism policy and strategy in which you all will play a key role.”

Shah stated that "the new policy will help states and central agencies work in unison to deal with terrorism," reaffirming that law and order is a state responsibility. According to Shah, standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to the model ATSs and STFs are also being shared, and states are free to modify them to suit their own needs. “To make India developed by 2047 as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we need to deal with all security challenges and have a unified terror-fighting ecosystem. This (adopting model ATS and STF) doesn’t reduce the rights of states,” he added.

The Home Minister also mentioned that a focused group within the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) is being set up. This platform enables agencies and states/UTs to share real-time intelligence daily. Over the years, the annual NIA conference has become a key gathering for operational forces, as well as technical, legal, and forensic experts involved in counter-terrorism. It provides a space to discuss issues impacting national security and threats arising from terrorism. 

The main goal of the conference is to build cooperation among different stakeholders by creating pathways for coordinated action against terrorism, following a "whole of government approach." This will also provide valuable insights for shaping future policies, according to a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). “The deliberations and discussions in the two-day conference will be focused on various matters of importance including prosecution and evolving legal framework in counter-terrorism investigations, sharing of experiences and good practices, challenges and opportunities related to emerging technologies, international legal cooperation and strategies for dismantling terror ecosystem in various counter-terrorism theatres across India. The conference is being attended by senior police officers from states/UTs, officers from central agencies/departments dealing with issues related to counter-terrorism and experts from related fields such as law, forensics, technology etc,” the MHA said.

Twenty-one director generals of police (DGPs) and representatives from all central intelligence and investigation agencies, including the CBI, ED, NIA, DRI, NCB, IB, and R&AW, are among those attending the conference.