Union Home Minister Amit Shah has positioned the National Integrated Database of Missing and Suspected Persons (NIDMS) as India’s futuristic bulwark against terrorism. During his address at the All India Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police, Shah painted a vivid picture of how this digital fortress will neutralize terror threats before they materialize.
Currently operational with millions of entries, NIDMS is set for a massive upgrade. Advanced technologies like biometric verification, behavioral pattern analysis, and blockchain-secured data sharing will supercharge its capabilities. ‘Imagine a system that flags a suspect the moment they step into any railway station or airport,’ Shah illustrated, stressing seamless integration across 28 states and 8 union territories.
The minister shared alarming statistics: over 3,000 terror-related incidents averted in the past year partly due to early warnings from preliminary NIDMS data. He announced a Rs 1,500 crore allocation for Phase II development, focusing on mobile apps for field officers and drone-linked surveillance feeds.
Addressing inter-agency coordination challenges, Shah mandated quarterly audits and real-time dashboards for chief ministers. ‘No more silos. Terrorism doesn’t respect state boundaries, neither will our response,’ he declared.
While opposition voices cry foul over surveillance overreach, supporters point to plummeting terror incidents post-2019. As global jihadist networks eye India, NIDMS under Shah’s stewardship emerges as a beacon of technological deterrence, redefining modern counter-terrorism.