WE ARE SETTING UP AN INTEGRATED CYBER SHIELD FOR INDIA

Union Home Minister Amit Shah began his political journey at the age of 13, when he took part in the 1977 general election campaign by putting up posters for Maniben Patel, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh candidate and daughter of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

- BY NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA

A rare politician with nearly half a century of experience, he has led the robust approach under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in tackling India's internal security challenges notching up key wins such as bringing left-wing extremism, once termed the biggest threat to internal security, to its knees; integrating northeast insurgent groups into the mainstream; overseeing the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir amid efforts to dismantle the terror ecosystem; and initiating reforms in the criminal justice system through three new laws—the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.

Shah, 60, is spearheading Prime Minister Modi’s “national security first” approach to establish a new pillar of internal security within the Union home ministry—India’s first cyber shield—to protect several families defrauded in cyber space, as rapid digitisation brings new vulnerabilities.

He is acutely aware that the common man is falling prey to cyber criminals each day. “One day, my wife pointed out that I was speaking Bhojpuri in a speech widely circulated on social media. I was amazed to see myself speaking languages I don’t know. The common man will not know what is real or fake, as technology is evolving rapidly. We are prepared to meet these challenges with the new cyber infrastructure being built for a safe digital India,” says Shah, in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, referring to the menace of deepfake videos.