GS3 PYQs (Mains Answer Writing): Challenges in Internal security of India | UPSC Mains: Internal Security & Disaster Management PDF Download

Q1: What are the internal security challenges being faced by India? Give out the role of Central Intelligence and Investigative Agencies tasked to counter such threats. 
Ans: A sovereign nation's primary duty is safeguarding its citizens from both internal and external threats. Since gaining independence, India has confronted various internal security challenges, including insurgency, militancy, and externally influenced rebellions.

Internal Security Challenges for India:

• Separatist Movements: Feelings of separatism persist since the nation's inception, causing unrest in law and order. Examples include Nagaland separatism and Kashmiri separatism.
• Communalism: Strife between major religious groups often breeds hatred and conflicts, fueling separatist tendencies and making citizens vulnerable to terrorist activities.
• Illegal Migration: Over the years, illegal migration has led to associated problems like demographic changes and increased unemployment, straining the nation's resources.
• Left-Wing Extremism: Noted in central and eastern India, marked by Marxism or Maoism as its political ideology. Socio-economic disparities and land alienation contribute to its emergence.

Various Intelligence and Investigative Agencies Operate in India with Different Mandates:

• National Investigation Agency (NIA): Premier counter-terrorism law enforcement agency investigating offenses affecting India's sovereignty, security, and integrity.
• Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB): Apex body coordinating between narcotics and drug law enforcement agencies, working to prevent drug trafficking across India.
• Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI): Deals with intelligence on smuggling contrabands, investigating related cases, and aims to prevent black money proliferation and money laundering.
• Intelligence Bureau (IB): Apex intelligence body responsible for collecting information within the country, executing counter-terrorism operations, and handling matters of domestic intelligence and internal security.
• Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW): Handles foreign intelligence operations, conducts counter-terrorism operations, and provides advice to Indian policymakers.

• Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI): Premier investigating police agency established on the recommendation of the Santhanam Committee, conducting investigations and acting as the point of access for Interpol.

Internal security is crucial for a nation's growth. Indian Intelligence and Investigative Agencies, often unsung heroes, have played a significant role in securing our lives.

Q2: Analyse the multidimensıonal challenges posed by external state and non-state actors, to the internal security of India. Also discuss measures required to be taken to combat these threats.
Ans: Introduction
Internal security has assumed core importance for India. As India now aspires and rises to taking the high seat in the comity of nations, the security challenges become more compounded and complex. India faces multifold threats from external states and non-state actors on the internal security front. State actors include the foreign government representative and their agencies. Non-state actors may include NGOs, multinational companies, terrorist and religious groups, hackers, etc.
Challenge posed by external state actors

• A few of India’s bordering countries support the insurgent groups through funding, training, or coordination. For example, China is alleged to support insurgents in the North-East.
• There have been instances where state actors have been responsible for carrying out cyber warfare through hacking and other espionage.
• State actors also fund their proxies in and out of India to spread instability within the country and tarnish its stature at the global platforms.

Challenges posed by non-state actors

• Multi-national Companies (MNCs) have the potential to threaten national security, especially in the data security and cyberspace domains, and by influencing the policies of their respective governments. It is the reason several Chinese apps were blocked in India recently.
• Non-state organisations with anarchic and fundamentalist ideologies repugnant to the secularist credentials of India are potential threats to the peaceful internal security environment of the nation.
• Propagandas are run and funded by enemy countries and other non-state actors (NGOs and civil society organisations) to destabilise India by damaging the socio-religious fabric and ensure riots.

Following measures shall be undertaken to combat the internal security challenges

• There must be effective communication and coordination between intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies.
• Sound cyber security measures must be in place to prevent any attempt of cyber attacks.
• Collaboration should be there between the government, media and the public to ensure quick and efficient sharing of information about suspicious activities to the law enforcement agencies.

Conclusion 
We need to understand national security in a comprehensive sense and not in narrow military terms only. While it is imperative to guard our borders and strengthen our diplomacy, we also need to check the various non-state actors who come in hidden forms. There is a need for a national internal security doctrine to deal with various challenges.