Centre plans Rs 30,000cr investment to establish network of forensic labs across country in next five years

New Delhi [India], January 3 (ANI): The Central government has decided to invest Rs 30,000 crore to establish a network of forensic labs across the country in the next five years and a forensic university or a Central Forensic Lab by 2029 in every state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday made the announcements while chairing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The subject of the meeting was the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU). The Union Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee, Union Home Secretary, Vice Chancellor of NFSU, Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), and other senior officials were present in the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, the Home Minister said that the "government of India and state governments are going to invest 30 thousand crore rupees over the next five years to build a network of forensic laboratories across the country."
"Along with this, a scientific mechanism has been established to address the lack of nationwide standards," Shah pointed in the meeting.
He mentioned that by sharing best practices and shortcomings, a nationwide standard will be determined.
Informing that every police station in the country has been brought online on the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) by November 2025, the Minister said that today every FIR is available on the central server.
In the coming days, he announced, "A Modus Operandi Bureau will also be established for the mapping of crimes."
"Approximately 36 crore legacy data along with the data of seven lakh FIRs is available online. 22 thousand courts have been connected to e-Courts. In e-Prisons, the data of 2 crore 20 lakh prisoners from jails across the country is available on the central server. In e-Prosecution, data of approximately two crore prosecution cases is available. In the new prosecution system, information of all cases is now being made available in e-Prosecution. Data of 30 lakh 54 thousand cases is available on e-Forensics so that the police can use it. On the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), 1 crore 21 lakh fingerprints are available, which is helping the police in investigation of cases. Data of 9 lakh 44 thousand Narco offenders is also available online. Data of 3 lakh 65 thousand criminals involved in human trafficking has been made online. He said that data of all terrorism cases registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) is also being separately recorded in the NIA database," the MHA said quoting as Shah.
Shah said that currently there are seven CFSLs (Central Forensic Science Laboratories) in the country, while eight new CFSLs are being established.
He said that there will be no state or Union Territory left without either an NFSU or a CFSL. He said that to strengthen the states' FSLs, forensic vans, and regional laboratories, we have provided a grant of approximately Rs 1,000 crore.
Shah said that guidelines have been issued for the standardisation of forensic science departments. "The IT platform for e-Forensics has also been launched, and 143 laboratories across the country, including CFSLs, have already been connected to it."
The Minister said that by 2029, 35 thousand students will be studying forensics at NFSU, and within 3-4 years we will reach saturation level, and that NFSU has 100 per cent placement.
The Home Minister said that so far, 14 campuses of NFSU have been established, and this university is currently running more than 100 training programmes. He mentioned that in the past four years, more than 16 thousand officers have been trained, and the target has been set to nearly triple this number in the next four years.
Union Home Minister said that NFSU has so far registered 46 patents, out of which 30 were registered just in 2024. He said that 96 countries have signed 103 MoUs with NFSU. Additionally, 117 organisations from the central and state governments have also entered into agreements with NFSU.
According to the Minister a long-term roadmap has been undertaken to create an integrated forensic structure, and the government is promoting innovation.
"In the coming times, we will also do good work in forensic intelligence. Along with this, AI-based analysis of forensic results and the continuous updating of software will also be carried out," added the MHA, quoting the Minister.
In the meeting, Shah also said that the MHA has held 12 meetings of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee from 2019 until now, which have yielded good results.
Shah further said that we will create such a system by 2029 in which the entire judicial process--from FIR to the Supreme Court--can be completed within three years.
He mentioned that the reforms undertaken since 2022 have been efforts in this very direction. The Home Minister said that to turn the vision of completing the entire process from FIR to Supreme Court justice within three years into reality, the Ministry of Home Affairs is doing 360-degree monitoring of these efforts and is working to address any shortcomings. (ANI)