NEW DELHI: The parliamentary standing committee for home affairs will take up issues of illegal immigrants, Left-Wing Extremism and border securiy among others, in its second meeting on Tuesday. Home Secretary Govind Mohan will brief the panel on cyber security and host of other issues.
The panel headed by BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal will take up issues like Cyber Crime—Ramifications, Protection and Prevention; Challenges to Internal Security, including Left-Wing Extremism and Influx of Illegal Immigrants. Other issues include Strategies to Control Drug Abuse; Tackling various forms of organised crime, including human trafficking; crime against children; Rising cases of juvenile crime, disaster management, poll and post-poll violence and border nanagement.
In the panel’s first meeting on October 17, “many BJP MPs raised the issue of illegal immigrants entering India”. The issue of illegal immigrants has been at the centre of the BJP’s campaign in Jharkhand with PM Narendra Modi making a pitch to stop the demographic change in the state if the party is voted to power.
Many BJP MPs demanded that the issue be taken up as it poses a serious threat to the demography of states like Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Some members, including Chandrasekhar Azad, wanted to include police reforms in the agenda. Several members raised the rise in cybercrimes involving financial scams from across the country. According to reports, in the first five months of 2024, more than 9.5 lakh complaints were registered with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, averaging one complaint in every 14 seconds. It was estimated that citizens lost Rs 1,750 crore in the scams during this period.
While most MPs demanded a discussion on tackling cyber frauds, the chairman assured the members that the issue would be taken up on priority.
According to the notice published by Lok Sabha, the home affairs panel on Tuesday will “hear the Home Secretary and other senior officers on the functioning of the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
In a recent episode of his radio programme Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi cautioned people about digital arrest, and said that no government agency will contact via phone or video call for such an investigation.
Several members raised the issue of rising crimes against women in the country.