Home Ministry sets up two new divisions to deal with radicalisation

The Union Home Ministry, as part of an administrative rejig, has formed two new divisions to exclusively deal with emerging security challenges such as radicalisation and cyber crime.

An official said yesterday that the two divisions called Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Radicalisation (CTCR) and the Cyber and Information Security (CIS) also encompass merger of some of the Ministry's existing divisions. 

The CTCR wing, which is basically modified version of the Home Ministry's internal security-II division, will focus on tracking and assessing the online reach of global terrorist outfits and devising strategies to



counter their propaganda. The CIS division will monitor online crimes and threats, including cyber fraud and hacking, and suggest ways to minimise and fight them.

An official said the need for a counter-radicalisation division and policy was felt as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was keen that the problem should be solved from the base.

The Ministry's judicial division and centre-state divisions are also being rolled into one, as are international cooperation and public grievances divisions. The Home Ministry will continue to have 18 divisions, each headed by a joint-secretary level officer.