PRAHAAR: National Counter Terrorism Policy
Source: PIB
GS III: Security Challenges and their Management in Border Areas – Linkages of Organized Crime with Terrorism.
Overview
- PRAHAAR is India’s first comprehensive National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy, aimed at creating a unified national framework against terrorism and radicalisation.
- It shifts the approach from reactive to proactive, with greater emphasis on intelligence, inter-agency coordination and preparedness.
- Its seven pillars cover prevention, response, institutional synergy, Rule of Law, counter-radicalisation, international cooperation, and recovery and resilience.
- The strategy also addresses emerging challenges such as terror financing through crypto and dark-web networks, while strengthening international cooperation.
- Its effectiveness will depend on phased implementation, institutional coordination, regular assessment and addressing gaps in roles and responsibilities across the counter-terrorism framework.
Why in the News?
The Ministry of Home Affairs highlighted PRAHAAR, India’s first comprehensive National Counter Terrorism Policy & Strategy.
News in Brief
- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) unveiled PRAHAAR on 23 February 2026 as India’s first comprehensive national counter-terrorism policy and strategy.
- The policy seeks to address terrorist activities as well as radicalisation within a unified national framework.
- Its implementation will be progressive and phased, with institutional integration being prioritised in the initial stages.
- The strategy was highlighted by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
The Seven Pillars
- PRAHAAR is built on a comprehensive acronym-based seven-pillar strategy,
- Prevention of terror attacks to protect Indian citizens and interests.
- Responses, which are swift and proportionate to the threat posed
- Aggregating internal capacities for achieving synergy in a whole-of-government approach.
- Human rights and ‘Rule of Law’ based processes for mitigation of threats.
- Attenuating the conditions conducive to terrorism, including radicalization.
- Aligning and shaping the international efforts to counter terrorism.
- Recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach.
Counter-Terrorism Measures Under PRAHAAR
- PRAHAAR adopts a comprehensive, intelligence-led and proactive framework to address counter-terrorism objectives, shifting India from a reactive security stance to a proactive doctrine.
- It formalises real-time intelligence sharing through the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) and strengthens coordination between State agencies/police and specialised central forces such as the National Security Guard (NSG).
- The strategy combines critical infrastructure protection (aviation, railways, atomic energy, space installations, and power grids), advanced technology, Rule of Law and human rights safeguards in counter-terrorism operations.
- It promotes community-based counter-radicalisation measures to address the broader terror ecosystem.
- PRAHAAR also counters terror financing by tracing crypto wallets, disrupting dark-web crowdsourcing, and enabling Central Agencies to seize terror-linked assets.
- It aligns India’s counter-terror financing efforts with Financial Task Force (FATF) standards and uses international treaties to block cross-border state-sponsored terror funding networks.
- The Annual Anti-Terror Conference (ATC), organised by the NIA under the Ministry of Home Affairs, brings together stakeholders from law enforcement, intelligence, security forces, policymaking and legal fields.
- The ATC reviews the effectiveness of existing counter-terrorism measures while assessing operational gaps and preparedness.
- It also facilitates policy, legal and institutional reforms, capacity building and coordinated national responses to address the evolving security environment.
Limitations
- PRAHAAR is primarily an MHA-led framework, so it does not clearly address the external and offensive aspects of counter-terrorism.
- The roles of the Armed Forces and external intelligence agencies are not clearly defined, which may create coordination and operational challenges.
- Overlapping responsibilities and differences in organisational culture could lead to turf issues and gaps in implementation.
- A stronger intelligence-based offensive approach could complement PRAHAAR’s focus on preventing and disrupting terrorist activities.
- The strategy also does not clearly define the role of political leadership, which is important for setting priorities and ensuring accountability.
- Strong political direction and executive commitment are essential for ensuring the effective implementation of counter-terrorism policies.
Conclusion
PRAHAAR marks an important shift towards a proactive, intelligence-led and coordinated approach to counter-terrorism. However, its effectiveness will depend on clear inter-agency roles, stronger coordination with external security agencies, and sustained political leadership.
A whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, backed by accountability and institutional cooperation, can make India’s counter-terrorism framework more comprehensive and resilient.
UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question
With reference to PRAHAAR, consider the following statements:
- PRAHAAR is India’s first comprehensive National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy.
- It includes measures to counter terror financing through tracking of crypto wallets and disruption of dark-web financing.
- The strategy focuses exclusively on countering terror financing and does not address terrorist attacks.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A
Mains Practice Question
Q. Terrorism poses a complex challenge to India’s internal security. Discuss the major measures required to strengthen India’s counter-terrorism framework. (250 Words)
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