Amit Shah Chairs MHA Panel Meet on Forensics in A&N Islands

05 Jan 2026 CW Team

The meeting was attended by Union Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, the Vice Chancellor of NFSU, the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), and other senior officials.

Addressing the committee, Shah said the MHA has held 12 such consultative meetings since 2019, yielding positive outcomes. He said it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to ensure timely justice after the full implementation of the new criminal laws. Shah stated that the government aims to build a system by 2029 under which the entire judicial process—from registration of an FIR to adjudication by the Supreme Court—can be completed within three years. He added that reforms initiated since 2022 are aligned with this objective and are being monitored through a 360-degree review mechanism.

Shah said the government has been focusing on strengthening forensic capabilities since 2020, even before the new criminal laws came into force in July 2024. He noted that the impact of these reforms is already visible, citing cases in West Bengal and Bihar where convictions were secured within 62 days and 50 days respectively.

Highlighting past challenges, Shah said gaps in technology, weak chain of custody, shortage of skilled professionals, limited forensic infrastructure, and lack of national standards had earlier hampered investigations. He said forensic labs will now send reports directly to courts, with a copy to police, and that the Centre and states will invest ₹30,000 crore over five years to expand forensic infrastructure nationwide.

He added that reforms such as e-Summons, e-Sakshya, mandatory forensic visits for serious crimes, videography of seizures, and clear legal recognition of digital evidence will strengthen investigations, while provisions like e-FIR, Zero FIR and Trial in Absentia will improve access to justice, especially for women and the poor.

News source: PIB

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with discussions centred on the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU).The meeting was attended by Union Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, the Vice Chancellor of NFSU, the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), and other senior officials.Addressing the committee, Shah said the MHA has held 12 such consultative meetings since 2019, yielding positive outcomes. He said it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to ensure timely justice after the full implementation of the new criminal laws. Shah stated that the government aims to build a system by 2029 under which the entire judicial process—from registration of an FIR to adjudication by the Supreme Court—can be completed within three years. He added that reforms initiated since 2022 are aligned with this objective and are being monitored through a 360-degree review mechanism.Shah said the government has been focusing on strengthening forensic capabilities since 2020, even before the new criminal laws came into force in July 2024. He noted that the impact of these reforms is already visible, citing cases in West Bengal and Bihar where convictions were secured within 62 days and 50 days respectively.Highlighting past challenges, Shah said gaps in technology, weak chain of custody, shortage of skilled professionals, limited forensic infrastructure, and lack of national standards had earlier hampered investigations. He said forensic labs will now send reports directly to courts, with a copy to police, and that the Centre and states will invest ₹30,000 crore over five years to expand forensic infrastructure nationwide.He added that reforms such as e-Summons, e-Sakshya, mandatory forensic visits for serious crimes, videography of seizures, and clear legal recognition of digital evidence will strengthen investigations, while provisions like e-FIR, Zero FIR and Trial in Absentia will improve access to justice, especially for women and the poor.News source: PIB

Infrastructure Transport

01 Jun 2026

MMRDA advances 250 m on Orange Gate–Marine Drive tunnel

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed 250 m of underground tunnelling for the Orange Gate–Marine Drive Urban Road Tunnel using India’s largest slurry shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) deployed for an urban road project.The project involves twin tunnels extending over 7 km beneath critical transport corridors, including Central Railway, Western Railway and Metro Line 3. The work requires high-precision engineering to navigate densely developed urban infrastructure.Once completed, the tunnel is expected to reduce travel time between Orange Gate and Marin..

Infrastructure Urban

01 Jun 2026

Hindustan Zinc Pays Rs 188.46 Billion in FY26

Hindustan Zinc contributed Rs 188.46 billion to the public exchequer in FY 2025-26, according to its 9th Tax Transparency Report. The contribution, equivalent to 46 per cent of the company’s revenue, included direct and indirect taxes, government royalties, dividends to the Government of India, withholding taxes and other statutory levies.The company’s five-year cumulative contribution to the exchequer stood at Rs 915.72 billion. In FY26, Hindustan Zinc reported revenue of Rs 408.44 billion, EBITDA of Rs 221.62 billion and profit after tax of Rs 138.32 billion. It also achieved its highest..

Infrastructure Urban

01 Jun 2026

World of Concrete India 2026 Opens in Mumbai

Informa Markets in India will host the 12th edition of World of Concrete India 2026 from 3–5 June 2026 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. The specialised B2B exhibition will bring together manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, developers, architects, consultants, infrastructure companies, project leaders and government stakeholders.The event is expected to feature over 350 brands and more than 18,000 trade professionals. It will cover concrete and cement, dry mortar, precast technologies, formwork, construction chemicals, industrial and commercial flooring, scaffolding, safety solutio..