IB Centenary Lecture: President Murmu calls for people-centric national security

New Delhi: At the IB Centenary Lecture held in New Delhi on Monday, President Droupadi Murmu emphasised that national security must place citizens at its centre and rely on active community participation.

Addressing the centenary endowment lecture of the Intelligence Bureau, the President said the IB had played a stellar role since Independence. Importantly, she said the organisation consistently safeguarded the unity and integrity of the nation while protecting citizens.

Referring to the lecture theme, People-Centric National Security: Community Participation in Building Viksit Bharat, the President said it carried immediate as well as long-term relevance. Therefore, she stressed that national security could not remain the sole responsibility of government agencies.

According to her, all institutions, including the IB, should spread awareness among citizens. As a result, people would understand that national security was a shared responsibility. Alert citizens, she said, could support security agencies through timely and credible inputs.

Moreover, when citizens acted as organised communities, they could create strong synergy. This collective effort, she added, would reinforce government initiatives related to internal security. She also recalled that the Constitution outlined Fundamental Duties, many of which related directly to national security.

The President said students, teachers, media, resident welfare associations and civil society groups had a key role. In this way, citizens would move from being observers to becoming active partners in security. She described Jan Bhagidari as the foundation of people-centric national security.

IB Centenary Lecture outlines security challenges and community role

Continuing the IB Centenary Lecture, President Murmu said community participation had already strengthened national security in many instances. For example, alert citizens had helped professional forces avert crises through timely information.

At the same time, she said civil police and internal security agencies must work with a strong spirit of service. Consequently, this approach would build public trust. Such trust, she added, remained essential for a people-centric security strategy.

Highlighting present challenges, the President said India faced multi-dimensional security threats. These included border tensions, terrorism, militancy, insurgency and communal radicalisation. In recent years, however, cybercrime emerged as a major concern.

She warned that insecurity in any region affected economic investment and growth across the country. Therefore, building a Surakshit Bharat was necessary to achieve a Samriddh Bharat.

The President noted that left-wing extremism was close to total eradication. She said sustained action by security forces played a major role. Additionally, a holistic approach helped win community trust. Socio-economic inclusion in tribal and remote areas reduced exploitation by extremist groups.

Turning to information security, she said social media had transformed communication. While it enabled creation, it also enabled destruction. Hence, protecting citizens from misinformation required constant and effective effort. She called for communities of responsible users who promoted fact-based narratives.

On emerging threats, the President said the most complex challenges were digital and non-traditional. The growing menace of digital fraud, she noted, required vigilance at household and community levels. Digital platforms, she said, could empower citizens to report fraud and abuse.

By analysing real-time data, agencies could develop predictive policing models. As a result, vigilant communities would act as a firewall against cybercrime.

Concluding her address, President Murmu said citizen welfare and public participation must guide national security strategy. She expressed confidence that collective vigilance would help build a peaceful, secure and prosperous India.