The Ministry of Home Affairs has outlined PRAHAAR, India’s first comprehensive National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy, unveiled on February 23, 2026, to establish a coordinated national framework for preventing and responding to terrorist activities and tackling radicalisation.
The policy adopts a “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach, bringing together central and state agencies, intelligence organisations, security forces, law-enforcement bodies and communities to strengthen India’s counter-terrorism architecture.
PRAHAAR is based on seven key pillars covering prevention of terror attacks, swift and proportionate responses, aggregation of internal capabilities, protection of human rights and the rule of law, countering conditions conducive to terrorism, international counter-terrorism cooperation, and recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach.
A major objective of the strategy is to move India towards a more proactive and intelligence-led counter-terrorism posture. The framework seeks to strengthen real-time intelligence sharing through the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), enabling agencies to coordinate information and respond more effectively to emerging threats.
The strategy also places emphasis on securing critical infrastructure and establishing a coordinated chain of response between state police and specialised central forces such as the National Security Guard. The objective is to ensure faster mobilisation and better coordination during serious terrorist incidents.
Technology is another key component of PRAHAAR. The framework envisages greater use of advanced technological capabilities for intelligence gathering, surveillance, investigation and operational response, while maintaining safeguards relating to human rights and the rule of law.
Counter-radicalisation has also been incorporated into the national framework. PRAHAAR seeks to address conditions that contribute to radicalisation through community-oriented initiatives and collaborative mechanisms aimed at weakening the wider ecosystem that supports terrorism.
The strategy also targets terrorist financing, including the use of emerging digital channels. Measures include tracing cryptocurrency wallets, disrupting illicit fundraising through the dark web and seizing terror-linked assets through competent central agencies.
India’s counter-terror financing efforts under the framework are also intended to remain aligned with Financial Action Task Force standards and international cooperation mechanisms. The policy seeks to strengthen the ability of Indian agencies to counter cross-border and state-sponsored terror financing networks.
The government has said that PRAHAAR will be implemented progressively and in phases. Institutional and systems integration will be prioritised, while the effectiveness of the measures will be assessed through layered monitoring and oversight mechanisms.
The annual Anti-Terror Conference organised by the National Investigation Agency under the aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs will serve as one of the important mechanisms for reviewing the implementation and effectiveness of the counter-terrorism strategy.
The conference brings together senior representatives from law-enforcement agencies, intelligence organisations, security forces, policymakers and the legal community. It provides a platform to assess existing counter-terrorism measures, identify operational and administrative gaps and recommend policy, legal and institutional reforms.
The government has stated that these assessments will help continuously evolve India’s counter-terrorism framework in response to an increasingly dynamic security environment.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai shared details of the PRAHAAR policy in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on August 12, 2026.
The framework marks a significant effort to integrate prevention, intelligence, rapid response, technology, counter-radicalisation, financial disruption, international cooperation and societal resilience into a unified national approach to counter-terrorism.
