40 lakh workers, 5.65 lakh police officials trained for new criminal laws awareness

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry is preparing to roll out three new criminal laws next week, with 40 lakh grassroots-level functionaries trained to ensure public awareness, especially among women and children, official sources said Wednesday.

Over 5.65 lakh police, prison, forensics, judicial, and prosecution officials have also been trained on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, which will replace the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and Indian Evidence Act, respectively, starting July 1.

Emphasising technology in investigations, trials, and court proceedings, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has made 23 modifications to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems (CCTNS) application, under which all cases are now registered at police stations nationwide. The NCRB is providing technical assistance for a seamless transition and has formed 36 support teams and call centres to aid states and Union Territories in implementing the new laws.

The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) developed training modules and conducted 250 courses, webinars, and seminars, training 40,317 officers and personnel. States and Union Territories have also trained 5,84,174 officials, including 5,65,746 police officers, under BPR&D’s guidance. iGOT-Karmayogi Bharat and BPR&D offer three training courses each on the new laws, with 2,17,985 officials enrolled.

To ensure citizens are aware of the reforms, the ministries of Women and Child Development, Rural Development, and Panchayati Raj conducted webinars with nearly 40 lakh grassroots functionaries. The Department of Legal Affairs organised four conferences in state capitals, attended by the Chief Justice of India, Supreme Court and High Court judges, and domain experts.

The Department of Higher Education and UGC circulated informative flyers on the new laws to 1,200 universities, 40,000 colleges, and approximately 9,000 AICTE institutions for sensitization. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) developed eSakshya, NyayShruti, and eSummon Apps for crime scene videography, judicial hearings, and electronic court summons.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has promoted the new laws through various initiatives. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) conducted 17 nationwide ‘Vartalaps’ media workshops in state capitals. Public broadcasters Doordarshan

and Akashvani aired special programs, and MyGov shared informative flyers on social media and sent mails to over seven crore citizens.

The states and Union Territories are fully prepared in terms of technology, capacity building, and awareness generation for the new laws, which were passed by Parliament in its winter session of 2023, assented to by the President, and notified in the Gazette of India on December 25, 2023.