What is National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (NFIES)?

About National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (NFIES)

• It is a Central Sector Scheme with a financial outlay of Rs 2,254.43 crore during the period from 2024-25 to 2028-29.
• It aims to enhance forensic infrastructure in the country.
• Components under this Scheme:
  • Establishment of campuses of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in the country.
  • Establishment of Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSLs) in the country.
  • Enhancement of existing infrastructure of the Delhi Campus of the NFSU.
• The financial outlay of the NFIES will be provisioned by the Ministry of Home Affairsfrom its own budget.
• Need for NFIES:
  • With the enactment of the New Criminal Laws, which mandates forensic investigation for offences involving punishment of 7 yearsor more, a significant increase in the workload of forensic science laboratories is expected.
  • Further, there is a significant shortage of trained forensic manpower in the Forensic Science Laboratories (FSL) in the country.
  • The establishment of additional off-campuses of the NFSU and new CFSLs would address the shortage of trained forensic manpower, alleviate the case load / pendency of forensic laboratories, and align with the Government of India's goal of securing a high conviction rate of more than 90%.

Q1: What is Forensic Science?

Forensic science is the use of scientific methods or expertise to investigate crimes or examine evidence that might be presented in a court of law. Forensic science comprises a diverse array of disciplines, from fingerprint and DNA analysis to anthropology and wildlife forensics.

Source: Cabinet clears scheme for forensic infra with outlay of Rs 2,200 crore