NEW DELHI, AUG 12 (PTI): India has 819 Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) established across the country, with the Centre advising states to strengthen inter-state coordination to tackle human trafficking, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
In response to a question, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the responsibility for preventing and countering human trafficking, including establishing inter-state coordination mechanisms and standard operating procedures, primarily rests with the respective states and UTs as “Police” and “Public Order” are State List subjects.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, however, supplements the efforts of states through advisories issued from time to time, the minister said.
It has advised states to establish mechanisms for “effective inter-state coordination” and encourage convergence among all state departments and stakeholders for effective handling of trafficking cases.
The government said the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, Crime in India 2024, shows that “819 Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) have been established by the States/UTs”, including 44 in Bihar.
On training, the Centre said it has been assisting states and UTs in holding state-level conferences and judicial colloquiums to sensitise police and law officers about the latest initiatives and developments related to human trafficking.
The Bureau of Police Research and Development, through its outlying units, has also conducted specialised training for AHTU personnel of states and UTs, the government said.
The ministry has also advised authorities to make full use of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) and Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) for sharing information on significant crimes, including human trafficking.
Cri-MAC facilitates real-time sharing of information on significant crimes among police authorities of States and UTs, enabling inter-State coordination in trafficking cases.