Good Works Of India’s Honourable Home Minister Amit Shah

Born on 22 October 1964, Amit Anil Chandra Shah rose from being a grassroots worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become the Union Home Minister of India in 2019. His journey has been deeply intertwined with India’s political evolution over the past three decades. His tenure as Home Minister, particularly starting from 30 May 2019 when he formally took over the Home Ministry in the second Narendra Modi government, has been marked by significant decisions, reforms and initiatives that have left a strong mark on India’s governance and security structure. To understand the enormity of his work, one must look at it chronologically, juxtaposing his political evolution with the dates of his major reforms and the context in which they were introduced.

When Amit Shah took over as Home Minister on 1 June 2019, the most formative and historically significant developments happened within two months. On 5 August 2019, he engineered the legislation to repeal Article 370 and Article 35A of the Indian Constitution, thereby ending the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. This was not just a legal move but the fulfillment of a historic political promise. The decision meant that the Constitution of India would apply fully to Jammu and Kashmir and integrate it more tightly with the rest of the nation. It also meant the division of the state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh – an administrative reorganisation that formally came into effect on 31 October 2019, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The date was chosen with symbolism, as Patel was India’s first home minister and an architect of national integration. In this one move, Amit Shah combined a historic grievance, the BJP’s long-term political commitment, and a transformative administrative reform aimed at integrating the people of Jammu and Kashmir more closely into the mainstream of Indian development and democracy.

After the Article 370 decision, Amit Shah steered the Home Ministry towards bringing stability to the region. In the months after August 2019, security forces worked under his instructions to maintain peace, prevent large-scale violence, and gradually restore communication channels, schools, and businesses. By December 2019, internet services were gradually restored in phases, and Shah personally monitored the review of law and order, showing his detailed involvement. In the parliamentary debates of November and December 2019, he repeatedly emphasized that the repeal was aimed at development and equality, particularly emphasizing how the Dalits, women, and tribal communities of Jammu and Kashmir were previously deprived of rights that were available to citizens in the rest of the country. His emphasis on integration was not just political but had a humanitarian tone, aimed at extending the benefits of Indian welfare schemes to the previously deprived population.

Even before the dust on Jammu and Kashmir settled, Amit Shah pushed through another major legislative measure – the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was passed on 11 December 2019. The Act amended the Citizenship Act 1955 to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities – Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians – from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, provided they had entered India before 31 December 2014. Shah argued in Parliament on 9 and 10 December 2019 that India had a moral responsibility to shelter these communities facing religious persecution. He highlighted historical examples from the Partition in 1947 and the decades that followed where these groups faced discrimination in theocratic states. Although the law led to protests in parts of India, Amit Shah said that its aim was not to exclude anyone but to protect the persecuted. His speeches recorded in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha debates in December 2019 demonstrated his clarity of reasoning and his determination in implementing the law.

As 2020 began, the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. As Home Minister, Amit Shah played a key role in the national lockdown announced on 25 March 2020. The Home Ministry issued guidelines, notifications and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to regulate movement, transport and economic activities almost every week between March and September 2020. Shah personally reviewed with state Chief Ministers and health officials, and ensured coordination of oxygen supply, quarantine protocols and movement of migrant workers. By May 2020, he had directed states to set up shelter facilities and provide transport for stranded migrants, recognising the unfolding humanitarian crisis. On 23 May 2020, he wrote to Chief Ministers asking them to expedite the arrangement of trains and buses, and later oversaw “Shramik Special” trains to safely transport millions of migrants back to their home states. His role during the pandemic was administrative, logistical and humanitarian, reflecting his grasp on both governance and crisis management. Another important moment came on 5 August 2020, exactly a year after the Article 370 repeal. On this day Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the Bhoomi Pujan in Ayodhya for the construction of the Ram Temple, fulfilling the centuries-old aspiration of millions of Hindus. Though this was a judicially sanctioned outcome following the Supreme Court verdict of 9 November 2019, Amit Shah’s organisational abilities and his constant emphasis on national unity played a background role in maintaining peace across the country during this sensitive issue. His ministry ensured that law and order remained stable at the time of the verdict and later during the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony.

In late 2020 and early 2021, Shah again focused on internal security and regional development. In December 2020 he visited Assam and Meghalaya to review border security and peace agreements. Earlier on 27 January 2020, a historic Bodo Accord was signed with various Bodo groups, including factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) in Assam. The accord, signed under Amit Shah’s leadership, ended decades of insurgency, promised development councils and ensured rehabilitation of former militants. Shah himself attended the signing ceremony and described it as a new dawn of peace in Assam. On 27 February 2020, during his speeches in Parliament, he linked the peace accord to a broader vision of Northeast integration, and often reiterated his commitment to “make the Northeast free of violence, corruption and drugs.”

In the year 2021, Amit Shah strengthened his initiatives in police modernization, border security and counter-terrorism. On 16 January 2021, he inaugurated new facilities of the National Security Guard (NSG) in Kolkata, with an emphasis on technology-driven security. In June 2021, he once again reviewed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and assessed development work and security after the disarmament. His visit to Srinagar from 23 to 25 October 2021 was his first visit after the 2019 changes, where he addressed the youth, met local delegations and inaugurated new development projects, showing his long-term commitment to the region.

By 2022, Amit Shah launched the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav police initiative, which links national security to India’s 75th year of independence. On 28 March 2022, he addressed the 49th Foundation Day of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), calling for better policing and improved forensic support. In July 2022, he piloted the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, which replaced centuries-old laws to allow modern biometric data collection, thereby strengthening law enforcement. His speech to Parliament on 4 April 2022 clarified that privacy safeguards have been built in, while the law will empower the police with advanced tools.

Shah’s role in legislative reforms became even more pronounced in 2023. On 11 August 2023, he introduced three new bills in Parliament to replace colonial-era criminal laws: the Indian Justice Code (replacing the IPC), the Indian Civil Protection Code (replacing the CrPC), and the Indian Saksham Adhikari (replacing the Evidence Act). These were passed by December 2023 and implemented in July 2024. Shah described it as the “biggest legal reform since independence” and argued in the Lok Sabha on 11 December 2023 that these laws would provide speedy justice, strengthen victims’ rights, and reduce colonial burdens. The emphasis on crimes against women, terrorism and organised crime reflects his focus on modern challenges. The dates of introduction, debate and final passage are marked in parliamentary history as milestones in legal reform under his leadership.

He also focused on left wing extremism between 2023 and 2024. Between 2021 and 2024, there were multiple reviews on dates such as 26 September 2021 (Raipur), 14 April 2022 (New Delhi) and 31 August 2023 (Jharkhand), where he highlighted that violence had reduced by more than 70% since 2014. He attributed this to better coordination in affected areas, improved road and telecom connectivity, and welfare schemes reaching the tribal population. These results were part of his broader principle that security and development must go hand in hand.

Beyond security and law, Amit Shah also took up the cooperative sector after 2021, when he was given charge of the newly created Ministry of Cooperation on 6 July 2021. Here he initiated reforms to modernise cooperative banks, digitise primary agricultural credit societies (PACS), and strengthen milk, sugar, and credit cooperatives. His speeches on 31 October 2021 (on Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary in Gujarat) and later on 24 June 2022 (National Conference of Cooperatives in Delhi) linked these efforts to inclusive growth.

Between mid-2024 and 2025, Amit Shah continued to improve border security, police training, forensic modernisation, and counter-terrorism infrastructure. On 9 August 2024 he launched the National Forensic Infrastructure Plan, under which funds would be allocated for forensic laboratories in every state. He also oversaw improvements in cybercrime response units, acknowledging the growing digital threats to India’s security.

Thus, across the dates of 5 August 2019 (Article 370 repeal), 11 December 2019 (CAA passage), 25 March 2020 (Covid lockdown coordination), 27 January 2020 (Bodo Accord), 4 April 2022 (Criminal Procedure Bill debate), 11 August 2023 (introduction of new criminal codes), and July 2024 (implementation of new laws), Amit Shah’s tenure has been full of transformative work, combining security, integration, welfare, and modernization. His approach has consistently combined historical legacies with futuristic reforms, whether in Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast India, or the national criminal law framework.

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