Explained: Modi’s Vision for a SMART Police in India

In India
October 6, 2025
Dinesh Singh Rawat
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s SMART Policing vision aims to transform India’s law enforcement into a force that is Strict but Sensitive, Strategic and Transparent. From Artificial Intelligence to community trust, the initiative integrates technology, training, and accountability to modernise policing for Viksit Bharat 2047.

New Delhi (ABC Live): India’s idea of policing predates the nation-state. In Kautilya’s Arthashastra, the Dandapala was a guardian of justice, not a wielder of fear — bound by dharma to “restrain the wicked through justice, not cruelty.”

That civilisational idea broke in 1861, when the British created a force designed for obedience, not service. The Police Act of 1861 still defines much of India’s policing, embedding command over compassion.
To modernise, India must rediscover its moral compass — service instead of subjugation, trust instead of terror.

The Colonial Hangover

At Independence, India retained the same structure — the same Act, hierarchy, and mindset.
Commissions and courts urged reform, yet “modernisation” was limited to material upgrades: jeeps, radios, rifles.
The missing element was philosophy — a policing model that combined discipline with dignity, authority with accountability, and enforcement with empathy.

The Birth of “SMART” Policing

“By ‘SMART’ policing, I mean — S for Strict but Sensitive, M for Modern and Mobile, A for Alert and Accountable, R for Reliable and Responsive, and T for Techno-savvy and Trained.”
— Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PIB, 30 Nov 2014

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the concept at the 49th DGP/IGP Conference (Guwahati, 2014), he gave India’s police a moral and managerial vocabulary — one that fused technology with ethics and reaffirmed the human side of enforcement.

SMART Policing 2.0 — From Idea to Institutional Vision

At the 59th All India Conference of DGPs/IGPs (Bhubaneswar, 30 Nov–1 Dec 2024), the Prime Minister expanded the SMART mantra to meet emerging security realities:

“Police must be Strategic, Meticulous, Adaptable, Reliable, and Transparent.”
— PIB Delhi, 1 Dec 2024

He urged police leadership to harness India’s double AI power — Artificial Intelligence and Aspirational India — to convert cybercrime and deepfake threats into opportunities.
He called for using technology to reduce constabulary workload, make police stations resource hubs, and launch National Police Hackathons to innovate solutions.

SMART 2.0 thus reimagines police as strategic partners in nation-building, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

The Legal Spine of SMART

The Constitution gives moral and legal force to the SMART framework. Articles 14, 21, and 39-A enshrine the principles of equality, liberty, and access to justice.
In Prakash Singh v. Union of India (2006), the Supreme Court mandated fixed tenures, separated law and order from investigation, and created Police Complaints Authorities — turning reform from rhetoric into rule.

Lok Sabha — The New Dharma Sabha

In a democracy, moral oversight comes from Parliament.
Through the Bharatiya Nyaya, Nagarik Suraksha, and Sakshya Sanhitas (2023–24), the Lok Sabha has modernised India’s criminal law ecosystem.
It allocates ₹26,275 crore under ASUMP (2021–26) and audits progress through the Standing Committee on Home Affairs, ensuring accountability from the Home Ministry to the thana.

Humanising the Uniform

The proposed Police Mental Resilience Test (PMRT) assesses empathy, stress management, stamina, and intelligence.
Women’s representation—currently 12%—must rise to at least 33%.
This reform restores policing to its civilisational roots: humane strength guided by samyam (self-restraint).

Modernisation under SMART Policing (2025)

Two major policy statements — 26 March 2025 and 6 August 2025 — show SMART policing institutionalised under the Umbrella Scheme of Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF) and Assistance to States & UTs for Modernisation of Police (ASUMP).

Key Infrastructure and Training Milestones

CCTNS: 17,712 police stations networked; 35.24 crore crime/criminal records accessible nationwide.
Thematic Modernisation: Annual State/UT Action Plans focus on cyber policing, forensics, or communication upgrades.
Capacity Building: 1.02 lakh officers trained online, 79,909 certificates issued via the CyTrain portal.
Human-Centric Reform: 10% of ASUMP funds earmarked for mental wellness, yoga, and police-public interface.
Cyber Forensics: 33 labs functional; 24,600 personnel trained under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women & Children (CCPWC) scheme.
AI Collaboration: India signed an MoU with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and held Cyber Dialogues with 13 nations.
G20 Conference 2023: Hosted by MHA and CBI on AI and Metaverse Security, highlighting India’s global leadership.

SMART has thus evolved into an annual planning cycle — measurable, funded, and reviewable.

Gandhinagar SMART Police City — Model for Localised Modernisation

A new chapter in SMART policing began on 5 March 2025, when Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), in collaboration with Gandhinagar Police, launched the ‘Gandhinagar SMART Police City Project’ — PIB Ahmedabad, 5 Mar 2025.

Key Features of the Initiative

Comprehensive Evaluation: 250 Gandhinagar police personnel are undergoing physical and psychological assessments to enhance mental resilience and operational readiness.
Scientific Well-Being: Expert counselling and follow-up programmes to address mental and emotional stress in service.
Technology Integration: Deployment of advanced communication systems and digital feedback tools to strengthen police–citizen interaction.
Community Orientation: Promotes a policing environment where citizens feel safe, heard, and respected.
Academic Partnership: RRU provides research, analytics, and training — linking policing practice with evidence-based study.

This project embodies the essence of SMART Policing — scientifically trained, mentally balanced, and technologically enabled officers serving citizens with empathy.
It also demonstrates how Modi’s national vision is being localised through institutions like RRU, turning Gandhinagar into India’s first prototype of a “SMART Police City.”

Accountability and Community Trust

With 10% of ASUMP funding ring-fenced for public interface initiatives, every thana is expected to hold open houses, grievance sessions, and stress-relief workshops.
Community policing is thus no longer voluntary — it is a performance metric.

Today’s Position — Where India Stands in 2025

Dimension	Achievements	Endeavour Needed
Infrastructure	17,712 stations on CCTNS; Gandhinagar model project underway	Full AI-based analytics, replication of the SMART City model across India
Human Capital	1 lakh trained online; RRU wellness assessments begun	Institutionalising PMRT and psychological services nationwide
Cyber Capacity	33 labs, 7 JCCTs, Samanvaya Portal operational	Dedicated State-level cyber command centres
Accountability	10% ASUMP budget for police-public interface	Empower Police Complaints Authorities with staff and funds
Public Trust	NCRB 2023: slight fall in custodial deaths	Sustained perception reforms, media transparency

India’s SMART policing structure is built; what remains is to embed the spirit — making service, sensitivity, and science habitual, not exceptional.

From Vision to Verification

SMART Policing now links three scales of governance:
national policy (ASUMP–MPF), state implementation (Action Plans), and city innovation (RRU Gandhinagar Model).
Together, they form the operational backbone of Viksit Bharat 2047 — a police system that is technologically modern, psychologically resilient, and morally grounded.

Editor’s Note (ABC Live Perspective)

ABC Live publishes this integrated analysis to chronicle how the SMART philosophy has evolved from a Prime Minister’s idea into an ecosystem — supported by Parliament, nurtured by institutions like RRU, and realised by officers on the ground.
India’s future policing will be judged not by the number of weapons it owns, but by the trust it earns.