- Why in news
- On 28 July 2026, the MoS Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar told the Lok Sabha in a written reply about progress under NFIES, a ₹2254.43 crore scheme for forensic infrastructure.
- What it is
- NFIES is a centrally implemented scheme of the Ministry of Home Affairs to build forensic infrastructure at identified locations. It supports new campuses of the National Forensic Sciences University and new Central Forensic Science Laboratories. It backs the push for scientific investigation in criminal cases.
- Outlay and period
- Total outlay is ₹2254.43 crore for FY 2024-25 to 2028-29.
- Mode of implementation
- The scheme is implemented centrally at identified locations.
- Co-location
- Six CFSLs (Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar) will sit with NFSU campuses.
- Operational campuses
- NFSU campuses work from transit buildings in Nagpur, Raipur, Khordha, Chengalpattu and Jaipur.
Don’t confuse with NFSU vs CFSL: NFSU is a university for forensic education and research. A CFSL is a laboratory that examines evidence in cases.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Better forensic capacity can raise the quality of evidence and conviction rates.
- It supports the new criminal laws' stress on forensic investigation.
Problems
- Only ₹119.09 crore has been released against a ₹2254.43 crore outlay, showing slow progress.
- Land is not yet allotted for several sites, and trained forensic staff are scarce.
Way forward
- Speed up land allotment and construction, and release funds in time.
- Build a trained workforce through the NFSU campuses.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Scheme with outlay and locations, linked to new criminal laws; schemes are 16% of Prelims news questions but this is a niche one.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.