 Please be seated. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, namaskar to all present here. And it's a great delight and an honor to be now greeting and welcoming all of you in the inaugural session of the third NMFT Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing, being organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India. And we thank Honorable Prime Minister Modi for leading us today. Ladies and gentlemen, a bold and a decisive global leader whose every thought and action is deeply immersed and ingrained in the very spirit of Vasudeva Katunkam. He's always treated and felt the whole world is one big family. And we all need to come together to address the challenges of this world. Also deeply ingrained and immersed in the Indian philosophy of Advaita that reflects the belief in the essential unity of all living beings, a thought that can provide us a way out of many conflicts, challenges, and dilemmas rife in this contemporary world. So as we thank Honorable Prime Minister Modi for his leadership, I would like to request our Honorable Union Minister of Home and Cooperation, Shri Amit Shahji, to kindly welcome the Honorable Prime Minister by presenting him a plant. Thank you, Honorable Minister, sir. And I now request and invite the Director General of NIA, the National Investigation Agency, Shri Dinkar Gupta for his welcome address. Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Indorendra Modi. Honorable Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister, Shri Amit Shahji. Honorable Minister of State for Home, Shri Nitinand Raiji. Mr. A.K. Doval, National Security Advisor. Union Home Secretary, Shri A.K. Bhallaji. Excellencies, Honorable Ministers, heads of delegations, representatives of international and multilateral organizations, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen. It's an honor for me to extend a very warm welcome to all of you at the Third No Money for Terror Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terror Financing. On behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Investigation Agency, and the people of India. The third edition of the NMFT conference is being held in New Delhi after a gap of three years since the second conference in Australia in November 2019. As the host nation, India is delighted to witness this coming together of 78 countries and 16 organizations on the issue of terrorism, which is the single biggest threat to peace, security, and development in the world. Your presence here today is indeed a manifestation of our collective will and determination to fight the menace together. It's an honor and a privilege for me to extend a very warm welcome to the Honorable Prime Minister of India, who has kindly consented to inaugurate this conference. Sir, your zero-tolerance policy to terrorism, whole-of-government approach, along with the strong and resolute leadership provided by you has brought about a remarkable change in the security scenario of the country. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to share with you that there has been a significant reduction in terrorist activity in India during the leadership of the Honorable Prime Minister in the last eight and a half years. There has also been a large decrease in the overall economic impact of terrorism on India during this period. Sir, your presence here today is symbolic of India's unwavering commitment to the fight against global terrorism and the need for strengthening international cooperation to ensure security across the world. It also gives me great pleasure to welcome Honorable Union Home Minister and Co-operation Minister Shri Amit Shahji, whose consistent efforts, clear direction, and competent stewardship of the security apparatus have led to a paradigm shift in security and policing in India. The Robbers' counter-terror response under his leadership has led to the destruction and dismantling of terrorist networks and the terror ecosystem. Sir, we are indeed grateful to you for your direction and support at all times. Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, choking and disrupting financial flows to the terrorists is one of the most effective ways to fight terrorism. The inaugural No Money for Terror ministerial conference hosted by France in 2018 called for a collective involvement in the fight against terrorist entities, groups, and individuals. The 2019 conference hosted by Australia built on the Paris agenda and highlighted the best practices to counter-terrorism financing and the need to develop strong coordination and partnerships among nations. The third NMFT conference, which has brought us all together today, aims to place special emphasis on the recent trends in terror financing and the emerging terror funding channels and technologies. Technology has become a key enabler of terror financing today. The growing use of digital assets and cryptocurrencies, online payment systems, and crowdfunding platforms provide new channels for terror funding. At the same time, the traditional methods, such as conventional banking channels, remittances, money laundering, and the misuse of non-profit organizations continue to be exploited. It is therefore essential to put in place robust legal and operational frameworks and share the technical expertise to detect, investigate, and prosecute terror financing cases in such a scenario. We look forward to hearing the views and experiences of the countries and organizations present here today, which would go a long way in strengthening the global response to the complex issue of financing of terror. Thank you, Jai Hind. Thank you, sir, for your insightful views and your welcome remarks. And now, ladies and gentlemen, as we seek to be led and guided by the Honorable Prime Minister, please join me as I request Honorable Prime Minister Modi for his inaugural address. My colleague in the Union Cabinet, Sri Amit Shah, distinguished dignitaries, delegates from different countries, members of investigative agencies, and security forces from across the world, and my dear friends. I welcome you all to the third ministerial conference on counter-terrorism financing. Friends, it is significant that this conference is happening in India. Our country faced the horrors of terror long before the world took serious note of it. Over the decades, terrorism in different names and forms tried to hurt India. We lost thousands of precious lives, but we have fought terrorism bravely. The delegates have a chance to interact with the country and people who have been formed in tackling terror. We consider that even a single attack is one to many. Even a single life lost is one to many. So, we will not rest till terrorism is uprooted. Friends, this is a very important gathering. It should not be seen as a gathering of a ministers only, because it deals with a subject that impacts entire humanity. The long-term impact of terrorism is particularly hard on the poor and on the local economy, be it tourism or trade. Nobody likes an area that is constantly under threat. And due to this, the livelihoods of people are taken away. It is all the more important that we strike at the root of terror financing. Friends, in today's world, ideally there should be no need for anyone to remind the world of the dangers of terrorism. However, there are there are still certain mystical notions about terrorism in some circles. The intensity of the reaction to different attacks cannot vary based on where it happened. All terrorist attacks deserve equal outrage and action. Further, sometimes there are indirect arguments made in support of terrorism to block action against terrorists. There is no place for an ambiguous approach while dealing with a global threat. It is an attack on humanity, freedom and civilization. It knows no boundaries. Only a uniform, unified and gelo-tolerance approach can defeat terrorism. Friends, fighting a terrorist and fighting a terrorism are two different things. A terrorist may be neutralized with weapons. Immediate tactical responses to terrorists may be an operational matter. But tactical gains will soon be lost without a larger strategy. Aim at hurting their finances. A terrorist is an individual. But terrorism is about a network of individuals and organizations. Approaching terrorism needs a larger proactive response. If we want our citizens to be safe then we cannot wait until terror comes to our homes. We must pursue terrorists break their support networks and hit their finances. Friends, it is well known that terrorist organizations get money through several sources. One source is state support. Certain countries support terrorism as part of their foreign policy. They offer political ideological and financial support to them. International organizations must not think that the absence of war means peace. Proxies wars are also dangerous and violent. There must be a cost-impose upon countries that support terrorism. Organizations and individuals that try to create sympathy for terrorists must also be isolated. There can be no ifs and buts entertained in such matters. The world needs to unite against all kinds of overt and covert backing of terror. Friends, one of the source of terror funding is organized crime. Organized crime should not be seen in isolation. These gangs often have deep links with terrorist outfits. The money made in gun-running drugs and smuggling the pump into terrorism. These groups help with logistics and communication to action against organized crime is extremely important in the fight against terror. At times even activities like gun-running and financial crimes have been known to help terror fundings. Fighting it needs global collaboration. Friends, in such a complex environment the United Nations Security Council financial action transports financial intelligence units and the Agmont Group are boosting cooperation in preventive detection and prosecution of illegal fund flows. This is helping the war against terror in many ways over the past two decades. This also helps understanding terror funding risks. Friends, now the dynamics of terrorism are changing. Rapidly advancing technology is both a challenge and a solution. New kinds of technology are being used for financing and recruitment. Challenges from the doctorate private currencies and more are emerging. There is a need for a uniform understanding for new finance technologies. It is also important to involve the private sector in these efforts. From a uniform understanding a unified system of checks and balances and regulations can emerge. But we must be careful about one thing. The answer is not technology. Instead it is to use technology to track, trace and tackle terrorism. Friends, today cooperation is needed not only in the physical world but also in the virtual world too. The infrastructure used for cyber terrorism and online ridiculization is disturbing. Some also offer weapons training from a remote location and online resources, communications, travel, logistics there are many links of the chain in different countries. Each country can must act against the part of the chain within the reach. Friends, many different nations have their own legal principles, procedures and processes. Sovereign nations have a right to their own systems. We must also be careful not to allow extremists to misuse differences between systems. This can be prevented through deeper coordination and understanding between governments. Joint operations intelligence coordination and extradition help the fight against terrorism. It is also important that we jointly address the problem of radicalization and extremism. Anyone who supports radicalization should have no place in any country. Over the last few months many conferences have been held in India relating to different dimensions of security. India hosted the General Assembly of the Interpol in New Delhi a special session of the United Nations Security Council counter-terrorism committee happened in Mumbai at this no-money-for-terror conference India is helping build global momentum against terror funding. Our intention is to bring the world together in taking the war against terrorism to the next level. Friends, I wish all the participants success in the deliberations over the next few days. I am positive that you will help in attacking terror funding in all its dimensions. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Honorable Prime Minister Sir, for your global vision, your resolve and your clarion call for a collective, effective zero-tolerance approach and your deep guiding insights into tackling the menace of terrorism and terror financing. Thank you, Honorable Prime Minister Sir, for your guiding message. And as we express our gratitude and appreciation to the Honorable Prime Minister, may I request once again our Honorable Union Home Shri Amit Sharjee to please present a memento to the Honorable Prime Minister. And please once again, ladies and gentlemen, join us in thanking the Honorable Prime Minister for leading us for his clarion call for peace and tranquility and the cooperation from all. Thank you. With that, once again, thank you to the Honorable Prime Minister. I conclude the inaugural session.