Natgrid to be put up for CCS okay
As per the Natgrid proposal, as many as 21 sets of databases would be made readily accessible to 11 agencies including the Intelligence Bureau, R&AW, NIA, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Defence Intelligence Agency.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: The Natgrid proposal — envisaging linking of 21 categories of databases maintained by different public and private agencies for ready access by the country’s intelligence agencies — is scheduled to come up for discussion at the next meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) here.
With inputs from various ministries such as external affairs, finance, defence and telecom to the Natgrid note already in, the home ministry has now decided to bring the proposal for final clearance. The CCS nod will pave the way for setting up of Natgrid in the next couple of years.
The home ministry has been pressing for inter-linking various individual databases — like railway and air travel, income-tax, phone calls, bank account details, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records, property records and driving licence details — so as to enable quick, seamless and secure access to all information desired by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
As per the Natgrid proposal, as many as 21 sets of databases would be made readily accessible to 11 agencies including the Intelligence Bureau, R&AW, NIA, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Defence Intelligence Agency.
The government, to ensure that the NIA project is handled with due professionalism, has brought in security expert and head of Mahindra Special Services Group Raghu Raman as its chief executive officer (CEO).
As things stand today, the crucial databases listed above stand alone and are handled by different agencies.
As home minister P Chidambaram had recently pointed out in his IB endowment lecture — that proposed a major revamp of the country’s security apparatus — neither does one database talk to another database, nor can the ‘owner’ of one database access another database. “As a result, crucial information that rests in one database is not available to another agency....Under Natgrid, 21 sets of databases will be networked to achieve quick, seamless and secure access to desired information for intelligence/enforcement agencies,” he had stated.
Lack of real-time information was a major hurdle in detection of US terror suspect Headley's past as well as his movements across the country during his multiple visits to India between 2006 and 2009.
During these visits meant not only to recce the 26/11 attack sites but also scan future terror targets, Headley moved freely in and out of the country, besides travelling to Pakistan after each visit here.
With MHA already having identified Natgrid user agencies and databases, the project is likely to be implemented in three phases within two years.
With inputs from various ministries such as external affairs, finance, defence and telecom to the Natgrid note already in, the home ministry has now decided to bring the proposal for final clearance. The CCS nod will pave the way for setting up of Natgrid in the next couple of years.
The home ministry has been pressing for inter-linking various individual databases — like railway and air travel, income-tax, phone calls, bank account details, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records, property records and driving licence details — so as to enable quick, seamless and secure access to all information desired by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
As per the Natgrid proposal, as many as 21 sets of databases would be made readily accessible to 11 agencies including the Intelligence Bureau, R&AW, NIA, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Defence Intelligence Agency.
The government, to ensure that the NIA project is handled with due professionalism, has brought in security expert and head of Mahindra Special Services Group Raghu Raman as its chief executive officer (CEO).
As things stand today, the crucial databases listed above stand alone and are handled by different agencies.
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As home minister P Chidambaram had recently pointed out in his IB endowment lecture — that proposed a major revamp of the country’s security apparatus — neither does one database talk to another database, nor can the ‘owner’ of one database access another database. “As a result, crucial information that rests in one database is not available to another agency....Under Natgrid, 21 sets of databases will be networked to achieve quick, seamless and secure access to desired information for intelligence/enforcement agencies,” he had stated.
Lack of real-time information was a major hurdle in detection of US terror suspect Headley's past as well as his movements across the country during his multiple visits to India between 2006 and 2009.
During these visits meant not only to recce the 26/11 attack sites but also scan future terror targets, Headley moved freely in and out of the country, besides travelling to Pakistan after each visit here.
With MHA already having identified Natgrid user agencies and databases, the project is likely to be implemented in three phases within two years.
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