Rajnath Singh reviews intelligence bureau function

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who has been interacting with various divisions of his ministry as part of his familiarization with issues concerning the ministry, on Tuesday paid a visit to the Intelligence Bureau ( IB) wing in North Block to review the functioning of multi-agency centre ( MAC) and its linkages with the states.

Singh walked across to the IB division in the North Block, located diagonally opposite his office in North Block. The Intelligence Bureau division here houses the office of IB chief Syed Asif Ibrahim and other senior officers. The official IB headquarters, however, located at a sprawling complex on Sardar Patel Marg.

Singh is said to have reviewed the functioning of MAC, the nerve centre of intelligence flow and collation, and its linkages with the states, during Tuesday's tour of the IB division in North Block. The minister spent a good part of the afternoon understanding the systems that ensure seamless flow of intelligence from across the states to the MAC, which is then analysed for follow-up action. He is said to have been briefed in detail by IB director on proposed expansion of MAC connectivity.

The new home minister has been spending long hours taking presentations from various divisions in the Union home ministry, besides speaking to state governments on tackling issues like Left-wing extremism. Singh has favoured further strengthening of the IB and MAC and improving linkages with the state IB wings.