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Indian Nat’l Intelligence Grid by 2020


Published : 22 Sep 2019 08:24 PM | Updated : 06 Sep 2020 12:21 AM

India is likely to put into operation a robust intelligence gathering mechanism related to immigration, banking, individual tax payers, air and train travels by January next year, officials said on Sunday. Work on the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) set up to track any terror suspect and prevent terrorist attacks with real time data has been accelerated after Home Minister Amit Shah recently reviewed the progress of the Rs 3,400 crore project mooted after the November 26, 2008 deadly attack by ten Pakistani terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba on India’s financial hub Mumbai. That attack left 166 people, including foreigners, dead.

Absence of real-time information was considered to be a major handicap in detecting the movement of US terror suspect David Headley, involved in the Mumbai terror attack, across India the country during his multiple visits between 2006 and 2009. Headley had provided key information and videos of terror targets to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

"In all probability, the NATGRID will start functioning from early next year," a Home Ministry official told the Indian media. The NATGRID will have data related to all immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions, credit card purchases, telecom, individual tax payers, air flyers, train travelers besides others to generate intelligence inputs.

The 10 agencies which will be able to access the NATGRID data on real time basis are: Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Directorate General of Central Excise and Intelligence (DGCEI) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

While the NATGRID has finalized the process for getting the data on about eight crore tax payers from the Income Tax Department, talks are on with the Civil Aviation Ministry, Director General of Civil Aviation and airlines to get information about domestic passengers. "The NATGRID can also have readily available data on banking transactions and immigration as both sectors are equipped with real time mechanism," another official said.