The wheels have started moving on the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) again. The ambitious integrated intelligence grid that was set up in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks ought to have completed three phases by now. But it is still struggling to complete the first phase.
The Modi government now wants to get it on track and home minister Rajnath Singh has given instructions to infuse fresh blood into Natgrid. Both the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and National Security Advisor (NSA) AK Doval have approved the move.
Natgrid is a brainchild of former union home minister P Chidambaram and was approved by the UPA government. Despite giving its stewardship to a private security expert, Captain Raghu Raman, it failed to move ahead during the Congress regime.
The scheme started losing steam from the time of Sushilkumar Shinde as Union home minister in August 2012. By the end of 2013, most of the 50-odd software experts, who were brought in from reputed companies on handsome salaries, left the project.
Currently, Natgrid has a plush office, with 20-odd people, and is functioning without a head.
Sources told dna that a search committee will be set up "once the special secretary (internal security) joins the home ministry as he would be the one responsible for making Natgrid functional." Natgrid envisages a powerful, real-time 24X7 networking of 21 databases, with enforcement agencies having analytical capability to cross-link different pieces of information and flag "tripwires" to indicate unlawful or terrorist activities in progress or likely to take place.
The system can continuously searching billions of transactions in all databases simultaneously and can mark out transactions with names that could be potentially harmful for the country. Security hawks say Natgrid would be able to develop unconventional but highly valuable data sources like visitor records of jails and sales of fertilisers that can be used to make improvised explosives and track several other transaction and movements to pre-empt a terrorist attack.
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