NATGRID Campus Inauguration in Bengaluru

NATGRID UPSC: Relevance

• GS 3: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

NATGRID: Context

• Recently, Ministry of Home Affairs has inaugurated the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) Bengaluru campus that will help in stopping modern day crimes and have the upper hand against any security threats.

What is NATGRID?

• National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is India’s counter-terrorism platform to boost India’s counter-terror capabilities.
• NATGRID is conceptualised as a seamless and secure database for information on terrorists, economic crimes and similar incidents to help strengthen India’s capabilities.
• NATGRID is a robust mechanism to track suspects and prevent terrorist attacks with real-time data and access to classified information like immigration, banking, individual taxpayers, air and train travels.

Why NATGRID is needed?

• Security requirements have changed significantly as compared to the earlier security challenges in terms of data, scope and complexity.
• Therefore, there is a need for legal and security agencies to have automated, secure and immediate access to information obtained from reliable sources.
• The Government has entrusted the task of developing and operating a state-of-the-art and innovative information technology platform for accessing information from the data collection organizations to NATGRID.

NATGRID India

• NATGRID was mooted after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, which exposed the deficiency of security agencies in gathering vital information on a real-time basis.
• Moreover, lack of quick information to intelligence and enforcement agencies was considered one of the major hurdles in detecting U.S. terror suspect David Headley’s movement across the country during his multiple visits between 2006 and 2009.
• The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had given approval to the Rs 3,400 crore NATGRID project in 2010, however, its work slowed down after 2012.
• Then, in 2014, the Union government gave direction for its revival.
• In September 2021, the Union Government said that the NATGRID launch was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In March 2022, the parliamentary panel stressed the need for expediting operationalisation of NATGRID.

Working of NATGRID

• In the first phase, 10 user agencies and 21 service providers will be connected with the NATGRID while in later phases about 950 additional organisations will be brought on board.
• In the following years, more than 1,000 organisations will be further integrated into the NATGRID.
• These data sources include records related to immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions and telecommunications.
• For example: Income Tax Department will share PAN and bank account details of any entity with 10 investigative and intelligence agencies under NATGRID.
• C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) is implementing NATGRID in line with the vision of a self-reliant India.

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