National Intelligence Grid:
Officials told that National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is slowly gathering pace and receiving 45,000 requests a month.
- It is a platform for the police and investigating agencies to securely access government and private databases in real time.
- It is conceptualised as a seamless and secure database for information on terrorists, economic crimes and similar incidents to help bolster India’s capabilities.
- The project was started in 2009 in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
- NATGRID was set up as an attached Office of the Ministry of Home Affairs with effect from December 1, 2010.
- It started its operations on December 31, 2020.
- NATGRID database is available to;
- Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Superintendent of Police (SP) rank officers.
- Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
- It has been mandated to maintain a repository of intelligence databases.
- It works as an integrated intelligence grid that connects databases of core security agencies of the government of India.
- It will have data related to all immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions, credit card purchases, telecom, individual taxpayers, air flyers, train travellers besides others to generate intelligence inputs.
- It utilises Big Data and Analytics to study huge amounts of data generated to analyse events in order to get a better picture as well as to trail suspects.
