Multi Agency Centre:
The Union Home Minister recently inaugurated the revamped Multi Agency Centre (MAC).
- MAC is a national intelligence-sharing fusion centre under the Intelligence Bureau (IB) where states and central agencies and police forces coordinate to share, store, collate, and analyse inputs on terrorism on a daily basis under four heads – J&K, Northeast, LWE, and Rest of India.
- It was created in December 2001 in the aftermath of the Kargil conflict but was strengthened in December 2008, following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
- As many as 28 organisations, including the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), armed forces, and State police, are part of the platform, and various security agencies share real-time intelligence inputs on MAC.
- The new MAC network connects all police districts in the country through a secured network and has been built at a cost of ₹500 crore.
- It incorporates futuristic capabilities such as embedded artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to harness the potential of the vast database with MAC and Geographic Information System (GIS) services.
- The upgraded network will enhance trend analysis, hotspot mapping, and predictive operations, offering more accurate and actionable outcomes.
- The new MAC network spanning the length and breadth of the country has weaved-in country’s Island territories, insurgency-affected areas, and mountainous high-altitude terrain, ensuring last-mile connectivity down to the level of district SPs in the remotest areas with a fast and standalone secure network.
- It will strengthen the country’s efforts to tackle serious threats like terrorism, extremism, organised crime, and cyberattacks.
