Smartphones free with government’s cash plan
December 17, 2012 at 3:06 pm | Posted in Applications, Infrastructure, Natgrid, Process | Comments Off on Smartphones free with government’s cash planSmartphones free with government’s cash plan
Chetan Chauhan , Hindustan Times
New Delhi , December 17, 2012
Email to Author
First Published: 00:37 IST(17/12/2012)
Last Updated: 02:02 IST(17/12/2012)
The government’s ‘game-changing’ direct cash transfer scheme will come with a free gift next year — Aadhaar-enabled smartphones for around 400 million of India’s poor.
The phones — expected to cost the government Rs. 7,000 crore — will come with 100 hours of free talk time, 500 free SMSes, free internet and a low-rental plan. They will be pre-loaded with mobile banking facilities based on Aadhaar numbers, which means beneficiaries will be saved trips to their bank branches.
According to a senior government official, the phones will be the government’s “direct interface with the beneficiaries” and will “empower the poor” by keeping them informed about the money the government provides for them.
“As soon as the money is credited into an account or ration is received at a fair price shop, the person will receive an SMS on the mobile,” the official said.
Cash transfers are set to roll out in January with a target to reach all by the year-end, in time for the general elections in 2014. The Centre is likely to announce the phone plan in budget 2013.
However, in order to get a smartphone, one must have an Aadhaar number and an account in a bank or post office.
The prime minister’s office has instructed district administrations to help people with these.
Government officials said they would prefer to give the phones to the senior-most female member of a poor household, real “homemakers” and also beneficiaries under different government schemes.
Half of the funding for the scheme is likely to come from the telecom department’s Universal Service Obligation funds while the remaining 50% will likely be bourne by the service provider that wins the bid.
UN convention to boost anti-corruption measures
August 21, 2011 at 2:10 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on UN convention to boost anti-corruption measureshttp://www.business-standard.com/india/news/un-convention-to-boost-anti-corruption-measures/436443/
| UN convention to boost anti-corruption measures |
| Mukesh Butani / May 23, 2011, 0:17 IST |
Last week, India ratified the UN convention against corruption; the ratification comes almost six years after India signed the convention in 2005. The convention, a supplement to transnational organised crime, recognises the need to enhance cross-border cooperation in battling corruption introducing a slew of administrative and legislative measures (for countries) to strengthen domestic legal and regulatory regime. It enumerates application of code of conduct for public servants to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public finances by way of stringent auditing standards. Measures to prevent money-laundering and securing the independence of investigative agencies & judiciary are other aspects that have been dealt with.
In the Indian context, the signing is a landmark development in the backdrop of public outcry on corruption & financial impropriators which has lead to judicial activism and role of multiplicity of investigative agencies and legislative arms of the government.
UN Convention & Indian parallels
The Convention (Article 4) elaborates that member states shall carry out its stated objectives in their respective jurisdictions, in a manner consistent with the principles of sovereignty. It rightly does not permit one member state to interfere with the domestic legal system or territorial integrity of the other unless there is bilateral treaty permitting cooperation between two sovereign states. Hence, an effective implementation will require each member to legislate and maintain coordinated anti-corruption law in accordance with its fundamental principles and constitutional framework. The Convention encourages international collaboration for developing domestic anti-corruption legislation and safeguards.
Further, Article 9 specifically deals with regulatory regime for banking and non-financial institutions to enhance transparency standards and promote international cooperation for exchange of information. To deal with cross-border banking secrecy cases of criminal investigations, the Convention recommends states to ensure adequate safeguards in accordance with domestic legal system. This aspect has been an area of worry for foreign governments and citizens including offshore banks to effectively deal with tax investigations by the Revenue. To prevent trafficking in proceeds of offences of corruption and money-laundering, the Convention advocates setting up of financial intelligence unit responsible for monitoring, analysing and disseminating financial transactions data.
India’s ratification underscores an in-principle alignment to the fundamental principles of the Convention i.e. preserving sovereign integrity, respect for international conventions & treaties, and its desire to legislate laws to prevent tax evasion, corrupt practices and money laundering. One can draw parallels with key features of the Convention – India has enacted prevention of corruption & money laundering laws and if the activists have their say, we could witness a landmark legislation by way of Lokpal Bill. Further, government institutions for implementing and raising awareness on corruption particularly, CVC, CBI and information Commission, etc are in place.
To bolster information exchange, the Government setup National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), brainchild of Home Minister Chidambaram, modeled on the US intelligence Bureau model and expected to compile over 20 diversified databases such as banks, financial intermediaries, telecom service providers, etc. While the turf war on administrative jurisdiction over NATGRID has delayed a much required initiative, once institutionalized, it will promote effective and speedy retrieval of financial and non-financial data by over 10 government agencies (including RAW, Intelligence Bureau, Revenue Intelligence & the Income-tax department).
Clearly, India has the benefit of a well defined domestic institutional framework. Equally important is efficacy of such institutions, its independence – these are our primary challenges not to forget our antiquated laws on rules of evidence, criminal procedure code & delays in court trial. I have no doubt these will evolve and so would banking secrecy laws.
Debate on amnesty to resurface – is over-regulation an answer?
IMF forecast for June 2010 indicate that the aggregate size of global money laundering is between 2- 5% of reported global GDP of USD 60 trillion making it effectively the 3rd largest industry. The size of India’s ‘parallel’ economy is equally disturbing; unconfirmed statistics suggest approximately USD 1.3 to 1.5 trillion stashed in offshore banks in addition to domestic cash dealings; a public interest petition filed in the Apex Court corroborates this estimate. Consistent rap by the Supreme Court on lack of timely action by the investigative agencies is merely suggestive of a long drawn legal process fraught with uncertainty.
Yet, the sheer magnitude of estimates of unaccounted wealth will force India to rush through slew of institutional reforms beyond legislative intent. Importance of bilateral conventions is bound to receive greater attention as crime of corruption & tax evasion spreads beyond national boundaries. No wonder why India is championing the cause of tax information exchange agreements with treaty & non treaty partners including with jurisdictions which have traditionally been classified as tax havens. Such measures are bound to lend legitimacy for investigative agencies to pursue against tax evaders.
An internationally accepted measure for encouraging tax evaders to come forward with a declaration and administration in turn providing an amnesty is well recognised. In the latest such initiative which is presently underway, the United States Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) has unveiled a program titled ‘2011 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative’, encouraging US citizens to report undisclosed foreign accounts and sources of unreported income. The program expects delinquent taxpayers to ensure compliance by remitting past taxes to avoid compounded civil penalties and criminal prosecution. Though, this should not force us to rethink amnesty in Indian context, the question is the most effective way to deal with tax evasion.
We have witnessed multiple amnesty schemes encouraging voluntary disclosure in exchange of remission from criminal prosecution. The verdict is that most have failed and were implemented under different economic and political compulsions. An exception being the ‘97 scheme dubbed as successful due to significant tax mop up where tax payers received immunity from prosecution under Foreign Exchange & Company law besides income & wealth tax. The scheme however drew flak from the highest court and was criticised as being unfair towards honest taxpayers .
So should India legislate another amnesty or do we have an alternative strategy?
One of the ways to resolve the stalemate could be encourage reporting of un accounted foreign income by providing an incentivized tax remission similar to the US scheme. Not that philosophically such a scheme would not go against the interest of law abiding citizens. The scheme could have limited applicability to deal with private citizens only. There are some interesting amendments in the Finance Act of 2011 dubbed by some as shape of things to emerge. Declaration of cross border transactions with notified jurisdictions and subjecting them to onerous documentation compliance is suggestive of ‘fair play’ measure in the scheme of domestic laws.
My feeling is that jurisdictions would be notified after Ministry of Finance takes stock of countries that don’t cooperate with India on tax information exchange treaties.
Further, amendment to tax dividends declared by foreign subsidiaries of Indian corporate at a fixed rate of 15 percent (against 30 ) is viewed as a move to encourage integration of (legitimate I hope !) offshore earnings with the economy. It is also a pre cursor to Direct taxes code provision to tax offshore income under CFC legislation. To call such measures as limited amnesty is far-fetched, nevertheless, they are indicators!
The author is Partner with BMR Legal. Views are entirely personal.
Crack crime with XBRL
August 21, 2011 at 2:08 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Crack crime with XBRLhttp://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/article2042856.ece?homepage=true
Crack crime with XBRL
S. SWAMINATHAN
Over the last week, the CBI has been reeling under the embarrassment of goof-ups over incorrect information. In the Purulia arms drop case, the warrant had expired. In the case of the two wanted men who are actually in India even as the list given to Pakistan says that they are in Pakistan, the information was always available in the system but somewhere along the way the validation checks did not happen. All of these mistakes could have been avoided with XBRL. The government should seriously consider moving all crime records to XBRL to prevent recurrence of such incidents and, more importantly, to make investigations speedier and subsequent prosecution more effective.
XBRL or eXtensible Business Reporting Language, as its full form is, has been in use in India for the last three years at the RBI. From July onwards, some 30,000 companies will be filing their annual returns in XBRL. SEBI too is all set to start receiving filings in XBRL from mutual funds to start with and has drawn up plans to receive data from all market participants in XBRL.
LEAVING A FOOTPRINT
So, what then is XBRL. Simply put, it is an information standard which is also machine readable, or if one is familiar with the technical term, XML. Except that unlike most other XML standards, this is open source and royalty-free. Nobody owns XBRL, though there are several companies in the world which have written software for XBRL.
Every piece of information leaves a footprint. In the case of Feroze Abdul Rashid Khan, who has been lodged in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail, the records would have shown that he had been the government’s guest since February 2010. If only the list had been generated from a set of records in XBRL, this information would have jumped out, pointing to the error. Similarly, in the case of Wazhul Kamar Khan, the man living in Thane, the fact is that he is out on bail. His footprints were visible all over the cases registered against him and by simply writing software to match information footprints, this contradiction too would have been caught. Moving the information to XBRL is about much more than merely creating a database of crime records. The XML nature of XBRL makes it machine readable; what comes over and above is the prescription of data standards which spells out how data will be captured fully.
In the most celebrated white-collar crime of recent times, the problems at Satyam would have been detected early, had the filings been in XBRL. It is unlikely that Ramalinga Raju would have allowed a provident fund deduction from the salaries purportedly paid by him to allegedly fictitious employees; amounts that he allegedly siphoned off for his own benefit. Even the JPC probing the telecom scam would do well to use XBRL in its investigation.
AVOID INHERENT CONTRADICTIONS
Whether it be white-collar crimes or crimes of any other colour, painstaking investigation requires the piecing together of information that tells a cogent story without inherent contradictions. In short, the footprints must match. With the help of XBRL that task will become a lot easier.
It is time the CBI, as the nodal investigative agency, or NATGRID, the National Intelligence Grid, the brainchild of the Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, adopts information standards to make their respective tasks easier. XBRL is still in its early days in many parts of the world and the focus in many countries continues to be on business and financial reporting. India would be viewed as a pioneer if it looks beyond. The time to do that is now.
Natgrid can prevent terror attacks: Chidambaram
August 20, 2011 at 1:31 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Natgrid can prevent terror attacks: Chidambaramhttp://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/chidambaram-on-national-intelligence-grid/1/141127.html
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Courtesy: Headlines Today
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Natgrid can prevent terror attacks: Chidambaram |
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 Chidambaram said that the National Intelligence Grid can help prevent 26/11-type terror attacks.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said theNational Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), which has been given an ‘in principle’ clearance by the Cabinet, will be in place in 18 months. In an exclusive interview toHeadlines Today, Mr Chidambaram said,” It has taken us months to convince others.” “There is fear of new knowledge and new technology. Faced with these, people shrink or hold back,” he said. A brainchild of Chidambaram, NATGRID took several months to get the cabinet nod. The Home Minister denied that any turf war between the home, defence and finance ministries delayed the clearance. “Everyone is convinced … Home Ministry is not the owner of the NATGRID and but just its sponsor,” said Chidambaram. Asked about concerns on encroachment on citizens’ privacy, Chidambaram told Headlines Today‘s Executive Editor Rahul Kanwal, “There will be a large number of safeguards for the data and the individual to whom it belongs. It doesn’t own or store data but only indexes data … Fears of data theft and privacy concerns are unwarranted.” The minister said the leak would not take place at NATGRID or because of NATGRID, but “because of poor security systems of the owners”. “These need to be enhanced.” Asked about senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley questioning the intelligence of putting ‘actionable intelligence’ on NATGRID, Chidambaram said it would not affect secrecy. “I concede Mr Jaitley is more intelligent…But these are off the cuff remarks…You cannot reduce a sophisticated system to the simplistic form of an open library system.” Elaborating on the concept of NATGRID, Chidambaram said it is a system of predictive forecasting and studying the behaviourial patterns of individuals and organizations. It will be for accessing data, but it will not store any data by itself. “The NATGRID system will get the highest security clearance – SAG 3 or SAG 4.” Chidambaram admitted the goof-ups in ‘India’s Most Wanted’ list could have been avoided had the system of NATGRID been in place. Calling them as “genuine errors”, he said it underlined the need for the system of indexing data that could have prevented the mistakes. The minister also said NATGRID could prevent a repeat of 26/11 like terror strikes as the system would pick up activities of people like David Coleman Headley. He dismissed criticism that NATGRID would make the Home Ministry overbearing. “There will be only some authorized users. Even the Home Minister will not be one.” |
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Captain Raghu Ram and a nation of numb people
August 19, 2011 at 2:00 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Captain Raghu Ram and a nation of numb peopleNatgrid CEO P Raghu Raman: New face of Intelligence
August 19, 2011 at 1:57 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Natgrid CEO P Raghu Raman: New face of Intelligencehttp://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-06-12/news/29647514_1_natgrid-warsaw-data
Natgrid CEO P Raghu Raman: New face of Intelligence
When he was in the army, P Raghu Raman wrote what he calls a “paper”, which one of his senior-most officers happened to read. Raman, now the CEO of National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), concluded in his paper that the Indian forces adopted a farcical mix of the Nato and Warsaw doctrines; while the former alignment, equipped with state-of-the-art weapons, would not “cede an inch”, the low-cost-arms-using Warsaw line-up let enemy forces advance until the time was ripe for them to strike back. Raman wrote that India followed the Nato policy with cheap “Warsaw equipment”.
For someone who can reel out detail after detail about “lessons” from the Second World War, other battles and even hostage crises—such as the one in Russia’s Beslan, much like a war historian, the army was perhaps not the right place to hang out for long. Raman, 47, who joined the Indian Military Academy in 1986 after graduating in commerce from Sri Venkateshwara College, Delhi, was destined to be elsewhere: he quit as captain in 1998 to pursue other interests.
“This is my sixth startup,” he says, referring to Natgrid, which got an in-principle approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security early this week. He hastens to add that “the Natgrid is not an organisation, but a tool”.
Raman says his isn’t some snoopy tool either. “Natgrid does nothing more than route information from 21 data sources to 10 user agencies … it is like a Google of such data sources.”
Raman, who heads a team of some 40-odd people picked from the government and the private sector, argues that rather than promoting invasion into people’s privacy, Natgrid will protect all information and act as a deterrent to misuse of data; as per the initial plan, the user agencies can route their queries through Natgrid, which will function as a central facilitation centre, to “data sources” such as banks and airlines, they are the Research and Analysis Wing, the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation, Financial Intelligence Unit, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Enforcement Directorate, Narcotics Control Bureau, Central Board of Excise and Customs and the Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence. These agencies will get bolted-down computer terminals for accessing information from Natgrid.
NATGRID may miss a David Headley like person
August 18, 2011 at 9:13 am | Posted in Natgrid, Problems | Comments Off on NATGRID may miss a David Headley like personhttp://www.dnaindia.com/india/analysis_natgrid-may-miss-a-david-headley-like-person_1555081
NATGRID may miss a David Headley like person
Published: Wednesday, Jun 15, 2011, 2:21 IST | Updated: Tuesday, Jun 21, 2011, 20:43 IST
By Radhavinod Raju | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
NATGRID, or National Intelligence Grid is back in the news after a hiatus. It hit the headlines in late 2009, as the brainchild of Union home minister P Chidambaram in the fight against terrorism.
Raghu Raman, former head of the Mahindra Special Services Group, was appointed to head the new organisation. Before this appointment, Chidambaram was said to have discussed, with various agencies, ‘in detail implementation of this ambitious project without infringing upon the privacy of individuals whose details – banking, insurance, immigration, income tax, telephone and internet usage, will be on the NATGRID’.
NATGRID was mandated to link 21 different databases for the access of 11 security agencies, including the newly established National Investigation Agency.
According to media reports, the telecom and internet service providers will be mandated by regulations to compulsorily link up their databases with NATGRID. The databases so far identified for being linked in the grid include those of rail and air travel, phone calls, bank accounts, credit card transactions, passport and visa records, PAN cards, voter ID card details, ration card details, land and property records, automobile ownership and driving licences, degrees from schools and colleges, sale of certain chemicals, and police station and jail records.
The NATGRID can give the 11 authorised security and investigation agencies access to this data base. Law enforcement and security agencies already have access to most of these records even now, but they work individually, and the information is not available all together. NATGRID changes the paradigm: once an investigation or security agency has the name of an individual, all data pertaining to this individual available with the different agencies like airlines, railways, banks, income tax, insurance etc, become available in one scoop! That appears to be the advantage of the system.
The government had initially raised concerns about the impact of the new agency on privacy of the individual, but have now, after a presentation by the home ministry, cleared the first two phases of the NATGRID, and given the ‘in-principle’ approval for the next two phases.
After completion of the first two phases, when information already available in accordance with current laws would be available at one place for use by the 11 agencies approved for this purpose, the home ministry will have to take clearance of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) once again for going ahead with the next two phases (which itself may require amendments to existing legal provisions).
How will the new agency help in checking terrorist attacks? Apart from being a huge database, storing sensitive information that can be useful to security and investigation agencies, it is doubtful whether the NATGRID could have prevented a 26/11 type of terrorist attack.
Headley, with his American passport and Caucasian looks, would only have figured in the immigration records, and which would not raise any hackles. The only suspicious activity that took place in Headley’s itinerary was that each time he visited India; his return trip was to Pakistan. This was because he had to brief the ISI and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) of his work in Mumbai after each visit.
But an American citizen going to Pakistan may not have raised any alert among our immigration officers. His mobile connections were not in his name. His friends and landlord had no reason to suspect him. In spite of his two wives complaining to the FBI in the US and the CIA in Islamabad about Headley’s links to the LeT, we are told the Americans did not take any action against Headley, ostensibly because of the hundreds of such inputs landing on their table almost daily. It was only after the British MI6 alerted them about Headley getting in touch with two al-Qaeda suspects in that country did the CIA get going on the case and the FBI finally picked him up.
Coming back to the usefulness of the NATGRID in these circumstances, once our agencies are alerted about Headley (including his various aliases), NATGRID can at one stroke give the NIA or any anti-terrorism squad all the information available with it in the NATGRID data base, including phone and immigration records. This would at that stage, greatly facilitate the investigation process.
NATGRID will also be useful to keep surveillance on all known anti-national characters, like members of SIMI and the Indian Mujahideen, if they figure in any of its records, with regard to their movements within the country, and funds that they may be getting from sources abroad, investments made by them in stocks and real estate, large scale purchase of chemicals used for manufacturing improvised explosive devices etc. Of course, any real impact of the NATGRID is linked to the underlying database being up to date.
The writer retired as the first director general of the National
Investigation Agency
NATGRID to show its first result in 18 months
August 18, 2011 at 9:12 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on NATGRID to show its first result in 18 monthshttp://indiasecure.in/content/natgrid-show-its-first-result-18-months
NATGRID to show its first result in 18 months
Updated On: Thu, 09/06/2011 – 11:19am
Tags: 18|Months|NATGRID|Result
The Times of India, 8 June 2011,
The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), which was approved by the government on Monday, will start showing results in about 18 months. The system is meant for real-time information sharing in electronic form among various law enforcement agencies.
Information sharing among the agencies from the newly-developed integrated data-bank will begin in the two phases itself. At present, only the first two phases have got the approval of the CCS. The remaining two phases have got the “in-principle” nod from the Committee.
“The data are already available with different agencies like banks, insurance companies, immigration bureau among others. NATGRID will keep all such information in one place, making it easier for law enforcement agencies to access it whenever it is needed it for security reasons,” said the official.
The third and fourth phases, which may require legal amendments in terms of sharing and accessing data, will come later – possibly after 2014. The home ministry, which is the nodal ministry for this new system, will require the CCS nod for these two phases only after completion of the first two phases. These phases, if approved, will deal with other data like property details, bank transaction records, internet usages etc. within the system.
CCS Did Not Approve Natgrid Project Absolutely
August 18, 2011 at 9:09 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on CCS Did Not Approve Natgrid Project Absolutelyhttp://www.lawyersclubindia.com/blog/show_post.asp?blog_posts_id=1651
TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2011
CCS Did Not Approve Natgrid Project Absolutely
National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) Project of India is still in troubled waters as lack of Privacy Laws and Data Protection Laws has put it in doldrums. Media reports are full of rumours that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared the NATGRID Project. However, this is not true as CCS has just granted the “in principle approval” to NATGRID Project and nothing more.
In the past as well in principle approval was given to NATGRID Project but it was not able to proceed as it lacks the basic Planning, Management and Legal Framework. Even today and after the in principle approval of CCS, NATGRID Project is still without any Legal Framework and Parliamentary Oversight.
Further, the CCS has granted its approval to NATGRID Project for “Limited Purposes” only. CCS has allowed NATGRID to operate for “Limited Phases” only that also where the same can operate within the limits of present Legal Framework. For subsequent stages, NATGRID has “not been approved” till “Suitable Amendments” are made in the Laws of India.
Experts in India have been saying that NATGRID Project of India must comply with Civil Liberties in order to be Legal and Constitutional. Fortunately, the CCS has also “Endorsed” this view and this is the reason why it did not give permission for subsequent and “Final Phases” of NATGRID Project. The CCS has just cleared first two “non-controversial phases” and it is still holding back nod for later phases that require Legal Alterations
The real problem with India is that it is not respecting Human Rights in Cyberspace. We have no E-Surveillance Policy in India and Lawful Interception Law in India is missing. Phone Tapping in India is not done in a Constitutional manner and Laws like Information Technology Act 2000, Official Secrets Act, Indian Telegraph Act 1885, etc are “no more constitutional” and deserve to be repealed.
It is only now that India has started paying attention towards issues like Privacy Laws but even these efforts lack Protection of Civil Liberties in Cyberspace and Protection of Privacy Rights in the Information Era.
NATGRID Project of India would not be finished before Five Years in these circumstances. This is despite the claims of Home Minister P. Chidambaram. If NATGIRD Project is finished before that time period and within the present Legal Framework it means only two things. Either the CCS has “forsaken” the Civil Liberties of India Citizens or Home Ministry is operating the NATGIRD Project “Illegally and Unconstitutionally” and without the knowledge of CCS.
Privacy concerns on Natgrid unwarranted
August 18, 2011 at 9:04 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Privacy concerns on Natgrid unwarrantedhttp://in.news.yahoo.com/privacy-concerns-natgrid-unwarranted-chidambaram-085125130.html
Privacy concerns on Natgrid unwarranted: Chidambaram
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS – Sat, Jun 11, 2011
New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Allaying fears that the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) may encroach on individual privacy, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said high safeguards would be in place in the centralised data system created for quick access to information on terror suspects.
‘There is fear of new knowledge and new technology. Faced with these, people shrink or hold back,’ Chidambaram said in an interview to Headlines Today on the opposition the home ministry had to battle to get the Natgrid approved by the cabinet last week.
‘There will be a large number of safeguards for the data and the individual to whom it belongs. It (the Natgrid) doesn’t own or store data but only indexes data. Fears of data theft and privacy concerns are unwarranted,’ he said.
Chidambaram said if there was a data leak it would not take place at Natgrid or because of it ‘but because of poor security systems of the owners. These need to be enhanced’.
A brainchild of Chidambaram, Natgrid took several months to get the cabinet’s nod. The project was hanging fire since December 2010 because of objections of the defence and finance ministries, which voiced fears that it would give the home ministry uninterrupted access to all information.
The home minister denied that the clearance was delayed because of a turf war between the home, defence and finance ministries. ‘It has taken us months to convince others. Everyone is convinced. Home ministry is not the owner of the Natgrid, but just its sponsor.’
He also dismissed criticism that Natgrid would make the home ministry overbearing. ‘There will be only some authorized users. Even the home minister will not be one.’
He said the Rs.2,800-crore project will be in place in 18 months.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has objected to the idea of putting all intelligence inputs into one centralised grid saying it may have serious consequences. BJP’s Arun Jaitley criticised Chidambaram saying the minister believed there was no one as ‘wise’ as him.
The home minister dismissed the BJP leader’s remark. ‘I concede Jaitley is more intelligent… But these are off the cuff remarks… You cannot reduce a sophisticated system to the simplistic form of an open library system.’
Chidambaram said intelligence officials with the help of Natgrid would be able to study the behaviourial patterns of individuals and organizations. ‘It will be for accessing data, but it will not store any data by itself. The Natgrid system will get the highest security clearance – SAG 3 or SAG 4.’
According to Chidambaram, with the Natgrid in place, goof-ups like the one in India’s Most Wanted list could be avoided.
He said such mistakes underlined the need for a system of indexing data.
Homeland security market in India to double by 2018
August 17, 2011 at 4:01 pm | Posted in Additional business, Natgrid, The Market | Comments Off on Homeland security market in India to double by 2018http://www.orissadiary.com/ShowBussinessNews.asp?id=27397
Homeland security market in India to double by 2018
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
New Delhi: The homeland security market is expected to expand from 8 billion dollars (about Rs 36,800 crore) now to 13 billion dollars (about Rs 59,800 crore) by 2014 with a significant opportunity for the private sector to participate, security experts and policy makers said today.
By 2018, this market comprising of capital spend from government, private sector and some part of export demand is likely to be worth 16 billion dollars (about Rs 73,600 crore), they said at the 4th edition of INDESEC conference-cum-expo organised by industry body ASSOCHAM and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
“The government and industry should collaborate to upgrade and modernise security systems and communication networks,” said Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs.
He said India’s homeland security is shaped by internal, regional and global factors. A porous border which needs fencing and the largely-unmanned 7,516 km coastline pose new challenges.
“We have cross-border terrorism in the north, insurgency by various militant groups in northeastern states and the Maoist insurgency throughout central India with varying shades of lethality,” said Mr Naidu. “A combination of internal disturbances presents unprecedented challenges of an all-embracing security framework.”
Chairman of ASSOCHAM’s national defence council P.C. Bhasin said there is a plethora of state security agencies with a minimal ability to coordinate while dealing with these threats in an effective manner.
He said the government is gearing up for a long-term with an organised and targeted development of homeland security focused infrastructure. Vice Admiral (retd) Bhasin referred to the National Information Grid being set up by combining individual databases of several government agencies, and setting up of a crime and criminal tracking networks and systems.
ASSOCHAM secretary general D.S. Rawat said the homeland security sector employs more than 60 lakh workers and the number is projected to double in the next four to five years. He said the industry has already taken note of the potential growth opportunities.
Chairman of INDESEC advisory board D.R. Kaarthikeyan said India, Britain, Germany and France will emerge as the largest players in global homeland security market in the next ten years as opposed to the present situation where the United States continues to be a dominant player with nearly 35 per cent of total procurement.
He called for a holistic expansion of the offset policy under Defence Procurement Procedure to include equipment for the homeland security sector besides improvement in overall governance and delivery systems of public goods and services.
Others present during inaugural session of the three-day exhibition were Mr P. Balaji, vice-president of Ericsson India, Mr Ateeq Rahman Khan, chief executive officer of Biostream Axxonsoft, Mr M.P. Aggarwal, chairman and managing director of Shyam Telecom, Mr S.D. Pradhan, former chairman of the task force on intelligence mechanism at the Prime Minister’s Office, and Ms Nicky Mason, managing director of Informa Exhibitions India.
Over 100 exhibitors from 25 countries are participating in the meet.
Natgrid And NIA Became More Obscure And Unconstitutional
August 17, 2011 at 3:58 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Natgrid And NIA Became More Obscure And Unconstitutionalhttp://cjnewsind.blogspot.com/2011/06/natgrid-and-nia-became-more-obscure-and.html
TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2011
Natgrid And NIA Became More Obscure And Unconstitutional
Accountability and transparency are two words that do not apply to Indian law enforcement and intelligence agencies. India has chosen to stick to the British legacy of non transparency. Whether it is laws like official secrets act, Indian telegraph act or the accountability of Indian law enforcement and intelligence agencies, Indian government has even surpassed the Britishers in this regard.
Instead of strengthening the transparency and Parliamentary scrutiny, India is further making these agencies more unaccountable and lawless. The right to information act 2005 (RTI Act 2005) is the sole transparency law of India that needs further amendments and strengthening. However, the proposed right to information rules 2010 instead of strengthening the RTI Act, 2005 took steps that are retrograde in nature.
Firstly, India amended the cyber law of India through the draconian information technology amendment act 2008 that empowered Indian government and its agencies with unconstitutional e-surveillance, internet censorship and website blocking powers. Subsequently, it made the RTI Act 2005 weaker and redundant.
Now Indian government has announced that Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), national investigation authority of India (NIA) and national intelligence grid (Natgrid) would be exempted from the applicability of RTI Act, 2005. The constitutional validity of national investigation agency act, 2008 (NIA 2008) is still doubtful and CBI and Natgrid are not governed by any law at all. Even the proposed central monitoring system of India is without any parliamentary oversight.
Whether it is CBI or Intelligence Agencies of India, none of them are presently Accountable to Parliament of India, informs Praveen Dalal, managing partner of New Delhi based ICT law firm Perry4Law and CEO of exclusive Human Rights Protection Centre for Cyberspace in India. This casts a doubt about the Impartiality and Transparency of these Agencies, suggests Dalal. Exempting these Agencies without any parallel “Parliamentary Oversight” is against the provisions of Indian Constitution, informs Dalal.
In these days the role of Indian Parliament has been reduced to almost nothing. Important laws are never passed and existing laws like the cyber law of India have been made e-surveillance instrumentality for Indian government and its agencies. The Parliament of India needs to take its legislative role seriously, at least now.
Statement on 254th Anniversary of British East India Company’s Treacherous
August 16, 2011 at 10:01 am | Posted in Critical Perspectives, Natgrid | Comments Off on Statement on 254th Anniversary of British East India Company’s TreacherousClick to access Statement%20on%20254th%20Anniversary%20of%20British%20East%20India%20Company.pdf
Statement on 254th Anniversary of British East India Company’s Treacherous
Conquest
By Gopal Krishna
23 June, 2011
On this Memorial Day, we call on citizens to beware of the ulterior motives of
Companies Bill, 2009, National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010, role of political
parties that are funded by the business enterprises and the role of donor-driven NGOs;
We urge the Government of India to recall how fake treaty namely, White treaty was
signed by the British corporate entity “when the very existence of the Company was at
stake” and to abandon its plan to sign Free Trade Agreement with the European Union.
This was admitted by Robert Clive in the British House of Commons of Parliament on
10th May 1773, during their Parliamentary inquiry into the Company’s conduct in India;
We disagree with the separation between rule by British East India Company and rule
by British Government in India because the Company worked at the behest of the
British Government and Robert Clive was made a Member of House of Commons
besides being rewarded with an Irish peerage, as Lord Clive;
We recall that the Battle of Plassey was waged during the Seven Years’ War (1756–
1763), between the British and French Governments. This corroborates the fact that the
battle was being waged by the British Government, through its British Company;
On this day in 1757, British East India Company, first chartered by Queen Elizabeth I,
the English Emperor in 1600 purchased Battle of Plassey , Murshidabad, on the bank of
Bhagirathi River (about 170 km from Kolkata) from Mir Zafar, Army Commander of
Nawab of Bengal, a province of Hindustan when Shah Alam II was its Emperor;
We recall that around 1750, India was responsible for producing over 25 per cent of the
world gross domestic product (GDP) and world’s total outputs. Following the sale of
Battle of Plassey, by 1800, India’s world share had already eroded to less than a fifth,
by 1860 to less than a tenth, and by 1880 to less than 3 per cent. India’s share in world
manufacturing output declined precipitously in the half century 1750-1800, before
company-led industrialization took hold in Britain. Currently, India’s share in the world’s
GDP to around five per cent now but this is at the cost of depleting Natural Capital;
Around the world, the influence of democratic legislatures is diminishing with because of
the financial might of the transnational business enterprises who are operate as
companies and don myriad corporate veils in the face of feeble capacity of our
legislatures to pierce through it and make them subservient to legislative will;
We wish to draw the attention of legislators and fellow citizens the fact that the world
order and world economy is being shaped by the big capital in possession of financial
and non-financial transnational corporations, capital that uses the sovereign state only
for protection, i.e., a place for securing legality of work, capital for which
intergovernmental organizations (UN, IMF, WB, WTO) serve only as levers of pressure;
We wish to inform legislators and fellow citizens that as per the latest available
aggregate data, about 78,000 such companies were identified in 2006, with available
assets of over 51 trillion US dollars, total sales of 25 trillion dollars and 73 million
employees – compared to the aggregate GDP of all the world’s countries for that year of
48.504 trillion dollars;
We submit that as per the latest published data on a group of 2000 global companies,
just the top ten non-financial transnational corporations ranked by total sales realized
2.533 trillion in sales in 2007, which is more than the aggregate GDP of 161 countries
according to IMF data for 2008;.
We are alarmed at the diminishing strength of Government of India when we note that
the assets of the 30 largest financial transnational corporations (from the same group of
2000 global companies from 2008) amount to 48.883 trillion dollars, or more than the
world’s 2007 GDP;
In such a backdrop, on 23rd June, it may recalled that Government of India has been
signing treaties with various countries and intergovernmental organizations without
explicit approval or sanction of central and state legislatures;
Recalling several defections from our intelligence agencies, efforts must be made to
make these agencies accountable to our democratic legislature, which is not the case at
present as has been revealed starkly by Intelligence Services (Powers and Regulation)
Bill, 2011;
On this special day, we urge the citizens of India to examine the proceedings of the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance that has dealt with Companies Bill, 2009
and is dealing with Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the National
Identification Authority of India (NIAI) Bill, 2010 before it is too late;
23rd June is also an apt day to ponder over the Statement of Concern issued in the
matter of world’s biggest data management project, Unique Identification (UID) /
Aadhaar Number scheme and related proposals like National Intelligence Grid by 17
eminent citizens including Justice VR Krishna Iyer to prevent ‘intrusive bullying’ by
Government of India because the government intended to be the `servant’ of the
citizens, and not their `master’. The statement underlines that national IDs have been
abandoned in the US, Australia, Philippines and by the British government. Based on
research of UID Number related documents and advice from jurists, legal luminaries,
former intelligence officials and academicians, we are convinced that UID number and
related proposals pose a threat to both civil liberties as well as our natural resources;
We are disturbed by the contempt towards Parliament and State legislatures shown by
The National Identification Authority of India Bill (NIAI), 2010 which has been introduced
in the Rajya Sabha on December 3, 2010 after the constitution of the Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and launch of UID Number project without
revealing that it is linked to the Draft Land Titling Bill, 2010, Draft Paper on Privacy Bill,
2010, Draft DNA Profiling Act, 2007 and Public Information Infrastructure and
Innovations (PIII) for a National Knowledge Network besides National Intelligence Grid
(Natgrid), Census, National Population Register and World Bank’s eTransform Initiative
to converge citizen sector, private sector and public sector in order to promote a
property based regime;
We wish to draw the attention of fellow citizens towards document “Homeland Security
in India” underlines the connection between UID number and National Intelligence Grid.
This document has been prepared by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and
Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) with a membership of over 300,000 companies and
KPMG, a transnational firm that operates in 140 countries which is affiliated to KPMG
International, a Swiss agency. NATGRID wishes to hand over internal security of the
country to the commercial czars and recommends private territorial armies to safeguard
corporate empires;
We express grave concern over NGO networks such as National Coalition of
Organisations for Security of Migrant Workers having joined hands with UIDAI. It would
be relevant if they take not of the statement of concern and re-assess its relationship
with the UIDAI and withdraw from it;
The list of these groups is available at
http://uidai.gov.in/UID_PDF/Front_Page_Articles/MOU/State_Registrars/Coalition_of_Mi
grantWorkers_NGOs.pdf
We are vigilant about the meeting of Civil Society Organisation leaders with
UIDAI. Their names are available at
http://uidai.gov.in/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=146&Itemid=157#con
We request those civil society organisation leaders who are opposed to the UID
Number and related proposals and legislations but their names appear as if they have
given consent to UID Number project ought to consider getting their names removed
else they might be deemed fifth columnists;
We appreciate the considered stand of Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) that
works in 21 states of the country which has disassociated itself from UID Number
project which was being undertaken under Mission Convergence in Delhi because it is
“opposed to conditional cash transfers and the UID will be used to dictate it.” Vindicating
such stance Draft National Food Security Bill, 2011 gives legal backing to the Public
Distribution System (PDS), thereby excluding regressive options like cash transfers,
which may have included variants like food stamps and UID-linked smart cards;
We take note of the Companies Bill, 2009 introduced in the Lok Sabha on 3rd August,
2009 [Bill No. 59 of 2009] to revise and modify the Companies Act, 1956 and to make
compact by deleting provisions that had become redundant over a period of time. The
Bill was referred to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance headed by Yashwant
Sinha whose 375 page report has been submitted to both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
on 31st August, 2010;
We wish to draw the attention of citizens towards the Companies Bill that has
introduced the concept of One Person Company which means a company which has
only one person as a member [Clause 2(zzk)]. The memorandum of a One Person
Company shall indicate the name of the person who shall, in the event of the
subscriber’s death, disability or otherwise, become the member of the company: The
memorandum of a company shall state the name of the company with the last word
―OPC Limited in the case of a One Person limited company: The annual return shall
be signed by the Company Secretary, or where there is no Company Secretary, by one
director of the Company. As per Economic Census of 2005 done by chief statistician of
India there are 42 million non-farm enterprises in the country of which less than 300,000
are corporates. The concept of One Person Company is being introduced to co-opt
sector like retail with the Committee of Secretaries, Government of India considering
allowing 51% FDI in this sensitive sector under the influence of global retail chains like
Wal-Mart, Metro and Carrefour. Indian retail market is the fifth largest in the world with
the unorganised retail sector, constituting 98% of India’s retail sector;
We have observed how the Companies Bill deals with the issue of appointment of
“Independent Directors”. The Parliamentary Standing Committee observes “The role
and responsibilities of Independent Directors, which has been under debate, has now
come into sharp focus after the failure off many high profile corporations around the
world and specially in the Indian context, the M/s Satyam Computer Services episode
involving fraud and financial irregularities. Clause 49 of the listing agreement as
prescribed by SEBI between the Stock Exchanges and the listed company had
mandated induction of Independent Directors on their Boards w.e.f. January 1, 2006.
Many brush aside the Satyam episode as a one-off-case. However, this episode needs
to be seen as a watershed event for the institution of Independent Directors. It is a moot
point that such a huge scam could be perpetrated, and that too for several years, under
the eyes of some of the most reputed and competent persons serving its Board as
Independent Directors. It has raised questions that even highly qualified persons may
not provide any insurance for corporate governance, as they tend to trust and provide
blind support to the promoters.” But the Committee observes, “there is a need to
circumscribe and limit the liabilities of Independent Directors, so that they are able to act
freely and objectively” resonating the demand of the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) in the aftermath of the mild sentencing of Keshub Mahindra in the Bhopal Gas
tragedy case. CII demanded “to treat non executive members of the Board including
Non Executive Chairmen, differently when it comes to Directors’ liabilities”;
We take note of the Clause 161 of the Bill deals with the Prohibitions and Restrictions
regarding political contributions. It seeks to provide the manner and limits up to
which a company shall be able to contribute the amount to any political party or
to any person for a political purpose. The clause further provides the manner in
which every company shall disclose in its profit and loss account any amount so
contributed by it during any financial year. We seek a white paper on laws
relating to donations to political parties;
We have noted that contrary to the recommendations of Indrajit Gupta led all party
Parliamentary Committee seeking state funding for political parties for electoral
campaigns, Clause 161(1) provides that “a company, other than a Government
company and a company which has been in existence for less than three financial
years, may contribute any amount directly or indirectly (a) to any political party, or (b) to
any person for a political purpose: Provided that the amount or, as the case may be, the
aggregate of the amount which may be so contributed by the company in any financial
year shall not exceed five per cent of its average net profits during the three
immediately preceding financial years.
We disagree with the Parliamentary Committee headed by Yashwant Sinha which has
recommended that “sub-clause 1(a) of Clause 161 may be modified so as to make it
clear that “any political party” would mean and read as “a political party registered with
the Election Commission.” The Committee also recommend that “the prescribed
maximum percentage for contributions to political parties in a financial year may be
raised to 7.5% from the existing 5% of the average net profits during the three
immediately preceding financial years, keeping in view the fact that the number of
political parties in the country has increased and such donations are not made every
financial year.
We recall that Companies Bill, 2009 has been proposed in compliance with the
recommendations of an Expert Committee on New Company Law headed by Dr J. J.
Irani, Director, Tata Sons Limited that submitted its report to the Government on 31st
May, 2005. The proposal stipulating a mandatory 2 per cent spend of annual profit on
corporate social responsibility is just a public relations exercise. The Companies bill,
2008 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 23rd October 2008 but due to dissolution of 14th
Lok Sabha, the Companies Bill, 2008 lapsed.
When the British government chartered company took control of India, it was one of the
richest countries in the world, when it left India in 1947 due to a legislation of the British
Parliament; it became one of the poorest countries in the world.
Therefore, we urge fellow citizens to take cognizance of the retail sector’s contribution
of 14% to the national GDP and it employing 7% of the total workforce (only agriculture
employs more) in the country that the retail industry is one of the pillars of our economy.
In such a context, Free Trade Agreements with countries like EU and Japan,
Companies Bill, FDI in retail, UID Number and related proposals have emerged as a
threat to citizens of India, our socialist constitution, economy and national sovereignty;
We salute the sacrifice of the soldiers led by Mir Madan, the commander of Nawab of
Bengal in the Battle of Plassey;
We applaud the role of Mohan Lal, the commander of Nawab of Bengal Battle of
Plassey;
We reiterate the condemnation of treachery committed by Mir Zafar, Rai Durlabh, Yar
Lutuf Khan and Omichand, “the most material engine in the intended revolution” by the
British Company;
On this historic day, we call upon citizens to combat the act of silencing of invisible and
inconvenient historical facts about our histories especially about 1757, 1764, 1857 and
1947 and those who were loyal to British East India Company;
We call on all thinking fellow citizens of India to recognize transnational or
intergovernmental or non-governmental organization – be it financial and non financial-
to be a “political institution”. The British Company too was a political organizations as is
the with associations of companies;
The Battle of Plassey may have been sold or lost to British East India Company, let us
resolve to identify the true defenders of sovereignty, the traitors and remind ourselves of
the lessons 23rd June has for the Indians to ensure that history of our defeat is not
repeated ever again.
Raytheon in talks with Indian govt over NATGRID project
August 16, 2011 at 10:00 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Raytheon in talks with Indian govt over NATGRID projecthttp://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5226652
Raytheon in talks with Indian govt over NATGRID project
From Manash Pratim Bhuyan
Le Bourget (Paris), June 22 (PTI) American defence major Raytheon today said it was in talks with Indian government to offer its expertise for setting up the Rs 1,200-crore National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) project that will facilitate robust information-sharing among law enforcement agencies to combat terror threat.
Raytheon India President William L Blair said the company held several rounds of talks with the Chief Executive Officer of NATGRID Raghu Raman and other top officials of the Home Ministry to offer its expertise for the ambitious project on the lines of the similar infrastructure in Counter-Terrorism Centre in the US.
The US support for the project was also offered during a meeting of US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi late last month.
“We are working directly with the NATGRID CEO and the whole NATGRID team. There is a mandate to go forward and relevant information has been shared to the requirements that have been set. There has been a government-to-government dialogue also on this,” Blair told PTI here at the Paris Air Show.
He said the US government is one of Raytheon”s biggest customers as the company is involved in setting up of cyber intelligence network for America”s Counter-Terrorism Centre and other similar infrastructures.
“What we have done in US National Counter-Terrorism Centre might be relevant to India”s NATGRID. One of Raytheon”s biggest customers is US government. They know our strength.
We are ready to offer our technology to India in this area,” Blair said, noting that the company will offer India the best technology which is in use. (More) PTI MPB KIM AKJ
Centre keeps NIA, Natgrid out of RTI ambit
August 16, 2011 at 9:57 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Centre keeps NIA, Natgrid out of RTI ambithttp://www.rediff.com/news/report/centre-keeps-nia-natgrid-out-of-rti-ambit/20110626.htm
Centre keeps NIA, Natgrid out of RTI ambit
After keeping the Central Bureau of Investigation out of the ambit of the Right to Information Act, the government has now made the National Investigation Agency and the National Intelligence Grid inaccessible under the transparency law.
The Right to Information Act, 2005 has been amended to include NIA, Natgrid and CBI in its second schedule which exempts “intelligence and security organisation established by the central government” out of the purview of the Act.
“In the second schedule of the RTI Act, 2005, after serial number 22 and the entry relating thereto, the following serial numbers and entries shall be added, namely : 23. CBI, 24. NIA, 25. Natgrid,” a notification issued on June 9 by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.
Now, 25 organisations have been listed under the second schedule of the RTI Act which includes Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, Aviation Research Centre and National Security Guards among others not to provide information except the ones relating to allegations of corruption and human right violations.
Many RTI activists and social workers have raised eyebrows over the government decision saying it would hamper the transparency law.
“It is really a bad news for all the RTI activists. Government is trying to dilute the law by making such amendments. It needs to be resisted,” said Ajay Dubey, an RTI activist.
The CBI deals with investigations in special criminal cases, economic offences and corruption related cases whereas the NIA is mandated to probe and prosecute offences affecting sovereignty, security and integrity of India [ Images ], security of states, friendly relation with foreign states among others.
The Natgrid will facilitate robust information sharing among law enforcement agencies to combat terror threat at home and abroad.
Q&A: NATGRID Chief Raghu Raman
August 16, 2011 at 9:56 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Q&A: NATGRID Chief Raghu Ramanhttp://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/06/29/qa-natgrid-chief-raghu-raman/
Q&A: NATGRID Chief Raghu Raman
By Vibhuti Agarwal
India’s Cabinet Committee on Security earlier this month approved the formation of a long-awaited intelligence database designed to consolidate and make searchable data gathered by existing security and law enforcement agencies in order to prevent terrorist activity within the country. The project, known as the National Intelligence Grid or NATGRID, is the brainchild of Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, who promoted the database project after the terrorist attack on India’s financial capital Mumbai in November 2008 raised concerns about India’s intelligence infrastructure.
- P. Raghu Raman is heading NATGRID.
While the information network will enable government agencies to combat terror threats, it is also supposed to help avoid incidents like the inclusion of a person based in the Indian state of Maharashtra in the list of terror suspects India believed to be in Pakistan.
India Real Time sent questions via email to ex-Army officer P. Raghu Raman, who previously headed corporate security risk consulting firm Mahindra Special Services Group and has now been appointed as the chief executive of NATGRID , about how it will work. Edited excerpts:
India Real Time: Tell us briefly about NATGRID.
Mr. Raman: Today, each source of information stands alone and has to be collected painstakingly in a largely manual manner. NATGRID, in its first phase, will network 21 sets of data sources to provide quick and secure access to information required by 10 intelligence and law enforcement agencies as part of the counter terror-related investigative processes. In short, NATGRID will seek to automate the current process and make it more efficient without changing any underlying authority or protocols.
India Real Time: How will NATGRID help in countering terror threats?
Mr. Raman: NATGRID is a tool for security agencies to locate and obtain relevant information on terror suspects from data providing organizations like telecommunication companies, banks, and immigration department. It will allow them to query information pertaining to their investigative process and receive responses in a timely and secure manner. The law enforcement and intelligence agencies will be able to reduce the number of terrorist incidents as they will be able to identify, capture and prosecute terrorists in a more efficient manner.
This will act as a deterrent and convince potential terrorists about the possibility of getting caught—thus cutting down the number of people expected to indulge in terrorist activities in the long run.
India Real Time: What were the reservations raised by some Indian ministries?
Mr. Raman: The concerns raised by other ministries essentially revolved around the issue of protecting individual privacy and certain procedural matters, each one of which has been conclusively addressed and incorporated into the formation of NATGRID.
India Real Time: Won’t this infringe an individual’s privacy?
Mr. Raman: NATGRID is only the technical interface for intelligence agencies and not an organization in itself. If the agency initiating the inquiry is not authorized to get that information, it cannot get it. NATGRID is part of the security initiatives undertaken by the Indian government, thereby indicating that it assigns high priority to tackling terrorist threats while balancing and safeguarding civil liberties.
India Real Time: What protections are in place?
Mr. Raman: Almost 11 structural and procedural safeguards and oversight mechanisms have been incorporated into NATGRID to ensure the system cannot be misused. These include extremely robust governance processes, backed by strong information protection technology and external audits. Special and elaborate mechanisms have also been put in place to prevent any leakage or misuse of the system. Security and intelligence agencies will not be able to use the NATGRID system to access information for any purpose other than that of countering terror.
India Real Time: Are you getting any technical assistance from international agencies?
Mr. Raman: India has always had to deal with its unique challenges of multiple languages, porous borders and a multitude of aspects that have no precedence elsewhere in the world. NATGRID, unlike similar global systems, has to operate in a country whose economy and population are growing at incredible rates.
Terrorism is a global problem and clearly it is in every nation’s interest to ensure that the anti-terror capability of nations who are suffering from this scourge is strengthened through mutual support. Therefore, any assistance that helps in undermining terrorists is a positive contribution to combating terror.
Do you think NATGRID will help the Indian government prevent terrorist activities? Please share your views in the Comment section.
India: Strategic Review Of National Security Management – Analysis
August 16, 2011 at 9:53 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on India: Strategic Review Of National Security Management – AnalysisIndia: Strategic Review Of National Security Management – Analysis
Written by: B. Raman
July 1, 2011
Since India became independent in 1947, it has had four in-house and one inter-ministerial reviews on certain aspects of national security management.
The in-house reviews went into the deficiencies in national security management as noticed during the Sino-Indian war of 1962, the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965, the Mizo uprising of 1966 and the 26/11 terrorist strikes in Mumbai. The inter-ministerial review by the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) headed by the late K. Subramanyam in 1999 went into the operational deficiencies noticed during the Kargil military conflict in 1999.
Of the five reviews held since 1947, three were totally Pakistan-centric, one of 1962 was China-centric and one was terrorism-related. All the previous reviews were the result of perceptions of failures in national security management which led to specific situations having a detrimental impact on national security.
All of them were essentially post-mortems with restricted terms of reference. They did bring about significant modifications or additions to the national security architecture— such as the creation of the Directorate-General of Security after the 1962 war to enhance our capabilities vis-à-vis China, the creation of the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) after the 1965 war with Pakistan and the Mizo uprising, the creation of the National Security Council and its Secretariat, the Defence Intelligence Agency and the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) after the Kargil conflict and the National Investigation Agency and the proposed national intelligence grid after the 26/11 terrorist strikes.
All the major recommendations which came out of these previous reviews were implemented except one relating to the creation of the Chief of the Defence Staff system, which was not implemented reportedly due to differences amongst the three wings of the Armed Forces over the need for it.
India
Thus, the previous reviews did make significant contributions to a revamping of our national security architecture. However, since the previous reviews were triggered by perceptions of specific failures or deficiencies, they focussed on identifying the reasons for those failures and deficiencies and making necessary changes to prevent a repetition of those failures or deficiencies.
Since independence, there has never been a comprehensive, proactive strategic review of our national security management system, which will be futuristic and all-encompassing and not a panic reaction to past failures. Such a futuristic review has to project over different time-frames the threats to national security that could be expected in the future in the short, medium and long-terms, examine whether we have the required capabilities to be able to meet those threats, Identify existing deficiencies in capabilities, recommend action to remove them and suggest a time-frame for removing them.
Any futuristic exercise has to go beyond classical or conventional perceptions of national security management and the national security architecture. Its objective should be not only to enable us anticipate and meet future threats, but also to make a benign projection of our power abroad. National security management under the new context of India’s expected emergence as a major power of the region and ultimately of the world would involve identification of not only likely threats to our national security in the classical sense, but also likely hindrances to our emergence as a major power and recommending action to prevent or remove those hindrances.
The Government of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh needs to be complimented for setting up a National Task Force headed by Shri Naresh Chandra to make a futuristic review of our national security management system and come out with appropriate recommendations. The Task Force, as constituted, has eminent persons who had occupied senior positions in the Armed Forces, the Intelligence Community and the Atomic Energy Commission, and also non-governmental experts.
Shri Naresh Chandra’s credentials for heading such a futuristic exercise are immense. He had served as the Home Secretary and the Defence Secretary and ultimately retired as the Cabinet Secretary of the Government of India. He is thus familiar with the working of the Armed Forces and the intelligence community. He had served as the Indian Ambassador to the US at a difficult time and is thus not a stranger to the world of big power diplomacy. He had served and continues to serve in the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and was its convenor for some time. He is thus familiar with the deficiencies which have crept into the working of our national security management system since the Kargil review of 1999.
How useful is the futuristic exercise being attempted for the first time since 1947 would depend on the constitution of the Task Force, its Terms of Reference, its methods of work and concepts, and the co-operation that it is able to get from the serving national security managers of today. Unless one is able to convince the serving officers of today of the need for changes, reforms, new thinking and new concepts and ideas, even the best of Task Forces would fail to meet the objectives for which it was set up.
It is to be hoped that the Government would have carefully worked out the terms of reference of the Task Force. Its organisation, methods and concepts have to be decided by the Task Force itself. The Government would have and should have no role in the matter. The Task Force should devote the first month of its existence to a brain-storming with different sections of our national security management world in order to get its ideas and concepts right before plunging into the nuts and bolts of the exercise.
We tend to have an over-fascination for nuts and bolts and an allergy for concepts. The reports of such reviews ultimately turn out to be a plethora of nuts and bolts recommendations without a proper conceptual framework which could sustain our national security management system in the coming 10 years, if not longer.We should avoid this in carrying forward this important exercise.
B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai and Associate, Chennai Centre For China Studies. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com
The future beckons: Why India must project power abroad
August 15, 2011 at 3:14 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on The future beckons: Why India must project power abroadhttp://www.firstpost.com/world/the-future-beckons-why-india-must-project-power-abroad-34975.html
The future beckons: Why India must project power abroad
Jul 1, 2011
#India #Kargil War #PowerPlay #WarAndPeace
Since independence, there has never been a comprehensive, proactive strategic review of our national security management system that is forward-looking and all-encompassing. Mukesh Gupta/Reuters
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By B Raman
Since 1947, India has had four in-house and one inter-ministerial reviews on certain aspects of national security management.
The in-house reviews looked into the deficiencies in national security management as noticed during the Sino-Indian war of 1962, the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965, the Mizo uprising of 1966 and the 26/11 terrorist strikes in Mumbai. The inter-ministerial review by the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) headed by the late K Subramanyam in 1999 went into the operational deficiencies noticed during the Kargil military conflict in 1999.
Of these five reviews, three were totally Pakistan-centric, one (of 1962) was China-centric, and one was terrorism-related. All these reviews were the result of perceptions of failures in national security management which led to specific situations having a detrimental impact on national security.
All of them were essentially post-mortems with restricted terms of reference. They did, however, bring about significant modifications or additions to the national security architecture — such as the creation of the Directorate-General of Security after the 1962 war to enhance our capabilities vis-à-vis China, the creation of the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) after the 1965 war with Pakistan and the Mizo uprising, the creation of the National Security Council and its Secretariat, the Defence Intelligence Agency and the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) after the Kargil conflict, and the National Investigation Agency and the proposed national intelligence grid after the 26/11 terrorist strikes.
All the major recommendations that came out of these reviews were implemented – barring one that related to the creation of the Chief of the Defence Staff system; there were reportedly differences among the three wings of the Armed Forces over the need for it.
Overall, the reviews did make significant contributions to a revamping of our national security architecture. However, since the previous reviews were triggered by perceptions of specific failures or deficiencies, they focused on identifying the reasons for those failures and deficiencies and making changes to prevent a repetition of those failures or deficiencies.
Need for a forward-looking strategy
Since independence, there has never been a comprehensive, proactive strategic review of our national security management system that is forward-looking and all-encompassing — and is not just a panic reaction to past failures.
Such a futuristic review has to project over different time-frames the threats to national security that could be expected in the short, medium and long terms, examine whether we have the required capabilities to meet those threats, identify existing deficiencies in capabilities, recommend action to remove them and suggest a time-frame for removing them.
Under the new context of India’s expected emergence as a major power, national security management will involve identification of not only likely threats to our national security, but also likely hindrances to our emergence as a major power. Mukesh Gupta/Reuters
Any futuristic, forward-looking exercise has to go beyond classical or conventional perceptions of national security management and the national security architecture. Its objective should be not only to enable us to anticipate and meet future threats, but also to make a benign projection of our power abroad.
Under the new context of India’s expected emergence as a major power of the region and ultimately of the world, national security management will involve identification of not only likely threats to our national security in the classical sense, but also likely hindrances to our emergence as a major power and recommending action to prevent or remove those hindrances.
The Manmohan Singh government needs to be complimented for setting up a National Task Force headed by Shri Naresh Chandra to make a futuristic review of our national security management system and make recommendations. The Task Force, as constituted, has eminent persons who had occupied senior positions in the armed forces, the intelligence community and the Atomic Energy Commission, and non-governmental experts.
Naresh Chandra’s credentials for heading such a futuristic exercise are impeccable. He has served as Home Secretary and Defence Secretary and retired as Cabinet Secretary to the Government of India. He is familiar with the working of the armed forces and the intelligence community. He has also served as Ambassador to the US at a difficult time and is no stranger to the world of big power diplomacy. He serves on the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) – he was its convenor for some time – and is thus familiar with the deficiencies that have crept into the working of our national security management system since the Kargil review of 1999.
How useful such a futuristic exercise, being attempted for the first time since 1947, will be depends on the constitution of the Task Force, its terms of reference, its methods of work and concepts, and the co-operation that it is able to get from the serving national security managers of today. Unless one is able to convince the serving officers of today of the need for changes, reforms, new thinking and new concepts and ideas, even the best of Task Forces will fail to meet the objectives for which it was set up.
Get the big picture right
One hopes that the government has carefully worked out the terms of reference of the Task Force. Its organisation, methods and concepts have to be decided by the Task Force itself; the government should have no role in the matter. The Task Force should devote the first month of its existence to a brain-storming with different sections of our national security management world in order to get its ideas and concepts right before plunging into the nuts and bolts of the exercise.
We tend to have excessive fascination with nuts and bolts and an allergy for concepts. The reports of such reviews ultimately turn out to be a plethora of nuts-and-bolts recommendations without a proper conceptual framework that can sustain our national security management system in the coming 10 years, if not longer. We should avoid this in carrying forward this important exercise.
B Raman is Additional Secretary (Retired) in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India. He is currently Director of the Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai; and Associate of the Chennai Centre for China Studies. Republished with permission from the Chennai Centre for China Studies.
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National Intelligence Grid to Combat Terrorism
August 15, 2011 at 3:11 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on National Intelligence Grid to Combat TerrorismNational Intelligence Grid to Combat Terrorism
Sharmila Gondkar
Update : Thursday, July 28, 2011 3:07 AM
Feedback on this article at : sharmilagondkar@gmail.com
New Delhi : The National Intelligence Grid, a dream project of Home Minister P Chidambaram for an effective anti-terror system, appears to be materialising 18 months after the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which was held on June 6th approved it. The project which will facilitate robust information sharing among law enforcement agencies to combat terror threats at home and abroad. It will become operational from January 2013.
The idea to set up a mechanism for pooling data was floated after the Mumbai terror attacks of November 26, 2008. The project was delayed by the “turf war” among stakeholders, especially the Ministries of Defence and Finance that felt the Home Ministry would have an unhindered access to all information.
Capt Raghu Raman, CEO Mahindra Special Services Group, was deputed as CEO of the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) on 1 December 2009. He is one of the few private sector professionals to be inducted in the national security establishment.
The NATGRID will have access to about 21 categories of database like railway and air travel, income tax, bank account details, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records.
As per the initial plan, access to the combined data will be given to 11 agencies, including the Research and Analysis Wing, the Intelligence Bureau, the Enforcement Directorate, the National Investigation Agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and the Narcotics Control Bureau.
The first phase, involving an estimated capital cost of Rs 2816 crores and another Rs 11 crores as operational expenses, is limited to linking up only the databases that are available with the Centre, besides that of one or two state entities as a concurrent pilot project. The first phase is limited to the data already accessible through the current procedures.
All authorised agencies will be linked up among themselves as also with government agencies like Railways, Air India, Income Tax Department and state police and the private agencies like banks, insurance, telecom and SEBI. Sources say a limited analytical capability will begin as the linkings begin in the first phase, though the operationalisation of the intelligence produced will remain the responsibility of the operating units like NSG, Army, Police, etc.
It will be in the second phase that will provide NATGRID analytical capability to cross-link different pieces of information and flag “tripwires” that indicate some unlawful or terrorist activity is in progress or likely to take place. In this phase and onwards, NATGRID will recommend improvements of the databases and development of unconventional but highly valuable data sources like visitor records of jails and sales of materials like fertilisers that can be raw material for improvised explosives.
The private sector like the telecom service providers will be mandated by regulations and guidelines to link up their databases with NATGRID. The databases so far identified for being linked in the grid include those of rail and air travel, phone calls, bank accounts, credit card transactions, passport and visa records, PAN cards, land and property records, automobile ownership and driving licences.
The new system is being created basically to help the government agencies combat terrorism and internal security threats by generating “actionable” intelligence through search and retrieval from the databases to be networked. The grid will have a command centre that will work as an anti-terror hotline and will have a trans-national connect to network with data available in other countries that is useful to keep a tab on suspects.
CIC says pulling out CBI from scope of RTI Act is a violation of the law itself
August 15, 2011 at 3:10 pm | Posted in Natgrid, Privacy Law, Problems | Comments Off on CIC says pulling out CBI from scope of RTI Act is a violation of the law itselfCIC says pulling out CBI from scope of RTI Act is a violation of the law itself
July 06, 2011 03:59 PM |
Vinita Deshmukh
Central Information Commissioner says Central Bureau of Investigation cannot be categorised as an “intelligence” or “security” organisation, as it traces its origin to the Special Police Establishment which was set up in 1941
In a recent order dated 9th June, the central government has amended the RTI Act and placed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) out of the orbit of transparency, by including it in the Second Schedule which exempts “intelligence and security organisations established by the central government” from the purview of the RTI Act.
However, in a powerful and hard-hitting order by the Central Information Commissioner (CIC) Shailesh Gandhi on 11th June, the government’s move has been seen as a violation of the norms of the RTI Act, as the CIC questions the nature of the CBI which is purely a “police establishment” and does not come under “intelligence” and “security” as categorised by the central government. As per the RTI Act only “investigative and intelligence” agencies can come under the Second Schedule qualifications.
The CIC order is based on a second appeal made by a citizen who was not provided information by a public information officer (PIO) of the CBI, under the pretext that it is not under the purview of the RTI Act.
The CIC ruled that “no reason has been given by the DOPT or the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, as required under Section 4(1)( d) of the RTI Act” for bringing the CBI under the Second Schedule, along with the National Intelligence Agency and National Intelligence Grid. Hence, the order says, “In the absence of reasons, inclusion of CBI in the Second Schedule along with National Intelligence Agency and National Intelligence Grid appears to be an arbitrary act.”
In the backdrop of heavyweight corporate leaders and influential politicians coming under the scanner of the premier investigative agency, which traces its origin to the Special Police Establishment Act, the timing of this decision is strange and hints at protecting the corrupt from the watchful eyes of the citizenry. What else can one derive when the reason given by the central government to pull it out of RTI Act is because the CBI addresses “investigations of several politically sensitive cases which have inter-state and international ramifications”?
Chennai-based RTI activist S Vijaylakshmi has knocked the doors of the Madras High Court, which in turn has asked the CBI to explain why it cannot come under the RTI Act. RTI activists across the country are livid over the government’s move, and leading RTI campaigner Aruna Roy has said that she will take up the issue with the National Advisory Council chaired by UPA president Sonia Gandhi.
The CIC’s order pertains to a second appeal made by Allahabad-based Justice RN Mishra demanding a first information report (FIR) lodged by the CBI and the report of the superintendent of police, CBI, in a provident fund scam case. The PIO denied the information for various reasons and stated that, “as per notification dated 9.6.2011 of the Government of India, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Annexure ‘C’) CBI has been included in the Second Schedule of the RTI Act, 2005 at Sl. No. 23”. This propelled judge Mishra, who was one of the accused in the scam, to go for a second appeal to the CIC.
The CIC, Mr Gandhi, stated in his order, quoting generously from the CBI website (http://cbi.nic.in) :
CBI does not qualify to be an intelligence or security organisation
“…under Section 24(2) of the RTI Act, the Central Government has been given the power to include any other intelligence or security organisations, apart from the 18 in the original list-within the Second Schedule-by way of a notification. This power does not appear to have been extended to any other body, and is restricted to only intelligence or security organisations. In view of the same, it becomes pertinent to understand whether the CBI qualifies as “intelligence or security organisation” as per Section 24(2) of the RTI Act.”
The CBI was formerly a special police establishment outfit
“The Commission has perused the CBI website and the relevant extracts thereof have been reproduced below:
The Central Bureau of Investigation traces its origin to the Special Police Establishment (SPE) which was set up in 1941 by the Government of India. The functions of the SPE then were to investigate cases of bribery and corruption in transactions with the War & Supply Department of India during World War II. Even after the end of the War, a need was felt for a Central Government agency to investigate cases of bribery and corruption by Central Government employees. The Delhi Special Police Establishment Act was therefore brought into force in 1946. The CBI’s power to investigate cases is derived from this Act.”
CBI investigates offences of bribery and corruption
“The Delhi Special Police Establishment acquired its current name, CBI, through a home ministry resolution dated 01/04/1963. The relevant provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, which describe the powers of CBI are provided as follows:
2. Constitution and powers of police establishment, (1) Notwithstanding anything in the Police Act, 1861 (5 of 1861), the Central Government may constitute a special police force to be called the Delhi Special Police Establishment 2[***] for the investigation 3 [in any 4 [Union territory]] of offences notified under section 3.
(2) Subject to any order which the Central Government may make in this behalf, Members of the said police establishment shall have throughout 5 [any 4 [Union territory]] in relation to the investigation of such offences and arrest of persons concerned in such offences, all the powers, duties, privileges and liabilities which police officers of six [that Union territory] have in connection with the investigation of offences committed therein.
What types of crimes does the CBI investigate today?
The CBI has grown into a multi-disciplinary investigation agency over a period of time. Today, it has the following three divisions for investigation of crime.
(i) Anti-Corruption Division – for investigation of cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against public officials and employees of the central government, public sector undertakings, corporations or bodies, owned or controlled by the government of India-it is the largest division having presence in nearly all the states of India.
(ii) Economic Offences Division – for investigation of major financial scams and serious economic frauds, including crimes relating to fake Indian currency notes, bank frauds and cyber crimes.
(iii) Special Crimes Division – for investigation of serious, sensational and organised crime under the Indian Penal Code and other laws on the request of the state governments, or on the orders of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
The laws under which the CBI can investigate crime are notified by the central government under section 3 of the DSPE Act.
What is the difference between the nature of the cases investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the CBI?
The NIA was constituted after the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008, mainly for investigation of incidents of terrorist attacks, funding of terrorism and other terror-related crime, whereas the CBI investigates crimes of corruption, economic offences and serious and organised crime, other than terrorism.
Does CBI perform any other important function other than investigation of crime?
Yes. The CBI has been notified as the Interpol of India. CBI has a training academy in Ghaziabad, where it organises training courses on various subjects, not only for its own officers, but for officers from other countries, as well as from state & union territory police organisations, vigilance officers of public sector undertakings, banks, and so on.”
The CIC further states in his order: “On a careful perusal of the material, it can be ascertained that the CBI was established for the purposes of investigation of specific crimes including corruption, economic offences and special crimes. It continues to discharge its functions as a multi-disciplinary investigating agency and evolve more effective systems for investigation of specific crimes. Members of the CBI have all the powers, duties, privileges and liabilities which police officers have in connection with the investigation of offences.
The CBI does not claim it is involved in intelligence gathering or is a security organisation
“There is no claim in its mandate and functions, as described above, that the CBI is involved in intelligence gathering or is a security organisation. Even the additional functions performed by the CBI, other than investigation of crimes, do not include any function which would lend it the character of an intelligence or security organisation. In view of the same, the CBI does not appear to fit the description of an “intelligence or security organisation” under Section 24(2) of the RTI Act.
In case the CBI wants to deny information, use Section 8 of the RTI Act
“Even by virtue of the fact that certain organisations such as the CBI, during the course of investigation, may touch upon terrorist-related crimes or matters that may have an impact on the security of the nation, the same cannot be a reason for classifying such an organisation as intelligence or security organisation. If such a claim was to be accepted, it would mean that every organisation which is involved in some investigation or the other, including the police, would come within the realm of Section 24(2) of the RTI Act.
Indian spy agencies to come under parliament oversight?
August 15, 2011 at 3:09 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Indian spy agencies to come under parliament oversight?14 AUG, 2011, 04.30PM IST, IANS
Indian spy agencies to come under parliament oversight?
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Draft Microfinance Bill gives RBI total control and puts sector under strict watch
NEW DELHI: A serious move is under way to bring the functions and finances of India’s domestic and external spy agencies under parliament’s oversight.
In a clear indication of things to come, a draft law, albeit from a private member, was introduced in parliament last week that seeks to both empower the snooping agencies as statutory entities and make them answerable to a committee under the prime minister.
According to Congress MP from Ludhiana Manish Tewari, who drafted the private member’s bill and introduced it in parliament, Indian intelligence agencies are no legal entities and there is no control on how information they gather is used.
The bill seeks to bring the Intelligence Bureau ( IB), India’s internal intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing ( RAW), its external spy outfit, and the technical intelligence collector National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) under parliament’s purview.
If the bill becomes law, it would provide the agencies enough legal safeguards while bringing in oversight in the form of a National Intelligence and Security Oversight Committee with members from both the government and opposition in it.
The bill, which took its present form over the past two years relying on replies to questions Tewari asked inside parliament, was also inspired by research carried out by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
“The bill has suggested a structured mechanism for the oversight of intelligence agencies while taking into consideration the concerns of the intelligence community, incorporating enough safeguards against misuse of information,” Tewari says, hinting at political misuse.
Though the ideals are lofty, the big question is why such important legislation has been brought to parliament in the form of a private member’s bill when the record of such bills being passed is remote, as per data available with the PRS Legislative Research.
“Since 1952, only 14 private members’ bills have ever been passed by parliament and the last one was in 1970,” according to the PRS Legislative Research study.
But Tewari is positive about his effort.
“The reason for introducing it as a private member’s bill is that there can be an informed discussion. In most instances, the government agrees in parliament to consider a bill of its own. We have to wait and see how this works out. But it is an idea whose time has come,” he said.
Government officials indicate the idea has indeed caught the fancy of National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, a committee of secretaries and the home ministry.
Former home secretary G.K. Pillai himself assured Tewari that his bill is under study as there is a consensus in the government on the need for such legislation the need for which has been mooted even at the level of Vice President M.H. Ansari.
But former national security adviser Brajesh Mishra fears that a parliament oversight may hinder the working of the intelligence agencies. Tewari underlines that the bill has enough firewalls that allow the prime minister to exercise discretion on what may or may not jeopardise their operations and functioning.
“Our agencies are, in a very real sense, shadowy outfits. The drafting of a private member’s bill on intelligence is long overdue and welcome,” says Srinath Raghavan, a senior fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research.
Banks thwart NIG bid to tap customer data
August 15, 2011 at 3:07 pm | Posted in Natgrid, Privacy Law, Problems | Comments Off on Banks thwart NIG bid to tap customer datahttp://www.deccanherald.com/content/174517/banks-thwart-nig-bid-tap.html
RBI says no law to share account holders’ details with snoop agency
Banks thwart NIG bid to tap customer data
M A Arun, Bangalore, July 7, DHNS:
Banks have shot down a proposal from the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) to gain access to their confidential customer data.Their anxiety to guard customer information from the prying eyes of the Home Ministry’s ambitious anti-terror project seems to have drawn the support of the Reserve Bank of India.
In an email, RBI Chief General Manager Alpana Killawala explained that “it is not a question of banks ‘opposing’ (Natgrid) to share customer details. They are not allowed to under the existing law.”
Natgrid, partially approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security early last month, proposes to link several databases, including bank accounts, railways, airlines, stock exchanges, income tax, credit card, immigration records and telecom service providers. Experts say, Natgrid would allow security agencies to monitor a targeted individual across these databases in real time.
To track terror money, Natgrid also reportedly seeks to access individuals’ savings accounts through district magistrates.
Information sourced through RTI by Venkatesh Nayak of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), reveals that RBI held two meetings on the subject late last year. On October 1, 2010, four Natgrid officials led by CEO Raghu Raman, made a presentation to a high-powered audience comprising of top officials from the RBI and several banks at Mumbai.
On December 22, 2010, at another meeting with senior bank officials, the RBI conveyed a ‘request from Government of India’ to provide customer information to Natgrid. However, banks collectively declined to share information citing ‘customer confidentiality clause’ and ‘possibility of fraud’.
SBI Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri said banks were reluctant to share information with Natgrid as they were under obligation to protect customer confidentiality. “If the data becomes public, customers with large deposits could become vulnerable to extortion or kidnapping,” he said.
Chaudhuri also pointed out that with the linking of Pan cards with banks, a mechanism was already in place to alert Income Tax authorities on large and unusual transactions.
Banking law consultant P R Kulkarni said banks were bound to maintain confidentiality by the contract they sign with customers. The secrecy condition has evolved through customs and received some recognition in the Banking Companies Act of 1970.
“If banks divulge information to third parties, customers can sue them for damages,” he said.
However, banks are also legally required to share information with different government agencies. The Parliament has passed several laws such as Income Tax act, FERA and Companies Act requiring banks to share customer information with designated government authorities.
So, if a new agency such as Natgrid is set up it would have to wait for the Parliament to pass the law before seeking information. During the December meeting with RBI, banks said they would share information with Natgrid if a ‘specific legislation’ was passed.
Experts say Natgrid can also take another route by persuading the RBI to pass a directive for the banks to share information. However, this option also seems to be blocked, given the position taken by the central bank on the subject.
Nayak of CHRI said Natgrid had been set up with just an executive fiat and did not carry the authority of any law. “It cannot compel the banks to share sensitive information,” he added.
“Natgrid’s attempt represents a trend of intelligence agencies trying to work outside the purview of Parliament or any independent oversight,” he said.
However, a top official of the Union Home Ministry told Deccan Herald that as Natgrid was sponsored by the government, it did not need any further legal backing. “Privacy laws of the land would be respected, but law themselves change with time in line with changing concept of security,” he added.
Playing down the banks’ resistance, he said, “We are not dealing with banks but with the ministries here,” obviously referring to the finance ministry. However, escalating the issue to higher authorities may not be a cake walk, given the lack of trust between the finance and the home ministries.
Last week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh confirmed that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had complained to him directly, bypassing Home Minister R Chidambaram, about the suspected bugging in finance Ministry.
Making life more difficult for Natgrid, Mukherjee had reportedly opposed sharing of customer details in September 2010, noting that it would intrude into privacy of the bank depositors and discredit the banking system.
Despite his reservation, Natgrid officials went ahead with their October 2010 presentation at RBI. But with the banks coming out strongly against Natgrid, the ball seems to be heading back to Mukherjee’s court.
(With inputs from Deepak Upreti in New Delhi and Dilip Maitra in Bangalore)
Court notice to government on CBI exemption from RTI
August 14, 2011 at 2:01 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Court notice to government on CBI exemption from RTIhttp://news.amarujala.com/national/natDetail.aspx?nid=8953
Court notice to government on CBI exemption from RTI
New Delhi
Story Update : Wednesday, July 06, 2011 3:31 PM
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the central government on a public suit filed against the decision to exempt the CBI and the NIA from the purview of the RTI Act, the country’s transparency law.
A division bench of chief justice Dipak Mishra and justice Sanjeev Khanna issued notice to the central government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the home and law ministries and the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT).
“We are putting the matter for final disposal. The next date of hearing will be August 10, therefore the reply should be filed within two weeks from today (Wednesday),” the bench said.
The petitioners, Ajay Kumar Agarwal and Sitab Ali Chaudhary, had challenged the June 9 government notification exempting the CBI, the NIA and the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), a proposed centralised data system for quick access to information on terror suspects, from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
“Hiding information sought under the RTI Act is unconstitutional,” the petition said.
“The petition has been filed for the benefit of citizens incapable of accessing the court themselves,” Chaudhary said.
Earlier this month, the cabinet approved the CBI’s request to be exempted from the RTI Act. The move was condemned by various RTI activists.
On a similar suit, the Madras High Court has asked both the central government and the CBI to explain the exemption from the RTI.
Banks refuse NATGRID client info
August 14, 2011 at 1:59 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Banks refuse NATGRID client infoBanks refuse NATGRID client info
Himanshi Dhawan, TNN Jul 12, 2011, 03.28am IST
NEW DELHI: Banks have refused to share information related to customer details with the government’s ambitious anti-terror National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) citing violation of the confidentiality clause and the possibility of fraud. The proposal — that is key to tracking terror financing by NATGRID — has been rejected by banks unless a specific legislation is brought that would make it mandatory to share information.
This is the first time that financial institutions have expressed concern publicly over sharing information with intelligence agencies. NATGRID is expected to link 21 data sources from 11 intelligence agencies to provide real time information to counter threats to India’s internal security and combat terrorism.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in response to an RTI query, said, “Banks opined that such sharing of information may not be possible given the extant customer confidentiality clause and the possibility of frauds. However, in case any specific legislation for providing the information is passed, banks would comply with provisions.”
RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak had sought information on the interface between NATGRID and financial institutions and decisions taken from RBI. NATGRID has been categorized as an intelligence and security agency and exempted from disclosure of information under the RTI Act.
The RBI also said there were two meetings between banks and NATGRID in 2010. The meetings held on October 1 and December 22, included public and private sector banks, foreign banks and money transfer agencies. RBI said it had informed bankers about the government’s request for information on customer name, address and account number which was turned down.
NATGRID was envisaged after the Mumbai terror attacks as a system that would provide integrated information sharing. Despite concerns about security preparedness, there has been little headway with ministries including finance, defence and home caught in a turf war. The project actually received clearance for setting up of infrastructure only in May this year. The Cabinet Committee on Security cleared Rs 1,200 crore to establish a minimum infrastructure in the next 18 months.
There has been widespread concern over the use of data that will be accessible to intelligence agencies. Nayak said the issue was as much about security as about people’s right to privacy. “It is not merely about securing data that is found on the computers of public and private sector and security agencies. It is also about the our right to know what data will be or has been collected about us, what uses such data will be put to and what measures have been laid down for each one of us to access our own personal data,” he said.
Ministerial musical chairs
August 14, 2011 at 1:58 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Ministerial musical chairshttp://www.livemint.com/2011/07/12201756/Ministerial-musical-chairs.html?h=B
Ministerial musical chairs
The problems of the UPA II government lie in an area beyond ministerial changes, whatever be the scale of the latter
It is an old game in New Delhi to guess the “meaning” of every reshuffle in the Union council of ministers. The one effected on Tuesday did shuffle the pack a bit. But did it really effect a change that would dispel the notion that government is adrift? Not really.
Among a host of problems confronting the second United Progressive Alliance (UPA II) government, two merit close attention—for they have a bearing on what can be achieved with ministerial reshuffles and what can’t. For one, this government believes only in incremental change and not in bold steps— domestically or foreign policywise. Then, for all practical purposes gate keeping of policy ideas and agenda setting are not done within the government. That domain has shifted elsewhere.
Seen against this backdrop, it matters little who comes in or goes out of the council of ministers. The only thing that matters is adjustment at the margin, designed for that most base of reasons: survival instinct. Take Tuesday’s reshuffle. The first thing, for the sake of administrative efficiency, would have required the total booting out of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) from the railway ministry. Far from doing that, the Prime Minister has handed the ministry right back to the TMC. It is as if ministries have become the preserve of regional parties and no one else can touch them even if they are run aground.
Some ministers have been eased out, for reasons of “underperformance”. That is hardly a good reason—for that description fits almost any ministry. From serious concerns such as attacks by pirates on Indian shipping to the most trivial issues (the threat of resignation by a senior law officer of the Union being a good example), the government is hardly able to take any decisions. How does a ministerial reshuffle make any difference?
Consider the areas where no changes have been made and India’s relations with the world come to one’s mind instantly. An assertive foreign policy—not necessarily a militant one—that matches India’s aspirations and abilities requires a younger foreign minister and certainly a more active one. There is no sign of that. To take a different cue, the home ministry is another example of what has been left untouched. The Union home minister is, by all accounts, a good performer. But such is the extent of torpor that some of his ideas get mired in political expediency. The fate of the national intelligence grid being a good example of this.
The problems of the UPA II government lie in an area beyond ministerial changes, whatever be the scale of the latter.
India: A Miracle No Terrorist Attacks Since November 2008: But Miracles Last Only Short Time
August 14, 2011 at 1:57 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on India: A Miracle No Terrorist Attacks Since November 2008: But Miracles Last Only Short TimeIndia: A Miracle No Terrorist Attacks Since November 2008: But Miracles Last Only Short Time – OpEd
Written by: Dr. Bibhu Prasad Routray
July 14, 2011
In January this year, I walked into the office of A. K. Doval, a retired chief of the Intelligence Bureau, India’s domestic intelligence agency, in connection with my research on “India’s Counter-terrorism Architecture after Mumbai attacks.”
I asked him point blank, “Are we prepared to prevent another Mumbai type attack?”
Mr. Doval replied, “Yes, only if a November 2008 type of Mumbai attack has to recur. We are certainly much better prepared.”
The terrorist attacks of November 2008 and July 2011 were different. While in November 2008 ten Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists took the sea route from Pakistan to Mumbai and carrying out multiple location armed assault style attacks, on 13 July 2011, the terrorists appear to have gone back to the good old tactics of planting explosives in different places. Irrespective of Mumbai’s quality of policing, to prevent terrorists from doing so in a messy and chaotic city of 16 million is a child’s job.
The blasts had accounted for about 20 deaths and injuries to about 81 people as I finished writing this report. The toll will increase.
Point of suspicion is obviously Pakistan. “The Pakistan based LeT is trying to carry out attacks in the Indian cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore,” an Indian intelligence official had told me a few days back.
The organization is known to have undergone split recently, but this has neither reduced its capacity to carry out attack, nor has it changed its anti-India intentions. The group could possibly have used its local affiliates like the Indian Mujahedeen (IM) for the blasts.
Indian intelligence officials have told me that the IM, with many of its leaders and cadres under arrest and rest on the run, is far too weak today to carry out a solo attack. If at all, it has acted as a local contact for the LeT or has simply provided the logistics.
The Hindu extremists too have carried out attacks in the past, but with its top leaders behind the bars, it is no longer a potent group.
India got a new Home Minister after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. P. Chidambaram initiated a grand project of revamping the country’s counter-terror architecture. The budget allocation for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) increased substantially. Forces were recruited, trained and equipped with sophisticated arms. The MHA also created the National Investigative Agency (NIA).
The NIA since then has come off as a robust investigative agency looking into various incidents of terror and is one of the key agencies to have uncovered the involvement of the Hindu extremists in some of the terror attack cases.
While the country has done well in investigating the past terror attacks, where it has faltered severely is in putting together structures for preventing terror. Mr. Chidambaram’s pet project, the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is stuck amidst concerns of intruding upon individual privacy and liberty. NATGRID is an attempt to create a unified database by linking all the existing databases belonging to over 20 agencies. Departmental rivalry and political turf battles have slowed down the project. There was at least a minor possibility that NATGRID could have prevented the 13 July 2011 attacks, by keeping a tab on the purchases of explosives made, financial transactions etc.
Mr. Chidambaram also wants to set up the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), following the US model. NCTC will be under the Home Ministry, under Mr. Chidambaram. However, the proposal to make the Home Ministry the nodal agency in anti-terror efforts has faced stiff opposition from other agencies and ministries. NCTC still remains a far-fetched idea.
It was a miracle that no major terror attack had happened since November 2008. But miracles only last for a while.
(Dr. Bibhu Prasad Routray is an independent analyst based in Singapore and has previously been Deputy Director, India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS). He can be reached at bibhuroutray@gmail.com or on Twitter @BibhuRoutray)
This article appeared at Al Arabiya and is reprinted with the author’s permission.
Centralised intelligence sharing still a non-starter
August 14, 2011 at 1:56 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Centralised intelligence sharing still a non-starterCentralised intelligence sharing still a non-starter
Varghese K George and Aloke Tikku, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, July 15, 2011
First Published: 01:46 IST(15/7/2011)
Last Updated: 01:52 IST(15/7/2011)
The two institutions announced after the November 26, 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai to revamp India’s security architecture are still far from being battle-ready. While the National Intelligence Grid, meant to fuse intelligence from diverse agencies, is limping, the National
After a lot of wrangling between ministries and security agencies, the Planning Commission on July 7 — seven months after a detailed project report was made — finally approved the NATGRID, but in a truncated form.
The union cabinet has not even considered the home ministry concept note for the NCTC — which was to subsume NATGRID and other intelligence agencies.
The design of the NATGRID was to enable multiple-query searches across databases — for instance, how many people visited India and Pakistan thrice last year and changed his mobile number each time.
In its revised form, the NATGRID will not have direct access to banking transactions as the financial intelligence unit (FIU) under the finance ministry that monitors suspicious transactions resisted the move.
“As a result, NATGRID will have to seek information from the FIU manually, making the whole exercise redundant,” an expert said.
“Banking data is a key input in predictive analysis of security scenario. The NATGRID’s capabilities will be severely limited without a direct access,” an official familiar with the situation said. “FIU works on specific information about an entity carrying out illegal transaction and a teller — a 20 something clerk – in the banking counter reporting suspicious transactions. Most tellers report someone with a beard as a suspicious customer, leading to nothing,” another intelligence official said.
A senior official who participated in an internal meeting on NATGRID said the security agencies had converted it into a turf battle. “An agency that has been tapping phones at the drop of a hat objected to NATGRID, citing privacy concerns,” he said. In May, weeks before retirement as home secretary, GK Pillai wrote to cabinet secretary and the prime minister’s office that the delay in setting up the NATGRID and NCTC could have serious repercussions for internal security.
“We have not been told, for instance, if the discussion paper we prepared for the NCTC has been rejected or if it needs modification,” Pillai had said.
Need to take up research in information security stressed
August 13, 2011 at 3:32 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Need to take up research in information security stressedNeed to take up research in information security stressed
PTI Jul 15, 2011, 05.01pm IST
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R Chidambaram|Prime Minister
BANGALORE: Information security has come to play a major role and though pervasive computing and grid computing are very convenient, one could not ignore the issue of cyber security, R Chidambaram, Scientific Advisor to Prime Minister, said while speaking at the inauguration of 2-day Garuda-National Knowledge Network partners meet here today.
Garuda is the national grid computing initiative of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
Efforts must be made to ensure computing and networks security. While research generates new knowledge, innovation seeks to add economic or strategic value to it, he said.
Chidambaram said research must have four layers–research that was highly high-end and involving the country’s highest intelligence on fundamental issues; direct basic research where issues relating to India on long term basis are taken up in the specified area (example TB), research that was pre-competitive and finally applied research where research is used for industry products and applications.
He said while earlier there was a huge gap between pure research and applied research, now the gap was slowly closing up with research being undertaken in all the four layers.
Chidambaram also called for “altruistic collaborative innovation” on issues of global importance like climate change or a pandemic disease where value should not be the criteria for collaboration and information should be shared.
Keep an eye on the circuit
August 13, 2011 at 3:30 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Keep an eye on the circuithttp://www.hindustantimes.com/Keep-an-eye-on-the-circuit/Article1-721631.aspx
Keep an eye on the circuit
Hindustan Times
July 15, 2011
First Published: 22:31 IST(15/7/2011)
Last Updated: 22:33 IST(15/7/2011)
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Every democratic society faces a trade-off between liberty and security. North Korea has never faced terrorist attacks but its people are deprived of all but the most trivial forms of individual choice. Which is why any liberal democracy, no matter what threat it may face, should be careful when
it curtails freedoms and concentrates authority when trying to defend against such dangers. The history of war and terrorism is replete with laws and regulations passed by societies to defend themselves that have proven to be double-edged swords. Many are eventually revoked, but not before being responsible for more abuse than protection.
The terrible triple bombing in Mumbai has again raised demands for a number of counterterrorism measures proposed after the earlier 26/11 terrorist attack be implemented. The most contentious of these is the so-called National Intelligence Grid, better known as Natgrid. On the face of it, Natgrid makes sense. It will centralise dozens of databases that exist in the country including banking information, travel data and so on. This will then be made available on tap to India’s 11 intelligence agencies who can trawl it for suspicious patterns of behaviour and suspect transactions, the type of software-driven data scrutiny increasingly used to predict terrorism. Critics argue this flies in the face of the Constitution’s and the Supreme Court’s strictures on privacy. It also raises the possibility of a government agency or even a minister using this information for blackmail or some other form of personal gain. These criticisms are not without basis. Natgrid’s purpose is not a matter of concern. But how it will be controlled and how it will be used deserve much more public debate than has taken place so far. A similar structure in Britain has already run afoul of the courts. Many European countries have simply declined to go down that path, concluding the costs to their democratic polity outweigh the theoretical gains on the security side. The United States does allow its security agencies to mine private databases. Crucially, however, it requires that such requests be filtered through a special tribunal of former judges.
Due process in Indian security is a British Raj inheritance. Decisions, for example, on wiretapping are left to a few bureaucrats and ministers. There is no legislative or judicial supervision. This system needs checks and balances as India’s security demands became more complex. Independent oversight at the apex of Natgrid , perhaps in the form of a US-style tribunal, is one way to ensure terrorism does not succeed in persuading the Indian State to undermine the nation it is seeking to protect.
13/7: When police copped out on Mumbai
August 13, 2011 at 3:29 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on 13/7: When police copped out on Mumbaihttp://www.deccanchronicle.com/360-degree/137-when-police-copped-out-mumbai-178
13/7: When police copped out on Mumbai
July 17, 2011 By S. Raghotham
Four days after yet another well-coordinated series of terrorist blasts in India’s financial capital that has left 18 dead and dozens critically injured, the intelligence agencies and Mumbai police are yet to find out who perpetrated the 13/7 attack, let alone bringing them to justice. And this time, the people of Mumbai are asking “Why didn’t they know?”
This, after Mumbai has suffered over a dozen terrorist attacks since 1993 in which hundreds have died, and committee after committee has made various recommendations for police and intelligence reforms, and India’s top political leadership has repeatedly promised, “we won’t let it happen again”.
True, Home minister P. Chidambaram, who took over in the wake of the November 2008 terrorist attacks, billed India’s 9/11, initiated some reforms. He may even get his National Investigation Agency, he may get his National Intelligence Grid, and he may get his US-inspired National Counter-Terrorism Centre, but 13/7 has shown that a crucial piece is missing in his grand plan for internal security, the piece that will ultimately decide whether Chidambaram’s reforms succeed or fail — police reforms to make general policing and intelligence effective. The need for police reforms is not a new insight. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself had acknowledged it as far back as in 2006 when he said that “unless the beat constable is brought into the vortex of our counter-terrorist strategy, our capacity to pre-empt future attacks would be severely limited.”
Yet, as Dr Ajai Sahni of the Institute for Conflict Management, asks, “What has been done in the five years since then? Has the beat constable been given better training, better equipment? Has he been retrained for counter-terrorism? Has the beat constable’s inputs been incorporated into intelligence gathering?”
None of it has happened. As a result, on the one hand, India can’t deal effectively with Pakistan on the issue of its sponsorship of terrorism due to a combination of nuclear parity, falling conventional military advantage, inability to undertake covert operations, and diplomatic timidity. On the other, India has failed to press on with the one option it has against terrorism — the defensive option of beefing up internal security. Reforms, taken up two decades too late, remain a cosmetic exercise at best, in limbo at worst. As one Union Home ministry official confided, on condition of anonymity, it took two years to just have the mandarins read the detailed project report of the proposed NatGrid, and months after that to get a Cabinet Committee on Security go-ahead for a highly diluted mandate. No less than the home minister is himself still fighting resistance to the establishment of the NCTC. Therein lie the answers to the question why India does not have an answer to 13/7, indeed to the terrorism problem.
Policing is critical
“When we talk about fighting terrorism, we tend to focus on how to prevent the bomb blast, the terrorist incident. But the blast itself is preceded by a series of lesser crimes. You can’t address terrorism, you can’t prevent the bomb blast without preventing those lesser crimes”, says Dr Sahni.
For instance, terrorists find it easy to obtain illegal mobile phone SIM cards, which they use for communications as well as to detonate bombs. You can’t prevent only the terrorist from getting his hands on a SIM card with fraudulent documents, you have to prevent everyone from being able to do so. That requires effective policing.
For another, large quantities of contraband, including explosive material, move around the country every day. In such a scenario, you cannot prevent a few kilos of explosives from moving around. You have to stop all of it. That again requires effective grassroots intelligence and policing.
Moreover, the entire focus of counter-terrorism efforts has been on target cities, such as Mumbai. But that’s not where all the planning and mobilization for a bomb blast happens. Indeed, the ideological grounding, the training, the logistics all happen in different places. The bombs may be assembled in the lawless badlands of Uttar Pradesh or, as is being suspected in 13/7, in a remote corner in Karnataka, the fuel is obtained somewhere else, the trigger in yet another. All that can be brought together without arousing suspicion of any central intelligence agency, and then all one has to do is pack it into a scooter, drive it into Mumbai, along with millions of other vehicles that come and go into large cities every day, and leave it in a crowded place.
“You can’t prevent this kind of attacks on urban India unless policing in the rural and hinterlands of the country is beefed up”, says Dr Sahni.
Why police reform hasn’t happened
The N.N. Vohra Committee, appointed in the wake of the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai, pointed to the urgent need for police reforms all of those 18 years ago. It even spoke of the politician-bureaucrat-criminal nexus and how it was essential to break it for the sake of internal security. Since then, each time terrorists struck, committee after committee has made the same recommendations to fight organized crime and terrorism. Yet, as late as March this year, the then DGP of Maharashtra D. Sivanandhan made a shocking revelation in the wake of the murder of additional district collector Yeshwant Sonawane by the oil mafia. Four days before he retired, Mr Sivanandhan told reporters, “the raids on the oil mafia (in the wake of the murder) was just for your (media) satisfaction”. He went on to cite a 2005 Maharashtra government order that had tied the hands of the police in dealing with the mafia.
Says Dr Sahni, “In a situation of lawlessness of this nature, when the police are prevented from doing their job in fighting all kinds of crime, especially organised crime, it cannot be efficient only against terrorism. Security is indivisible. Either you are efficient against all kinds of crime, or you fail against it all”. “The apparatus of internal security hasn’t changed in the last 50-60 years. No structural changes have been made, no institutions have been built even as the security situation has worsened.
Maybe 26/11 was not big enough to snap out of this slumber. Maybe Indian society hasn’t come to a ‘enough is enough’ point”, the home ministry official despairs, “If it has with 13/7, then society must take a call, and ensure that reforms are made, and quickly”.
Police and intelligence reforms is simple, says Dr Sahni, although not easy when 162 members of Parliament and some 30-40 per cent of legislators in the states on average have criminal charges against them. “When criminalization and collusion with criminal elements is crucial for a politician to hold on to power, why will he want to reform the police set up?”
Instead, he suggests, the public’s attention gets diverted away from the real reforms needed by moves to create yet more institutions, such as the National Investigation Agency and the National Counterterrorism Centre.
“The NIA is expected to be like the US FBI. The former has a $40 million budget, the latter $16 billion. Is that realistic? In any case, is it going to do any good to our ability to prevent terrorist blasts or to respond to them?”
The fact is, the police and intelligence agencies don’t know what happened in Mumbai on July 13 because no intelligence flowed from the ground up, from grassroots policemen. To sit in Delhi and build meta-institutions such as the NIA and NCTC, into which intelligence is expected to flow from an unreformed police set up in the states, is like trying to build a castle while the ground around it is collapsing.
Without sound, ground-level reforms, the terrorists will continue to succeed, people will continue to die.
Urgent police reforms need of hour, say experts
August 13, 2011 at 3:28 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Urgent police reforms need of hour, say expertshttp://www.inewsone.com/2011/07/17/urgent-police-reforms-need-of-hour-say-experts/63883
POSTED ON 17TH JULY 2011
Urgent police reforms need of hour, say experts
New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) The latest terror bombings that ripped through India’s financial and entertainment capital have shifted the focus back on the much-awaited police reforms and the absence of preventive intelligence gathering in India.
Reforms would mean doing away with the colonial legacy in the form of the archaic Police Act of 1861, if the nation is to be saved from terrorist outfits and homegrown subversive elements, say experts working on bringing about these changes. The blasts have again exposed known flaws in India’s internal security structure allowing a silent growth of homegrown terrorists, experts say.
The main problems India faces are the vacancies in police forces and inadequate training of force personnel. These problems are only aggravated by the poor intelligence gathering model.
According to official figures, India’s police-population ratio is just 120 per 100,000 people. Globally the ratio is an average of 270.
India has over 20 big and small central intelligence and security agencies – including the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) – apart from state police intelligence wings.
India’s capacity to repel a terror attack may have improved but the country still lacks the ability to pre-empt such strikes, experts say. Ground-level intelligence gathering is too poor to prevent modern threats.
When Ajai Sahni, a known security expert, was asked if he thought there are chinks in India’s security establishment, he quipped: ‘There are gaps, enormous gaps.
‘Can you believe that India’s main internal spy agency, the IB, has less than 5,000 field agents to gather ground information from a population of 1.2 billion?’ Sahni told IANS.
‘And their primary job is to do political intelligence for the ruling parties.’
Police officer-turned-activist Kiran Bedi has a question for the government, particularly the union home ministry that looks after internal security management.
‘How much did the Indian police forces reinvent themselves after the (2008) terror attack in Mumbai? You are managing a crisis by creating these intelligence agencies, not preventing a crisis. How will you prevent terrorism in the absence of a trained policeman who is your eyes and ears on the ground?’
Bedi told IANS that if normal policing ‘is absent and you don’t have people on the ground to collect information, these things can happen’.
Sahni, who runs the Institute for Conflict Management that focuses on internal security research in India, said if ground-level intelligence gathering was there, then of course ‘we wouldn’t have taken so long to know who did the Mumbai blasts again’.
‘Haven’t we identified the subversive elements that need constant surveillance? If so, how do we allow them to grow and strike again?’
He recalled an old intelligence gathering system in the country of having a watchman in every village. Those village watchmen used to report to intelligence officers at the local police station every day with whatever information they had.
‘This system has been done away with. But we need a system like this. Not the redundant meta-institutions like the NIA, which are wasteful energy hubs. Nothing prevents terrorism than local intelligence gathering.
‘You can have a whole web of technology to aid these agencies. You can have a grid or a data centre linking 21 databases. You can have National Counter Terrorism Centre. But if the input doesn’t come from the ground, what will you feed them with and what will you work on?’
Former director general of Border Security Force (BSF) E.N. Rammohan feels that politicisation of the intelligence agencies have diverted them their prime duties.
‘The intelligence agencies need to be de-politicised to make them professional and ready them to take up the challenge against terrorists,’ he added.
P.K. Hormis Tharakan, former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), said a ‘coordinated effort’ in intelligence gathering was needed to tackle the terrorist threats.
But he said it was incorrect to say the post-26/11 efforts were non- productive.
The long interval of 17 months between the last major terror strike and the 13/7 blasts may be because of these anti-terrorism measures, he said.
Since 1979, governments have set up a number of commissions to reform the police but their recommendations have been largely ignored because politicians, especially in the states, dont want them as they want to keep the police under their thumb.
In October 2005, the union home ministry constituted the Police Act Drafting Committee (PADC) – commonly known as the Soli Sorabjee Committee – which submitted a model police act a year later.
The Supreme Court on Sep 22, 2006, acting on the former police officers’ petition, asked the central government to kickstart reforms which included separating the investigation and law and order functions of the police and have a system of preventive intelligence gathering system in place.
But all that is still awaited.
(Sarwar Kashani can be contacted at s.kashani@ians.in and George Joseph on george.j@ians.in)
Victim only first time, Thereafter a volunteer
August 13, 2011 at 3:26 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Victim only first time, Thereafter a volunteerhttp://expressbuzz.com/opinion/columnists/victim-only-first-time-thereafter-a-volunteer/294849.html
Victim only first time, Thereafter a volunteer
Shankkar Aiyar Last Updated : 17 Jul 2011 12:43:22 AM IST
Only the naïve and charitable will call India a sucker state. A state is considered soft when it wants to and cannot assemble the resources to deal with an omnipresent threat. The Indian State in contrast is a state which can raise the resources but is simply unwilling to act on well-defined threats to its citizens. This time it was A Wednesday; 18 persons were killed in seven minutes and
131 injured. Terror attack number 14 for Mumbai. The toll thus far
is over 700 dead, over 2,300
maimed and injured. The perpetrators of most of the cases are yet to be convicted and India is still exchanging dossiers with Pakistan on the 26/11 attacks!
Even déjà vu will get a sense of déjà vu. First the blasts, followed by panic, failure of emergency services followed by stories of resilience and courage, speculative theories on perpetrators, rage followed by outrage, VIP parade, promises, deceit, and then business as usual. The sequence is the default template of wanton apathy. Jammed networks prevented Maharashtra chief minister from contacting the police commissioner for 15 minutes after the blast because a post-July 2007 recommendation for a secure network is pending four years after the floods catastrophe. Emergency ambulance services failed to reach on time because the plan for Emergency Medical Service proposed post the 2006 train blasts to be led by the KEM Hospital has not yet taken off. Investigators are groping in the dark post-26/11 recommendation for 5,000 CCTVs which would have cost a mere
Rs 4.5 crore in the city’s crowded markets was never implemented for want of funds. Upgrading of police infrastructure has been stalled because of red tape between finance and home ministries. The 26/11 attacks emphasised the need for speed boats for coastal patrolling. The boats were bought, but they can be used only for a few hours because the state rations necessary fuel.
The outsourcing of blame has begun. The Maharashtra chief minister chose the occasion to wonder if the NCP should be holding the home portfolio. Motive: the NCP, not Congress, is responsible for the neglect of security. Yes, there is a problem on the ground. Yes policing is poor. Yes, state-level police capacity is an abysmal 130 per lakh populace, when it should be at least 220. Of course the quality of local intelligence is pathetic. But as any science student will tell you, the rot seeps from the top.
Internal security is a priority for the Government of India only till its political existence is threatened. Compare the response of the US after 9/11 and that of India since 26/11. The US was attacked on September 11, 2001. The Taliban was bombed on October 7; the Patriot Act was passed on October 24; and 22 agencies brought under the Homeland Department by November. Post-26/11, it was decided to overhaul internal security. The three key pieces: the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Typically, the government first cleared the NIA. The proposal for NatGrid was stalled from April 2009 to June 2011 and the NCTC is yet on paper.
The NatGrid was stalled on privacy concerns by 19 ministries. While the NCTC is blocked, the cabinet is worried about concentration of power in one ministry. Maybe there are genuine concerns. But the UPA’s failure to decide on a life and death concern for 1,000 days reflects its commitment to internal security. Can national interest be subservient to inter-ministerial turf rights? The inverted approval sequence reflects the perversion of the system. We now have an agency to investigate after a blast but the mechanism for pre-empting attacks—NatGrid and NCTC—is stalled. It would seem prevention of terror attacks is not on the
agenda of the UPA.
Sure, there are no guarantees against terrorist attacks, but the lack of pre-emptive strategy is much too obvious. The tactical byte babel after the blasts symbolises the daily wage approach to strategy. The government—Centre and state—say there was no intelligence input. Pray whose fault is that, and what anyway is the expectation—an invite with an RSVP? Intelligence is about connecting of dots. The post-Osama context in Pakistan, the presence of 60,000 sleeper cells, the rise of the underworld in Mumbai, the weekly reports of thefts of explosives and detonators, the suspected alliance between Maoists and terror cells, the discovery of IEDs outside a Delhi court should have been markers. There is no
disputing the challenge that the police force faces both in terms of the complexities and the stretched capacity, but there is no excuse for the marked complacency that has lulled the system to sleep.
Once again, righteous outrage is the defining tone and moral high ground the preferred destination.
L K Advani says terror attacks are the outcome of the failed Pakistan policy. Arun Jaitley has charged the Congress with mixing vote-bank politics with its approach to fight terror, blasted it for continuing to talk with Pakistan. There is perhaps merit in their arguments. But can the BJP absolve itself by pointing fingers? Where is the oversight the opposition is obliged to provide? The Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs has 31 members of which seven are from the BJP. The committee is headed by BJP MP Venkaiah Naidu and Advani a member. Did they raise the issue of NatGrid, NCTC and deterrence mechanism for terror attacks? Would they like to share the details?
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Mumbai on Thursday, “I understand your anger and the outrage.” The rhetoric must be matched by political will; intent needs to be backed by action. The imperative of internal security is trapped between confusion and wilful systemic neglect. This must end. Psycho-therapists will tell you that you are a victim only the first time. You are deemed a volunteer if you wilfully allow conditions of fear and terror to persist.
Shankkar Aiyar, senior journalist on sabbatical, specialises on the
politics of economics
Topics:
Outsourcing terror
August 13, 2011 at 3:25 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Outsourcing terrorhttp://www.hindustantimes.com/Outsourcing-terror/Article1-722338.aspx
Outsourcing terror
Ajit Doval
July 17, 2011
First Published: 22:30 IST(17/7/2011)
Last Updated: 22:32 IST(17/7/2011)
When a government fails to prevent, identify or neutralise terrorists, it indicates inefficiency and systemic inadequacy. But when terrorists refuse to own responsibility of an attack, the causes are much more complex and sinister. Terrorism is violence for a cause and terrorists always want the
world to know about their existence, their cause(s) and the power they wield. So when they strike but don’t seek publicity then they are working as a proxy.
There are strong indications that the July 13 blasts in Mumbai were a joint operation of the Indian Mujahideen (IM), certain underworld groups and external forces. If this is true, then the triple blasts were an early warning of some serious internal security threats that India may face in the near future.
The reasons behind this observation are as follows: After 26/11, the Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) — IM is only a front to mislead the security agencies — has been aggressively organising themselves. Thanks to India’s soft policies, security agencies are reluctant to initiate any action against anti-national elements unless and until a criminal case is possible.
The repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, (Pota) has emboldened Simi and put the law-enforcing agencies on the backfoot. In a meeting after the September 13, 2008, attacks in Delhi, the Simi leadership decided that the organisation should take advantage of the favourable environment to recruit people for jihad. They also decided to refrain from sporadic acts of terror till they strengthened themselves enough to make big strikes. While they strengthened their relations with Pakistan through the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the underworld, their role was by and large confined to assisting the Pakistan-based terrorists. Their (Simi/IM) new strengths, good ground knowledge and local contacts are worrying. India’s inadequate laws, ill-equipped police force and the absence of political will to deal with the threat have only increased the problem.
Simi/IM is only a motley group of youth recruited and motivated by Pakistan for indigenisation of terror in India. It has negligible support among the Indian Muslims and all Muslim outfits have denounced their ideology and activities. Other than a vague slogan for jihad, it has no specific political demands or any cause. Its genesis lies in post 9/11 predicament of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), when the agency realised that in the changed global environment it needed a tactical shift in its strategy of using terrorism as an instrument of State policy.
To save themselves, they made Simi their front organisation. Using Dawood Ibrahim, CAM Bashir, a Simi leader from Mumbai, was called to Dubai in 2001 and the process of converting a radical Islamic youth organisation into a Pakistan-controlled terrorist outfit started. However, Simi’s terrorist performance fell far short of Pakistan’s expectations and many were accused of making money without doing much. But 26/11 forced Pakistan to resurrect it.
The ISI rated 26/11 as a successful covert operation but the exposure of its nationals made the overall cost unaffordable. So it re-doubled its efforts to re-organise Simi, hoping to increasingly use the group for direct actions rather than the support role they were playing. Last week’s Mumbai attacks is a manifestation of this effort: Simi is being accessed, financed and controlled through locations in West Asia and the underworld is being primed to enhance its striking capabilities. The group is also emerging as a converging point for the ISI, crime syndicates, radicalised local youth to bleed India. If Pakistan and the radical forces supported by it succeed in their nefarious designs of indigenising terror, it could lead to violent communal conflicts, a long cherished objective of Pakistan. To thwart this, our response should be imaginative and well calibrated.
The next set of problems emanate from the fact that our counter-terrorist doctrines, structures and systems have evolved around the threats from foreign terrorists. Apprehending domestic problems, the government has always denied that there could be local participation. But this reality needs to be accepted so that the intelligence agencies can include domestic players in their coverage. This acceptance will also increase the role and responsibility of the district and local-level intelligence units of the states that are in a state of neglect. The National Intelligence Grid is also a welcome step and needs to be pursued on a war footing.
In the emerging scenario, the government must increase their contacts with the religious, social and civil society Muslim leaders and deny any space to foreign-inspired subversive elements. It is important that while taking firm actions against anti-national elements, the innocents are protected and collateral damages are avoided. Last but not the least, political parties should stop politicising terror since it can be catastrophic if we have to face its indigenous variant.
The Mumbai blasts are an early warning for a more serious long-term internal security threat. We have many things in our favour and the nation is capable of meeting the threats. But to do this, the political parties must start looking at the problem from a national — and not an electoral — perspective.
( Ajit Doval is former chief of the Intelligence Bureau and currently director, Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi )
Blasts, attacks fail to push NatGrid into action
August 13, 2011 at 3:24 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Blasts, attacks fail to push NatGrid into actionhttp://www.deccanherald.com/content/177142/blasts-attacks-fail-push-natgrid.html
You are here: Home » National » Blasts, attacks fail to push NatGrid into action
Blasts, attacks fail to push NatGrid into action
Deepak K Upreti New Delhi, July 17, DHNS
The Central government’s self-confession on the “lack of Intelligence” in the Mumbai serial bomb blasts notwithstanding, the ambitious National Intelligence Grid-NatGrid- will not take off for another two years.
The alarming gaps in intelligence collection, coordination and dissemination across the country were yet again exposed when the central and state establishment candidly admitted that there was “no actionable intelligence” on the Mumbai 13/7. NatGrid is envisaged to deliver intelligence information at various points “on a real time basis”.
Top home ministry sources in internal security told Deccan Herald that the country-wide flow of “information and data” to a central point-NatGrid- from where it is to be distributed will take time, “at least two years’.
The Central government has this year given “in principle approval” to the project.
NatGrid will be a central point to which all kinds of intelligence inputs will flow like Hydro, thermal power etc flows to the National Power Grid.
The intelligence collected at the NatGrid will be allocated to states, cities and other places as per the need and relevance of the information. The set up will primarily collect all vital information, sift and sort and thereafter forward it to different establishments to develop necessary “leads” or look into such possibilities.
All the central ministries would be involved in the process to rationalise flow of information on a continuous basis.
Bank customer data
Officials in the NatGrid denied that the banks are required to furnish details of their customers accounts to NatGrid. “ We are interacting with Financial Intelligence Unit and it is incorrect to say that NatGrid will seek information from banks”, the officials said.
Financial Intelligence Unit – India (FIU) is a central agency under Union Finance Ministry responsible for receiving, processing, analysing and disseminating information relating to “suspect financial transactions” like money laundering, black money or “terror money”.
FIU reports directly to the Economic Intelligence Council headed by the Finance Minister. In the recent years FIU has been investigating entry of “terror money” into the Mumbai stock market. “National Intelligence Grid wants nothing and we are dealing with the ministries and not the banks”, a senior home ministry official said when quizzed on the reported reluctance of banks to part with the information.
On people having right to the privacy to their personal financial transactions, he said. “Natgrid is a government backed activity. Privacy laws of the country be respected. But privacy not backed by the law of the land will not be accepted”, he clarified indicating a wider role envisaged for the NatGrid.
The 2011 Mumbai Serial Blasts and India’s ‘Resilience’
August 13, 2011 at 3:23 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on The 2011 Mumbai Serial Blasts and India’s ‘Resilience’http://www.idsa.in/idsacomments/The2011MumbaiSerialBlastsandIndiasResilience_spandalai_190711
IDSA COMMENT
The 2011 Mumbai Serial Blasts and India’s ‘Resilience’
Shruti Pandalai
July 19, 2011
India has been applauded for “exercising admirable restraint” in the wake of the July 13, 2011 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.1 And Mumbai has been commended for its “resilience” and ability to stand up and move on after every terror attack that has scarred its recent history. For the ordinary Mumbaikar and the ordinary Indian, the question is: “do we have a choice”? Every time it’s a sense of tragic déjà vu.
The Home Minister has argued that “no intelligence (on the attack) does not necessarily mean an intelligence failure.”2 Such statements have triggered charged debates on whether India has learnt any lessons at all from 26/11? The message seems to be that the security-intelligence overhaul undertaken after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks has failed to deliver. Even more disheartening is the pace at which this overhaul has been carried out.
Most experts have said that while it is unfair to blame the intelligence agencies alone, it is evident that they are being “outwitted by the terrorists.”3 Everyone is quick to blame the system, but herein lies the problem; we were supposed to have corrected the system post the 26/11 attacks. The good beginnings then made have been plagued by inter-agency turf wars, competing interests and political fault-lines.
The current dossier for the ambitious plans for re-organising the security-intelligence apparatus in the country has “not yet begun”, “delayed” and “work in progress” peppered across most of its columns. For instance, the National Counter Terrorism Centre set up immediately after 26/11 is still to come into being, way past its deadline of the end of 2010. Its support organisation, the National Intelligence Grid, is off the ground, but not functioning to its potential due to differences among the top brass. The National Technical Research Organisation is yet to be notified as a “monitoring agency” – despite the clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security – due to opposition from the Intelligence Bureau.4 Any agency to be empowered has to be notified, to be free to intercept and access information. Currently, they require permission on a case by case basis, which considerably prolongs the process.
Even the National Investigation Agency set up right after 26/11 as the nodal federal agency for investigating terror-related cases has met with limited success. The Home Minister observed that “intelligence sharing has improved in comparison to what it was earlier”, but obviously a lot more needs to be done.5 A senior official speaking off the record observed that in most instances sharing of information among the agencies was being held hostage to one-upmanship and turf wars with vested interests taking precedence over national security.
Analysts believe that the signs of an imminent attack have been around. Post Osama bin Laden’s elimination, a spike in attacks was expected. There has been an increase in the number of foiled terror plots in the past few months; from bombs suspected to be planted on trains to the ones diffused outside the Delhi High Court and the recent arrests of over “two dozen Indian Mujahideen (IM) and SIMI (Student Islamic Movement of India) members from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Mumbai” in June 2011; which now are believed to have held vital cues to the 13/7 Mumbai serial blasts.6
Terrorism specialists like B. Raman believe we have got the basics all wrong. “The inquiry ordered by the Maharashtra state government after the 26/11 terror strikes only went into the deficiencies of the police. The deficiencies of the central agencies were not inquired into by the government. The result: We have not learnt the right lessons. That is why most of our discourses on dealing with terrorism are on general terms and not in specific terms as a result of lessons drawn from each strike.”7
If one were to isolate and look at proposals specifically for police reform, the changes are few and far between. According to official figures, India’s police-population ratio is just 140 per 100,000 people, while globally the ratio is an average of 270.8 It is also an open secret that India’s main internal spy agency, the Intelligence Bureau, “has less than 5,000 field agents to gather ground information from a population of 1.2 billion.”9 More often than not their main mandate is to be “political agents”. For two years now the government has deliberated on a proposal by its own task force on Intelligence to create a Citizen Intelligence Network (CIN) to make ordinary citizens part of the intelligence gathering mechanism.10 This proposal was part of a package of sweeping reforms initiated by former National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and even had the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security. The thrust was on locally gathered human intelligence (HUMINT) to assist technical intelligence. These proposals have also gathered dust.
The N.N. Vohra Committee set up after the 1993 blasts over 18 years ago recommended a series a police reforms. Each time Mumbai is targeted that report is revived and then forgotten. The approach is always ad hoc and never pre-emptive. We expect the National Intelligence Agency to work like the American FBI. But the truth is that the NIA is grossly under-funded. Further, the national intelligence grid to facilitate a seamless flow of information from inter-connected databases is hampered by invasion of privacy diktats. And the various agencies are still engulfed in turf wars.
It is time to prioritise. While new friends like the United States have pledged support for India’s counter-terrorism efforts, the fact remains that the Indian police and security forces suffer from several handicaps. As one US Embassy cable, revealed by Wikileaks, observed: “India’s police and security forces are overworked and hampered by bad police practices, including the widespread use of torture in interrogations, rampant corruption, poor training, and a general inability to conduct solid forensic investigations […] They also regularly cut corners to avoid working through India’s lagging justice system, which has approximately 13 judges per million people. Thus Indian police officials often do not respond to our requests for information about attacks or our offers of support because they are covering up poor practices, rather than rejecting our help outright.”11
We need to change this widely-held perception of India’s security apparatus. While the beginnings have been made in right earnest, what is required is the political will to put national security above political posturing. For, even resilience, if stretched, could prove fatal.
1. “More Horrors in Mumbai,” New York Times, July 14, 2011, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/opinion/15fri2.html.
2. “All Cities Vulnerable to Terror Strikes, Says PC,” Times of India, July 15, 2011.
3. “ Don’t Blame Mumbai Blasts on Intelligence Failure: Experts,” Economic Times, July 15, 2011, available at http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-15/news/29777918_1_intelligence-failure-mumbai-blasts-intelligence-agencies
4. Rajeev Deshpande and Josy Joseph, “Turf Battles Cripple India’s War on Terror,” Times of India, July 15, 2011.
5. Note 2.
6. “Centre Slept on IM Arrests till 13/7 Attacks,” http://expressbuzz.com/nation/centre-slept-on-im-arrests-till-137-attacks/294899.html.
7. “13/7 Blasts: Many Haunting Questions, Some Answers,” Interview with B. Raman, July 15, 2011, avaialbe at http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-mumbai-bomb-blasts-many-haunting-questions-some-answers/20110716.htm?print=true
8. Sushant K. Singh, “The Holes in India’s Anti-terror Armor,” Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2011, available at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303406104576445650088443520.html
9. Ibid.
10. “Proposal to Make Citizens Informers Gathers Dust,” Times of India, July 15, 2011.
11. US Embassy Cable of February 23, 2007 quoted by Wikileaks, in “US Scathing about India’s Security Forces: WikiLeaks,” December 19, 2010, available at http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-12-19/india/28262703_1_counter-terror-terror-threat-internal-security-challenges.
De-link national security from vote-bank politics, says Jaitley
August 12, 2011 at 11:09 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on De-link national security from vote-bank politics, says Jaitleyhttp://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2290813.ece
De-link national security from vote-bank politics, says Jaitley
‘We should not have to learn to live with terror’
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley said here on Sunday that people should de-link issues of national security from vote-bank politics.
“It is the society which creates the attitude for tackling terrorism. Anywhere else in the world, if any political party grows weak in its fight against terrorism, it would not be able to be in power. But in India, growing weak apparently becomes important in attracting vote-bank,” he said.
He was talking on ‘Threat to National Security’ here on Sunday, in the wake of the recent terror attacks in the city.
He said when faced with the challenge of terrorism, people would have to decide whether to choose vote-bank politics or keep it separate from issues of national security. “This attitude will change the response of the government, the investigating agencies and the foreign policy.”
He said that no one dared to attack the United States after 9/11 because the people and government there had that strength. “We have to bring such strength in India, otherwise we will not be able to say that this [terror attacks] won’t happen in Mumbai again,” he said.
“INTELLIGENCE FAILURE”
Apparently attacking All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s views, he said the approach that “we should learn to live with terror” needed to be changed, and said the three blasts in the city on July 13 were a case of significant intelligence failure. “Your intelligence was sleeping. This in itself is a failure. You didn’t know of the incident, there were no intercepts, interference in any module. This is intelligence failure,” he said.
Mr. Jaitley said the investigating agencies and the government had failed miserably even while dealing with other incidents of terrorism. “It was the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] which told India that David Headley was behind the 26/11 attacks. Why didn’t the media ask why our Anti-Terrorism Squad or the National Investigating Agency did not know of it?” he asked.
Calling the probe into the 26/11 terror attack a “casual investigation,” Mr. Jaitley said the trial and investigation of the case was the biggest proof of the failure of the Indian system. “It was such a big incident. But our investigation reached only one person who was found on the place with ammunition. Our investigators did not reach anywhere else. It was during the Chicago trial that the FBI gave us information.”
Lamenting the lack of a common criminal code against terrorism in the country, he said that if the United Progressive Alliance government could bring a common communal violence draft, it should also bring a common stringent legislation to deal with terrorism.
He said the UPA government had, time and again, showed a lack of resolve in dealing with the menace of terrorism and Maoism. “We are dealing with a special condition. Our neighbour is an epicentre of terrorism. We thus have to give a rethink to our foreign policy,” he said.
He raised questions on the effectiveness of the National Intelligence Grid. “There is a difference between intelligence and actionable intelligence. How can you give information about actionable intelligence to others? There are no firewalls around the grid. It is the same kind of grid from which Wikileaks came out,” he said.
He said the government had not even started working on the measures announced after the 26/11 attacks.
Mr. Jaitley said many lessons were to be learnt from the recent attacks. “The intelligence network should be such that there is an intimation prior to the attacks. Also, the response should be immediate and the culprits should be punished immediately.”
Outthink terror
August 12, 2011 at 11:08 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Outthink terrorhttp://www.deccanchronicle.com/editorial/dc-comment/outthink-terror-920
Outthink terror
July 26, 2011 By Shankar Roychowdhury
Mumbai 13/7 has overtaken Mumbai 26/11 as the latest outpouring of public outrage and sheer frustration at the almost contemptuous frequency with which terrorists have targeted the Maximum City.
The grim statistics of terrorism in India from 1993 to 2011 are well known and have been extensively analysed. Fourteen incidents of various intensities took place, each one overtaken in public memory by the subsequent outrage.
In this context, it may be relevant to recall the original incident — the Mumbai serial blasts of March 12, 1993. The deadly tally of this single incident (13 blasts in one day, 257 dead, 713 injured) makes it the “great-granddaddy” of all bomb blasts.
This is, by far, the largest act of urban terrorism in India, notwithstanding the much greater and more dramatic media coverage garnered by 26/11, which got engraved in the public consciousness as the symbol of the ultimate terrorist attack.
The unthinkable — a nuclear “dirty” bomb explosion — has, of course, not happened anywhere in the world, and all hope that it never does.
Though India arguably has amongst the best and tightest rules, procedures, and security and safety controls in the world in all respects, as in most other matters, their practise does not match theory and its implementation and enforcement rates are amongst the laxest.
In this context, the recent news of the theft of 64 missile warheads from a military cargo train in faraway Romania, barely reported in this country, may have ominous implications.
The military-criminal nexus amongst the loosely controlled, sometimes almost disintegrating armies in the Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asian region is well known. The warheads have been untraceable so far. But the possible destination can certainly be speculated upon, with organisations like Al Qaeda and its affiliates featuring amongst the most likely “end users”. There will be many claimants to these warheads in the troubled regions stretching eastwards through the Caucasus.
Of prime concern to India being the radical extremist groups targeting it, like the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba or the Jaish-e-Mohammad, which are allowed to run free in AfPak and within Pakistan as well. There is certainly a potential threat should even one of these warheads travel southeast and find its way to these organisations.
Mumbai 13/7 also indicated the ubiquitous presence of another commodity whose easy availability makes it the most-preferred ingredient for the terrorist bomb maker. This is ammonium nitrate, or urea, universally used as nitrogenous fertiliser, which was the basic ingredient of all three explosive devices used on 13/7. The same ingredient also cropped up in the recent car bomb explosion in Oslo that killed two people.
The attack was engineered by a mentally-deranged right-wing Christian fundamentalist and Islamophobe Anders Behring Breivik, who went on to shoot and kill 93 people in a holiday youth camp. But demented or not, Breivik carefully prepared his camouflage by setting up agriculture and mining enterprises to obtain access to ammonium nitrate from the commercial market.
It is understood that in the aftermath of Mumbai 13/7, the Government of India is reportedly considering legislation to modify the current Explosives Substances Act to bring ammonium nitrate within its purview. It aims to control the sale and movement of this universal and innocuous product, but with a deadly “dual use” potential, to “genuine” farmers only. It is to be seen how efficient this step proves to be. Such a step, if practicable, should have been taken much earlier, but there are serious and obvious doubts about its sheer administrative impracticability.
The Oslo case and the use of farming and mining for deadly camouflage is a pointer in this direction. But whatever be the end result there is nevertheless a requirement for seeking out other solutions seriously. Is it possible, for instance, to chemically “denature” urea to function as fertiliser only, without dual use as an explosive? What about other chemicals freely available in the market with similar potential for dual use?
Criminal ingenuity is always difficult to contend with, even if the entire gamut of modern technology is available for the purpose to the security forces, because in the ultimate analysis only human ingenuity can contend with the terrorist mind. Security forces will need to have plenty of their own as well, which must be incorporated into their human resources processes, so that the right quality of personnel are recruited.
Here it bears repetition that law and order is the constitutional responsibility of state governments and the ultimate responsibility for dealing with it finally devolves upon them. However, “law and order” essentially deals with maintenance of public peace and prevention of crime.
Internal security dealing with insurgency or terrorism is at an entirely different level of organisation and violence, but is nevertheless completely intertwined. Crime and terrorism feed off each other, often from common logistics and financial support systems.
Narcotics, kidnapping for ransom and gunrunning provide the sinews that support a terrorist infrastructure. As such a vigorous police offensive to round up and neutralise the underworld would also handicap the nefarious designs of terrorists and make it much more difficult for them to attain their objectives.
The reaction of the Mumbai Police and civil defence organisations in the aftermath of 13/7 might have been praiseworthy, though, perhaps, not perfect. But the main issue is that it was a reaction, a response after a terrorist attack. It was not pre-emptive action, one that could have prevented the incident.
It is the repetitious use of the ridiculously hackneyed term “intelligence failure” that actually summarises and highlights the basic weakness and flaw bedevilling the entire system of national security. Effective intelligence has to be proactive and pre-emptive, not reactive. The so-called Natgrid, or National Intelligence Grid, as a single-point source for multi-source intelligence has long been in the works, due to inter-ministerial differences as well as political, civil rights and privacy concerns.
Lack of intelligence is the single prime factor that provides access doors and loopholes to facilitate entry of terrorists inside the security infrastructure. Their apprehension, if at all, after the act is not much consolation to the survivors.
Shankar Roychowdhury is a former Chief of Army Staff and a former member of Parliament
Terror can be beaten
August 12, 2011 at 11:06 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Terror can be beatenTerror can be beaten
Richard Kemp Jul 26, 2011, 12.00am IST
Tags:
Irish Republican Army
In Norway last week or Mumbai the week before, determined terrorists can always get through. After a continuous 30-year campaign, with the resources of the British armed forces, police and intelligence services ranged against it, the Irish Republican Army, in a province of only 1.6 million people, still pulled off some successful attacks, despite being heavily penetrated.
Terrorists don’t succeed because they are necessarily good at what they do. Some are, such as Muhammad Atta’s 9/11 attackers and the gruesomely effective Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik. Most are inept bunglers, often lacking adequate training or experience. The reason terrorism is the instrument of choice for those lacking an army but determined to impose their will on others through violence, or for states like Pakistan or Iran that want to inflict deniable damage, is that it is so hard to counter. Even in what is the most sophisticated and intensive security environment on the planet, commercial aviation, we see time and again how terrorists with a little low-tech ingenuity can circumvent multimillion-pound high-tech detection systems.
Intelligence is the king of counterterrorism. British intelligence underwent a steep learning process from 9/11 onwards, when the al-Qaida threat to the western world blasted starkly into focus. The 2005 London bombers got through; but many other plots were foiled as our intelligence services, often working with allies, got their teeth deeper and deeper into their new home-grown Islamist target. In 2009 and 2010 alone, 650 people were arrested in the UK on suspicion of terrorism; over 200 were charged – mostly as a result of good intelligence work.
British intelligence agencies are not perfect – far from it. But for us, intelligence is the highest priority counterterrorism activity. It must be for India too. The bureaucratic paralysis that has stalled the implementation of the National Intelligence Grid needs to be unlocked – and fast. One of the greatest failings in British intelligence that allowed the July 2005 attacks to succeed was inadequate IT. The planned Indian crime and criminal tracking network system will be critical if such failure is to be avoided.
These systems are extremely important in countering the complex terrorist threat that India will face in the next few years as events in Afghanistan and Pakistan unfold. But they only provide context, connectivity and coordination that allow the dots to be joined. These systems must be fed. What exactly do we need?
Not the anniversary of some independence day, a notorious terrorist’s birthday or the knowledge that “they always attack on this date”, about which we have heard so much since the recent multiple attacks in Mumbai. Such background information can only help trigger periods of so-called “increased alertness”, which frankly should be ever-present in cities that live under the shadow of terrorism like Mumbai.
Instead what we need is precise point intelligence about individuals and their intentions, capabilities and locations that allow us to arrest, kill or otherwise disrupt them before they can attack. That is achieved by electronic interception of their communications and human agents penetrating their networks.
In the UK, as we have brought more and more terrorists to justice through the courts, some of our methods have become exposed. The enemy have learned ever-more sophisticated counter-intelligence techniques: evading surveillance, establishing cut-outs between cell members and more careful use of communications and identity documents. This means the need for intelligence operatives with discretion, commitment, creativity and powerful intellect. It also requires substantial investment in resources.
India must be unstinting in this investment. But however much effort and skill goes into such activities, the opaque, confusing, contradictory and uncertain nature of intelligence means there will always be failures.
That is why we need the belt-and-braces of a multi-layered defence against terrorism. Of the many counterterrorism measures that must be implemented in addition to intelligence work, i see two as being most critical.
First, deterrence. Time and again, experience in Britain and elsewhere around the globe shows that deterrent measures have directly prevented attacks. Sometimes deterrence will only delay attacks or displace them onto other targets. But lives can be saved if terrorists are denied their target of choice, and delay can buy vital time for dots to be joined.
Deterrence means effective and visible security measures that sow fear and doubt in the mind of the terrorist: that he will not be able to hit his target undetected; or that he might be killed or captured. Even the suicide terrorist fears capture and imprisonment. Deterrence means technical systems like scanners and metal detectors in the right place and working. But above all deterrence means highly alert, disciplined, competent, well-trained police and security guards.
Second, command and coordination. India needs a cabinet-level central government minister responsible exclusively for driving counterterrorism policy and implementation. Only by strong, top-level command will the counterterrorist resources of central and state governments be harnessed against terrorists. That other post-26/11 innovation, the National Counter Terrorism Centre, also paralysed by bureaucracy and vested interests, should be brought quickly on line. An instrument that gives focus and unity to the efforts of the plethora of national and state agencies dedicated to counterterrorism is urgently needed.
The writer, former head of UK terrorism intelligence and commander of British forces in Afghanistan, now looks after security in a major London financial district.
The Role Of Partners In The Cloud Cannot Be Undermined
August 12, 2011 at 11:03 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on The Role Of Partners In The Cloud Cannot Be Underminedhttp://www.crn.in/ITChannel-028Jul011-The-Role-Of-Partners-In-The-Cloud-Cannot-Be-Undermined.aspx
“The Role Of Partners In The Cloud Cannot Be Undermined”
By Dhaval Valia, CRN
EMC is bullish on cloud computing and the role partners can play in India. Manoj Chugh, President, EMC India & Saarc, spoke to Dhaval Valia on the new trends and opportunities in cloud computing, unified storage and big data
What is the big data opportunity you foresee in India?
There are many big data opportunities in India and many are emerging. Imagine what would happen when the National Intelligence Grid becomes operational in India. It will integrate the existing 21 databases with the central and state governments, and other organizations in the public and private sectors such as banks, insurance companies, stock exchanges, airlines, railways, telecom service providers and chemical vendors.
Look at the government agencies. Regardless of their mission you will find a critical function that involves ingesting massive amounts of information, storing it, analyzing it all, and then doing something with it. Health care delivery needs to move toward harnessing enormous amounts of patient records, and providing evidence-driven recommendations. Before long, health care will undoubtedly be a cloud+big data industry. All these are possible with the availability of next-generation technologies that can manage and analyze gigantic amounts of data.
Disturbing message from Mumbai
August 11, 2011 at 11:57 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Disturbing message from Mumbaihttp://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110730/edit.htm
Disturbing message from Mumbai
Time to restructure intelligence set-up
by T.V. Rajeswar
AFTER the July 13 serial bomb blasts people of Mumbai are asking: Why again and again, and how long are we to suffer? Mumbai had suffered the most serious terrorist attack by Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives under the direction of Pakistan’s ISI on November 26, 2008. And so far no one has been punished in Pakistan.
ISI operative David Headley and American-Canadian Tahawwur Husain Rana have given detailed accounts of the ISI operations relating to Mumbai. One of the jihadis who constituted the attacking team in Mumbai on 26/11, Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive. The Indian security authorities, Pakistan and the US are aware of the complete account which Kasab narrated during his trial in a Mumbai court. Sentenced to death, he is now in a high security prison awaiting further judicial procedures.
The Pakistani culprits who are being prosecuted there for their role in the 26/11 killings are having an easy time. There is hardly any progress in the case. A series of folders have been handed over to Pakistan but to no avail. In the initial stage, the Pakistan Foreign Secretary blithely characterised the dossiers as literature from India. Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Rahman Malik had promised cooperation. The excuse for the delay in the disposal of the case is the unhelpful attitude of the Pakistani judiciary.
Earlier Mumbai suffered major serial bomb blasts in 1993 which were characterised as a revenge attack on India after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. These blasts were suspected to have been organised and executed by Dawood Ibrahim, who had taken shelter in Karachi under the protection of Pakistan Then there were serial train blasts in 2003 and again bomb blasts in 2006.
The latest terrorist attack in Mumbai has a strange story to tell. The Home Minister as well as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra stated that there was no question of intelligence failure since there were no intelligence inputs. It is a strange logic, but the fact remains that there were no advance warnings to the Mumbai Police or the Maharashtra state about the likelihood of bomb blasts by terrorist elements in Mumbai around July 13.This is the crux of the problem, the complete absence of intelligence inputs about the possibility of a terrorist attack in Mumbai.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister spoke of his government’s proposal to instal a large number of CCTV cameras in the metropolis. Several CCTV cameras, which are already installed, had yielded some footage and the police chief heading the ATS has promised to release the sketch of one of the suspects.
While all these may lead to the arrest of the suspected terrorists sooner or later, the most important issue is about fine-tuning the state machinery for the collection of advance intelligence before the incident occurs. Mr Ram Pradhan, who headed an enquiry team after the 26/11 attacks, has rightly emphasised the need for intensifying the role of the beat constable who walks around the streets and lanes, meeting people of different strata. Intelligence inputs have to emanate from these constables. Traditionally, the police and intelligence officers build up their sources among the various communities so as to collect the required information about suspects and their activities.
After the latest bomb blasts, the Maharashtra security authorities have not zeroed in on any specific suspect as yet. There is a wide range of suspects belonging to the Indian Mujahideen, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the HUJI of Bangladesh. Security personnel have been sent to interrogate a well-known bomb maker, now in an Ajmer jail, and some suspects from Azamgarh in UP. Suspects from Kerala, Gujarat, Jharkhand, etc, are all earmarked for enquiry and interrogation.
This is, to put it mildly, a wild goose chase. This is the biggest weakness of the Indian security set-up as of today. The national grid of intelligence and counter-terrorism about which the Home Minister has spoken extensively is yet to come into being.
An outraged Lord Meghnad Desai from London commented, “Here we go again; first 26/11 and now 13/7. Mumbaikars will have to fall back on their famed ability to cope with adversity without any help from the authorities.” Of course, we know who committed these atrocities, but we will not do anything about this. Polite notes will be sent to Pakistan by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Home Ministry. Alas, the reality is that Pakistan can quasi-officially perpetrate these atrocities as the whole saga of Headley and Rana proved in a Chicago court. On the Indian side, the effectiveness in fighting these actions is still not there. Why is the Indian State so soft?
Nothing seems to have improved since 26/11. How many more must die before India comes to realise that human lives matter more than anything else? In the case of the 26/11 blasts, the Headley/Rana trial has given ample evidence to establish who are behind these terrorist atrocities. Headley had a free run of the country and no agency in India spotted him till the Americans nabbed him.
This may happen again. Some Lashkar or jihadi group enjoying Pakistan’s financial support may attack India again.
This painful message having serious dimensions has been conveyed by the Mumbai serial blasts. Can India be sure of preventing such attacks in any of its metropolitan cities again? Can anyone in the security set-up, either at the national level or at the state level, assert and answer, “Yes, India can.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Intelligence Bureau may consider convening a special conference of intelligence authorities from all the states and discuss the dire need for building a preventive intelligence machinery from the grassroots level. This is necessary to ensure that such attacks do not happen again and that those who are conspiring are arrested in good time before the mischief is committed. This is a tall expectation, but not impossible.
Merely blaming the Karachi Project of Pakistan — whereby men of the Indian Mujahideen and other jihadist terrorists are given shelter in Karachi —cannot help. David Headley has given considerable details about Karachi gangsters. He has actually spoken of two distinct competing jihadi groups targeting India, and both are headquartered in Karachi. Moreover, the Lashkar chief, Hafiz Saeed, has spoken of launching an all-out war in Kashmir, attacking the Bhakra Nangal dam project and other such targets. But the Pakistani authorities have refused to react to these utterances.
Notwithstanding the latest meetings between the Foreign Secretaries and the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, there is no possibility of any progress in the matter of resolving the issue of cross-border terror originating from Pakistan.
India has to set its own house in order by restructuring the intelligence-gathering mechanism to ensure that terrorist attacks like those experienced in Mumbai are prevented to the extent possible.
The writer, a former Governor of UP and West Bengal, is a retired chief of the Intelligence Bureau.
NATGRID will improve India’s war on terror
August 11, 2011 at 11:55 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on NATGRID will improve India’s war on terrorTuesday, August 09, 2011 (17:07:31)
Tags : India News, National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), Home Affairs Jitendra Singh, NATGRID
NATGRID will improve India’s war on terror
New Delhi, Aug 9: The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) will create a facility “that improves India’s capability to counter threats to internal security”, parliament was informed today.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha in a written statement that NATGRID was being conceived to link databases “which would be an input in combating terrorism”.
He said the foundation for the proposed NATGRID would be set up in two years.
NATGRIDE is being designed to function as a tool to strengthen the capability of existing intelligence and law enforcement agencies, he said.(IANS)
Nexus between terrorists, official establishments getting stronger: Menon
July 22, 2010 at 10:45 am | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on Nexus between terrorists, official establishments getting stronger: MenonNexus between terrorists, official establishments getting stronger: Menon
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 1:12:43 PM by ANI
New Delhi, July 20 (ANI): National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon today cautioned against increasing nexus between terrorist groups and official establishments and intelligence agencies.
Inaugurating the ORF-Heritage Dialogue on “Countering Terrorism in South Asia: Perspectives from US and India” here today, Menon said that unfortunately there seems to be no possibility of this nexus being broken in the near future.
Menon said the interrogation of the Bombay attack accused David Headley in the US recently have confirmed many things about terrorists operation that India already knew. He said it made it clear the reality of links of terrorists with official establishment and the intelligence agencies.
“It is that nexus that makes it much harder phenomenon for us to deal with. These links or nexus, from what we see unfortunately suggest that, will not be broken soon. If anything, it is getting stronger,” Menon warned, describing South Asia as epicenter of global terrorism.
Menon said, today it is less possible to be optimistic about the success of counter terrorism strategies in South Asia – in Pakistan or Afghanistan – not because we can’t understand the problem or strategies are intrinsically flawed.
“I think we know what needs to be done and who is responsible for terrorism. We have much clearer picture today of the infrastructure of the terrorism, of the eco system that supports terrorism, not confined to South Asia but affects the entire world,” he said.
Menon said the possibility of nuclear weapons reaching the hands of terrorists is a very important issue which the ORF-Heritage Dialogue is going to take up later, but pointed out that two aspects are better off today than last year.
Both India and US have learnt lessons and both the countries are trying to put together institutions, polities and practices which would help us to deal with this, he noted.
Having already set up the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and a multi agency centre to collect and disseminate information and the National Intelligence Grid, the Government is now in the process of setting up National Counter Terrorism Centre, Menon said.
M. Rasgotra, President of the ORF Centre for International Relations, in his opening remarks, said though we all know the source of terrorism, the US has shut its eyes to this kind of proxy war of which both India and the US are the victims.
Dr. Kim Holmes, Vice President for Foreign and Defence Policy Studies of the Heritage Foundation, said Lashkar-e-Toiba is not only a threat in south Asia but in the entire world with ability to attack the US. He suggested that if necessary, options like sticking to Afghanistan should be considered to deal with terrorism. (ANI)
New law to protect individual privacy
June 21, 2010 at 5:36 pm | Posted in Natgrid, Privacy Law, Process | Comments Off on New law to protect individual privacyhttp://www.livemint.com/2010/06/20202809/New-law-to-protect-individual.html?atype=tp
New law to protect individual privacy
UPA sets up panel to prepare blueprint after concerns over immense amount of data govt proposes to collect
Sahil Makkar & Surabhi Agarwal
Amid growing concerns over the potential misuse of personal data, the government is moving to enact India’s first law to safeguard privacy, a move aimed at least partly at deflecting worries over the immense amount of data it proposes to collect about its citizens.
The United Progressive Alliance government has set up a panel of senior officials of the rank of secretary to prepare a blueprint laying down the ground rules for privacy and data protection and fixing the criminal liability of offenders.
Once in place, the law will effectively recognize the right to privacy of an individual as a fundamental right. It will contain specific rules that will address any breach of a citizen’s right to privacy and include safeguards against potential violations of the law even by the government.
“The talks on having a privacy Bill have been going on for a long time. But this is the first time the government has set up such a committee. The decision was taken two weeks ago,” said a senior home ministry official, who didn’t want to be named.
According to the official, the government has decided to move on the privacy law in the immediate context of Aadhaar, the project to provide unique identity cards to residents of the country, and the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), which will assist investigators in obtaining information tracked by 11 law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The agencies will have access to details of phone calls, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records, property records and driving licences of all citizens.
The initiative to put a law in place follows concerns flagged by civil rights activists about Aadhaar, a project headed by Infosys Technologies Ltd co-founder Nandan Nilekani, and Natgrid, on grounds that individual privacy could be compromised.
“With an increasing amount of sensitive citizen information being stored in the electronic form both in the government and the private sector, there has to be a proper policy framework around privacy,” said another senior government official, who also did not want to be named.
Existing laws are designed to protect data against theft as opposed to safeguarding an individual’s privacy.
“You have to legally deal with not only the privacy of individuals but also data privacy. In addition, you will need to have stringent provisions pertaining to protection of such private confidential data,” said Pavan Duggal, a Supreme Court lawyer.
The Information Technology Act deals with the security of electronic records, e-commerce transactions and Web content. The Act does not refer to individual privacy.
“There’s a need to have a point of view on privacy. Though the IT Act and other regulations deal with the security of information, there’s a need for a legislation to decide what is private and what is not,” said a panel member, who didn’t want to be named.
Shantanu Consul, secretary (personnel) in the department of personnel and training, will head the committee. Home secretary G.K. Pillai, finance secretary Ashok Chawla and secretary in the department of information technology, R. Chandrashekhar, will also be on the panel.
“The first step is to step back and look at an overarching framework, which can be domain-specific and can fill all the gaps in all existing legislation,” the government official quoted in the first instance said. “It also has to make sure that it doesn’t override the current regulations and has to coexist with them.”
sahil.m@livemint.com
Manish Ranjan contributed to this story
CCS approvesNatgrid plan The project will provide intelligence data to 11 agencies, expected to be fully operationalby May 2011
June 20, 2010 at 2:02 pm | Posted in Natgrid | Comments Off on CCS approvesNatgrid plan The project will provide intelligence data to 11 agencies, expected to be fully operationalby May 2011http://www.livemint.com/2010/05/12204630/CCS-approvesNatgrid-plan.html?atype=tp
CCS approvesNatgrid plan:The project will provide intelligence data to 11 agencies, expected to be fully operationalby May 2011
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared the setting up of the much-debated National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), which will allow investigating, enforcement and intelligence agencies to access real-time information easily.
“We have received in-principle approval from CCS for setting up Natgrid,” a senior home ministry official said on the condition of anonymity. The official said, “Concerns and other privacy-related issues raised by all the stakeholders in the past have been addressed and now a detailed project report is being prepared.”
Once the detailed project report is finalized, it will be shown to home minister P. Chidambaram before being sent back to CCS. In March, the committee had turned the proposal down over privacy concerns and objections raised by several ministries.
Natgrid, said to be the home minister’s brainchild, will gather information from various government departments and store it at one location.
Access to the data will be given to 11 agencies, which include the Intelligence Bureau, the Research and Analysis Wing, the Military Intelligence, the Directorate of Air Intelligence, the Directorate of Naval Intelligence, the Revenue Intelligence, the National Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council (NSC).
Government agencies currently depend on each other for obtaining information, leading to delays.
In the first phase, the database already available with the government will be inter-linked. All the authorized agencies will be hooked up to each other as also with government agencies such as Indian Railways, Air India, the Income-Tax department, state police and private entities such as banks, insurance companies, telecom service providers and market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
The agencies will also have access to details of phone calls, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records, property records and driving licences of all citizens in the country.
The home ministry had sent the Natgrid proposal to the ministries of external affairs, defence, finance and telecom and others for their suggestions and approval for the planned structure. The project is expected to be fully operational by May 2011.
Some ministries objected to the project, saying that it was duplication of work already being done by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) functioning under the national security adviser, which coordinates and collates inputs available with various security and intelligence agencies. However, their objections were rejected.
The home ministry had appointed former head of Mahindra Special Services Group Raghu Raman as chief executive officer of the Natgrid project.
Lack of real-time information was considered a major hurdle in the detection of US terror suspect David Headley and his movements during multiple visits to India between 2006 and 2009.
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