New Delhi: Government on Thursday finally gave its approval to set up a ‘specialized’ anti-terror body, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which will work as a single-window entity to pool together and collate terror-related intelligence inputs, draw plans to neutralize terror modules and coordinate action among different terror agencies to defuse threats.
A core team of this body comprising its director and other top officials will be put in place by end-March or early April, completing the counter-terror institutional architecture that Union home minister P Chidambaram had planned after the 26/11 strikes.Anti-terror unit to be part of IB
Although the NCTC will work as an “integral” part of the Intelligence Bureau, it will be exclusively focused on counter-terrorism on the lines of specialized anti-terror agencies in the US, the UK, Germany, France, Israel, Russia, China and Japan.
As part of Centre’s post-26/11 blueprint, National Investigation Agency, National Intelligence Grid and NSG hubs designed to facilitate the spreading of the commandos across the country, have been set up. The NCTC, the remaining piece, was held up because of reservations among certain quarters of the government over its scope. The final design has accommodated the concerns of various wings of the government that were stakeholders in the decision.
Asked whether the proposed set up for the NCTC reflected a dilution of his earlier plans, Chidambaram said “it's not a comedown. This is a beginning. Eventually based on our experience, based on what we find our shortcomings, deficiencies or the safeguard that has to be built, itwill eventually grow into a kind of organization that I envisaged”.
Talking to reporters after the Cabinet Committee on Security gave “in principle” clearance to the NCTC, the home minister said its function will include drawing up of plans and coordinating all actions particularly counter terrorism and integrating all the intelligence pertaining to counter terrorism.
Chidambaram, who had been pitching for such an agency for about three years, said the core team will be the “nucleus” around which the NCTC will be built. After obtaining the necessary approvals from department of expenditure and DoPT, we will begin the work of appointing the core team, he said.
Spelling out the brief for the NCTC, Chidambaram said the agency will also coordinate with relevant probe and intelligence agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of terror are brought to justice, besides maintaining comprehensive database of terrorists, their associates and supporters.
“It will ensure that all agencies have access and receive all intelligence support”, he said, adding itwill be under Intelligence Bureau and report to its director, Union home secretary and the home minister. The home minister, however, did not disclose finer details of its functioning. At present, the IB’s anti-terror function is being looked after by the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) that will be subsumed into the NCTC.
Sources said that though this anti-terror body would not have exclusive ‘operation’ wing, it will enroll adequate trained personnel — drawn from NSG, paramilitary forces and state police on deputation — to assist state police in operations against terrorists. In other countries, such a specialized body also carries out ‘covert’ operations in neutralizing terror modules.
Rejecting suggestions that the NCTC will add to the multiplicity of agencies, he said there were specialized functions and in every country such functions were performed by specialized agencies. “Counter terrorism in today's day and age is a specialized functioning. There must be an organization that devotes its complete time and energy to anticipate and counter terrorists”.
A core team of this body comprising its director and other top officials will be put in place by end-March or early April, completing the counter-terror institutional architecture that Union home minister P Chidambaram had planned after the 26/11 strikes.Anti-terror unit to be part of IB
Although the NCTC will work as an “integral” part of the Intelligence Bureau, it will be exclusively focused on counter-terrorism on the lines of specialized anti-terror agencies in the US, the UK, Germany, France, Israel, Russia, China and Japan.
As part of Centre’s post-26/11 blueprint, National Investigation Agency, National Intelligence Grid and NSG hubs designed to facilitate the spreading of the commandos across the country, have been set up. The NCTC, the remaining piece, was held up because of reservations among certain quarters of the government over its scope. The final design has accommodated the concerns of various wings of the government that were stakeholders in the decision.
Asked whether the proposed set up for the NCTC reflected a dilution of his earlier plans, Chidambaram said “it's not a comedown. This is a beginning. Eventually based on our experience, based on what we find our shortcomings, deficiencies or the safeguard that has to be built, itwill eventually grow into a kind of organization that I envisaged”.
Talking to reporters after the Cabinet Committee on Security gave “in principle” clearance to the NCTC, the home minister said its function will include drawing up of plans and coordinating all actions particularly counter terrorism and integrating all the intelligence pertaining to counter terrorism.
Chidambaram, who had been pitching for such an agency for about three years, said the core team will be the “nucleus” around which the NCTC will be built. After obtaining the necessary approvals from department of expenditure and DoPT, we will begin the work of appointing the core team, he said.
Spelling out the brief for the NCTC, Chidambaram said the agency will also coordinate with relevant probe and intelligence agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of terror are brought to justice, besides maintaining comprehensive database of terrorists, their associates and supporters.
“It will ensure that all agencies have access and receive all intelligence support”, he said, adding itwill be under Intelligence Bureau and report to its director, Union home secretary and the home minister. The home minister, however, did not disclose finer details of its functioning. At present, the IB’s anti-terror function is being looked after by the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) that will be subsumed into the NCTC.
Sources said that though this anti-terror body would not have exclusive ‘operation’ wing, it will enroll adequate trained personnel — drawn from NSG, paramilitary forces and state police on deputation — to assist state police in operations against terrorists. In other countries, such a specialized body also carries out ‘covert’ operations in neutralizing terror modules.
Rejecting suggestions that the NCTC will add to the multiplicity of agencies, he said there were specialized functions and in every country such functions were performed by specialized agencies. “Counter terrorism in today's day and age is a specialized functioning. There must be an organization that devotes its complete time and energy to anticipate and counter terrorists”.
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