India to bolster NSG strength

In the wake of deadly terror strikes in Mumbai, Government will bolster the strength of the country's National Security Guard and enact legislation to strengthen existing anti-terror laws, a senior aide to President Pratibha Patil said today.

"A Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting would be held on Tuesday, which will take up the issue of deployment of NSG in places like Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, where there is a need for beefing up security," Christy Fernandez, Secretary to the President, told reporters accompanying Patil here.

He said the move behind wider-deployment of NSG, which is currently based in New Delhi only, was to reduce the time taken for their induction in emergent situations.

"These will be the main focus in the meeting of the CCS," Fernandez said.

He said the President, who is currently on a two-nation tour and had arrived in Indonesia, was keeping in constant touch with authorities back home to monitor the situation.

Fernandez said the CCS meeting might also consider other legislative measures to strengthen the existing terror-related laws to make them more stringent and effective.