'NTRO is not an invention of the UPA government'

P Chidambaram on the phone tapping issue in Rajya Sabha

Let there be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this government is committed to the right to privacy and the right to liberty. (Interruptions).

Having said that, let us not understate the grave threats that this country faces. Our adversaries or those who do not have the interest of this country at heart, and are equally adept in employing technology. The state should be equally adept in mastering the technology in order to be able to counter it. Intelligence gathering is an important part of any government's functioning.

That is why in 2001, a Group of Ministers (GoM) recommended the setting up of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and, I am sure, the Leader of the Opposition is familiar with the background under which the NTRO was set up. The NTRO was set up by the GoM constituted by the NDA government. The recommendation of the GoM was accepted by the Cabinet of the NDA government and the NTRO itself was notified on the 15th of April, 2004 when the NDA government was in office. So, the NTRO is not an invention of the UPA government.

The NTRO was in place when the UPA government assumed office and, for whatever reason, the NTRO was placed not under any ministry. The NTRO was placed under the National Security Advisor who reports to the Prime Minister. I think it has become necessary to review the position. I have had a word with the Prime Minister. The government is examining whether the NTRO should now be placed under a ministry so that a minister will be accountable to Parliament for the functioning of the NTRO.

The NTRO itself has no authority to gather intelligence. The NTRO is a facilitating organisation; the NTRO is a technical organisation. The right to gather intelligence is vested in specified agencies listed in the Supreme Court judgment and referred to by the Leader of the Opposition. The NTRO simply provides the technical capability.

Now, it is true that technology has moved much beyond what was perhaps envisaged when the GoM met in 2001 or when the NTRO was set up in 2004. Now, when technology moves forward very fast, we cannot lag behind; we have to acquire the technology. In fact, let me assure the members, the technology that the NTRO has is not as sophisticated as it is made out. In fact, I am privy to knowledge that I acquired recently that there are other organisations in the world that have technology far superior and many, many years ahead of the technology the NTRO has today.

In fact, when I visited one of the countries, I was one of the few who was allowed full access to what they have and what I saw amazed me on the one hand, and, to some extent, frightened me on the other.

That kind of technology is available among a few countries in the world. We do not have that kind of technology. The NTRO has acquired the technology. That technology must be put to use, subject to very stringent safeguards. The Leader of the Opposition said, technology bugs. Technology does not bug. It is the use of technology and the user of technology who bugs. Technology by itself does not bug anything. We have a machine. The machine does not do anything. It is how the machine is employed, where it is employed, who uses the machine and under what conditions the machine is used.

We are, therefore, as I said, in the process of reviewing the entire functioning of the NTRO. I cannot say that NTRO will not acquire new technology; it will acquire and it must acquire. But we must put in place safeguards that will keep pace with the technology that we may acquire in the future.

(Excerpts from Home Minister P Chidambaram’s speech in Rajya Sabha on April 29 during the debate on the issue of phone tapping)