Govt sets up committee on Natgrid

A high-level committee, headed by the Union Home Secretary, has been set up to allay apprehension of data sharing by various government agencies with Natgrid, the proposed real-time intelligence sharing set up.
The committee, constituted by the government, will discuss with various stakeholders of Natgrid like IB, R&AW, CBI, CBDT and remove their apprehension on breach of security and misuse of information, official sources said.
The committee will also hold discussions with state governments and chalk out strategy on how to bring synergy in data sharing, coordination and dissemination of information.
Work for early set up of the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) was slowed down after the NDA government assumed charge as it did not extend the services of the then CEO Raghu Menon in July last.

Conceptualised by former Home Minister P Chidambaram after the Mumbai 26/11 attack, the Natgrid, when it will become operational, will share and disseminate information among 22 agencies like IB, R&AW, CBI, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Enforcement Directorate besides others.
Natgrid seeks to synergise more than 20 categories of database from agencies like, railways, banks, airlines, credit card companies, immigration and others, and make it available to the law enforcement officers.