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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Govt may soon approve initial budget for Natgrid
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Govt may soon approve initial budget for Natgrid

Most of the money is likely to be spent for the establishment of data centres in Delhi and Bangalore

The final clearance is likely to be given only by a so-called apex-level committee headed by home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint (Ramesh Pathania/Mint)Premium
The final clearance is likely to be given only by a so-called apex-level committee headed by home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint
(Ramesh Pathania/Mint)

New Delhi: The government may soon approve the initial budget for the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) that aims to link the database of several key wings of the government and the security and intelligence departments to prevent terrorist activities.

The government could soon clear an initial budget of 300 crore for the project, out of the total 1,200 crore that has been earmarked for it, said a senior home ministry official. Most of this money is likely to be spent for the establishment of data centres in Delhi and Bangalore, the official said.

Natgrid was first proposed in the aftermath of the 26 November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, in which 164 people died and more than 300 were wounded. The project has faced opposition both from within and outside the government. While government agencies including the Intelligence Bureau (IB) have questioned its efficacy, several activists have questioned the potential breach of privacy and leakage of confidential information.

The government has also identified 10 acres of land near the Mehrauli area of Delhi and 5 acres in Bangalore to set up data centres for the new agency. “There could however be an issue here, as part of the land in Delhi is occupied by the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force)," the home ministry official said. He did not want to be identified.

Director general of CRPF and the home secretary did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking comment.

The tender to identify a project management contractor could soon be floated. These issues are likely to be discussed at a meeting on Friday, which would be attended by home ministry and Natgrid officials and those from other government agencies that are involved in the project.

To be sure, the final clearance is likely to be given only by a so-called apex-level committee headed by home minister Sushilkumar Shinde.

Natgrid chief Raghu Raman confirmed Friday’s meeting but said that there was no clarity on when the apex level committee will meet. He also said that the CRPF’s occupation of the land in Delhi was “not a major issue". He declined to comment further.

On 5 June, the government had released an advertisement for recruitment of personnel for Natgrid. The advertisement had listed 29 positions that are to be filled up. People recruited to these positions would be paid a “monthly fixed fee" ranging from 85,000 to 300,000. The positions had been open to private sector professionals or to retired government officials.

Interestingly, in a corrigendum issued on 25 June, the home ministry allowed serving officials to also apply for the positions.

The home ministry official cited earlier, however, said that “everyone including the IB and the NSA (National Security Advisor) is on board".

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Published: 10 Oct 2013, 12:17 AM IST
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