National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is an essential requirement for robust and effective intelligence agencies and law enforcement functions in India. The only requirement is to ensure that its abuses can be anticipated, prevented and remedied, says Praveen Dalal, Managing Partner of Perry4Law and the leading Techno-Legal Expert of India.The Ministry of Home affairs, India is managing this ambitious NATGRID project. It sent the proposal to establish NATGRID to various other allied Ministries for their suggestions. Now Ministries like external affairs, finance, defence, telecom, etc have provided their suggestions in this regard. This has paved way for the final clearance of the project.
Techno-Legal specialist Praveen Dalal informs that the aim of NATGRID is to ensure a readily available and real time information sharing platform between intelligence agencies, law enforcement agencies, etc of India. Information gathering and its timely distribution is also an essential part of “Crisis Management Strategies” of any nation. While the NATGRID system is a must for India, yet India has to make it sure that it is not abused for “Political Purposes” and in a manner that goes against the provisions of the Constitution of India.
The scope for misuse is tremendous as NATGRID is planning to link 21 categories of databases maintained by different public and private agencies for ready access by the country’s intelligence agencies. There must be “mechanism” to ensure that this wonderful system may not be abused, warns Praveen Dalal.
Since the concerned ministries have cleared the proposal the same will be now placed before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for approval. The CCS consent would be the penultimate step for the establishment of NATGRID within next two years, i.e. till 2011. It would be a good idea if the CCS “consults” experts and stakeholders before finally approving the projects, opines Praveen Dalal.
