Former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing P.K. Hormis Tharakan on Saturday said the lack of coordination between the various intelligence gathering agencies remained India’s biggest problem.
The National Security Council, headed by the Prime Minister, which is an apex body to strategise and chalk out a plan, doesn’t meet regularly, he said. “With no decisions taken here, the strategic policy group – which is supposed to implement the decisions of NSC – hasn’t met too…the National Security Adviser is too burdened to effectively coordinate all intelligence,” he said during a talk at the Indian Institute of Science here.
Even the ambitious National Counter-Intelligence Centre – to coordinate between the agencies – has remained in limbo after several States objected to the powers given to Central agencies, said Mr. Tharakan.
The brutality of the November 26 attack in Mumbai had seen the government focus on technology. “With the government not putting its foot down on technology purchases, various intelligence departments have acquired the same expensive equipment which has led to redundancy,” Mr Tharakan pointed out. Mr. Tharakan also believed there was a need for legislation that would protect citizens from potential misuse of powers by intelligence agencies as well as protect the agencies from legal consequences of their actions.
With the government not putting its foot down on technology purchases, various intelligence departments have acquired the same expensive equipment which has led to redundancy
P.K. Hormis Tharakan
Former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing
