Centre pushing to revive NATGRID, looking for CEO

To rope in an intelligence official to head the federal counter-terror centre.

The Union government is set to make an aggressive effort to accomplish one of the most ambitious intelligence projects in recent memory, which failed to take off during United Progressive Alliance rule.

Conceived in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is a centralised agency which stores sensitive personal information on citizens from almost two dozen agencies to be made available for counter-terror investigations.

Multiple sources say the government will appoint a senior serving government official, in all likelihood one with an intelligence background, to head NATGRID, with a mandate to operationalise it as a federal counter-terrorism centre.

Contract not renewed Soon after it came to power last year, the National Democratic Alliance government refused to renew the contract of Raghu Raman, NATGRID’s first and only CEO, who had bagged the job while working for automobile major Mahindra. Mr. Raman’s contract was not renewed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the basis of an alleged adverse intelligence report. Though the government has kept its options open for private citizens to apply this time, a senior official said it was keen on intelligence officials.

UPA’s showpiece project One of the UPA’s biggest showpiece internal security projects, the grid was to provide an intelligence database that would have networked 21 sets of data sources to provide quick and secure access of information to about 10 intelligence and law-enforcement agencies including the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and R&AW. These data sources include records related to immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions.

Ashok Prasad, Secretary, Internal Security, who is holding additional charge of NATGRID, is said to be the frontrunner for the post. Mr. Prasad, a 1979 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre lost the race to become the IB chief last year when the government decided to appoint his junior Dineshwar Sharma to the post. There is an understanding that the government wants to compensate him for the loss.

“But, this government is known for making unconventional appointments. It is a sensitive and important post and the government would want a trustworthy person to hold this post. NATGRID will have access to all kinds of data under one roof and can also prove to be counter-productive if misused,” said the official. Last year, former IIT-Kanpur Director Sanjay Govind Dhande was in the race but the proposal fell through.

On December 16, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a circular to fill the post of CEO of NATGRID. The circular calls for applicants with a Masters in Electronics, IT or equivalent with an experience of working in the IT-related field for 25 years. Both serving as well as retired government officials can apply.

The circular also says that if a private person is hired, his/her salary would be Rs. 10 lakh a month and if it’s a government servant, it will be his last drawn salary or the present salary.