The ambitious National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) project will be operational by December 31, 2020, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
More than half the sanctioned positions are vacant, the government said.
The NATGRID will enable multiple security and intelligence agencies to access a database related to immigration entry and exit, banking and telephone details, among others, from a common platform.
The project, initially started in 2009 with a budget of ₹2,800 crore, is an online database for collating scattered pieces of information and putting them together on one platform.
At least 10 Central government agencies, such as the Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing and others will have access to the data on a secured platform.
On Tuesday, Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy informed the Lok Sabha that “NATGRID has developed application software for proof of technology (POT) which is yet to be fully rolled out. NATGRID solution is planned to go live by 31.12.2020.”
Mr. Reddy said the progress of NATGRID was reviewed from time to time at the appropriate level, and during the current financial year, ₹84.80 crore had been allocated to the project.
“Against 119 sanctioned government posts, a total of 53 officers are presently in position; whereas against 123 contractual posts, 21 consultants have been deployed. Central agencies will have access to the data on NATGRID platform in the first phase,” Mr. Reddy said.
He said NATGRID was exempted from the Right to Information Act, 2005 under sub-section (2) of Section 24.
He added that “physical infrastructure” is planned to be completed by March 31 next year and “IT Solution to go live by 31.12.2020.”
Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the progress of NATGRID in September.
The NATGRID links intelligence and investigation agencies. The 10 user agencies will be linked independently with certain databases which will be procured from 21 providing organisations including telecom, tax records, bank, immigration etc. to generate intelligence inputs.
