Formation of a NCTC, a single window organisation that will gather and disseminate intelligence to central and state security organisations, finally got the Govt's nod two years after it made the announcement.
The clearance was given by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the country's highest decision making on security issues, at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday after it considered a proposal by the Union Home Ministry.
With the CCS approval coming, the Ministry of Home Affairs will now announce its new Director and its core-member team which will build a nucleus for the new anti-terror body, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday.
The National Counter- Terrorism Centre (NCTC) will be under Intelligence Bureau and report to its Director, Union Home Secretary and the Home Minister, he said without elaborating further about its functioning.
Chidambaram while addressing the Directors General and Inspectors General of Police on 23rd December 2009, had announced that Government will soon form an NCTC with plans to merge agencies like National Investigating Agency (NIA), National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and the National Security Guard (NSG).
The Union Home Ministry earlier wanted to set up an independent anti-terror body which, however, did not see a positive response from the finance ministry.
Asked whether the proposed set up for NCTC reflected a dilution of his earlier plans, Chidambaram said "it's not a comedown. This is a beginning.
"Eventually based on our experience, based on what we find our shortcomings, deficiencies or the safeguard that has to be built, it will eventually grow into a kind of organisation that I envisaged in my lecture".
"That was a lecture. This is a concrete propsoal. There is a difference between idea and proposal. It is my hope that the proposal will eventually will grow and fill the kind of space that I created in my lecture," the Home Minister said.
Asked whether NCTC would have been be helpful in preventing terror attacks if it was set up earlier, the Home Minister said it was purely a speculative question.
"It may be and may be not. US has an NCTC but that did not help them stop three actual terror attacks and three potential terror attacks after 9/11.
"There have been six attacks in US after 9/11 but the same report says that US has been able to foil 18 potential terror attacks. We have been able to bust 58 or 59 modules in last two to three years. May be we could have, may be we could not have, as I said we may say that there is something that is called luck."
On the NCTC, he said the core team will be the nucleus around which the full NCTC will be built.
After obtaining the necessary approvals from department of expenditure and DoPT and finally the CCS, we will begin the work of appointing the core team of NCTC.
NCTC functions will include drawing up of plans and coordinating all actions particularly counter terrorism and integrating all the intelligence pertaining to counter terrorism.
The NCTC will also coordinate with relevant probe and intelligence agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of terror are brought to justice besides maintaining comprehensive data base of terrorists, their associates and supporters, Chidambaram said.
It will ensure that all agencies have access and receive all intelligence support and a Multi-Agency Centre will form a part NCTC, he said.
Rejecting suggestions that the NCTC will add to the mutiplicity of agencies, he said there were specialised functions and in every country such functions were performed by specialised agencies.
"Counter terrorism in today's day and age is a specialised functioning. There must be an organisation that devotes its complete time and energy to anticipate and counter terrorists. Every country I know off -- US, UK, France, Israel, Germany, Russia, Japan, China have all got an organisation which is devoted to counter-terrorism.
"I am surprised whether you should have asked whether India needs an NCTC. India needed an organisation three years ago or five years ago," Chidambaram said.
Govt unveils policy to curb illicit narcotics
The government on Thursday announced a national policy to control and regulate narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances to stop the menace of trafficking, considered to be a major source of black money.
The National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) was approved by the Union Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The private sector may also allowed for production of alkaloids from opium and products from poppy straw.
Alkaloids are chemical substances used in pharmaceutical industry.
"The policy attempts to curb the menace of drug abuse and contains provisions for treatment, rehabilitation and social re-integration of victims of drug abuse," an official release said after the Cabinet meeting.
It said implementation of the policy "will lead to reduction of crime, improvement in public health and uplifting of the social milieu".
To check the illicit cultivation of poppy and cannabis, government will use satellite imageries for detection and eradication of such crops. It emphasises on developing alternate means of livelihood for growers in traditional illicit cultivation areas.
The policy follows Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's intention in his last Budget speech to strengthen control over trafficking of narcotic material.
"Trafficking in narcotic drugs is also a contributor to the generation of black money," he had said.
The Revenue Department will set a time bound action plan for different government agencies in sync with the recommendations with the International Narcotics Control Board.
(DD/SP-12.1) | 
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