Why in the News?
- NATGRID is now receiving around 45,000 data-access requests per month, according to government officials.
- At the 2024 DGP Conference (Nov 28–30, Raipur), chaired by the Prime Minister, all law-enforcement agencies were directed to scale up use of NATGRID in investigations.
- States have been asked by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to use the platform extensively to access multiple government and private datasets.
What is NATGRID?
- National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is an integrated intelligence platform that provides secure, real-time access to various databases for police and investigative agencies.
- Conceptualised in 2009 after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
- Became operational in 2023 (last year).
- It is accessible only to authorised security agencies.
Institutional Developments
- NATGRID gained momentum in 2019 under Home Minister Amit Shah, who resolved inter-agency differences and expanded access to States.
- In 2020, NATGRID signed an MoU with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to access the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), which links ~14,000 police stations nationwide.
Recent Challenges Reported
- Slow or time-consuming login procedures
- Delays in receiving information that is expected to be real-time
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