Setting NCTC my most important unfinished agenda: Chidambaram

Terming as "unfinished agenda" his plan of setting up a National Counter Terrorism Centre, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram Thursday hoped that he will be able to secure an early government nod for it.

Speaking to the country's top police brass at a function in Delhi, Chidambaram said, "The most important unfinished agenda is the National Counter Terrorism Centre. It was an idea that I had unveiled in my Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture delivered in December, 2009."

The Home Minister said the "underlying premise is that there is a subtle difference between anti-terrorism and counter terrorism and quoted from the National Strategy for Counter Terrorism published by the US Government "to disrupt, dismantle and eventually defeat" the terrorist groups.

The Home Minister said while the country did not have an organisation devoting its whole time and energy to that task but was hopeful of securing "a Government decision on setting up the NCTC.

"Once there is a decision, I am confident that the core team of NCTC can be installed within 60 days and the full structure can be put together within 12-18 months," he said.

He said other programmes for augmenting intelligence gathering mechanism including Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS).

"From time to time there have been slippages but we have taken corrective steps and I am hopeful that the nationwide network will be in place by March, 2013," he said.

He said the other ambitious project was NATGRID which got the Government approval on June 6, 2011 and "I believe that it is proceeding according to schedule and the phases that have been approved will be completed in 18 months.