Boost To India's National Security Capabilities: Govt Expanding Intelligence Bureau Network From 374 To 825 Locations

In a fillip for the nation's security and counter-terror capabilities, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) is all set to enhance its network of information gathering from present 374 locations to 825 locations, reports India Today.

The indian internal intelligence agency is looking to expand its network to 825 locations from the current 374 that work under the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) which was instituted in 2001 by the then prime minister (PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government following the 1999 Kargil War.

On an average, the MAC gathers, collates, stores, shares and disseminates about 150 inputs to concerned agencies. The network works on two software platforms - an intelligence-sharing tool called Threat Management System (TMS) and a database tool called National Memory Bank (NMB).

As per the blueprint shared with a parliamentary panel by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the plan is to extend IB's network to 475 districts selected in consultation with the State Police chiefs.

Of these, 451 locations have been found to be feasible for providing connectivity, and 174 locations have already been connected. Once the entire exercise is completed, the network would have a size of 825 locations.