The central government would set up a National Intelligence Grid (NIG) and National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by the end of September of this year with a view to strengthening the intelligence-sharing and analyzing mechanism in the country. According to the Action Plan II released by Union Home Ministry, the establishment of NIG would be completed by September 30 as the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), which shares intelligence information with states and the security establishment, had already come into existence in the first phase. The Ministry has also fixed September 30 for obtaining necessary approvals for setting up of NCTC. NCTC aims at creating a National Network Security Architecture to address a host of problems that plague the internal security structure. Every state will have a subsidiary multi-agency centre that will be connected to the NCTC1.

Inaugurating the second National Security Guard (NSG) hub in Chennai, Home Minister P. Chidambaram stated that Special Forces of the Army will be utilized while setting up anti-terror hubs in Bangalore and Jodhpur. Mr. Chidambaram noted that establishing NSG hubs will increase the “flexibility and reach” of the outfit but it did not mean that “the terrorist threat had gone up in the country2."

• 1. “National Intelligence Grid by September-end,” Daily Excelsior, July 2, 2009, at http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/09july02/newsupdate.htm#2
• 2. “Army’s special forces to be used for NSG hubs: PC,” Daily Excelsior, July 1, 2009, at http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/09july01/newsupdate.htm#2