New Delhi: In a major push to develop a state-of-the-art information system to enhance the efficiency of investigation agencies probing cases of terror and organised crime in the country, the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), a master intelligence database, has been allocated Rs 200.53 crore—an increase of 128 per cent from last year’s allocation of Rs 87.77 crore in the last financial year.
NATGRID is a common platform of 11 security agencies to share data and inputs for a coordinated effort to crack cases.
Speaking to ThePrint, an MHA officer said legal and security agencies need automated, secure and immediate access to information from reliable sources and so, there is a need to develop this database that will monitor hawala transactions, terrorist funding, counterfeit currency, narcotics, bomb threats, illegal arms smuggling, and other terrorist activities.
In May last year, Home minister Amit Shah had also expressed hope that NATGRID will fulfill the responsibility of linking various sources of data.
For faster scientific investigations that would improve conviction rates, the states have been allocated Rs 700 crore against Rs 250 crore of the last financial year.
Shah has, time and again, stressed on the need to increase the conviction rate in the country and integrate the criminal justice system with forensic science investigation.
Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of Forensic Science University in Dharwad, Shah had said that if the police have to stay two steps ahead, conviction rate has to be increased and with the use of scientific technique.
The total budget allocated to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) saw a marginal increase of less than 6 per cent. This year, MHA was allocated Rs 1,96,034.94 crore as compared to Rs 1,85,776.55 crore last year.
Negligible funds for NCB, Census
The state and UT divisions of the Narcotics Control Bureau, the central drug law enforcement agency, were directly allocated Rs 5 crore in this year’s budget. Last year, Rs 5 crore was given to MHA for NCB. However, in the revised budget, this money was then transferred to states and UTs.
This was done to increase the NCB’s footprint in the states by creating additional 3,000 posts, MHA officials said to ThePrint.
The budget allocation for Census, Survey and Statistics/Registrar General of India(RGI) has also been reduced to Rs 1,564.65 from Rs 3,676.00 in the current budget. The revised budget in 2022 was Rs 552.65 crore for the same.
This is an indicator that there will be no census this year. The census, to be held in 2021, was postponed due to Covid.
Decent increase for Delhi Police
The budget for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for financial year 2023-24 saw a marginal increase of 8.2 per cent from Rs 87,444.06 crore in the previous year to Rs 94,665.03 crore. The revised budget for FY 2022-2023 for the CAPF was Rs 90,870.48 crore.
Under CAPF, BSF is a winner with the highest percentage of 9.3 per cent increase.
The Delhi Police, however, saw a modest increase of 15.5 per cent in this year’s budget allocation. In FY 2022-23, Rs 10,096.29 crore was allocated while this year, Rs 11,662.03 crore has been allocated.
Last year, as a new feature, funds were allocated for the modernisation of the CAPF, to equip the forces with modern, state-of-the-art weapons and equipment, according to their operational requirement, keeping in view their deployment pattern in different sectors. Besides, upgraded IT solutions were also to be provided to the CAPF. The plan announced a total financial outlay of Rs 1,523 crore between 1 February 2022 and 31 March 2026.
The budget for SPG, which is responsible for the PM’s security, in 2023-24 saw an increase of 12.3 per cent. In the previous financial year, Rs 385.95 crore was allocated, while Rs 433.59 has been allocated for the current year.
Similarly, IB has been allocated Rs 3,418.32 crore for FY 2023-24, an increase of 7.8 per cent from the previous year when Rs 3,168.36 crore was allocated, only to be revised to Rs 3,022.02 crore.
Interestingly, the budget for prison modernisation also saw a drop. Rs 400 crore was allocated in 2022 – which was revised to Rs 100 crore – and in 2023, Rs 250 crore was allocated.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
Also read: Budget 2023: Rs 2.40 lakh crore for Railways to boost expansion — highest outlay since 2013