The country does not need another counter-terrorism body in the form of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) but rather improvement of the existing Information Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), a former RAW special secretary said.
Speaking at a public function, former special secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Amber Sen said that adequately staffing the IB and RAW would suffice.
“Why start a new agency when you have organisations which are 40, 50 years oldIJ” said Sen.
Elaborating on how badly short staffed the two existing intelligence gathering agencies are, Sen said, “The IB is over 20,000 short on personnel. Raw is 3000 short. If these two agencies are given people it will be more than enough.”
Sen who is also a former strategic intelligence advisor to the National Security Council, which advises the Central Government on security related issues, was referring to the decision to bring about the NCTC to help in terror probes.
It was thought out after the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, when a need was felt to NCTC have a single federal body, which would control and co-ordinate all counter terrorism measures.
A parliamentary committee has already asked the Central Government to temporarily hold back the setting up the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC). State Governments have already raised apprehensions about centre, as they felt it would interfere on their domain. Sen also called for the simplification of the process of hiring persons for the two organisations from the current long drawn process.