New Delhi, Feb 6: Centre’s ambitious project to set up a National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) aimed at coordinating anti-terrorism activities at the national and state levels will become functional from March 1.
 The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had recently approved the plan to set up the National Counter-Terrorism Centre.
 A pet project of Home Minister P Chidambaram, NCTC officers will have the power to arrest and search in any state. The anti-terror body will also collect intelligence and carry out operations. It will also have the power to requisition National Security Guard (NSG) commandoes.
 The anti-terror body was conceived after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks which claimed 166 lives.
 The NCTC will be located within the Intelligence Bureau and will be headed by a Director who will be an officer of the Additional DG level. It will act as a nodal agency for all counter-terrorism activities and intelligence agencies such as Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and state intelligence agencies.
 These agencies will report to it on matters related to terrorism. The NCTC will then streamline terror-related intelligence, analyse and provide them for action to concerned agencies, official sources said. It will coordinate with all intelligence agencies and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will act as the investigation wing.
 The NCTC will also connect Multi Agency Centre (MAC), which would be subsumed into NCTC, and all agencies reporting to it, in Delhi and state capitals. It will not have any foot-soldier to collect information, but will depend on other agencies.
 According to Home Ministry information, the NCTC will also have the power to draw up plans and coordinate actions for counter-terrorism. It will integrate intelligence pertaining to terrorism and maintain comprehensive data base of terrorists. The new agency will also have power to set up Inter-state intelligence support team for better coordination.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Feb 2012 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 IST