The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), a secure platform for the police and investigating agencies, has been linked to the National Population Register (NPR), The Hindu reported on Friday.
According to the report, the Home Ministry on December 9 informed the Lok Sabha that an Organised Crime Network Database is being developed on NATGRID’s IT platform to facilitate secure data-sharing between National Investigation Agency (NIA) and State Anti-Terror Squads (ATS).
The ministry said upgraded NATGRID tools, particularly ‘Gandiva’, are supporting multi-source data collection and analysis.
What is NATGRID?
It is a platform for the police and investigating agencies to securely access government and private databases in real time.
It is receiving around 45,000 requests per month, government officials told The Hindu. The platform is accessible only to security agencies and became operational last year after first being conceptualised in 2009 in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
NATFRID helps agencies access immigration and travel records, financial transactions, telecom and internet usage metadata, vehicle registration and driving licence data and passport information.
Before NATGRID, intelligence and investigative agencies had to formally request information from different departments.
Currently, the access to NATGRID is limited to Superintendent of Police-rank officers.
How NPR data helps NATGRID
The NPR has the family-wise details of 119 crore residents in India. It was the first step towards the creation of a countrywide National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The data for NPR was first collected in 2010 with the first phase of the 2011 Census. It was last updated in 2015 through door-door enumeration.
NPR acts as a foundational identity and residency database that improves the accuracy, speed and reliability of security intelligence. While NATGRID integrates data from multiple agencies, NPR helps validate identities across these datasets.
Significance of Gandiva
Gandiva is NATGRID’s advanced analytics tool to upgrade how agencies search, analyse, and connect data.
It can be used for facial recognition and entity resolution. “If the image of a suspect is available, it can be fed into Gandiva. If any photo identity document such as telecom KYC or vehicle registration or driving licence matches with the photo, Gandiva can provide the details, thereby saving time and resources of an investigator,” a police official told The Hindu.
According to the official, the request has been classified as non-sensitive, sensitive, and highly sensitive. Bank statements, financial transactions, tax information, and export-import data have been classified as highly sensitive information.
Gandiva basically transforms NATGRID from a data-access grid into a smart intelligence tool by adding single-point search, advanced analytics, faster lead generation and AI-assisted insights.
Gandiva’s link to mythology
Gandiva was the celestial bow of Pandava prince Arjuna of Mahabharat. As a result, Arjuna is often referred to as “Gandivdhari” or “one who owns the Gandiv bow.”
Created by Brahma, the Gandiva had 108 celestial strings which resonated with divine power. Arjuna, at the time receiving the Gandiva, required its immense power to help Agni in consuming the Khandava forest. This act marked not just the start of Arjuna’s association with the Gandiva but also highlighted the bow’s role in fulfilling divine will.
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