What is NATGRID?

• NATGRID (or National Intelligence Grid) is an attached office under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
• It is being set up to track any terror suspect and prevent terrorist attacks with real time data.
• The NATGRID will enable multiple security and intelligence agencies to access a database related to immigration entry and exit, banking and telephone details, among others, from a common platform.
• The project, initially started in 2009, is an online database for collating scattered pieces of information and putting them together on one platform.
• The NATGRID links intelligence and investigation agencies. 
• At least 10 Central government agencies, such as the Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing and others will have access to the data on the secured platform.
• The 10 user agencies will be linked independently with certain databases which will be procured from 21 providing organisations including telecom, tax records, bank, immigration etc. to generate intelligence inputs.
• The data recovery centre of the NATGRID has been constructed in Bengaluru and its headquarters is nearing completion in Delhi.
• The project aims to go live by December 31, 2020.

Why in News?

• The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to access the centralised online database on FIRs and stolen vehicles.
• The MoU will give NATGRID access to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) database. 
• All State police are mandated to file First Information Reports (FIR) in the CCTNS.

What is CCTNS?

• Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) is a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of Govt. of India.
• CCTNS aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effective policing at all levels and especially at the Police Station level through adoption of principles of e-Governance.
• It is a nationwide networked infrastructure for evolution of IT-enabled state-of- the-art tracking systems around “investigation of crime and detection of criminals” in real time, which is a critical requirement in the context of the present day internal security scenario.
• The scope of CCTNS spans all States and Union Territories and covers all Police Stations (15,000+ in number) and all Higher Police Offices (6,000+ in number) in the country.