Principal Secretary and Development Commissioner, Y Kikheto Sema with a team from the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), Union Ministry of Home Affairs comprising Dr Saurabh Gupta, Advisor; Raghav Gupta, and Anup Kumar, Senior Lead, at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat, Kohima, on November 12. (DIPR Photo)
KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 12 (MExN): Nagaland has submitted its electricity bill and Inner Line Permit (ILP) databases for integration with the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), while the water bill database remains pending as the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) is still digitising its records.
The update was shared by State Nodal Officer Y Kikheto Sema, Principal Secretary and Development Commissioner, during a meeting with a visiting NATGRID team at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat, Kohima, on November 12.
The team from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs comprised Dr Saurabh Gupta, Advisor; Raghav Gupta, IRS; and Anup Kumar, Senior Lead discussed the integration of various State Government databases with NATGRID.
As per the State DIPR, Sema informed the team that the remaining databases required by NATGRID would be submitted in due course. He also underscored the importance of maintaining proper records and regularly updating government databases.
Referring to Nagaland's traditional system of land ownership, largely passed down through generations without written records, he observed that the State had only recently begun recognising the importance of maintaining and updating information through government portals.
In his opening remarks, Sema noted that Nagaland, established through a political agreement, had for many years focused largely on maintaining law and order.
However, under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the support of civil society organisations, the State had witnessed lasting peace and was now increasingly focusing on socio-economic development.
Dr Saurabh Gupta made a presentation on NATGRID and its role in strengthening national security. He explained that the platform was established to support counter-terrorism efforts and safeguard national security, including internal and economic security, through the identification and integration of databases maintained by various government establishments and other organisations.
He also briefed the meeting on two applications, Gandiva and Sudarshan, used by various intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
According to Gupta, 117 databases have so far been connected with NATGRID, while 16 States, including three in the North-East, have integrated some of their databases.
The meeting underscored the need for coordinated efforts among concerned departments to identify, digitise and integrate relevant databases with NATGRID, the DIPR report noted.
The initiative is expected to strengthen information management, improve inter-departmental coordination and support the State's contribution to national security, it added.
