New Delhi:

Intelligence gathering has taken a back seat in the Union Budget 2025-26 as the Centre has reduced the flow of funds of several verticals that deal with intelligence collection and dissemination, including the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) – the apex body for all matters concerning internal and external security.

According to Notes on Demand for Grants (2025-26), Rs 182.75 crore has been allocated to NSCS in comparison to Rs 270.08 crore (revised estimate) last financial year.

The budget of the Intelligence Bureau was also reduced by around Rs 100 crore. Last year, Rs 3,966 crore was allocated to the agency in the revised Budget but this year, the amount has been reduced to Rs 3,893 crore.

“This (reduction) indicates that the number of personnel working in these two arms of the intelligence apparatus are being reduced as revenue in both heads have come down,” a senior officer explained, seeking anonymity. 

According to the officer, salaries, pensions and other expenses of intelligence personnel fall under the head of revenue, and the capital suggests a new set up is being built.

The Notes on Demand for Grants said that out of Rs 182.75 crore allocated to NSCS, Rs 127.51 crore is being granted under the revenue head. 

Similarly, for the Intelligence Bureau, of the Rs 3,893 crore, Rs 3,662 crore has been allocated under the revenue head. 

For the Intelligence Bureau, only Rs 230 crore has been allocated for capital expenditure. The amount last year was about Rs 437 crore, even though it was reduced to Rs 307 crores in the revised Budget.

Interestingly, the budget of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) has also seen a reverse swing this time. Last year, Rs 247.72 crore was allocated to NATGRID in the revised Budget, but this time, only Rs 158.23 crore has been set aside. As per estimates, about 36% of its budget has been slashed by the government. 

The NATGRID is another crucial intelligence arm of the country and provides back end support to counter security threats.

Funds for the Special Protection Group (SPG), another elite force that looks after the security of the Prime Minister of India, were also reduced. Rs 489 crore has been allocated this year, which is around Rs 22 crore less than last year. In 2024-25, the revised budget was Rs 510.97 crore.

New Delhi:

Even as search operations continue in the Jammu region where security forces are trying to flush out terrorists, back in Delhi Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the new deployment strategy being enforced in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Home Minister held discussions over assessments of various forces operating on the ground and how more force is being pumped in the existing security grid,” a senior government official told NDTV.

The meeting which lasted for over three hours was attended by heads of security and law enforcement agencies to review the functioning of Multi Agency Centre (MAC) of the Intelligence Bureau, responsible for tackling security challenges in the country.

In the meeting, Mr Shah stressed upon greater synergy between all the agencies to dismantle terror networks and their ecosystem, and to address the evolving security threat scenario of the country.

The meeting was held at a time when questions are being raised about the kind of intelligence being generated or lack of it in the Jammu region. No agency seems to have a clear picture as to how many terrorists have infiltrated and where have they been hiding for the past few months.

The MAC is responsible for collating data from all forces before presenting a clear picture to the centre. They are also tasked to make assessments about terror networks and law and order situations.

Officials who attended the meeting said Mr Shah instructed heads of security agencies from across the country and other intelligence and enforcement agencies to adopt a whole-of-the government approach towards national security.

He emphasised that the MAC must continue to work 24×7 as a platform for proactive and real-time sharing of actionable intelligence among various stakeholders, including last-mile responders.

As per the proposed plan this year, the MAC framework is poised to undergo a major technical and operational revamp to increase its reach and effectiveness.

New Delhi:

Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Tapan Kumar Deka was on Monday given a one-year extension till June 2025, according to a Personnel Ministry order.

Tapan Deka is a 1988-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension in service of Deka as the Director, Intelligence Bureau, for a period of one year beyond June 30, 2024, the order said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)