New Delhi: Days after terror attacks in Paris, the government on Wenesday gave its nod for the time-bound completion of a project to synchronise databases of security organisations across the country after its integration with key components of the criminal justice system.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for completion of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network Systems (CCTNS), an ambitious project conceived by the previous UPA government, by March 2017.
"In the immediate aftermath of what has happened in Paris and India's resolve to join the world community in a collective crusade against terror and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reiteration to this effect at G20 summit, I think we are one of the first nations to make an important announcement. We would fast track the CCTNS that has beengoing on in this country for quite some time," Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh said at a press conference.
To keep pace with changing scenario, the Cabinet also decided to approve in principle design of next phase of CCTNS project so that additional functionalities not yet implemented may be included and police functioning in the country is fully computerised.
The total outlay for the project is Rs 2,000 crore, and includes operation and maintenance phase for additional five years up to March 2022. Government has also decided to implement Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) by integrating CCTNS with e-Courts, e-prisons, Forensics and Prosecution—the key components of the criminal justice system.
This will ensure quick data transfer among different pillars of criminal justice system, which will not only enhance transparency but also reduce processing time. This project is now fully aligned with the vision of the Smart Policing and Digital India of the Government of India.
Police-Citizen interface will undergo a major shift with the implementation of this project, as a number of services will be enabled through citizen portal.
Major new components included as part of the revamped project are Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS), CitizenPortal having interfaces with various e-Governance projects like Aadhaar, National Population Register, Vaahan Project of the Ministry of Surface Transport, National Emergency Response System Project, etc.
