Essay Competititon : On NCTC

Trademark presents the first of the two Essays [unedited] which were selected by a panel of experts as better submissions. The author of this essay will be presented with a Cash Award of  Rs 150/-. 

Trademark is in no way responsible for the contents/opinions expressed in this essay. 

Trademark is against any form of plagiarism and the author of the essay has to take up full onus of the contents & opinions unfettered herein. 

NATIONAL COUNTER -TERRORISM CENTER:

OPERATIONS & EFFECTIVENESS

by Pratyay Sarkar 

The 2008 Mumbai Terrorist attack that took place on 26^th November, 2008 not only changed a large number of human life touched by that tragedy, but also showed the utter failure of Indian Intelligence. It also showed the lack of co-ordination among the intelligence agencies in India. 

The aftermath of the terrorist attack threw up a demand for a central intelligence agency which will co-ordinate all the counter-terrorism activities. In this context the searchlight turned to the NCTC of USA and JIAC of UK.The home-minister of India, Mr.Chidabaram and the NSA Mr.M.K.Narayanan, went to USA to study the mechanism of NCTC. Finally, the Government of India came out with a proposed “National Counter Terrorism Center”.

The proposed NCTC is based on Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967.The proposed NCTC,which would be part of Intelligence Bureau,  would function to gather intelligence,analyse them and carry out operation based on them. It is this feature that became a bone of contention for the states. The Indian Constitution places the law and order under state lists. The state CMs argue that an independent NCTC would infringe upon the powers of the state. In the backdrop of the protests, the government has put the proposal on back-burner. In this context, the operation of NCTC and its effectiveness needs to be analyzed.

Like the NCTC of USA, the Indian NCTC will be gathering data regarding terrorist activity, keep track of the friends and relatives of suspected and convicted terrorists, share intelligence on daily basis and carry out operations on the basis of that data. Gathering data regarding terrorism is a discrete and tedious job that needs to be carried out very efficiently.So, naturally a single organization collecting huge volumes of data would require lots of field personnel.

The huge amount of data that has been collected needs to be processed and analysed.This is where NCTC could prove to be deadly provided it has experienced and efficient people from the intelligence community. Raw data unless processed does not turn into information and unless the information is gathered whole exercise is futile. With suitable expertise and technology, NCTC can solely focus on processing data and extracting information. This is one area where the effectiveness of NCTC lies.

The information that has been extracted now needs to be utelised.This can be done in two ways: either NCTC pass on the intelligence to law enforcement agencies or it can take action directly on the basis of its own assembled information. This is where the controversy starts. States are of opinion that the power to overrule the states authority can be misused by the center.Also, according to the states, it amounts to violation of the constitution as the Constitution places law and order in the States list. 

The states forget that Article 355 enables the center to protect the union from internal disturbances and hence the center is very much within its rights to take action on these matters. If the NCTC acts as a feeder organization of other counter-terrorism bodies then chances are that its effectiveness may get blunt: carrying out field-operations based on the data from NCTC would solely depend on the counter-terrorism bodies that are not quite free from political influences.

The solution perhaps lies in the proposal of the Home Ministry. According to the Home Minister, making the police chiefs of the respective states into the managing body of the NCTC is one step to mitigate the fears of the states. Also involving the Chief Minister’s office before carrying out any field operation, can be another positive step towards this objective. It would ensure the twin objective of placing law and order in state’s hand and the independence of NCTC remains intact.

The effectiveness of NCTC can only be speculated. Only time can prove its effectiveness. However one aspect of NCTC is its ability to carry-out field operations. Untill the NCTC is endowed with the field-operation option; it will still remain a significant proposal in the pipeline. Creating a state level NCTC with direct link to the chief minister’s office and totally controlled by the central NCTC would certainly increase its effectiveness. Also the NCTC needs to arm itself with the latest technologies and the gadgets available in the market. 

In this regard, it needs to remain two steps ahead of the terrorists in order to prove its mettle. Also the NCTC must have the capability to access the database of Research & Analysis Wing, the famed external intelligence agency of India. Since most of the terror plots are hatched overseas with the help of our arch-enemy neighbours, information collected by R.A.W would prove to be vital.

The proposed NCTC, though being sent to back-burner, is a proposal whose time has come for implementation. A political willingness and courage on the part of central government can help the NCTC to be a dreaded organization in the Terrorist circle. Else it would end up as a joke and a waste of public funds.

Pratyay Sarkar is a Civil Services aspirant and has a degree in Electronics Engg. He is a member of Trademark IAS.

Books and Reference Materials

We are flooded with queries on the "best" books available for UPSC General Studies and Optionals. Thus, we find it pertinent to discuss the issue and recommend a set of books & materials for UPSC Civils. 

However, before we proceed, we would like to re-iterate that the following set is always contemplated alongwith the deliberations in the classes being held at our institute and the notes pertaining to those. 

1 Modern Indian History : 

1a. For preliminary, yet solid reading, refer to S N Sen [Class XII] OR NCERT.  For further analytical understanding, India's Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra, Mridula Mukherjee & others OR IGNOU BA History booklets. [the latter is for candidates with History Optionals]

1b. For post 1947 period, "India After Independence" by Bipan Chandra. 

2. World History : Again, for preliminary, yet rich reading, refer to S N Sen [Class XII] or NCERT. For further critical view, "Mastering Modern World History" by Norman Lowe & IGNOU BA History booklets. 

May see website of History Today for additional reference material.

3. Indian Polity : Subhash Kashyap's "Our Parliament" & "Our Constitution" would be good enough. To supplement, D D Basu's "Introduction to the Constitution of India" may be referred to. 

4. Indian Economy : Basic Micro & Macro Economics from NCERT Class XI. Yojana, economist.com, investopedia.com. 

Website of Reserve Bank of India. 

Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh, TMH

5. Ecology : Survey of the Environment by The Hindu, NCERT, Majid Hussain's Environment & Ecology & 
Down to Earth publications

6. Ethics & Integrity Paper : Recommendations of the 2nd ARC on Ethics in Governance, DopT website & IGNOU materials of MPA course. 

"Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude" by Rao & Chowdhury. 

Case Studies have been discussed in our Classroom interaction.

Decision Making Problems have also been discussed.

7. Security Studies : Latest annual Report of the Ministry of Home Affairs [Chap on Internal Security]. 

Articles/papers at "geopolitics", CLAWS, IPCS, IDSA, International Crisis Group [ICG] & Council on Foreign Relations [CFR]. 

8. India & the World : "India's Foreign Policy since Independence" by VP Dutt [NBT], papers published in CFR, ICG, IPCS, IDSA & CLAWS. 

And Ministry of External Affairs website. 

9. Disaster Management : IGNOU Materials of MPA Course

10. Art & Culture : IGNOU BA History Booklets on Ancient & Medieval India [selected portions]

11. India Year Book : Pls read the original GoI publication alongwith a commentary. 

12. Geography : 

12a. Physical Geog. by Goh Cheng Leong

12b. Geography by Rita Rajen from Class VI to X

12c. An Atlas

12d. TMH / Pearson material on Geog Prelims


1 - 2 practice paper(s) on GS II to be solved every week in a time-bound fashion. 

Preparation of GS I & II towards Prelims to be carried out simultaneously. 


The Hindu / Indian Express as the newspaper

Chronicle/Wizard/PratiyogitaDarpanD/CivilServicesTimes as the monthly magazine

Interview with State Civil Services Topper

Dipankar Baidya

Trademark is pleased to introduce Dipankar Baidya, Commercial Tax Officer (CTO),working under the Govt. of West Bengal. 

In 2009, when he qualified the West Bengal Civil Services Examination (WBCS), his service rank was 11th. 

Interestingly, in 2010 he did not join WBCS (Executive) and continued as a CTO.

                     

Further, to add more feathers to his cap, Mr Baidya has crossed the hurdle of UPSC Prelims repeatedly in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. 

He took some moments of his schedule to talk to us. We present excerpts of that interaction. 

T1: When did you start planning for Civil Services?

I began preparing for civil services from 2008.

   

T2: Why do you want to become a Civil Servant when so many career options are available?

The power and prestige associated with Civil Service always attracted me.I knew that my one signature can change the lives of the downtrodden.

T3:   How long have you seriously prepared for State Civil Services?

To be honest I  didn't get time to prepare for WBCS,as I was engaged in IAS preparation.Time gap between the two exams used to be very less.Thankfully my IAS preparation helped me to crack WBCS.

T4: What were your Optionals & Why?

Literature of English language and Political Science.I studied both the subjects at my graduation level.

   

T5: Do you think educational background plays any role in these Exams?

Yes, educational background does play an important role in these exams.For instance it is always an advantage to take subjects which he or she has studied at the graduation level.

T6: Since you were a working professional, can you elaborate your study routine? This would help other aspirants.

I preferred studying late night.Furthermore,at my work place whenever I got time I read newspapers and magazines. During holidays I used to study for long hours to compensate for the loss of preparation.

T7: How does the preparation towards UPSC & West Bengal State Civil Services differ, if any?

With the introduction of new syllabi preparation towards UPSC has become quite different from WBCS. UPSC has revamped its syllabi for the exam, but PSC WB is following the same old pattern. Nevertheless one can prepare for both the exams,but that should be done very judiciously.

T8: Did you practice writing answers for State Civils? Did it help?

Actually I gave mock tests for IAS,and that in turn helped me to write effective answers when I appeared for WBCS. I am indebted to Trademark for setting questions which matched the standard of the Civil Services Exams. 

T9: Will you please chart out a blueprint for State Civil Services?

One has to be very consistent for WBCS. It is essential to go through previous years question papers,so as to understand the pattern of exam. For the prelims,one has to thoroughly study secondary level history,geography,science and civics.Aspirants should also brush up their current affairs.

As for the mains aspirants should choose their optionals with utmost care.For the compulsory papers viz.English,language paper,Maths,Five year plans and constitution and Current affairs one has to depend on standard textbooks and magazines.

Thank You Mr Baidya for sharing your experience.