INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Information like PAN, TAN, bank account details and others will be sharedThe Income Tax (I-T) Department will share PAN and bank account
details of any entity with 10 investigative and intelligence agencies, including the CBI and the NIA, under the integrated counter-terrorism
platform NATGRID, according to an official order
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which frames policy for the I-T Department, said in a July 21 order that information like
permanent account number (PAN), Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number (TAN), bank account details, summary of IT Returns and tax
deducted at source (TDS) and "any other information as mutually agreed" will be shared with the 10 agencies.The "furnishing and receiving of
information to and from" these central agencies will be done through the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), a robust mechanism envisaged
to track suspects and prevent terrorist attacks with real-time data and access to classified information like immigration, banking,
individual taxpayers, air and train travels.The 10 agencies are: the Central Bureau of Investigation, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence,
Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Cabinet Secretariat, Intelligence Bureau, Directorate General of GST
Intelligence, Narcotics Control Bureau, Financial Intelligence Unit and the National Investigation Agency.These agencies are already
authorised to obtain real-time NATGRID data as part of a legal arrangement made in the past."While furnishing the information, the specified
income-tax authority shall form an opinion that sharing of such information is necessary for the purposes of enabling these agencies/bodies
to perform its functions under their respective laws," the CBDT order said.The CBDT and the NATGRID will sign a Memorandum of Understanding
to finalise the latest information-sharing mechanism, it said.The tax department and the NATGRID already have an agreement for sharing
PAN-related information since 2017 and the new measure is a step forward for better and confidential sharing of the data between all the
probe and intelligence agencies so that they are better enabled to analyse and counter any armed, financial or cyber threat to the country,
a senior officer said.The necessity for the NATGRID came after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks exposed the deficiency that security agencies
had no mechanism to look for vital information on a real-time basis.Lack of quick information was considered to be one of the major hurdles
in detecting US terror suspect David Headley's movement across the country during his multiple visits between 2006 and 2009
Headley had provided key information and videos of terror targets to Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba that carried out the
attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people including foreigners.The Cabinet Committee on Security had given approval to the Rs 3,400-crore
NATGRID project on April 8, 2010 but its work slowed down after 2012
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi later directed for its revival.(This story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is
auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
