To add muscle to national security talk, intelligence reforms a must

By  Firstdespatch Desk   Mar 16, 2023

With just over a year left for the Modi government to complete two terms in office, it is time to ponder over its lack of initiative to undertake reforms to overhaul the country’s intelligence services.

It is one thing for the nation to feel good about serials and films like ‘Mukhbir’ or ‘Raazi’, but quite another to have in place world-class intelligence services to consistently handle national security threats competently in a dynamic global environment.

When Modi prioritised national security after taking over as prime minister, many hoped for follow-up action on a private member’s bill for intelligence reform placed in Parliament by former I & B minister Manish Tiwari. But that did not happen. The Institute of Defence and Strategic Analyses’ (IDSA) task force report on intelligence reforms is also gathering dust.