India, US prepare blueprint for multi-agency centre to tackle terror activities

Enhancing anti-terror cooperation and sharing intelligence inputs would be high on the agenda during the visit of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to the US next month.

Delhi: India and United States have signed on an agreement for multi-agency centre to tackle activities related to terror, as per a media report.

The agreement has reportedly been signed between US envoy Richard Verma and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, as per Aaj Tak. 

The move has been undertaken keeping in view the growing threat of ISIS and the terror activities around the world.

The IB and RAW, along with the FBI have initiated move to create Terror Screening.

This will help the two countries to share real-time information regarding terrorists' activities.

Meanwhile, enhancing anti-terror cooperation, sharing intelligence inputs and offering easy travel to each other's citizens would be high on the agenda during the visit of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to the US next month.

Singh will lead the Indian delegation at the Indo-US Homeland Security Dialogue to be held in Washington in September-end with the US team to be headed by Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Charles Johnson.

The new dates have been fixed after the bilateral dialogue was postponed last month as Parliament was in session and the HM was busy with the proceedings, official sources said, as per PTI.

Further cementing anti-terror cooperation, real-time sharing of intelligence inputs, cyber security and critical infrastructure protection, countering illicit finance, global supply chain security, megacity policing and science and technology are some of the other key issues to be discussed at the strategic meeting.

This senior-level exchange between India and the US will reinforce the strategic homeland security partnership and enhance operational cooperation in investigations, capacity building, and countering threats, sources said.

Upcoming law enforcement engagement proposals include sharing lessons learned and best practices in police training and responding to mass casualty exercises, improving both nations' capabilities to respond to terrorist incidents and natural disasters.

(With Agency inputs)