The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), in a report on national security and terrorism, has underlined the imperative need to evolve a ‘national counter-terrorism architecture’ which establishes a National Counter-Terrorism Agency, a National Intelligence Grid, a Ministry of Internal Security with a Cabinet minister and a new intelligence agency dedicated to non-state actors.

The report of the FICCI Task Force, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, was presented to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday. It has made wide-ranging recommendations to counter the threat to India’s security from cross-border jihadi terrorism and Naxalite insurgency.

On cross-border terrorism, the Task Force has said that “Pakistan has to make a clean break from its existing state policy of supporting terrorism. Meanwhile, India needs to build up its capabilities to counter Pakistani state designs, if it doesn’t disown terrorism and come clean”.