The Central government’s decision to revive NATGRID (National Intelligence Grid) is a ____(1)_____ move in the fight against terrorism, but it calls for caution and nuanced planning in the way it would be structured. According to the existing plan, NATGRID will become a _____(2)_____ centralised database to stream sensitive information from 21 sets of data sources such as banks, credit cards, visa, immigration and train and air travel details, as well as from various intelligence agencies. The database would be accessible to _____(3)_____ persons from 11 agencies on a case-to-case basis, and only for professional investigations into suspected cases of terrorism. NATGRID was among the _____(4)_______ slew of intelligence reforms undertaken in the wake of the Mumbai attacks of November 2008. Like NATGRID, most of these proposed reforms in the security establishment have not fully materialised, _____(5)_____ again serving as a reminder that India’s memory is embarrassingly short.
In a data-driven, digitised world, it would be foolhardy to ____(6)_____ the power of big data and its potential to provide real time tip-offs and predictive intelligence to deal with the terrorist threat. Over the last two decades or so, during which the post-Cold War chaos resulted in many _____(7)_____ non-state actors setting up shop, the very digital tools that terrorists use have also become great _____(8)______ to fight the ideologies of violence. Social media and other platforms have become recruitment sites and propaganda machines for terrorist groups, and formal banking channels are used as much as informal ones to _____(9)______ terror funding. In those same oceans of information are trends and information that could avert terrorist strikes. However, appreciation of the power of digital databases to tackle terror must be ______(10)_______ by deep concern about their possible misuse.
1.
a) bad
b) welcome
c) long
d) hesitating
2.
a) secure
b) insecure
c) passive
d) timid
3.
a) known
b) sanction
c) authorised
d) confidential
4.
a) achieving
b) ambitious
c) aspiring
d) aiming
5.
a) although
b) still
c) but
d) yet
6.
a) ignore
b) accept
c) reject
d) accord
7.
a) helpful
b) calm
c) useful
d) violent
8.
a) methods
b) weapons
c) material
d) things
9.
a) send
b) transfer
c) transact
d) exchange
10.
a) unbothered
b) accompanied
c) added
d) following
