NSG force levels to be boosted, wider deployment across the country

Bali: The Indian government may be all set to boost the force strength of the 'Black Cat,' or National Security Guards (NSG), and also expand their presence across the country on an urgent basis, according to a senior aide of Indian president Pratibha Patil. The Indian president is currently on a two-nation visit to Vietnam and Indonesia.

"A Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting would be held on Tuesday, which will take up the issue of deployment of NSG in places like Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, where there is a need for beefing up security," Christy Fernandez, secretary to the president, told reporters accompanying Patil here.

According to Fernandez, the move to deploy the NSG more widely is aimed at reducing the time taken to induct them in rapidly evolving situations, such as that experienced only a few days before in Mumbai.

"These will be the main focus in the meeting of the CCS," Fernandez said.

The NSG is currently based exclusively at its home base at Manesar, Gurgaon close to the National Capital Region of Delhi. It is from here that it departs on missions around this sub-continent sized country.

Fernandez also let it be known that the CCS may also consider other legislative measures to strengthen the existing terror-related laws in order to make them more stringent and effective.