The Hindu : National : J.N. Dixit emerges a key player

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Saturday, Jul 10, 2004

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National

J.N. Dixit emerges a key player

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, JULY 9. The allocation of work between the National Security Adviser, J.N. Dixit, and the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, M.K. Narayanan, has been formalised. The division of work, detailed in an internal office order issued today, indicates Mr. Dixit's emergence as a powerful bureaucratic player.

As the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the Prime Minister, Mr. Dixit shall monitor all matters relating to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Space, the Department of Atomic Energy, the National Security Council Secretariat, the two premier agencies — Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing — and the National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention.

Importantly, the NSA will deal with senior appointments in these Ministries. That means that he will be vetting the files relating to all appointments which require the approval of the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet. This makes Mr. Dixit a crucially empowered bureaucratic player.

The NSA will also vet the draft minutes of the Cabinet Committee on Security; Mr. Dixit has been empowered to take note of matters relating to any Ministry/department "that impinge on internal or external security or have strategic or foreign policy implications."

Mr. Dixit will also chair the Intelligence Coordination Group, the Technical Cooperation Group and the National Information Board, all key roles that ensure a critical voice for him in decision-making. The icing on the cake is that in all these matters Mr. Dixit will not have to report to the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (Prithvi Raj Chavan); he reports directly to the Prime Minister. Only in matters of parliamentary questions relating to the departments of space and atomic energy does Mr. Chavan get to oversee Mr. Dixit.

The Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, Mr. Narayanan will be kind of internal security boss, including left-wing extremism, communal and other forms of violence, border problems, economic crimes, developments in the neighbouring countries that impinge on India's national security concerns, insurgency in the north-east and Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism and militancy. All relevant intelligence agencies and paramilitary organisations have been instructed to share their reports with the Special Adviser.

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