The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) has been linked to the National Population Register (NPR) database, which contains family-wise details of 119 crore residents in India, government officials confirmed. NATGRID is a secure platform for police and investigating agencies to access government and private databases in real time. The Union Home Ministry encourages States and Central security bodies to use NATGRID more for faster intelligence gathering and criminal case investigations. The platform started operating last year after being planned since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. NPR data was first collected in 2010 and last updated in 2015. There is no decision yet to update NPR during the upcoming 2027 Census. NATGRID’s IT platform is also developing an Organised Crime Network Database for information sharing between the National Investigation Agency and State Anti-Terror Squads. NATGRID’s upgraded tool called ‘Gandiva’ allows multi-source data analysis, including access to family details from NPR, facial recognition, and entity resolution. A police official explained that if a suspect’s photo is available, Gandiva can match it with photo ID documents like telecom KYC or driving licence to quickly provide details. Requests through NATGRID are classified as non-sensitive, sensitive, or highly sensitive, with banking and tax information being highly sensitive. Privacy concerns are addressed by logging all queries and requiring a stated purpose and oversight by senior officers. The Ministry advises States to use NATGRID liberally to access data such as driving licences, vehicle registrations, Aadhaar, airline and passport details, suspicious financial transactions, and social media analysis. Access is currently available to officers of Superintendent of Police rank and above, expanding from the original ten Central agencies like the Intelligence Bureau and Enforcement Directorate.