No access to private firms in CCTNS database: MHA

New Delhi [India], July 21 (ANI): The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed the Lok Sabha that private companies are not allowed to have access to the Crime and Criminals Tracking Network System (CCTNS) and other government databases for conducting background checks on employees and prospective employees.
"The companies who want to pay also cannot avail access to CCTNS and get any information through its data," the MHA said.
Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra shared the information through a written reply on Tuesday after senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor asked, "whether the government has decided to allow private companies to have access to the CCTNS and other government databases for conducting background checks".
To a series of five written questions asked by Tharoor, Mishra replied "No, sir".
CCTNS is a scheme conceived in the light of the experience of a non-plan scheme namely Common Integrated Police Application (CIPA). CCTNS is a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of the Central government. It aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of policing through adopting of principle of e-governance and creation of nationwide networking infrastructure for evolution of IT-enabled state-of-the-art tracking system around 'Investigation of crime and detection of criminals'.
An allocation of Rs 2,000 crores has been made for CCTNS project. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the project on June 19, 2009. (ANI)