New Delhi: The Home Ministry on Thursday got Rs 59,241 crore in the General Budget, a modest eight per cent increase over last year, with an emphasis on providing new residential quarters and barracks for central armed police forces personnel. However, the Budget for 2013-14 presented by Finance Minister P Chidambaram did not allocate any separate funds for the controversial National Counter Terrorism Centre, which was initiated by the Finance Minister himself when he was the Home Minister as its fate still remains uncertain following strong objections from non-Congress chief ministers citing infringement of states' powers.
The Home Minister allocated Rs 1526.84 crore for construction of residential quarters for various central police organisations. The country's largest paramilitary force CRPF has been allocated Rs 10,496.53 crore in the 2013-14 Budget in comparison to last year's Rs 9,867.88 crore, while the border guarding force BSF received Rs 9,811.46 crore from Rs 9,154.98 crore received last year.
The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network Systems (CCTNS), which aims to synchronise the data bases of security organisations, got a substantial hike in its allocation - from Rs 85 crore last year to Rs 276.25 crore this year. The National Intelligence Grid, another pet project of the former Home Minister, has been given Rs 56.50 crore.
Country's premier intelligence agency Intelligence Bureau has been allocated Rs 1,196.58 crore in the 2013-14 budget from last year's Rs 1,040.96 crore.
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