Chidambaram brings order to 'Home'

From strengthening intelligence apparatus to most importantly ensuring coordination among the security agencies to prevent the nightmare of another Mumbai-type attack, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram has made a seamless transition from Finance Ministry in the last one year.

From strengthening intelligence apparatus to most importantly ensuring coordination among the security agencies to prevent the nightmare of another Mumbai-type attack, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram has made a seamless transition from Finance Ministry in the last one year.

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Sixty-four-year old Chidambaram, who assumed charge of the Home Ministry on December one reluctantly -- as he had himself said -- after Shivraj's Patil's resignation in the wake of the November 26 attacks, had invested a lot of his time and efforts to overhaul the security establishment.

He made decision-making process fast, transparent and accountable.

The image of a tough taskmaster helped him aptly in the ministry where critics felt approach was lackadaisical under previous incumbents during whose tenure there were a number of attacks, capped by the Mumbai violence.

Chidambaram reorganised the intelligence network that included revamping the Multi Agency Centre(MAC) and Subsidiary MAC, tightened the provisions in the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and got amended the CISF Act, which allowed the central paramilitary force to guard private installations.

Sending a clear message that he means business, the Harvard-educated lawyer was quick to set up a federal investigating agency through a Parliamentary law, just within a month of assuming charge.