The full form of RAW is "Research and Analysis Wing". RAW is India's premier international intelligence agency. After the Indo-China War of 1962 and the Indo-Pak War of 1965, RAW was created. RAW was founded in September 1968 under the leadership of Rameshwar Nath Kao, based in New Delhi, India. He was the first director of RAW.
The main reason for the development of RAW was the poor performance of the Indian Intelligence Committee in the battles against Pakistan and China. The new director of RAW is Samant Kumar Goel. He was a 1984 batch IPS officer elected on 26 June 2019. Anil Dhasmana was a former director of RAW.
RAW Agency Objectives
- Gathering foreign intelligence.
- Encouragement against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
- Actively participate in the fight against terrorism.
- Leadership of Indian decision makers.
- Developing India's International Strategic Interests.
History
- The poor performance of the Intelligence Bureau in the battles against China in 1962 and Pakistan in 1965 was the most important basis for the creation of the RAO.
- RAW was developed in September 1968 under the leadership of Rameshwar Nath Kao.
- RAW started as a branch of the main intelligence service with 250 employees and an annual budget of around 20 million.
- RAO's annual budget rose to around 300 million in the early 1970s, while its staff and workforce numbered well over a few thousand.
- Kao convinced the government to establish the Aviation Research Center (ARC) in 1971.
- Radio Research Center and Electronics & Technology facilities were introduced to RAO in the 1970s and 1990s.
- Until now, in 2004, the Government of India supplemented another signal intelligence service called National Technical Facilities Organization (NTFO), which was later named NTRO after some time.
- Within the Cabinet Secretariat, the JIC (Joint Intelligence Committee) is responsible for coordinating, evaluating and reviewing intelligence activities between RAW, the Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Importance of RAW
RAW is of huge importance when it is about the security of the country. The secret operations of this agency remain unknown to the countrymen. But as we are living peacefully, it is just because of the endless efforts of the secret agents. The members of the RAW accumulate information about the plans of undercover operations by the enemies.