In Nepal, the National Investigation Department (NID) has been given internal responsibility with about 2,200 employees. The department submits daily and weekly reports to the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, National Security Council, and the military's intelligence agency, DGMI (Directorate of Military Intelligence).

But there is criticism that the state intelligence agencies did not have any information about the 23rd and 24th Bhadra protests. Kantipur's Gaurav Pokharel's conversation with former RAB chief Deviram Sharma:

It seems that the state did not have any information about the 23rd and 24th Bhadra protests, the then Prime Minister and Home Minister have made statements to that effect. Why is there always a weakness in information collection?

That is a big problem, the state should have had such information. But it is also a matter of thinking whether the government had made the intelligence agencies capable of that. Our information mechanism has been weakened. The government and the Prime Minister's Office have never paid attention to strengthening the information agencies. They did not give importance to intelligence, did not play a role in strengthening it, and only abused it. Legal authority, necessary equipment and manpower were needed to strengthen the information mechanism. But the government did not do that. The Prime Minister should have given responsibility, made a law, provided budget and equipment . That did not happen .

What is the current situation of the country's main internal intelligence agency, the National Intelligence Agency? 

It still has to work based on the old law made before 2046.  The Panchayat-era structure remains intact . The old law does not work in the digital age . The government could not bring a new law . The intercept system, digital surveillance equipment, technical manpower, nothing is sufficient . The law on interception is a system for collecting information within the limited and legal scope for national security . Which the National Intelligence Agency could never use . 

You said 'the government weakened the institution', why and how did this agency become weak ?

The government worked to keep the security apparatus under political control . Appointments to the security apparatus were made not on merit, but on the basis of nepotism and party affiliation . The political structure interfered with government bodies. As a result, the intelligence apparatus could not function independently.

This is a collective failure of all political parties. All the parties that have been in power since 2046 used the state apparatus according to their own interests. They did not pay attention to strengthening the institution. When the institution is weak, external forces get a chance to interfere.

What should have been done to strengthen the intelligence apparatus?