Thursday, March 24 2005 22:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Government is considering a proposal to provide security to leading lights of Indian industry including Ratan Tata, M S Banga, Gautam Singhania and Kumaramangalam Birla in the light of intelligence reports about threats to them.

"We have not taken a decision on this (proposal) yet," a top Government official told sources in New Delhi today (March 24, 2005).

Agencies had earlier prepared a list of about 37 industrialists, whom they considered as vulnerable, but later pruned it to 25 and submitted it to the Home Ministry last week.

Only recently the Government decided to provide security cover to RIL Vice Chairman and Managing Director Anil Ambani.

Ambani, a Rajya Sabha member, had written to the Home Ministry about two months ago that he and his family had received threatening calls and informed the numbers from which the calls emanated.

After the issue was scrutinised by intelligence agencies, Home Ministry had instructed police in Mumbai and Delhi to provide adequate security cover to Anil Ambani, who recently called on the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil.