New Delhi, Dec. 22: Finance minister Jaswant Singh today told the country’s top sleuths that constant turf battles between different intelligence agencies were a cause of grave concern.

Speaking of the multi-crore stamp paper scandal, Singh said different intelligence agencies within the ministry were aware of it but reluctant to share information. They did not even report to the finance secretary, the head of the department. “This state of things is intolerable,’’ Singh said this evening while delivering the annual centenary endowment lecture of the intelligence wing of the home ministry.

Singh said such battles were not confined to India. The various books on the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the US have revealed that though bits of information was available to both the CIA and the FBI, neither was willing to share it with the other. The result was the disaster that hit America and the world on September 11, he said.

Singh decried bureaucratic inertia and the habit of looking for “precedence” to justify its stand. It was time, Singh said, to break out of the old mould.

“Conversion of information to actionable intelligence for national security was the key. Intelligence agencies have to move one step ahead of the changing times to remain effective in a fast changing world,” the finance minister told the gathering of India’s top sleuths.

“We must have a holistic approach to national security,’’ Singh said. “Compartmentalisation is not the answer to deal with the modern concept of security.’’

Singh said: “There can be no military security without economic security.’’

Food security was central to a country’s well being. So was energy security. All these, he said, are inter-linked with national security.

Referring to the group of ministers’ report after the Kargil conflict, the minister said the government sought to correct the loopholes in the system. The Centre was implementing its suggestions, but it would take some time to make them fully operational, he said.

An important element of the group’s recommendation was to ensure that all intelligence agencies share information and analyse the bits and pieces offered by different outfits.

“Sharing is a must for effective utilisation of every bit of information.”

He also spoke of integrity, saying information which was tailored to meet the requirements of certain pre-conceived ideas was totally useless.

Although he did not say so in so many words, the minister was warning officials not to give reports which would suit their political bosses, but had no basis on hard facts.