New Delhi, Jun 14 (IANS): The union cabinet Thursday approved a home ministry proposal to extend the duration of the crime and criminal tracking network and system (CCTNS) project implementation by another three years till March 31, 2015.

The earlier time limit had expired on March 31 this year, according to an official release here.

The approval for the network was accorded by the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) at its meeting here chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

CCTNS is a project which aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of policing at the police station-level through adoption of principles of e-governance.

It also envisages creation of a nationwide networked infrastructure for evolution of information technology-enabled state-of-the-art tracking system around investigation of crime and detection of criminals.

The project cost is Rs.2,000 crore, fully funded by the central government.

The CCEA also decided to permit release of unutilised funds beyond March 2015 to the states and union territories and, if it became necessary, then the home ministry will be competent to make the fund releases with the approval of home secretary or home minister, without seeking formal extension up to a year till March 2016.

The CCTNS project will benefit more than 15,000 police stations and more than 5,000 higher police offices across the 35 states and union territories.

"Capacity building and change management is targeted towards more than two million police personnel for effective delivery of services," the release said.

The scheme had been launched four years ago in 2008 and was given time till March 2012 under the 11th Five-Year Plan that ended in March 2012.

The CCEA had approved the scheme and its implementation strategy on June 19, 2009 and the key project implementation activities were initiated by all states and union territories from the 2009-10 financial year.