Home Minister P Chidambaram [Images] chaired the first meeting of the Multi-Agency Centre on Thursday, which has been given the legal backing for exchanging intelligence inputs among all intelligence agencies includingthat of the states.

He discussed with the chiefs of Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing and Military Intelligence and other senior officials the modalities of the MAC related to the functions, powers and duties, which the MAC, established in the Intelligence Bureau, will now takeup.

The meeting comes a day after an executive order was issued, under which the MAC is obliged to share intelligence with all other intelligence agencies, including agencies of the state governments and the Union Territories.

Chidambaram had said on Wednesday that there would be a "distinct improvement" in the gathering and sharing of intelligence relating to terrorism, terror threats and terroroffences.

"The MAC, as the nodal centre on all intelligence relating to terrorism, has not been able to fully achieve its objectives. Hence, it was decided that a legal colour be given to the order establishing MAC," Chidambaram had said during his maiden press conference on Wednesday.

Subsidiaries of MAC have already been established in many state capitals and in due course these would be set up in every state capital. The MAC will now function on a 24x7 basis.