The National Investigation Agency, set up in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks, will have members handpicked by its first chief Radha Vinod Raju, who was appointed on Thursday.

"He has been requested to join immediately and quickly begin recruitment," Home Minister P Chidambaram [Images], who recommended Raju, said.

Chidambaram said Raju will handpick his core group. Asked how long it would take for the NIA to be functional, he said, "We will now recruit identified officers who have got a good track record in investigation."

Raju has been tasked with recruiting people and putting the infrastructure and logistics in place so that the NIA can take up cases for investigation should a situation arise.

He said the NIA did not have any case to investigate right now. On the Mumbai attacks case, he said: "The Mumbai investigation is well on track. It has made considerable progress. There is no need for transferring it to NIA."

Chidambaram said Raju had vast experience in the Central Bureau of Investigation. A 1975-batch Indian Police Service officer, Raju will head the NIA till January 31, 2010, a home ministry order said.

Raju is now a special director general of police in Jammu and Kashmir [Images].