New Delhi: Amid rapid digitisation and internet adoption, India must ensure that its digital platforms remain safe and have cybersecurity architecture built into their foundation with safeguards such as involvement of security auditors, Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Rapid strides taken in digitalising the administration over the past few years have brought the country to a point where the world is keen to learn from the Indian experience, he said.
“Our e-governance model is being globally talked about and the developing world will learn a lot from India’s experience,” he said adding that the country has successfully demonstrated scalable and low-cost solutions like Aadhaar.
Prasad cited the country’s growing digital clout in the global arena and its thrust on initiatives to spur electronics manufacturing, and said he is also pushing for a software products policy.
“We are working to make India a robust digital economy, because India does not only offer services but also offers a robust consumer base for people to do business in the field of IT and IT-enabled services,” Prasad said.
The Minister said the safety of digital platforms and systems are an absolute pre-requisite.
“Your platforms must be safe and secure and, therefore, cybersecurity architecture must be inbuilt into your system. You need to have security auditor…there is a need for greater awareness about cybersecurity requirements. If we work along with that, India’s digital power is going to rise,” he said.
Prasad said India with its 130 crore population has the potential to emerge as a big centre for data analytics. ‘This data is a national asset and must be put to good use,’ he said.
The host of e-governance applications available today are not only improving efficiency but also ensuring accountability, he said. “In the digital economy of India, there are over 17 crore farmers using soil health card…and India is becoming (representing) 55 per cent of outsourcing and R&D in the world…both the things are happening simultaneously,” the Minister said.