NT Reporter
Panaji
Citizens’ personal information across various government sites in the state is set to become more secure with the IT Department, working on a common cybersecurity framework for state data.
IT director Kabir Shirgaonkar said the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) introduced a four-stage exercise to build a common cybersecurity framework for state data.
“Every state is required to set up a security operations centre, a cyber incident response team and a cyber crisis management plan. The IT Department is actively working to implement these for the safety of Goan citizens,” he said.
Shirgaonkar disclosed that a national summit on cybersecurity will be held in August, where Goa is expected to have a major say in building the country’s cybersecurity framework.
The department in collaboration with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and the MeitY conducted a state-level workshop on strengthening cybersecurity frameworks for state data.
The workshop was on enhancing public welfare by securing citizen data. Senior government officials from various departments deliberated on cybersecurity preparedness during the event. SP (crime) Rahul Gupta said cyber hygiene is no longer optional in the present times where technology is used to deliver public services.
“We need secure technology, trained personnel, responsible leadership, continuous monitoring and tested procedures. Every digital project must be planned on the assumption that someone may attempt to misuse, compromise or disrupt it. A compromised government system can affect individual privacy, criminal investigations, security, public order and trust in the system,” pointed out Gupta.
The workshop featured a session on cybersecurity in digital governance which highlighted evolving cyber threats and data protection tools. Another session provided an overview of the national initiative of cybersecurity for states and Union territories, with a specific emphasis on the DPDP Act.
Officials from various departments including health, agriculture, NIC, Goa Electronics Ltd. (GEL) and Infotech Corporation of Goa Ltd (ITG) presented their existing cybersecurity practices, challenges and initiatives.
