Digital India on Its Way to Making Digital Industry a Public Good: Amitabh Kant

August 28, 2018

New Delhi: In a comprehensive overview of the use of digitization in driving the process of development in diverse fields, Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, today said that Digital technology and cyberspace have become an integral part of the society which are here to stay, grow and expand. There are opportunities, but there are also challenges and threats, he observed.

Shri Kant was speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day International Conference on ‘Digital Space & Cyber Space: Maximizing Benefits, Minimizing Risks, Unleashing Creativity’, organised by The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), and The Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG), Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 28-29, 2018.

Highlighting that India needs to create its own model of cyber safety and security, he said that the country is well on its way to making digital services a public good, where every citizen can have an equal and unraveled access to the services. The use of digital technology in sectors like agriculture, health care, manufacturing, law and order has increased India’s efficiency manifold, he pointed out.

Speaking further Shri Kant said that as the country moves forward in the digital age, it needs to take sufficient precautions to protect the right to privacy of its citizens, as well as handle cybercrimes in all its aspects. There is a need for coordinated national response for data and cyber security that can cover hardware, gateways and networks, and software which in turn can manage vital databases and interface with the public, suggested the NITI Aayog CEO.

Also speaking on the occasion was Shri Syed Munir Khasru, Chairman, IPAG, who highlighted the potential of the 4th Industrial revolution and alluded to the risks associated with it. Shri Khasru called for a collective commitment from countries like India and Bangladesh to tackle the threat of cybercrimes.

Earlier in his welcome address, Major General Alok Deb (Retd), Deputy Director General, IDSA spoke about the need for law and enforcement agencies to analyse digital footprints of citizens, while respecting the rights of individuals for absolute privacy.

The two-day conference brings together key stakeholders from the industry and academia to deliberate, discuss and chart out an agenda for policymakers to respond to the threats to data and challenges of radicalization, particularly in the age of expansive digitalisation and social media.