MeitY wants all ministries to spend 10 % of budget on cyber security

With an aim to secure ministries from cyber attack, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) now wants all the ministries to spend 10 percent of their IT budgets on cyber security.

The Ministry has also proposed the appointment of chief information security officer (CISOs) in all ministries to save the Government bodies.

Ajay Kumar, additional secretary, MeitY said, that, " The Ministry is planning to set 10 Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) labs in cities like Visakhapatnam or Amravati." Adding that the two existing labs will be upgraded

Meanwhile, IT & electronics, Ravi Shankar Prasad Minister recently said that the Government is also finalizing cyber security standards for telephones.

He informed that in last three years 93 mobile manufacturing factories have come up in India with Noida emerging as a big hub for mobile manufacturing where 32 such factories have come up.

"I have told the UP CM also that Noida and Greater Noida has great potential of becoming a center of software park, educational and management hub and other commercial activity," said Prasad.

He also added, "cyber enabled security testing is going to become a big initiative in India. We need low-cost cyber technology and low-cost well qualified cyber auditors."

Highlighting the various initiatives being undertaken by the Government with regards to cyber security he said, "Every digitally connected industry must have cyber security officers who must be able to tell you what precautions you must take in an industry and business to keep cyber criminals at bay that is what we are insisting."

"We are also insisting all banks have cyber security auditors. We are unleashing a big challenge to have cyber security training, drills for officers, judges, and policemen," he added.

Talking about the need to create the human resource in the field of cyber knowledge, he said that 44 universities and colleges have been identified in this regard.

"We are going to begin cyber security educational course as a big learning ground to make good graduates for a future requirement," said Prasad adding that cyber security education is going to become a very good job giving education.