Cyber security to be ensured for the success of initiatives like 'Digital India'; says Union Home Minister

The theme for the Summit is Digital India – ‘Securing Digital India’ . The four-day summit is being organized to deliberate upon various issues related to cyber security challenges emerging due to the latest technological developments.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath Singh said that cyber security is a big challenge these days and ‘cyber barriers’ need to be created to tackle it. He said that the physical boundaries are still relevant in the internet era, though their importance has declined.

He said that there is free flow of information through internet and this information does not come under the control of Border Guards, Customs declaration and Immigration authorities among others.

Thus, the exact identity and location of the criminals committing crime through internet cannot be known as they are masked, he added.

He said that in this inter-connected world, these criminals can be different, but their purpose is one i.e. to put the country and countrymen in danger.

The Home Minister also said that cyber world is the fifth dimension of security along with the earlier dimensions of security i.e. land, air, water and space.

The crimes related to cyber world can be multi-layered, multi-location, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-legal, that’s why it is difficult to investigate and reach to the criminal.

He also expressed his concern over the increasing rate of cyber crime and related cases in the country.

Singh said that the cases related to cyber crime have increased by 70% in the year 2014  as compared to the year 2013.

There was an increase of about 64% in the year 2013 as compared to the year 2012, he added.

Singh said"‘Cyber Terrorism’ is a big danger in the world along with cyber crime. Today, due to technology and internet, a person living in a remote area can have access to such information by which he can indulge in an act of terror, despite not being associated with any terror group."

Such powers are also active in the cyber space which work in the direction of radicalization of youth in this direction. The Cyber security experts need to be alert specially towards the ‘online radicalization’, he said.

The Union Home Minister also said that cyber security needs to be ensured for the success of the initiatives taken by the Prime Minister, such as Digital India, Make in India and Smart Cities.

He said that it is our duty that our critical infrastructure system should not collapse under any situation.

"This is also important that business continuity and disaster recovery plans are tested regularly and upgraded," he said.