Lok Sabha Question No. 2957 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-06
Subject: Strengthening Digital Infrastructure
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Zia Ur Rehman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2957

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 06.08.2025

## STRENGTHENING DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE

## 2957.  SHRI ZIA UR REHMAN:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the growing concerns regarding the need for stronger digital infrastructure, improved cyber security measures, enhanced data privacy protections and the lack of adequate internet connectivity and digital services in rural and remote areas of the country;
- (b)  if  so,  the  details  of  the  initiatives  and  policy  measures  proposed  by  the  Government  to strengthen  digital  infrastructure,  improve  cyber  security  frameworks,  promote  digital  literacy, expand  internet  connectivity,  encourage  innovation  in  technology  and  implement  robust  data protection laws in the coming years; and

(c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a)  to  (c):  Government  is  aware  and  cognizant  of  the  issues  raised.  The  Government  has undertaken several initiatives and policy measures to strengthen digital infrastructure, enhance cyber security and data privacy protections, increase internet connectivity, provide access to digital services and promote digital literacy in the rural and remote areas of the country with the objective of ensuring an open, safe, trusted, and accountable internet for all users. Some of the key measures are as follows:

- (i).  To enhance digital infrastructure and access to digital services, Government has developed several  digital  platforms  such  as  Aadhaar,  Unified  Payment  Interface(UPI),  DigiLocker, Unified  Mobile  Application  for  New-age  Governance  (UMANG),  e-Sign,  e-Hospital,  eSanjeevani, Myscheme, Aarogya Setu, MyGov, National Scholarship Portal(NSP), Common Services Centres (CSC) etc.
- (ii).  The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is designated as the national agency for responding to cyber security incidents under the provisions of section 70B of the Information  Technology  Act,  2000.  CERT-In  works  with  other  agencies  involved  in ensuring cybersecurity including Telecom Security Operations Centre (TSOC), India Cyber Crime  Coordination  Centre  (I4C),  National  Centre  Information  Infrastructure  Protection Centre (NCIIPC), etc.
- (iii).  The Government has established the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) for protection of critical information infrastructure in the country under the provisions of section 70A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.
- (iv).    CERT-In  operates  an  automated  cyber  threat  intelligence  exchange  platform  for  sharing tailored alerts with organisations across sectors for proactive threat mitigation.
- (v).  Cyber security mock drills are conducted regularly to enable assessment of cyber security posture and preparedness of organisations in Government and critical sectors.
- (vi).    Cyber  Swachhta Kendra (CSK) is a citizen-centric service provided by CERT-In, which extends  the  vision  of  Swachh  Bharat  to  the  cyber  space.  Cyber  Swachhta  Kendra  is  the Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre and helps to detect malicious programs and provides  free  tools  to  remove  the  same,  and  also  provides  cyber  security  tips  and  best practices for citizens and organisations.
- (vii). Regular training  workshops  are conducted  for cybersecurity professionals, Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) and Government employees etc.
- (viii).  Under the 'Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA)' 6.39 crore individuals were trained across the country.
- (ix).    For  providing  high  bandwidth  capacity  internet/  broadband  connectivity  to  all  the  Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages in the country, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is implementing BharatNet project in a phased manner. More than 2.14 lakh GPs have been made service ready under BharatNet project in the country.
- (x).  India AI Mission: In line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision, the Government is  pioneering  innovations  in  technology  and  making  it  accessible  to  all.  The  focus  is  on democratizing  the  development  and  use  of  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI)  for  real-world problems,  ultimately  improving  lives  across  various  sectors.  IndiaAI  mission  includes targeted  interventions  that,  inter  alia,  ensure  accountability,  safety,  fairness,  and  the protection of human rights and privacy.
- (xi).  The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) has been enacted on 11 th August, 2023. It establishes a framework for processing digital personal data, balancing the rights of individuals to protect their data with the need for lawful data processing.
- (xii).    In  order  to  ensure  data  protection,  the  Information  Technology  (Reasonable  Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal data or Information) Rules, 2011 ('SPDI Rules') mandates reasonable security practices and procedures for body corpo rate or any person on its behalf, handling sensitive personal data or information.

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