Standing Committee on Information Technology

Standing Committee on Information Technology was setup in the year 2013 under the chairmanship of Mr. Rao Inderjit Singh; the committee presented its report on Cyber Crime, Cyber Security and Right to Privacy in February 2014.

Key Recommendations of the Committee

  • The Committee recommended establishing a National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre to field cyber-attacks.
  • The Committee recommended the installation of a single, centralised body to deal with cyber-crime. Cyber-crime cells should be constituted in each state, district and block, connected to a centralised system.
  • The Committee identified that government organisations should obtain the appropriate certification for best practices related to information security.
  • It suggested conducting extensive training programmes to overcome shortage of security experts and auditors, and skilled Information Technology (IT) personnel in the country.
  • The Committee recommended that despite the cost advantages of hosting websites outside India, internet servers for critical sectors should be hosted within the country to ensure security. Upcoming technologies like cloud computing under the National e-Governance Programme (NeGP) could be risky. The Committee, acknowledging the possibility of cyber security breaches in NeGP, recommended conducting surveys to collect data on the matter and reducing such instances.
  • It also recommended that a more detailed plan of action (deadlines and targets) be constructed with respect to the National Cyber Security Policy, 2013.

Miscellaneous Legal Recommendations

  • The Committee’s other recommendations relating to the legal aspect of the subject included, (i) signing of MoU’s and international treaties to address cross border challenges in cyber security (ii) instituting a legal framework on privacy, which is secure and people friendly, and (iii) setting up of a grievance redressal mechanism by means of Cyber Appellate Tribunal and help line for common public to deal with cyber-crime.

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