SRINAGAR, JUNE 24: The J&K Information Technology Department in collaboration with the University of Kashmir and with support from the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Union Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Wednesday organized a UT Level Consultative Workshop on “Strengthening Cyber Security Frameworks for State Data” at the University of Kashmir, Srinagar.
The workshop, as per a KU statement, was organised as part of the national consultative process being undertaken by NeGD, MeitY, to facilitate stakeholder consultations and develop a comprehensive framework for strengthening cybersecurity, data protection and digital resilience across States and Union Territories.
The inaugural session was attended by Professor Nilofer Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir; Saurabh Bhagat, Commissioner Secretary Information Technology Department; Asha Choudhary Malhotra, Chief Executive Officer, JaKeGA; Professor Naseer Iqbal, Registrar, University of Kashmir; Abdul Hafiz Shah, Special Information Technology Department; Shokat Mehmood Special Secretary; Jaskaran Singh Modi, State Informatics Officer, NIC J&K; Maroof Naieem Qadri, Director IT, University of Kashmir; Ashaq Dar, Director, NIELIT, besides representatives from NeGD, CERT-In (through VC), NIC, J&K Bank, SeMT, JaKeGA, Academia and senior officers of various government departments who have also been nominated as CISOs, ISOs and Technical Experts.
Addressing the participants, Saurabh Bhagat emphasized that cybersecurity has emerged as a critical pillar of digital governance and citizen trust. He highlighted the growing dependence of government institutions on digital platforms for delivery of public services. He underscored the need for robust cybersecurity mechanisms, proactive threat management, and resilient digital infrastructure to safeguard critical government systems and citizen data.
The workshop was attended by the policymakers, cybersecurity experts, government officials, academia and industry stakeholders to deliberate on the emerging cyber threats, cybersecurity best practices, incident response mechanisms, data protection frameworks and institutional measures required to strengthen cyber resilience across the Union Territory.
A major highlight of the workshop was the breakout group discussions, where the participants deliberated on six key thematic areas. These included risk-based security assessments, securing State Data Centres and State Wide Area Networks, strengthening Security Operations Centres (SOCs) and Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), modernizing legacy systems, implementing data protection and privacy frameworks besides enhancing the cybersecurity capacity-building initiatives.
The discussions focused on strengthening the cybersecurity governance, enhancing monitoring and incident response capabilities, securing critical digital infrastructure, promoting secure-by-design principles, protecting citizen data and fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness across government institutions.
The participants also took note of the significant progress made by Jammu & Kashmir in digital governance and cybersecurity. The prominent achievements included establishment of the State Security Operations Centre (JK-SOC), approval of Cyber Crisis Management Plans (CCMPs) across departments, implementation of cybersecurity monitoring mechanisms, large-scale security audits of government websites and various capacity-building initiatives.
The workshop concluded with presentations by the six thematic groups, followed by a plenary discussion on key recommendations and action points. The deliberations and recommendations emerging from the workshop will be shared with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and will contribute towards formulation of a stronger and more resilient cybersecurity framework for State Governments across the country.
