Amid growing use of IT, the government today said it will step up cyber security measures under Digital India programme starting with a Rs 800 crore centre that will help people check and clean their computer system from viruses and other malwares.
“We are going to make national cyber coordination centre at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore. For this we are carrying out inter-ministerial consultation… It will have capability to tell you that your computer system is infected and will clean that infection as well,” Telecom and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a conference on 100-days performance of his ministry.
The project has to be approved by the Cabinet. Besides this, the government will set up an e-governance security centre at a cost of Rs 270 crore for ensuring security of all e-governance initiatives which has witnessed crores of transactions.
Highlighting the importance of the programme, Prasad said funds will not be a problem for Digital India – the umbrella programme designed by NDA government.
“Digital India is an umbrella programme with an outlay of Rs 1.13 lakh crore and Prime Minister declared it as a national programme on August 15 and Cabinet has also approved it, money shall not be a problem as fas as the success of Digital India programme is concerned,” Prasad said.
The programme was conceptualised in a span of less than three months and consequently endorsed by the Union Cabinet on August 20.
The programme includes projects that aim to ensure that government services are available to citizens electronically and people get benefit of the latest information and communication technology.
Prasad said the government is working on national optical fibre network (NOFN) which will be completed by 2017 to provide broadband services in all 2.5 lakh panchayats at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore.
The Digital India programme will be implemented in phases from the current year till 2018.
The vision of the government under the project includes creation of ICT infrastructure like high-speed Internet at gram panchayat level, on-demand availability of government services like health, education etc, and digital empowerment of citizens, specially through digital literacy.
Under the programme, the government will train one person in each household digitally through ICT training to 10 lakh persons with an outlay of Rs 376 crore.
“SC, ST and below poverty line people will not have to pay any fees. Other will have to pay very nominal fees,” Prasad said.
On spectrum issue — a key component to spread telecom services through mobile devices — he said Department of Telecom is working on guidelines for spectrum trading and sharing which will be in place by the end of this year. (MORE) PTI KIR PRS ANZ STS 09131906
Telecom companies have cited shortage of spectrum as one of the reasons that are retarding pace of mobile services growth in the country.
Spectrum sharing and trading is seen as a move that can help telecom companies to pool or trade unused airwaves for transmitting signals.
Prasad said the government is re-working on mechanism for spectrum auction which is expected to be ready by the end of current financial year.
The minister said the government has asked sectoral regulator TRAI to give recommendations for virtual network operators as it plans to provide broadband services through retailers using NOFN.
The NDA government has already approved installation of 1,836 mobile towers across 9 states affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) at a project cost of Rs 3,567.58 crore and plan for boosting telecom network in the north-eastern region at an estimated cost of Rs 5,336.18 crore.
On the government’s plan for section 66 (A) of IT Act that led to arrest of people for posting comment on social media sites, Prasad said, “I will specially consider that this (section 66 A) is not abused but we can never say that at times social media is not misused. A balance is required.”
Talking about electronics manufacturing, Prasad said many companies have shown interest in setting up their factories and he is going to Germany tonight for roadshow to attract companies to set up their plants in India.
Since the time NDA government took charge, the Department of Electronics and IT has received fresh investment proposals worth Rs 1,859.64 crore. The total investment till date after announcement of National Policy on Electronics is estimated to be around Rs 80,000 crore.
The minister said the project of setting up two semiconductor plants, involving cost of around Rs 63,000 crore approved in February, is on track.
“Tie-ups regarding investments and technology are underway for the (semiconductor) project,” Prasad said.
On low cost Aakash tablet project designed by the previous government, the minister said that he has held meeting on it and the project needs a lot of improvement.