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Remarks by Secretary (East) at the ASEAN-India Track 1.5 Dialogue on Cyber Issues (October 20, 2021)

October 20, 2021

Excellencies,
Friends and Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,


I am delighted to join you all today at the 3rd Edition of the ASEAN-India 1.5 Track Dialogue on Cyber Issues. I warmly welcome eminent cyber experts representing Governments, Think Tanks, Academia and Industry and especially our guests from ASEAN.

I commend the efforts of ORF to take forward the engagement of ASEAN and India on this contemporary issue of relevance to our economies and societies, especially in these times. In recent times, the increasing use of cyber and information- communication technologies has supported greater economic development, improved service delivery to citizens, generated greater social awareness and placed information and knowledge in the hands of individuals. The COVID pandemic is beyond doubt a health catastrophe that has delivered an enormous economic and social jolt, fundamentally changing the way we imagined societies, workplaces and governance. The restrictions and disruptions posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been mitigated to some extent by the advancements in digital technology that have enabled us to exchange views, continue discussions and cooperate effectively.

Most activities in this cyber-age - political, social, economic, humanitarian and developmental – are now conducted in or connected to cyberspace. This has not only expedited the pace of growth but also brought forth a new set of challenges for which no preset solutions exist. Multiplicity of actors in the cyber space as well as the growing dependency on critical infrastructure such as ports, airports, electricity grids, e-governance systems, and businesses, on the cyber platform imposes the responsibility to address concerns related to protection of the critical infrastructure from cyber security perspective. Therefore, in the Cyber-age, though the meaning of peace has remained constant, the nature of threat and the tools to address them have transformed radically.

Some States are leveraging their expertise in cyberspace to achieve their political and security-related objectives and indulge in contemporary forms of cross-border terrorism. At the same time, non state actors and terrorists around the world are using cyber space to broaden their appeal, spread virulent propaganda, incite hatred and violence, recruit youth and raise funds. There are widespread concerns that with the advent of new technologies like 5G - vulnerabilities and harmful hidden functions are being introduced, including through backdoor channels, into ICT networks and products.

Since cyber crime often has a transnational dimension, there is crucial need for international cooperation to exchange experiences and share best practices for protection of information infrastructures. India lays huge emphasis on bilateral and international cooperation on cyber security. The need for cooperation between India and ASEAN member countries in this field is, therefore, self-evident. ASEAN, as we know, has been pro-active in the region's efforts to tackle cyber security challenges and has undertaken various cyber confidence building measures.

This emphasis of ASEAN on Cyber Security and Cyber connectivity in accordance with international laws resonates deeply with India’s approach towards Cyber space. India has also been working domestically to address the cyber security challenges through platforms capable of supporting and sustaining the efforts in securing the cyber space as well as through the adoption of comprehensive policies such as the New National Cyber Security Policy, which would provide an overview of what it takes to effectively protect information, information systems & networks.

Equitable access to the Cyberspace and its benefits is the other important area that India-ASEAN engagement on Cyber issues needs to focus on. We have witnessed the critical role played by Digital technologies during the Covid-19 waves, in keeping the supply chains open for an accelerated and sustainable economic recovery in the region and therefore, it becomes all the more important that the digital inequalities are addressed. Digital inclusion is at the heart of the Digital India Programme which envisions to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy with various programmes like BharatNet, Digital Village, Aspirational Districts, MyGov and eKranthi. This gradual Digital Inclusion has proven to be of immense value to us in these uncertain times. We must cooperate to bridge this digital divide through capacity building to create globally secure cyberspace.

India is committed to an open, secure, free, accessible and stable cyberspace environment, which will become an engine for innovation, economic growth, sustainable development, ensure free flow of information and respect cultural and linguistic diversity. With our transformative technology initiatives in recent years such as IndiaStack, Aadhar and UPI, we have successfully leveraged the tremendous potential of cyber technologies in implementing the SDG agenda and improving governance. As part of its COVID vaccination drive, one of the largest such drives in the world, India has developed Co-WIN – a scalable, inclusive and open technological platform. The Co-WIN platform can be customized and scaled up for health interventions across the globe. We are working on sharing this platform with partner countries in the interest of health cooperation and their preparedness to meet challenges to health of countries across the world.

Our overarching objective is to harness cyberspace for the growth and empowerment of people, not just of our own country, but for all humanity. Moving forward, India is keen to exchange its experiences with ASEAN toward a safer and more secure global cyberspace for our peoples.

I am glad to note that the agenda for today’s meeting comprises of some very important issues related to Cyber security including encryption, protecting critical infrastructure, and building resilient connectivity infrastructure. I wish all participants the very best and hope that some insightful suggestions for policymakers from India and ASEAN would be generated through this Dialogue.

Thank You!
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