The “Cyber Surakshit Bharat” initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) was conceptualised with the mission to spread awareness about cyber-crime and build capacities of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials, across all government departments, for ensuring adequate safety measures to combat the growing menace of cyber crime and enable organizations to defend their digital infrastructures and become future-ready in tackling cyber-attacks.

The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), under its Capacity Building scheme, organised the 45th CISO Deep-Dive training programme from June 18 – 22, 2024 with participants from Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Hyderabad. The inaugural session of the programme was attended by senior officials from MeitY, NeGD & ASCI.

The deep-dive training is specifically aimed at educating and enabling CISOs to understand cyber-attacks comprehensively and thoroughly, get necessary exposure to the latest technologies of safeguarding, and translate the benefits of a resilient e-infrastructure to individual organizations and citizens at large. The training also focussed on providing a holistic view of legal provisions, enabling CISOs to formulate policies in the domain of cyber security and build concrete cyber crisis management plans.

The purpose of the deep-dive training program is to spread awareness, build capacities, and enable government departments to take steps to create a cyber resilient ecosystem. The endeavour of the programme is to sensitise and orient participants on cyber safety and security, thus facilitating the Digital India programme for integrated delivery of various government services to citizens. The Program also imparts holistic information and knowledge about cyber security to enable government departments to look after their cyber hygiene, safety and security.

Launched in 2018, the CISO training program has been a successful partnership between the Government and industry consortium under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Over the years, NeGD has conducted 45 batches of CISO deep-dive training programs, benefiting over 1,662 CISOs and frontline IT officials, and making a significant impact in the field of cyber security.

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DK/SMP