The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Department of Digital Technology & Governance, Himachal Pradesh and CID, Department of Police, Government of Himachal Pradesh, organised a two-day Cyber Security Workshop iCAST-25 (Integrated Cyber Advanced Security Techniques-2025) for State Police Leaders of the Himachal Pradesh Government at Police Head Quaters, Shimla, from April 3 - 4, 2025. The workshop brought together over 45 physical & 100 online participants from various  units of state police departments.

Dr. Atul Verma, IPS, DGP, Government of Himachal Pradesh, inaugurated the workshop and in his address, emphasized the importance of cyber security in protecting digital infrastructure and e-governance services within the state. He highlighted the need to build capacities among government officers to address the evolving cyber threats faced by their departments. Attendees included Shri Ajay Kumar Yadav, IPS, ADGP (Crime); Shri Gyaneshwar Singh, IPS, ADGP, CID, Himachal Pradesh; Ms. Rakhi Kahloon, IAS, Secretary, Department of Digital Technologies & Governance, Himachal Pradesh; Shri Mohit Chawla, IPS DIG, Cyber Crime State CID Himachal Pradesh, Dr. Nipun Jindal, IAS, Director, Department of Digital Technologies & Governance, Himachal Pradesh and Shri Vipan Kumar DSP, CID (Cyber Crime) Himachal Pradesh, SeMT HP alongside other senior officers.

Dr. Nipun Jindal shared the state’s preparedness in the areas of cyber hygiene and the establishment of an Incident Response Team. He emphasized that the state has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Digital Literacy Campaign. This initiative aims to promote digital literacy, empower individuals, and bridge the digital divide across Himachal Pradesh.

The State leadership has vowed to take this workshop (iCAST-25) to the state and regional levels next year onwards.

NeGD, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has launched a comprehensive series of state capacity-building workshops nationwide. These workshops are crafted to empower state-level leadership, CISOs, and officials by providing hands-on training and best practices in managing cyber threats, adopting secure IT frameworks, and reinforcing digital governance. This initiative aligns with the Government of India’s mission to create a cyber-resilient public sector, ensuring a robust digital infrastructure and resilient e-governance services across states. Through this program, NeGD aims to enable states with customised, practical approaches to strengthen their cyber defence mechanisms, ultimately enhancing the collective cyber security posture of India’s digital ecosystem.

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Dharmendra Tewari/Navin Sreejith

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