SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired a meeting to review the Cyber Security Action Plan for Jammu & Kashmir, focusing on strengthening the UT’s defenses against emerging cyber threats and safeguarding critical digital infrastructure.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary of the IT Department, CEO of JaKeGA, State Informatics Officer (NIC), senior officials from civil administration, police, and representatives from various departments.
This review is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to monitor and enhance security measures protecting digital assets, sensitive data, and promoting cyber hygiene across departments. The UT administration is implementing a combination of rapid-response actions, structural reforms, and long-term capacity-building initiatives to ensure uninterrupted delivery of e-Governance services.
Chief Secretary Dulloo assessed progress on previous directives and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining a secure, modern, and resilient digital ecosystem, emphasizing that there can be no compromise in securing the UT’s IT infrastructure.
Key initiatives reviewed included the Cyber Security Contingency Plan (CSCP). Secretary IT, Dr. Piyush Singla, reported that a detailed proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for approval.
Regarding endpoint and device security, over 4,500 devices have been secured with Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions, and more than 2,300 with Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) tools. This process is ongoing in major Heads of Department and Deputy Commissioner offices.
On VPN security, access is now restricted to multi-factor authenticated users, with geo-fencing enabled to limit usage within India.
Out of 239 government websites, 140 have been restored following mandatory security audits in compliance with CERT-In and OWASP standards, along with deployment of web application firewalls. Additionally, standard protocols are being enforced, unused domains rationalized, and cyber hygiene actively promoted across departments.
The meeting also reviewed the progress on merging departmental data centers into a centralized State Data Centre (SDC), which is expected to be completed within six months to ensure uniform security standards and operational efficiency. Expansion plans for the SDC in Jammu are underway, with capacity for 300 racks (100 in the first phase) being developed to Tier III/IV standards, including a dedicated Network Operations Centre (NOC) and Security Operations Centre (SOC) for real-time threat monitoring.
Regarding the IT Asset Census, thirteen departments have submitted their IT infrastructure details for comprehensive mapping.
Additional measures discussed included implementation of secure web protocols for video conferencing, transition from IPv4 to IPv6, USB device control through disabling and whitelisting, rollout of e-SAM, and capacity building in partnership with CERT-In.
Awareness and training initiatives such as Cyber Jagroota campaigns, workshops, and training sessions—conducted both online and offline—are underway to sensitize employees on safe cyber practices.
The Chief Secretary commended the progress made and directed departments to accelerate pending actions to further strengthen J&K’s cyber resilience.
