Cybersecurity must be built‑in, says IT ministry secretary

New Delhi – Speaking at the Cybersecurity 360 Summit, S. Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, insisted that cybersecurity cannot be relegated to a later phase of a project. He argued that at least fifteen percent of every government IT budget should be allocated to protect digital assets.

Krishnan emphasized a "security‑by‑design" philosophy, urging that protection mechanisms be embedded at the very foundation of any technology rollout. He called on businesses to invest suitably in cyber safeguards, champion home‑grown security solutions, and report incidents immediately to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT‑IN).

"When the government spends on IT, a minimum of 15% must be earmarked for cyber security," he said.

The summit also featured insights from Dr. Amit Sharma, Additional Director‑General of the Defence Ministry, who described the global competition for Artificial General Intelligence as a significant geopolitical shift. Sharma advocated for a proactive national roadmap to develop advanced AI models and revealed that the Defence Research and Development Organisation has issued an RFI to develop foundational AI capabilities.

He warned that quantum computing will eventually make many existing cryptographic techniques ineffective, positioning post‑quantum cryptography as a strategic priority.

Dr. Gulshan Rai, head of the CII Cyber Security Task Force, noted that the rapid deployment of 5G and the impending rollout of 6G increase the vulnerability landscape for both large enterprises and smaller firms. The conference, co‑hosted by the Ministry of Electronics and IT and CERT‑IN, gathered policymakers, industry leaders, and cyber experts to discuss how India can bolster its digital resilience amidst evolving global threats.