Parliamentarians Raise Alarms On Cyber Security In New Parliament Building

In a meeting of the Committee on Information and Communication Technology Management in the Rajya Sabha, held at the Parliament House Annexe Building, parliamentarians raised significant concerns regarding the cyber security infrastructure of the newly constructed Parliament building. Chaired by AAP member N D Gupta, the committee discussed these concerns with top officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and representatives from the public sector Punjab National Bank, as reported by PTI.

During the meeting, Members of Parliament stressed the necessity for banks to implement robust measures to secure the financial assets of the public at large. The need to elevate cyber security awareness across the country was underscored, with a proposal to develop a "cyber consciousness index" to gauge the nation's preparedness in this domain.

The Secretary of the Department of Financial Services (DFS) and representatives from the Punjab National Bank were present to share their perspectives on the regulatory framework and the steps being taken to implement mechanisms for cyber security, digital identity, and digital payment systems.

Officials from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) outlined the measures taken to ensure the security of Members of Parliament at the new Parliament building. Panel members raised queries and concerns regarding cyber security, leading to discussions on steps being implemented to fortify the cyber security of Member Services and the new Parliament building.

Given the increasing instances of cyber security breaches and frauds, the committee intends to extend its scrutiny to private banks in the near future. Field visits to bank headquarters in Mumbai are on the agenda to assess the efficacy of cyber security measures adopted by these institutions. So far, officials from the State Bank of India and the Punjab National Bank have been called before the panel to address concerns related to cyber security.