New Delhi, July 19
With the increasing digitalisation of city functions, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), convened the National Conference on Making Cities Cyber Secure on July 18 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
The conference brought together key stakeholders from Central Ministries, National Cybersecurity Agencies, State Governments, and Urban Local Bodies to address the growing cybersecurity challenges facing India's cities and develop a collective roadmap for enhancing resilience, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs said.
The event witnessed participation from over 300 delegates, including State IT and Urban Development Secretaries, ADGs, Municipal Commissioners, CEOs of Smart Cities, and representatives from key institutions such as CERT-In, NCIIPC, I4C, and STQC. Dignitaries, including Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary, MoHUA; Govind Mohan, Union Home Secretary; and Bhuvnesh Kumar, CEO, UIDAI, delivered special addresses.
The Ministry presented key initiatives such as city-level cybersecurity frameworks, the mandatory appointment of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), and the completion of cybersecurity audits. Officials emphasised that technologies integrated into traffic systems, utilities, and public services are increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats, necessitating structured risk management and inter-agency collaboration.
Discussions also focused on repositioning SPVs as dynamic, innovation-driven bodies supporting long-term urban development. Drawing from Advisory No. 27 (June 2025), stakeholders discussed SPVs' expanded role in consultancy, investment facilitation, technology integration, and policy research.
The Intelligence Bureau flagged emerging cyber risks amid growing tech-enabled governance. The conference concluded with a consensus on embedding cybersecurity into all phases of digital urban transformation and empowering SPVs to align with national urban priorities.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good initiative but who will train municipal staff? My cousin works in Nagpur Municipal Corp - they still use Windows XP! First upgrade basic infrastructure before talking about smart cities.
Cybersecurity audits are mandatory now? That's a welcome move. But will small towns get budget for this? Tier 2/3 cities shouldn't be left behind in digital security.
As someone working in IT security, I appreciate India taking urban cybersecurity seriously. The CISO mandate is global best practice. Hope they include ethical hackers in the process too!
SPVs becoming innovation hubs sounds promising. But will they actually get autonomy? Too much babu culture kills innovation. Need private sector participation in these committees.
What about data privacy? Smart cities collect so much citizen data. Need strong laws to prevent misuse. Aadhaar leaks have made me very cautious about govt digital projects.
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