The government is preparing to give another major shock to China as the tension over Ladakh border. Now the government has decided to issue the National Security Directive for the first time to the telecom sector citing national security. Under this, it will be mandatory to check telecom equipment and their sources. The government’s move is seen as a tough step against Chinese companies making telecom equipment.
It has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security . This means that the government will create a list of some reliable source or product for all telecom providers in the country. Once the list is ready, the telecom service providers will be able to buy products from those firms. Also, the terms of license for telecom companies will be changed. However, the government has avoided mentioning the name of any country which will be affected by this decision.
Under the new policy, the National Cyber Security Coordinator will list reliable devices for equipment. The National Security Committee on Telecom Equipment and will identify countries. The new policy will come into force within 180 days. The Department of Telecommunication will change the licensing rules.
India is among the top three countries with the highest number of cyber attacks. According to CERT-in, there were 400,000 cyber incidents in India in 2019. According to the IT ministry, till August this year, there were about seven lakh cyber attacks on Indian citizens and companies. Last year, India lost Rs 1.24 lakh crore due to cyber crimes.
