Army must conquer cyberspace to counter terror: Army chief
New Delhi, June 27: The Indian armed forces and security establishment must learn to "exploit cyberspace to our advantage" if the scourge of terrorism has to be defeated, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said here on Wednesday.
In his keynote address at a two-day conference on cyber warfare and security, Gen Rawat said: "Cyber is not just important for in conventional warfare domain but also in sub-conventional or proxy warfare.
"As far as armed forces are concerned, we must exploit cyberspace to our advantage. We must enjoy the benefits of cyber."
He said that the modern day terrorists operating against us "from across the border" were very tech savvy and were exploiting cyberspace to their advantage.
"If we don't stay ahead of them, we would never be able to get over the phenomenon of terrorism that has engulfed our nation," the Army chief said.
However, he rued, that instead of learning to exploit the cyberspace to our advantage, the armed forces were "denying ourselves the use of some of the niche technology".
"Why is it happening? I think this is happening because we are developing the right approach but this approach with extreme caution is preventing us from acquiring these technologies," he said.
The way out, the General said, was to exploit not just the technology available in the open domain, but also "the technology that is available with the young technocrats who have acquired expertise through on-the-job knowledge of various issues related to cyber world".
Rawat said that cyberspace had already emerged as a revolution in the military affairs as presently all the weapons, equipment, ammunition or any other system in use in the armed forces employs some kind of technology that takes advantage of it.
He pointed out that this also lent the defence systems vulnerable to attacks from adversaries.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
