Urgent need to collaborate on digital security to contain risks: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
Bengaluru (PTI): Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the global interconnectedness has created shared security risks requiring the urgent need to collaborate on digital security.
Addressing the G20 Digital Economy Working Group Ministers Meet, Vaishnaw said three priority areas have been selected by the Indian presidency for the digital economy Working Group, which will help in the democratisation of technology.
"Global interconnectedness creates shared security risks. Therefore the need to collaborate on digital security has become more urgent," the Minister, who holds Railways, Electronics and IT portfolios, said.
Appreciating the efforts of the digital economy working group of G20, he said the group has been diligently engaged in discussions for steering the member nations towards common ground.
In this context, Vaishnaw said, "The three priority areas selected by the Indian presidency for the digital economy Working Group are digital public infrastructure (DPI), security in the digital economy and digital skilling."
The Union Minister said these priorities reflect the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who believes in democratisation of technology.
Underlining that the benefits of technology should reach every citizen regardless of her or his socio-economic status, Vaishnaw said digital public infrastructure has a significant role to play in democratisation of technology.
According to him, India's digital payments platform UPI is a vibrant example of the public-private partnership approach.
"The platform was created using public funds, then the private participants joined the platform. Over 70 banks, more than 50 million businesses and more than 335 million users joined this platform," Vaishnaw said.
The result is that there were USD 10 billion instant transactions in the month of July 2023. On an annualised basis, the value of these transactions now exceeds USD 2 trillion, he added.
Vaishnaw also told the audience that several such solutions have emerged in multiple sectors including healthcare, digital document verification, education and insurance.
"The next frontier will be digital credit, where well established banks and financial institutions would compete for a loan of ticket size as small as one USD and a tenure of as small as two days. That is the kind of solution we are looking at so that the people at the bottom of the pyramid, can get the same level of financial services that the rich and prosperous people get," the minister explained.
The second priority area, according to Vaishnaw, is security in the digital economy since establishing trust in technology is critical to its adoption.
The increasing frequency and volume of digital transactions necessitated to focus on promoting security in the digital economy, the Union Minister said, adding this can be achieved through awareness building measures and education.
The priority area, Vaishnaw said was to further the creation of a future-ready workforce. In this regard, investing in talent was critical.
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Maharashtra minister inaugurates 'Call Hindu Jobs' portal, faces criticism over communal focus
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Mumbai: Maharashtra Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, has inaugurated a digital employment portal titled Call Hindu Jobs, sparking debate over its exclusive community focus.
Developed by Vishal Durafe, a member of the Hindu Jagran Manch and former leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the portal is yet to become operational. The Hindu Jagran Manch is affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
During the inauguration, Lodha stated that the platform aims to assist youth in securing employment and learning self-employment skills, including marketing training. “Durafe has done good work. Maharashtra needs employment on a large scale. I inaugurated this as I hold the employment portfolio,” Lodha said.
When questioned about the appropriateness of a government minister endorsing a community-specific initiative, Lodha defended the move. “There is nothing wrong if someone decides to do some constructive work only for the Hindu community,” he said, according to Deccan Herald. He further added that the government would support similar initiatives by other communities as well.
In remarks reported by The Print, Lodha clarified that the portal is open to all. “Out of their own sentiment, they have named the portal for Hindus, but if anyone in Maharashtra uses it, nobody is going to say no.”
Vishal Durafe stated that the portal’s main objective is to connect Hindu job seekers with business owners from the community. He also mentioned plans to expand the portal's features to include self-employment, e-commerce, and matrimonial services. However, when asked whether participation would be restricted to Hindus, Durafe responded, “It is not necessary.”
The initiative has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition. Mahesh Tapase, spokesperson for the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction), said, “Any minister has to work as per what is defined by the Constitution, which clearly spells out equal opportunity for everyone. Once a minister endorses a communal jobs portal, it raises the question on whether he understands the role he has to play as a minister.”
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