Directorate of Information & Technology: Govt of Maharashtra

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Shravan Shetty Social Media Consultant 9833268810 9869268583(Amit) shravan.shetty@semt.maharashtra.gov.in

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www.it.maharashtra.gov.in

Workshop on Role of Electronic Signatures in Securing the Electronic Environment

Mumbai, Intercontinental (Marine Drive) 18 February : The Directorate of Information Technology(DIT) , along with Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) & Centre for Development of Advanced Computing(CDAC) came together to organise the first ever state level workshop on role of electronic signature in securing the electronic environment. The backdrop of this event being the persistent rise in use of digital signatures in eGovernance, Industry and security issues concerning its users. The participants in the event ranged from Govt officers from Mantralay, eGovernance Consultant, State Virtual cadres and Additional & Deputy collectors from districts The concept of this workshop was laid down by Rajesh Aggarwal. Principal Secretary (DIT: GOM) who in his welcome address gave a deep insight on the fundamentals of digital signatures and how to keep it secure. Having passed multiple judgements as a judge through IT Act he shared his experience wherein he noticed the misuse of digital signatures by fraudsters due to the lax attitude of the person owning the digital signature.

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Mr T.A Khan representing Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) from (Ministry of Communication & IT :GOI) was very satisfied with the swift implementation of eOffice in Mantralaya & other State Govt departments. He also spoke about how use of digital signatures in eTendering in helping curb corruption & improving best practices. The workshop was energised by Dr. Sundeep Oberoi, by TCS Global Head : Niche Technology Delivery Group who focussed repeatedly on ownership & accountability of digital signatures with a catchy phrase Jawabdari toh mangta hai. He also stated that in the long run digital signatures will be more effective than physical signatures This was followed by a live demonstration & presentation on Introduction to Cryptography, Digital Signatures certificates by Dr R Balaji, Sr. Technical Officer: CDAC , Bengaluru There was an uniformal agreement that digital signatures will ensure fraud reduction, cost effectiveness and as people start realising about digital signatures they will become more financially aware ensuring benefits for the industry and banking sectors

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Shri Rajesh Aggarwal , Principal Secretary : DIT psec.it@maharashtra.gov.in