Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government rolled out a comprehensive cyber security policy for 2024 on 1st August 2024 to combat rising levels of cybercrimes and promote awareness, skill building, public-private partnerships, and technology integration to protect the State-backed digital infrastructure. The policy focuses on several key areas such as awareness and education, skill building, promotion of industry and startups, and partnerships and collaborations for capacity building, officials said.

This policy has been collaboratively drafted by the Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (e-Governance), and the Home Department, in consultation with relevant stakeholders from both the government and private sectors.

The total financial outflow for the implementation of the policy over five years is about ₹103.87 crore, which would be met from the budgetary allocation of the Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology. Of this, ₹23.74 crore would go towards providing incentives and concessions, they said.

According to an official statement, key highlights of the incentives under the policy are: Under the internship programme, a stipend of ₹10,000-₹15,000 per month will be provided for a maximum of three months to Karnataka-based undergraduate and postgraduate interns. The target is to facilitate 600 undergraduate interns and 120 postgraduate interns during the policy period.

For R&D projects in the domain of cybersecurity, driven by Karnataka-based start-ups and in collaboration with Karnataka-based academic institutes, matching grants of up to a maximum of 50 per cent of the total project R&D cost, or up to ₹50 lakh, will be given. The cost of up to a maximum of ₹1 lakh towards the engagement of Karnataka-based, CERT-In empanelled service providers by start-ups registered with the Karnataka Start-up Cell for a cyber security audit will be reimbursed.

The policy was also reviewed by the Indian Institute of Science, which is the anchor institute for the state's K-tech Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security (CySecK).

The government also launched a skilling programme by network giant CISCO.

"This partnership with CISCO is a testament to our commitment to promoting a secure digital environment. By training 40,000 individuals, with a special emphasis on empowering women, we are not only addressing the skills gap but also promoting inclusivity," an official said. /BI