During an interaction with Moneycontrol’s Managing Editor Nalin Mehta at the India Web 3.0 Summit held in Mumbai, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar said that future wars would be fought on the basis of data, not on battlefields, and emphasised the urgent need to strengthen efforts to protect the nation’s data infrastructure.
"Data protection needs to be looked into as seriously if not more than, data creation," he said.
Speaking about India’s growing technological prowess, Narwekar said that the country is one of the leading exporters of software technology and that Indian talent has earned recognition across the world. “We need to convert our youngest population into a skilled young population. If we succeed, India will hold great power in the world,” he said, adding that Maharashtra’s focus remains on transforming its youth into a skilled workforce.
Highlighting the importance of transparency and digital accessibility in a democracy, he said that when he joined office, he noticed that it is “impossible for a common man to have access to debates and discussions that happen on the floor of the House" and that he realised that it is against the spirit of Democracy.
He noted that under the Maharashtra's digitisation initiative, all debates, discussions, motions and resolutions from 1947 till date are now available online. “Any individual who needs information can access it at a click. This will enhance good governance and strengthen the spirit of democracy,” Narwekar said.
He cited Maharashtra’s progress in digitisation, pointing out that citizens once had to run from office to office to get government records, but now most of these records are available online.
Narwekar also spoke about E-Vidhaan, the digital legislative management system adopted by India to enhance transparency in the federal structure. “The Prime Minister had a clear vision, if federalism needs to be upheld, there must be transparency. E-Vidhaan helps ensure that,” he said.
“In a democracy, we have three wings, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Greater transparency in each will accelerate the country’s development. Transparency brings trust, and that trust depends on data availability and protection,” he added.
He further observed that while the Right to Information (RTI) Act earlier required manual applications for access to information, today data is available at the click of a button. However, he cautioned that India and Maharashtra “do not yet have the infrastructure to fully secure the data” they possess.
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