Delivering the inaugural address at a two-day India Conference on Cyber Security and Cyber Governance, organised by Observer Research Foundation and FICCI here on Monday Sibal said the government has already approved two projects to build semi-conductors and letters of intent have been issued already.

He hoped that manufacture of chips in India in design with the Indian software companies will go a big way in improving cyber security, though it is easier said than done.

Sibal said the government is also planning to train 500,000 people in the next five years in using and governing cyber space.

He said the government has also started connecting 250 gram panchayats through optical cables with capacity of 3G-4G network and the work will be over in the coming one and half years.

The Minister said the time has come for the world to come to a conclusion on cyber security and governance issues as many of the issues are not neither ours alone nor any individual nation. He said the countries should reach a consensus on at least two issues – jurisdiction and identity. He also stressed on the need to remove asymmetry in the cyber laws in different countries if we need to have effective cyber governance.

Delivering the keynote address, the National Security Advisor, Shivshankar Menon, said the government is looking into setting up an Information Sharing and Analysis Centre and testing and certification labs in the private sector by industry associations.

Menon said the government is strongly committed to the democratic nature of the cyber space and protecting the privacy of the individuals while protecting and securing the cyber space.

He said the government has also decided to take steps to protect Critical Information Infrastructures (CIIs) where it has seen phenomenal increase in attacks. He said the government is in the process of notifying CIIs under the IT Act and National Political Information Protection Centre is being set up.

The NSA said the National Crisis management Plan has already identified 9 sectors for protection — defence, finance, space, ICT, I & B, public essential services and utilities, law enforcement and security.

Menon also said that there was an imperative need for international cooperation on creating global standards and evaluation methodology for certification labs. He said any institution invested with authority to manage or regulate cyber space should be broad based and institutionalised so as to take o n board the concern and views of all stake holders.