Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday launched a Centre of Excellence in cyber security for the government workforce to ensure the security of official web portals and websites, an official said. The centre was established by the Information Technology Department in collaboration with the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

Inaugurated by Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary A K Mehta, the centre will make government officials aware of the latest trends and techniques for the safety of all cyber assets in view of increased risk and vulnerability.

Mehta enjoined upon the IT Department to make the training mandatory for its employees, besides creating separate modules for imparting basic-level training to all employees designated by the departments and a high-level skill course for the technically proficient people who would look after the cyber security of government websites and its portals.

Stressing on making the best use of the centre by providing requisite training to the government workforce, the chief secretary asked the department to keep upgrading the skills of the employees according to the advancements in technology and techniques.

Commissioner Secretary, IT, Prerna Puri said the centre is taking 60 officers and officials each as the first batch in Jammu and Srinagar campuses of the NIELIT for their 15-day capacity building programme in cyber security.

She said more such batches will be trained at the centre in the days ahead to enhance the security of websites and data available over the internet.

“The training course would cover significant topics like cyber crimes, network security, cyber hygiene, cyber forensics, mobile and end-user security, web security and information security audit,” she said.