Assocham aims to set up an e-information data bank

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has offered to set up a national databank from the billions of e-transactions for use for India’s strategic needs, as well as by common citizens.

The industry chamber in a media release said that it has written to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval offering the “creation of a cyber ‘National e-Information Data Bank’ of classified and heritage documents for national archive” as a “proposal to break wall between the government and private organizations”.

“With the advent of the ‘information super highway’, the real issue lies in deriving intelligent information out of junk data that can help various stakeholders take cognitive decisions. “With the quantum growth in volumes, variety and velocity at which data is generated on every click in this electronic age, the availability and practical use of such intelligent information is one of the most immediate needs,” Assocham said.

“While a similar concept has now been proposed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), we had submitted a blueprint way back in December 2015,” said Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat.

Stressing on the need for nationwide coordination and regulation of information resources, Assocham noted, however, that a clear legal framework is required for creating such an archive “which can be integrated with the National Information Policy, demarcating information into broad three categories – information in public domain, information to be used by government for generation of social security number ID, passport, voter ID etc, and classified information restricted by law”.

The organization said there is “need to leverage these data assets which are disparate, lying in isolation with various government agencies working in silos”. “This is also leading to duplication of data resulting in effective loss of efforts and loss of effective planning and coordination among various agencies,” it added.