Telecom, Media and Technology (TMT) while doing things beyond imagination has also its pitfalls with very serious and grave consequences. While constructive deployment of TMT is a foregone conclusion as ITU has summed up that every 10 % of broadband penetration enhances the GDP growth by 1.38 %, the destructive use of TMT with disastrous consequences has just been witnessed in NE violence. If TV reports are anything to go by, how easily a handful of cyber rogues in Pak put TMT to such a destructive use that they have been able to create havoc in India with more than 70 deaths. Huge emerging economy with one fifth of the population of the world has been brought to knees by a few handful rogues. It is time our leaders first understood the nuances of TMT. For this to happen, the political class needs to be well educated.

While the nation has well structured set up to deal with physical attacks, we terribly lack the same to deal with calamities caused by virtual attacks. There is a need to learn lessons from Google, Microsoft, You Tube, Face Book, Apple etc of the world. You Tube has successfully demonstrated with TMT that if anyone wants to upload any audio which is not authorized and copied, it will simply refuse. It also has the capability to know who is uploading and can alert the copy right holder that so and so at such and such time and date tried to upload the copied audio and pass all indelible proofs to the rightful owner. The owner with all proofs can take the culprit to court and seek justice anywhere in the world. Such is the prowess which these super tech companies have developed. Our approach to such safeguards is appalling.

On 01 Aug 2012, when a suggestion was made during a meeting of FICCI that we should recommend to the government to enable the service providers to have similar technologies in place just like You Tube example above so that any objectionable content can be nipped in the bud before it escalates and allowed only after a bona fide neutral committee can screen the same, the overwhelming response of industry luminaries attending the meeting was negative. Very unfortunately, we hear on 19 Aug that Pakistan has fomented this cyber trouble for us resulting in a loss of precious human lives. The gains to Pakistan have been realized by them almost free of any damage to themselves.

Ministries of ICT and I&B which manage TMT need to sharpen themselves and strengthen the hands of MEA, MHA and MOD. We have seen how lack of coordination among multiple agencies within one ministry itself has caused havoc time after time and we have not been able to do anything constructive on that front. Here, we are talking about five ministries. This is highly a serious matter threatening the unity and integrity of the country and demands a nimble footed out of the box thinking and political will to put in place an overall set up and infrastructure to give comfort to the citizens that they are living in safe India. Any delay or inaction in this is only at our own peril. Organizing debates on TV is good but action is more important. TV anchors might like to ask those responsible such questions also.