The Maharashtra government is looking at setting up its own mobile messaging application, on lines of the popular WhatsApp.
To enable officials to communicate and share information in a secure manner, sans security breaches, this app will be hosted on government servers.
In 2013, in the backdrop of fears caused by the US National Security Agency's (NSA) electronic snooping and Edward Snowden's revelations about mass surveillance by western powers, the state government had asked its officials to use official email IDs instead of Gmail and Yahoo and take measures to protect private data of citizens.
It has also sent an advisory to all departments, calling for precautions in using Google Maps and cloud-based systems and for hosting government websites on Indian servers only.
"We are looking at developing a WhatsApp-like application," Rajesh Aggarwal, principal secretary of the state information technology (IT) department, told dna.
He added the one which is conceptualised by the state would also be easy to use. Aggarwal pointed to how government officials, right down to the district and taluka levels, were using WhatsApp and various groups created in it to message, communicate and share information.
"If important information is to be shared between officials or a major tender is to be floated, data-sharing in this regard must be secure," said an IT department official, pointing to how data kept outside the country is easily accessible to external governments and their corporate sector.
He, however, admitted that the advisory on not using private email providers was followed best in default by officials. In the past, the websites of Maharashtra Public Services Commission (MPSC) and department of social justice were hacked into.
On similar lines, the Centre is also planning to ban the use of private email services for official communication to protect sensitive data with an emphasis on use of the NIC's email service.
The advisory issued by Aggarwal had also observed that many senior government officials had listed their Gmail/ Hotmail/ Yahoo IDs on government portals as their official email IDs.
"Through the use of such email system, sensitive government data are being transmitted and stored on private servers outside the country," the advisory said, adding that this was in violation of the Public Records Act, 1993, and other regulations.
It had warned that, in case of information leak or hacking of servers hosted abroad, there were difficulties in investigating the case as Indian laws were difficult to be applied on those agencies, reiterating that all websites and applications of state government departments, directorates, corporations, public undertakings be hosted within India and preferably on government-owned servers.
Government websites must use the .nic.in or .gov.in domain names and not any other domain names like .com, .org and org.in, the advisory had said.
On Thursday, the Maharashtra IT department also launched multiple initiatives like allowing online filing of RTI applications and first appeal for Mantralaya departments, donation and application for the chief minister's relief fund, e-challan for traffic violations in Thane and Navi Mumbai and online applications for government quarters. Aggarwal said they planned to launch the 'Aaple Sarkar' portal and mobile app by January 26.
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