Despite no reference to cybersecurity in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government interim budget 2019, the cybersecurity firms are hopeful that various initiatives of the central government be it setting of AI centre, making one lakh digital villages and earlier introduction of Personal Data Protection Bill 2018 will create newer opportunities for technology firms in India.

According to Fortinet regional VP for India & SAARC Rajesh Maurya, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal short-term plan to make one lakh digital villages in the next five years outlines that digital transformation and economic transformation have to go hand in hand for all round development.

Maurya asserted that the Interim budget must be seen from a vision perspective as it unfolds India's aim to become a 10 trillion Dollar economy by 2030. Digitalization is the path chosen by the government to reach every sector of the economy across the country down to every single Indian.

Addressing the security concerns of Economic Digitalization, the government has already introduced the Personal Data Protection Bill 2018, IT Act, Right to Information Act, Right to Privacy, Aadhaar Act as the laying ground for data protection and cybersecurity.

Maurya said that his firm believes in the importance of collaboration and threat information-sharing to secure Digitalization. “Multi-stakeholder collaboration is the way forward with leaders from the private and public sectors coming together with a shared commitment to secure the digital attack surface and related vulnerabilities that represent a very real threat to governments and growing digital economies,” he said.