IndiaTech and APCO Convene Leaders to Strengthen Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure

Industry Body IndiaTech convened a closed-door roundtable in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss strategies for securing India’s critical information infrastructure, as concerns grow over the rising frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks on essential sectors.

The discussion, titled “Securing India’s Critical Information Infrastructure,” brought together senior representatives from government, industry, and policy. The forum examined how India could strengthen resilience across sectors such as power, telecommunications, banking, healthcare, and defence, all of which have become key targets of malicious cyber activity.

Roundtable on Securing India’s Critical Information Infrastructure

Deliberations focused on five priority areas: building a stronger national cybersecurity ecosystem, securing digital supply chains, improving collaboration to protect critical services, enhancing regulatory frameworks, and rethinking procurement practices to emphasize trust alongside cost. Participants also noted the risks of relying heavily on adversary nations for digital infrastructure, particularly with the rapid expansion of IoT-enabled and machine-to-machine communication technologies.

The roundtable concluded with the adoption of the “Delhi Declaration on Secure and Trusted Digital Infrastructure.” The declaration committed participants to strengthening transparency and resilience in supply chains, promoting technological self-reliance and advancing cooperation between public and private stakeholders.

Rameesh Kailasam, CEO of Industry Body IndiaTech.org said the forum reflected “a shared recognition of the urgent need to safeguard India’s digital backbone” and emphasized that the discussions mark a step toward building a trusted and future-ready digital economy.

Mr. Arun Goyal, formerly at Central Electricity Regulatory Commission remarked, “Anything that impacts critical infrastructure will have its effect on other sectors as well.”

This sentiment was echoed by other participants from the industry in the room. Mr. Manish Tiwari from Fractal AI highlighted the importance of cybersecurity today and mentioned, “It should be mandatory for every organization to have a Chief Security Officer (CSO), a competent professional to safeguard critical information.”

Emphasizing the need for consistency and uniformity, Dr. Pawan Duggal, Cyberlaw expert at the Supreme Court of India said, “India need harmonization between all government agencies when it comes to cybersecurity because currently so many great ideas exist in silos.”

While held behind closed doors, the session signaled growing consensus among key stakeholders that cybersecurity is not only a technical imperative but also central to India’s economic sovereignty and national security.