Nagaland advances in digital governance; more to achieve

DIMAPUR: Commissioner & Secretary IT&C and State CISO, Arenla Jamir on Wednesday said that Nagaland has made significant strides in digital governance, though much remains to be achieved in expanding digital services.
According to DIPR report, delivering keynote address at the one-day State Consultative Workshop on ‘Strengthening Cybersecurity Frameworks for State Data” held at the Directorate of Information Technology & Communication, Kohima, Arenla noted that initiatives such as CMHIS, CM Alliance Online Scholarship, PIMS and e Treasury have transformed governance in the state, enabling citizens across districts to access services that earlier required visits to government offices.
She emphasised that digital transformation has greatly improved service delivery and administrative efficiency in Nagaland, but has also increased risks in protecting sensitive data. She however, stressed that cybersecurity is no longer the sole responsibility of IT departments, but a shared responsibility requiring awareness, preparedness and commitment from all government offices and employees handling digital information.
Arenla recalled that during the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries in December 2025, the Prime Minister directed states to assess their cybersecurity readiness. She said the current Stage Three workshop would provide formative recommendations to the Central Ministry, contributing to a National Policy on cybersecurity to be tabled in August 2026. Sharing experiences, Sr. TD & SIO, NIC Nagaland, Er. I. Lanusungkum Aier, emphasised the need for accurate and clean data for effective use of artificial intelligence, cautioning that poor data quality could expose systems to risks. He called for inter departmental collaboration to strengthen data management and avoid duplication of efforts.
In his welcome address, director IT&C and Deputy CISO, Er. Sabou Yashu, said data security has become increasingly critical in digital governance. He urged stakeholders to deliberate and contribute towards a framework to institutionalise protection of digital data.
Deputy general manager, CB, NeGD, MeitY, Pooja Kandpal, briefed virtually on the national overview, while deputy director IT&C, Er. Daniel Krocha, presented the core accountability mandates. The workshop was attended by representatives from government departments, technical sectors, law enforcement agencies and development partners.