State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Wednesday said Bangladesh and India will collaborate with each other to combat cyberattacks and threats alongside safeguarding their own cyberspaces and contributing to the security of the entire global cyberspace.
“Just as we have successfully eradicated militancy and terrorism through our cooperation, together we will ensure the security of our cyberspace by addressing cyberattacks and threats,” he told the concluding session of the 3-day training and exercise held at the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) auditorium.
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The World Bank financed 'Enhancing Digital Government and Economy (EDGE) Project' of BCC under the ICT Division and organized the training and exercise under the programme titled: Cyber-Maitree 2023. Experts and scientists of CERT, India Ashutosh Bahuguna, Gaurav Pathak, Shashank Gupta and Abhishek Solanki provided training to the officials working in 34 Critical Information Infrastructures (CII) announced by the government of Bangladesh.
The State Minister emphasized that collaborative initiatives like Cyber-Maitree 2023 between the two countries underscore their unwavering dedication to cyber defense and their shared commitment to maintaining a safe and secure digital environment.
“Our self-confidence is bolstered, and the task of confronting adversaries becomes easier when we have a strong and steadfast friendly neighbouring country by our side,” Palak said adding that Bangladesh and India have a history of standing shoulder to shoulder, having fought against the enemy during the war of liberation in 1971 and faced challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic.
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He stated that India has provided support and cooperation in building Digital Bangladesh and they would also collaborate in building Smart Bangladesh 2041 vision in the days ahead as announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “We are confident in our ability to effectively address cyber threats and combat cybercrimes, particularly with the support and collaboration of the Indian CERT,” Palak said.
The ICT state minister said Cyber Maitree represents the fruitful outcome of a collaborative effort between the governments of Bangladesh and India, aimed at fostering the development of cybersecurity leaders by offering training and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experiences.
High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Pranay Verma said the relations between Bangladesh and India have reached a new height. The areas of cooperation including connectivity, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), cybersecurity, startups, and hi-tech parks have been extended and both countries are collaborating with each other, he added.
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Pranay said the joint effort such as Cyber-Maitree 2023 is the outcome of the Bangladesh-India Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier for collaborating in different areas of ICT. Such initiatives will continue further in future to enhance capacity in dealing with cyber threats and cybercrimes, he said.
Chaired by BCC Executive Director Ranajit Kumar the function was addressed, among others by, ICT Secretary Md. Shamsul Arefin, Senior Director of Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), India S.S. Sharma. The function was conducted by the Awareness and Campaign Specialist of the EDGE project Hasan Md. Benaul Islam.
Shamsul Arefin said the government has put emphasis to build the capacity of government officials to address cyberattacks and cyber threats to ensure a smooth journey of the Smart Bangladesh vision as announced by the prime minister.