Government, industry must work together to address security issues: Pillai

New Delhi, Apr.9 (ANI): The government and industry must work together to tackle the challenge of addressing security issues urgently as the information revolution has lead to greater awareness and the masses are unwilling to wait, said Home Secretary G.K. Pillai on Saturday.

Speaking at the Plenary Session "Security Dimensions of Development Disparities" at the National Conference and the Annual General Meeting of CII 2011, Pillai said that development disparities exist across the country, especially in the mineral rich areas of the North-East and Jharkhand, and added that unless the issue of social inequality is addressed and suitable opportunities provided for all, the problem will persist.

Currently, almost 81 percent of crime in India is committed by first timers and the maximum numbers of criminals are between the ages of 16-28. This points to the fact that India's demographic advantage can turn into a disadvantage leading to security concerns if left unattended.

Several of the country's problems in the areas of health, education and security can be addressed by greater investment in technology, felt S. Gopalakrishnan, CEO and Managing Director, Infosys Technologies Ltd.

He felt that as a country and industry, India has underinvested in technology. In order to create more jobs in the IT sector, there is a need to encourage innovation in IT, ensure funding and mentoring in the rural areas. Moreover, in today's world, the speed at which one needs to react to information has undergone a change necessitating a speedier process that delivers.

Gopalakrishnan also spoke about how the increasing use of technology is also increasing vulnerability to information warfare and cybercrime, and since technology is an integral part of infrastructure, there is pressing need to protect this infrastructure. Finally, he said investment in e-governance must be increased to facilitate greater interaction between the public and government. The moderator, Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman, HCL Infosystems Ltd, also emphasized on how the use of technology can prevent leakages of funds from the system.

"Containment of social unrest in India is the No.1 priority so that India can achieve its growth potential," said Mr B Muthuraman, President Designate, CII. In the last 15-20 years, incidents of social unrest have increased especially in areas such as Jharkhand, since there is a lack of equal opportunities. This has often lead to investors shying away from investing in such areas, leading to underdevelopment. "The fundamental reason for social unrest is social inequality," he suggested, adding that the only solution is to correct inequality by providing equal opportunities through affirmative action. (ANI)