A high-level discussion was held today (05) at the GovTech premises between Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne and a visiting Indian government delegation on strengthening Sri Lanka’s cybersecurity capabilities and addressing emerging cyber threats to government systems.

The Indian delegation comprised Dr. Sanjay Bahl, Director General of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and Controller of Certifying Authorities at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY); Amit A. Shukla, Joint Secretary for Cyber Diplomacy, e-Governance and Information Technology at India’s Ministry of External Affairs; and Devika Lal, Counsellor for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the High Commission of India in Colombo.

The discussions focused on leveraging the operational expertise of CERT-In to strengthen the capacity of Sri Lanka CERT to identify, analyse and respond to cyber threats.

Particular attention was also given to improving threat analysis capabilities, strengthening cybersecurity training programmes for government institutions and the general public, and establishing structured, artificial intelligence-assisted mechanisms for cyber threat assessment.

The Indian delegation shared its experience in implementing a coordinated national cybersecurity framework involving Internet Service Providers, government institutions, academic institutions and the private sector, while highlighting public awareness as an important component of national cyber resilience.

The meeting further underscored the expanding cooperation between Sri Lanka and India in the digital and cybersecurity sectors, with discussions also focusing on opportunities for further collaboration, knowledge sharing and the exchange of technical expertise.