Protecting data is essential for economic well-being & national security: Vijay Gokhale

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale has said that protecting data is essential for economic wellbeing and national security. Speaking at

the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, he said, in an increasingly digital world, information is power and the country need to protecting it.

Mr Gokhale said, if information is the new gold, then India is sitting on 1/7th of the world's proven reserves, because one out of every seven in the world is an Indian. Asked about the 5G technology, Mr Gokhale said simply



going with a technology because it is the cheapest will not be the wise course of action.

He said, the wise course of action will be to develop our own capacity and capability. His remarks comes as Telecom operators in the country have submitted their applications for 5G trials. Last month, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said the government will allocate airwaves to all telecom service providers for conducting trials of super-fast speed 5G network.