Preventing from leakage of information through hacking of communication devices, the union ministers have been asked not to carry mobile phones cabinet meetings while issuing an order by the cabinet secretariat to the private secretary of concerned ministers in this regard.
“It has been decided that Smartphones/mobile phones will from now not be permitted inside the meeting venues of cabinet said cabinet Committees,” it said. The private secretaries have been asked to appropriately brief the minister on this.
I mostly keep away my phone during the meetings: Parrikar
On the other hand, speaking about the surgical strikes carried out by the army across the line of Control in Kashmir, the Defence Minister had recently said, during the operations, I kept my mobile away, just to ensure that if it is compromised, nobody eavesdrops on important information.
I mostly switch off my phone during important meetings but one can even bug the battery of your phone and listen to your conversation,”
Congress opposes the decision calls “Dictatorial”
The Congress criticized the government for issuing such a direction. Calling it a “dictatorial and fascist order”, Congress spokesperson Ajay Kumar said, this has happened for the first time. This is another example that the RSS and BJP do not want any kind of transparency.
India will join countries like Britain and France that have already taken a similar decision on a different occasion for different reasons. There were some reports recently that United Kingdom’s PM Theresa may ban ministers from wearing Apple smartwatches in Cabinet meetings, as the government is concerned that the microphone in these watches could be hacked by the hackers. It is worth mentioning here that in 2014, French President Francois Hollande imposed a ban on cell phones during Cabinet session.
