Brijesh Singh is Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Government of Maharashtra. He was previously the Additional Director General for police in Maharashtra. Formerly responsible for Maharashtra Cyber, a unit looking after the cyber security of the Government of Maharashtra (GoM), he has led the implementation of the MH Cyber Project, CERT-MH and Predictive Policing units. As the Secretary-and-DG of Information & Public Relations Directorate, he has led modernisation projects like the Media and Social-Media Analysis Centre. As Inspector-General of the CID, he implemented the prestigious Crime and Criminal Tracking System for Maharashtra police, connecting all of its 1100 police stations by an advanced technology platform. He has successfully led the Maharashtra Cyber Security Project and the Combating Cybercrimes Unit in Maharashtra, using Predictive-Policing, cutting-edge Cyber-Forensics tools, CERT-MH and Centre-of-Excellence. He is the DG’s Insignia 2016 awardee. Under his leadership, 48 state-of-the-art District-Cyber-Labs have been set up, making Maharashtra first state in the country to sanction 43 cyber police stations. He has led cyber capacity-building and public awareness projects in the state. He has also implemented the first Automated Multi-Modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS), initiative in India, where IRIS, facial recognition, finger- and palm-prints will be used to identify crimes in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra Cyber Digital Crime Unit (MCDCU), a government-industry anti-piracy collaboration, led by Mr. Singh, has successfully taken down over 400 pirate-websites and issued critical advisories. MCDCU and AMBIS have been awarded with several national and international honours, with their contributions recognised by international organisations like the World Intellectual Property Organization. His recent book on terrorism, “Dangerous Minds of India”, has been well received.
Education
BE (Mining), MA (Psychology), MA (Public Administration), Diploma in Computer Forensics, PGD (Foreign Trade)
The Israel-Hamas War has shown the devastating impact of disinformation as a strategy of unconventional warfare. This narrative-led approach begins before hostilities start and seeks to set the agenda for leaders, their militaries and geopolitics. Democratic societies like India must prepare for similarly coordinated strategies and build societal resilience to manipulation.
The disruptive impact of Generative AI models like ChatGPT and Copilot will be felt across information-processing sectors including customer service, research and blue-collar jobs. India must develop a comprehensive national AI strategy that connects stakeholders to provide a roadmap for responsible AI deployment and increase funding for AI research.
India is rapidly progressing in its digital goals with missions like Make in India and Digital India having a positive effect across the economy. But its dependence on interconnected networks and systems means that cyber security IS a challenge. As one of the most attacked countries in cyberspace, India’s resilience in cybersecurity is key to safeguarding critical assets.
New global economic, military and political alliances are taking shape, and call for like-minded nations to calibrate their strategic, long term interests. The new India-Australia economic trade agreement is reflective of this. It also folds in a critical element: wide cooperation in cyber security, which now impacts the economy, democratic institutions and warfare. India has much to learn from Australia’s low key but smart cyber expertise.
In an interview with Sansad TV, Brijesh Singh, Adjunct Distinguished Fellow, Cybersecurity Studies, Gateway House, and Mahesh Jethmalani, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, analysed the new Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022. They discussed how biometric sample collection will strengthen law enforcement and increase conviction rates.
The crisis in Ukraine has highlighted the role of both Russia and the West in sophisticated hybrid warfare and disinformation campaigns. The aim is to create a multiplicity of narratives, which fragment the understanding of the opponent. The mind battles are on.
Courtesy: Nikkei Asia
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Courtesy: The Economic Times
Courtesy: Australian High Commission
Courtesy: Sansad TV
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