A two-day Cyber Resilience and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Workshop, organised by the Information Technology Department, UT Administration of Ladakh, in collaboration with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) under the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), successfully concluded on January 20 at the Conference Hall, Baroo, Kargil.

On the second day, officials from various government departments participated in sessions focused on enhancing cyber awareness, digital safety, and the effective use of emerging technologies in governance.

Key attendees included Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Kargil, Imteeaz Kacho; Under Secretary, IT Department, Dr. Sanjat Bhardwaj; Assistant Director, Tourism, Kargil, Mohammad Ali Tak; CDPO Kargil, Parveen Akhtar; and officers from various departments.

Addressing the participants, ADC Imteeaz Kacho welcomed the attendees and emphasised the growing importance of artificial intelligence in administrative operations and decision-making. Highlighting potential AI-related risks such as impersonation and data manipulation, he stressed the need for vigilance and responsible use of AI to safeguard official systems. He further underscored how AI can enhance governance in Kargil by improving service delivery, planning, and decision-making, particularly in addressing the region’s unique geographical and administrative challenges.

The ADC thanked the IT Department and NeGD for selecting Kargil as the venue for the workshop and expressed hope that the deliberations would prove fruitful for the participants. He also conveyed his desire to host similar capacity-building programmes in Kargil in the coming summers.

During the technical session, Samrat Kishor delivered a comprehensive presentation on Artificial Intelligence, covering core components such as Machine Learning, Deep Learning, AI risk management, and emerging AI applications in governance. He also explained the concept of AI prompts, highlighting how well-designed prompts help generate accurate and meaningful outputs, while emphasising the ethical and responsible use of AI.

This was followed by an in-depth session by Dr. Anil Sain, who briefed participants on cyber laws, with specific reference to key provisions of the Information Technology Act, including Sections 65, 66E, 66F, 67, 67A and 67B. He elaborated on various cyber offences, their legal implications, and the responsibilities of government officials in handling cyber incidents and digital evidence.

The workshop also recognised the contributions of several individuals, including Akshita Krishna (MeitY), Dorjie Gyaltsen (IT Department), Ishtiaq Hussain (IT Department), Gaurav Attrey (NeGD), and Samrat Kishor (NeGD), for their support and association with the programme. Participants actively engaged in interactive discussions, sharing experiences and raising queries on cyber challenges, which were addressed by the resource persons.

The workshop concluded with a closing session during which participants appreciated the initiative and highlighted the importance of such training programmes in strengthening cyber resilience and digital preparedness within government departments. The IT Department reaffirmed its commitment to organising similar training sessions in the future to further enhance cyber awareness and technological capacity across Ladakh.

Conducted as a key component of NeGD’s Capacity Building initiative, the two-day workshop aimed to promote the adoption of AI in governance among officials of the UT Administration of Ladakh. The event witnessed the participation of over 110 officers from various departments, including senior officials from the Police and Administrative Departments of Kargil, reflecting the region’s collective commitment to digital transformation and AI-driven innovation in public administration.