The Centre plans to shift lakhs of government datasets, including around 4.8 lakh open datasets, to indigenous cloud infrastructure such as Shakti DB as it seeks to reduce dependence on foreign cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google for hosting critical government information, including sensitive and personal data, sources have said.
The focus is on strengthening domestic control over the storage and processing of government information, with particular emphasis on data security, access controls and governance. The meeting also covered security guardrails and governance policies for managing data held by ministries and departments. These would cover how information is stored, processed and monitored, as well as the responsibilities of government departments and cloud service providers. The transition would also involve considerations such as cybersecurity, storage capacity, interoperability and service reliability. Moving data to an Indian cloud provider would not, by itself, guarantee compliance with the law. Government departments would still need to meet applicable data-protection requirements, including safeguards for personal information. Data localisation and control over cloud infrastructure are distinct considerations, making access policies and accountability crucial parts of the exercise.
The exercise is likely to take place ahead of the implementation of key provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023. A meeting held on October 7 discussed Shakti DB’s capabilities as an alternative to existing cloud services for government workloads, an official familiar with the discussions said. “Around 16,000 datasets from multiple ministries form part of the government’s wider data ecosystem.
The proposed shift would involve evaluating how government information, including critical records and sensitive personal data, can be hosted on indigenous infrastructure while maintaining security and operational continuity,” said the official. Officials said the discussions included security safeguards and governance mechanisms to regulate access to government data.
