91 government websites officially down

Srinagar, Aug 16: In a stunning revelation, the Jammu & Kashmir government has disclosed that 91 official websites remain non-operational, affecting public access to vital services across the Union Territory.

The Jammu & Kashmir e-Governance Agency (JaKeGA), in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Syed Adil—an activist from Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district—confirmed that the websites are down due to the non-availability of ‘safe to host’ certificates.

According to the agency, the websites were taken offline because the concerned departments failed to conduct mandatory security audits.

It further stated that these audits are now underway through CERT-In empanelled agencies. “In addition, websites already hosted by the Jammu & Kashmir State Data Centre and lacking a ‘safe to host’ certificate are being audited by the third-party auditor, M/S Grant Thornton, appointed by the Government of Jammu & Kashmir,” reads the response from JaKeGA’s administrative officer, who also serves as its Public Information Officer (PIO) under the RTI Act.

To a query whether any temporary or alternative arrangements had been made to ensure service continuity, JaKeGA dodged the question, saying, “The information in this regard can be provided by the concerned departments.”

These websites have been inaccessible since the first week of May.

Speaking to Kashmir News Observer, Syed Adil slammed the government’s failure to restore these websites.

“It has been officially revealed that 91 websites are down, but the actual number could be around 150,” he said. “There has been little follow-up from the government to restore these websites, which reflects a lack of seriousness.”

Minister for Information Technology, Satish Sharma couldn’t be contacted for comments. (KNO)