About

The DSCI Critical Sector Advisory Committee is an initiative aimed at spearheading digitization, digitalization and cyber security in CII and manufacturing sectors in India. The committee is comprised of accomplished professionals with extensive experience in public sector units. The committee aims to drive excellence by sharing best practices and guidelines with end users, technology deliberations with solution providers, policy and framework engagement with regulators for a holistic cyber driven ecosystem.

Through collaborative efforts and strategic initiatives, our committee endeavors to elevate cyber resilience across critical and manufacturing sectors, safeguarding national interests and fostering digital trust and innovation.

Objectives

Facilitate Best Practices

Curate and disseminate industry-leading cyber security practices tailored for critical and manufacturing sectors.

Regulatory Engagement

Act as a liaison between industry stakeholders and regulatory bodies to ensure compliance and foster a conducive regulatory environment.

End-User Advocacy

Champion end-user needs by promoting cyber awareness, education, and user-centric security solutions.

Ecosystem Collaboration

Foster partnerships among practitioners, solution providers, academia, and government agencies to create a robust cyber security ecosystem.

Sector-Specific Initiatives

Develop tailored initiatives addressing unique challenges faced by critical and manufacturing sectors in their digital transformation journey.

Focus Areas

Critical Infrastructure Protection

Safeguarding essential services such as power, energy, manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare from cyber threats.

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security

Ensuring the security and resilience of manufacturing processes and control systems.

Supply Chain Security

Mitigating risks associated with third-party dependencies and strengthening supply chain resilience.

Data Privacy and Confidentiality

Upholding data privacy standards and protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access.

Incident Response and Crisis Management

Enhancing capabilities to detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents effectively.

Committee Members

Aseem Mukhi heads cybersecurity at ReNew, a leading decarbonization solutions company focused on accelerating the transition to renewable energy. At ReNew, he manages enterprise security, data protection, and Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity. His extensive background spans vital sectors including power and utilities, BFSI, telecommunications, government, and law enforcement, providing a unique perspective on diverse security challenges.

In his professional journey, Aseem has been instrumental in developing nationally significant cybersecurity engagements as well as sectoral projects, focusing on security strategy, policy, risk assessment, security operations, and cyber resilience.

Beyond his organizational role, Aseem is a recognized Subject Matter Expert (SME), contributing to initiatives like validation of Nasscom Sector Skill Council's National Qualification Packs for Cybersecurity. He also actively participates in cybersecurity skill development as a member of the technical subcommittee at CDAC Hyderabad.

Liton Nandy is a seasoned IT veteran and a Digital Transformation Expert & Evangelist who brings over 36+ years of industry experience. With a successful tenure as the former CIO and Country Head of Digital-IT at IndianOil, he has spearheaded many groundbreaking technology initiatives for Public Sector Enterprises and the Government sector.

Liton's experience and expertise span across various domains, including Digital Transformation and Enablement, Strategic Thinking in Cybersecurity, Tech-Business Connect Management, Innovation Incubation/Management, Cybersecurity Readiness Planning, Software Development, CX/CSAT Enhancement, Change Management, and Talent and Skill Development. He is adept at bridging the gap between technology and business, leading and deriving values from digital innovations, managing complex and large projects, driving change, and nurturing collaboration across teams by overcoming complex barriers.

Some of his key achievements include leading large-scale Enterprise Digital Business Projects in the Oil & Gas space such as CLDP (Common LPG Data Platform), DBTL (Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG), and PMUY (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana) bringing in transformative impact towards efficient automation, ease of doing business, and enhanced satisfaction of citizens of India, leading ERP and DMS-CRM-Loyalty projects for Oil & Gas Organization to support large scale supply chain and customer delivery system, operationalizing a comprehensive Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS), developing large and integrated retail and terminal automation system, implementing robust Cyber Security ecosystem & Data Governance framework, and instilling a digital mindset in business partners.

Liton excels in formulating and executing strategies for Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity, IT Policy Formulation, IT Audit & Security Assessments, Data Governance, Business Analytics, Change Management & User Adoption. His industry expertise and leadership have enabled him to drive impactful changes and deliver quality solutions for customers while empowering and developing high-performing IT teams.

Mihir Joshi is a seasoned Chief Information Security Officer with deep expertise in securing critical infrastructure within the power and energy sector. With over 17 years of experience, he leads enterprise-wide cybersecurity initiatives focused on Operational Technology (OT) and IT convergence, regulatory compliance and resilience against evolving cyber threats.

Known for fostering strong cross-functional collaboration, Mihir Joshi drives risk-based strategies that protect grid reliability and support digital transformation in the energy ecosystem.

Before Joining Tata Power Company Limited, Mihir Joshi has served as a Global CISO in a crypto currency firm and CISO in financial services, mutual funds and insurance sector. With a focus on proactive threat detection, fraud prevention, and customer data protection, Mihir Joshi leads high-performing security teams and advises executive leadership on cybersecurity strategy aligned with business growth and regulatory expectations.

He is also serving as a "Cyber Security Advisor" at VDA's and Cryptocurrency Exchanges. He has been speaker at various events like BlackHat, GISEC, DSCI and CxO forums.

Paparaju Buddhavarapu is a distinguished cybersecurity expert having near four decades of experience with a remarkable 39-year stint at ONGC. With a robust background in enterprise cybersecurity, he has served in pivotal roles, notably as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at ONGC Ltd and ONGC Videsh Limited, Head – Operational Technology , Head-SCADA etc.

He has been a critical leader in Operations & Maintenance of the Security Operations Centre, SCADA, Threat Mitigation, Capacity Building, Phishing and Smishing. In addition, he is proficient in Vulnerability Assessment and Mitigation, Risk Analysis and Mitigation, Information Security and Management System, and Data Centre Audit. Excellence in developing cyber resilience and awareness, business continuity, and mastering root cause analysis are a few of the many areas of his prowess.

He is an eminent leader in handling project management, contract management, and policy creation. He has also fostered the IT and OT technologies of the Upstream Oil and Gas industry, where he facilitated the Operations & Management of Process Instrumentation and Enterprise Access Control Systems, Gas Turbine Control Systems, Distributed Control Systems, Programmable Logic Controllers, Seismic Data Acquisition systems, IT systems, and PBX systems.

Paparaju's educational background includes an advanced management program from IIM Kolkata and a graduate degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University.

To engage with the advisory committee, please drop your query at bhupesh[dot]janoti[at]dsci[dot]in

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