RAS question
CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is the nodal agency for:
Correct answer: (D) Cybersecurity incident response in India.
CERT-In is India's national nodal agency for responding to cyber security incidents.
Explanation
CERT-In, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, is not a general science body or a telecom regulator; its mandate is cyber incident response. The official CERT-In page states that it is designated as the national nodal agency under Section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000, for responding to cyber security incidents. That matches the exam option on cybersecurity incident response in India. The same page also links this mandate to incident-related functions such as collecting and disseminating information on cyber incidents, issuing forecasts and alerts, coordinating response activities, and issuing advisories, vulnerability notes and guidelines. So the key idea is institutional responsibility: CERT-In is the national cyber incident-response agency.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Space research is outside CERT-In's cyber incident-response mandate and is handled by ISRO.
- (B) Nuclear safety is not CERT-In's role; it is handled by AERB, while CERT-In deals with cyber security incidents.
- (C) Telecommunications regulation is handled by TRAI and DoT, whereas CERT-In is concerned with cyber security incident response.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology theme of cyber security institutions and their nodal responsibilities. RAS often asks such agency-mandate links because they connect technology governance with public administration.