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Indias Digital Trust Ecosystem Gets a Boost


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Bengaluru

July 30, 2025

The National Centre for Digital Trust (NCDT), a pioneering initiative under the aegis of the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, was formally inaugurated on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at C-DAC, Electronics City, Bengaluru, by Shri. Arvind Kumar, Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA).

NCDT has been envisioned as a national hub to consolidate, coordinate, and accelerate India's digital trust ecosystem. It brings together a decade of distributed efforts in Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), digital authentication, post-quantum cryptography (PQC), and trust technologies into a cohesive platform. The centre would be playing a pivotal role in advancing research, innovation, capacity building, standards development, and international cooperation.

Shri. Arvind Kumar, CCA, in his inauguration address, emphasized the national significance of NCDT and called upon all stakeholders, the industry, academia, and government, to co-create a future where every digital identity, transaction, and interaction is founded on trust, confidence, and security. He appreciated the swift establishment of the centre and its potential to unify PKI activities under NCDT.

Dr. Balaji R, Scientist F, C-DAC Bangalore, extended a warm welcome to dignitaries from the Office of CCA, industry leaders, academia, and representatives from various C-DAC centres. He acknowledged Shri. Arvind Kumar's visionary leadership as the driving force behind the establishment of NCDT. Highlighting C-DAC's over two-decade-long partnership with the Office of CCA, he underscored how this enduring collaboration laid the foundation for NCDT. He noted that the centre was swiftly conceptualized to unify and accelerate nationwide initiatives in the realm of digital trust.

Shri. Dilip Barman, Deputy Controller of Certifying Authorities (Investigation), termed the inauguration as a key stone event for PKI in India, declaring that all PKI-related initiatives will now be anchored at NCDT. Shri. Aashish Banati, Deputy Controller (Technology), praised the execution and mentioned that the Centre represents CCA's long-standing vision to unify past, present, and future PKI activities under a single umbrella of trust.

Dr. S. D. Sudarsan, Executive Director, C-DAC Bangalore, extended his heartfelt appreciation to the Office of the CCA for its strategic direction and steadfast support in realizing the vision of NCDT. He emphasized that NCDT will serve as a national technology hub for demonstrating India's capabilities in PKI operations, while also fostering innovation, skill development, and industry collaboration in emerging trust technologies. Reflecting on the seamless integration of digital signatures into everyday life, he pointed out how most users today remain unaware of the complex cryptographic foundations that power such simplicity, an achievement made possible through over two decades of sustained effort. He highlighted the importance of showcasing these deep-tech foundations to inspire top talent and entrepreneurial interest in this critical domain.

Dr. Sudarsan further appreciated the structured vision and collaborative approach of Shri. Aashish Banati in closely working with C-DAC team to identify and curate the key elements for demonstration at NCDT. Highlighting the focus on capacity building, he shared that C-DAC Bangalore has launched blended learning programmes in collaboration with IEEE, with curated content now made available through the portal pkiindia.in, aiming to expand quality education and skill development in digital trust technologies across the country.

Prof. Debabrata Das, Director, IIIT Bangalore, lauded the C-DAC and CCA teams for establishing this much-needed Centre. He highlighted the Centre's potential in skilling thousands of professionals and advancing India's leadership in the global digital trust landscape.

Dr. Mohammed Misbahuddin, Scientist F, C-DAC Bangalore, proposed the vote of thanks. He offered heartfelt gratitude to the Office of CCA for its collaborative, feedback-driven, and consistent support over the last decade that enabled the establishment of this National facility and also expressed his heartfelt gratitudeto MeitY and Director General C-DAC for their invaluable support and trust, which has been instrumental in successfully materializing the initiatives.

The Trustverse Lab, of NCDT, was also unveiled. It acts as a live testbed demonstrating scalable, indigenous digital trust solutions across automotives, drones, secure camera networks, vehicular communication, remote digital signing, and Zero Trust infrastructure. The lab also showcases India's PQC readiness with integrations of HSMs, qHastakshar tools, learning platforms, and blockchain-based PKI systems.

On the occasion, Shri. Arvind Kumar launched the official NCDT website (https://ncdt.in), followed by a walkthrough presented by Shri. Anoop Kumar Pandey, Scientist E, C-DAC Bangalore. He explained the centre's focus areas including advanced R&D in PKI, contribution to global standards, startup ecosystem support, and international PKI cooperation.

The event also featured a comprehensive industry exhibition that showcased indigenous innovations and collaborative demonstrations from both C-DAC centres and private sector organizations. Participants included:

Shri. Arvind Kumar personally interacted with all the exhibitors, including a walkthrough of demos such as:

The event also witnessed the handing over of the ISO 27001 certificate for RCAI to Shri. Arvind Kumar, and he also distributed ISO 27001 ISMS Lead Auditor Certificates for members from C-DAC as well as from CCA.

In a moment that resonated with the spirit of collaboration, Shri. Shamsuddin Khan, Assistant Controller (Technology), beautifully summarized the sentiment in verse:

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