No classified files shall be handled through e-office during work from home, says MHA

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In a significant development, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday (May 14) instructed that no classified information shall be handled through e-office, which means classified files shall not be processed in e-office during work from home. 

It is learnt that the state-run National Informatics Centre (NIC) would evaluate the existing security protocol for remote access of classified file/ information in consultation with MHA and propose suitable guidelines and standard operating procedures for handling classified information in e-office. Till the time classified files shall be processed on standalone computers only.

Notably, about 75 Ministries/ Departments are actively using e -office platform currently and 57 Ministries/ Departments have achieved more than 80% of their work in e- office. 

The officers to whom official laptops are provided shall ensure that they do the official work in official device only, MHA instructed. 

NIC shall ensure that their devices are well protected against malware and malicious websites. The officers who are working on their personal computers/laptops have been asked to ensure installing regular updates, running antivirus scans, blocking malicious sites, etc with the help of NIC to ensure safety of their device against information theft.

Officers who are working from home shall be available on phone as per requirements and directions of their officers