Panjab University hosts Digital India Talk Show on digital services, cybersecurity and data protection

Chandigarh, August 17, 2026: Panjab University’s Centre for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (CSDE), in collaboration with the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), organised a Digital India Talk Show to familiarise students with key public digital platforms, including DigiLocker, UMANG, myScheme, Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), APAAR, and issues related to cybersecurity and data protection.
The programme was an initiative of the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, in collaboration with the Department of Information Technology, Chandigarh Administration.
Delivering the keynote address, UT Director-IT, Sh. Avikesh Gupta, spoke on the expanding reach of digital governance and the importance of citizen-centric, accessible and secure public services. He encouraged students to engage actively with public digital platforms and to view technology as an instrument for inclusion, efficiency and accountable governance.
Stressing the importance of public digital platforms, PU Vice Chancellor Prof. Meenakshi Goyal said universities have a responsibility to prepare students not merely to use digital technologies, but also to understand them, question them and contribute to their responsible development. She emphasised the need for digital capability, online safety and ethical awareness to enable young people to participate confidently in India’s evolving digital ecosystem.
Earlier, Prof. Suveera Gill, Honorary Director, CSDE, welcomed the participants, while Sh. Gauravdeep Singh, Head, State e-Mission Team (SeMT), Chandigarh Administration, and Prof. Sukhwinder Singh, Director, UIET, spoke on the objectives and relevance of Digital India initiatives.
Experts explained the practical use of DigiLocker and Entity Locker for secure document storage and verification, UMANG and myScheme for accessing government services and schemes, and ABC and APAAR for portable academic records and learner mobility. A session on cybersecurity and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 focused on safe online practices and responsible handling of personal data.
The sessions were followed by an interactive discussion on access, privacy, security and everyday use of public digital platforms.
A Digital India Quiz was also organised, with prizes presented to the winners.