Hyderabad: Cyber security firms may get exemptions

Hyderabad: The state government plans to provide incentives and exemption from about seven laws to cyber security firms, which function 24x7, in its bid to attract them to the state.

In its Cyber Security Policy-2016, which is to be announced on Thursday, a source in the IT department said, cyber security firms would be given an exemption from the purview of the Pollution Control Act except in respect of IT parks or IT SEZ campuses with built up area between 10,000 and 20,000 square metres.

“We are planning to propose that the government exempt these firms from the Factories Act, Maternity Benefit Act, Shops and Establishment Act, Minimum Wages Act, Payment of Wages Act and Contract Labour Act,” the source said.

He said cyber security firms would be spared the compulsory notification of vacancies that is required under the Employment Exchange Act.

“Besides, these firms would be given general permission to operate in three shifts with women working at night. The policy will declare cyber security firms as an essential service under the Essential Services Maintenance Act,” he said.

The policy would also make it mandatory to include Cyber security as a subject in schools and colleges to build awareness on cyber crimes. Cyber security firms would fight crime, terrorism, fraud, extortion, obscenity and offensive content, pornography and stalking online.

State to release 4 I.T. policies today
The Telangana state information technology department will announce four key sectoral policies on Thursday. IT officials said minister K.T. Rama Rao would announce policies on data centres, open data and data analytics, apart from one on  cyber security. The government would announce incentives and exemptions for firms related to these sectors from a few laws and rules.