Central News Hub

Month: September 2022

  • In US, Jaishankar bats for global south

    In US, Jaishankar bats for global south

    External Affairs Minister shared with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken the “deep anxieties” in the global South on fuel, food, and fertilizers…reports Asian Lite News

    The Ukraine conflict and the prospect of instability in the Indo-Pacific dominated talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken when they met in Washington.

    Jaishankar, who spent the last few days meeting “about half the delegations” on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, shared with Blinken the “deep anxieties” in the global South on fuel, food, and fertilizers.

    “A common concern among them was the anxiety about global economic volatility, an anxiety about sharply increased energy prices, of food inflation and food availability, of fertilizers which will impact food next year, of disrupted trade, of shipping, of insurance, of air-land movements, of travel,” said the External Affairs Minister (EAM).

    Blinken, in particular, mentioned the “today’s era is not of war” message that Prime Minister Modi delivered in Uzbekistan recently and also Jaishankar’s speech at the UNGA where he said that “We are on the side that respects the UN Charter and its founding principles”.

    “I really want to emphasize what Prime Minister Modi said, because I think he captured, as well as anyone I’ve heard, fundamentally what this moment is about. As he said, this is not an era, this is not a time for war. We could not agree more,” said the US Secretary of State.

    Spotlighting the Indo-US commitment to address the global volatility which has arisen from the Covid, conflicts and climate events, Jaishankar stressed that both countries have a strong interest in encouraging more resilient and reliable supply chains. This, said the EAM, requires policy decisions as well as practical measures involving the business community.

    “When it comes to critical and emerging technologies, we both see the value of expanding trusted research. Our national security, our economic security, our technology security are all enhanced by closer collaboration. It is also in our mutual interest to facilitate the development and mobility of talent,” he said.

    All these issues and more, the minister revealed, were evaluated not just in the bilateral context, but also from the perspective of the Quad and the I2U2 as both New Delhi and Washington remained keen to move forward on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

    Jaishankar emphasised that India values its close cooperation with the US which is visible across the length and breadth of the Indo-Pacific and beyond but has very stong convergences in the subcontinent.

    “It is essential that democracy, pluralism, progress, development and prosperity are nurtured. Conversely, we must counter radicalization, extremism and fundamentalism. India is widening its international footprint and there are many more regions where we will be intersecting with American interests. It is to our mutual benefit that this be a complementary process,” he stated.

    In Washington, Jaishankar has spent the past two days meeting US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

    Raimondo, while discussing the US-India commercial relationship, welcomed India’s participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). Both agreed that the CEO Forum and the India-US Commercial Dialogue are key opportunities to strengthen the commercial relationship and to advance progress on issues relevant to both economies.

    At the Pentagon, Jaishankar and Austin reviewed “priority lines of effort” to deepen bilateral defence cooperation as both countries progress toward a more advanced stage in their partnership.

    Besides discussing developments in East Asia, the Indian Ocean Region, and the global reverberations of the Ukraine crisis, they also discussed new opportunities for bilateral defence industrial cooperation in support of India’s contributions as a regional security provider.

    “The two leaders underscored the value of the deepening collaboration between the United States, India, Australia, Japan, and European partners. In this context, the United States looks forward to working with India and like-minded partners to promote security, prosperity, and transparency throughout the region, including through the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder.

    Last night at the White House, Jaishankar met US NSA Jake Sullivan to review progress in the India-US strategic partnership and exchange views on global and regional priorities, including the implications of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its impact on food and energy insecurity around the world.

    US also said that it is looking forward to India’s G20 presidency and advancing a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

    ALSO READ-Jaishankar backs Modi’s Putin remarks

  • Sri Lanka cautious about FTA with China

    Sri Lanka cautious about FTA with China

    The publication suggests that to make FTA work on the ground, Sri Lankan businessmen should be given practical and up-to-date information on trade opportunities in China by a government institution…reports Asian Lite news

    The ongoing economic crisis and challenges of penetrating the Chinese market are making Sri Lanka cautious about concluding a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China, despite pressure.

    Recently, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi held a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York. The Chinese Embassy said that the two sides had “agreed to speed up the negotiation process and strive for an early conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), thereby boosting the confidence in and stabilizing the expectations for their economic and trade cooperation,” Daily Mirror reported.

    However, the Sri Lankan minister tweeted about their meeting but there was no trace of the discussion on FTA.

    While Sri Lanka has been prevaricating and dragging its feet on the FTA since talks on it began way back in 2015, China has been very keen on it, frequently reiterating it, and even making it a condition for continued financial investments in Sri Lanka.

    Even, Qi Zhenhong, the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, had also discussed the FTA with the then Lankan Foreign Minister GL Peiris. In the press release. Sri Lanka said that China had signed over 26 FTAs, an FTA with Colombo. However, the economic crisis which intensified put paid to that.

    Daily Mirror citing EconomyNext, reported that the real opposition to FTA was from the entrenched Lankan monopolists. China also wanted zero tariffs on 90 per cent of the goods sold to each other as soon as the FTA was signed, while Sri Lanka wanted it to start with zero tariffs on only half of the products concerned and expand gradually over 20 years. Sri Lanka’s demands were reasonable from the point of view of a smaller and less-developed economy.

    However, if the Lankan government abandons or toes down its protectionist policy, and if the business community and the entrepreneurial class also stop clamouring for protection, an FTA with China could work to Sri Lanka’s advantage as indeed FTAs with other countries would also do.

    Earlier, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa that China was keen on helping Colombo, however, Beijing, later on, responded differently from their previous statements. This has forced Sri Lanka to change its course to India and IMF.

    To China’s dismay, India quickly came up with a USD 4 billion aid package and strengthened its relations with Sri Lanka. China did announce a loan and buyer’s credit totalling USD 2.5 billion, but that was not implemented.

    The publication suggests that to make FTA work on the ground, Sri Lankan businessmen should be given practical and up-to-date information on trade opportunities in China by a government institution.

    Cultural differences and institutional practices often lead to misunderstandings and miscalculations, the IPS study points out, reported Daily Mirror.

    Currently, Sri Lanka is involved in managing the ongoing economic crisis and is unlikely to have the time or inclination to start discussing a complex and controversial issue like an FTA with China. And the same was indicated when Sri Lanka turned silent on the discussion in New York between Ali Sabry and Wang Yi. (ANI)

    ALSO READ: China’s Covid-19 mismanagement creates havoc in Tibet

  • China censors news of harsh conditions in Tibet

    China censors news of harsh conditions in Tibet

    Chinese state media have reported 111 more cases of Covid-19 infection as of September 25, with 60,597 people still held in quarantine in conditions described as harsh by sources inside the Tibet Autonomous Region…reports Asian Lite News

    Chinese authorities have arrested a Tibetan man for posting online videos of harsh Covid-19 lockdown measures being carried out in Lhasa to contain the spread of the disease, a media report said.

    Gontse, a teacher of the Tibetan language, was arrested on August 14 at his home in Khyungchu county in Sichuan’s Ngaba (in Chinese Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, RFA reported.

    “No information is available on his current whereabouts or where he is being detained,” one source said, citing contacts in Khyungchu and speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

    “Gontse works as a teacher,” another source in exile said, also declining to be named in order to protect his contacts in Khyungchu.

    “And though the Chinese authorities gave no explanation for his arrest to his family and friends, the reason is that he shared videos and other images of the Chinese government’s inhumane treatment of people in Lhasa during the lockdown, RFA reported.

    “All of Gontse’s social media accounts have been deleted now,” the source added.

    Chinese state media have reported 111 more cases of Covid-19 infection as of September 25, with 60,597 people still held in quarantine in conditions described as harsh by sources inside the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

    Meanwhile, 786 people have been prosecuted by authorities for violating Covid lockdown directives in the TAR since the current outbreak was first reported on August 8, official sources say.

    Speaking to RFA, Pema Gyal – a researcher at London-based Tibet Watch – said that in the name of containing the further spread of the disease, Chinese authorities in Tibet have been arresting Tibetans “with the deliberate aim of silencing them.”

    In a September 26 statement, Tibet’s India-based exile government — the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) described the harsh conditions reported by Tibetans held without adequate food, water or medical care in China’s quarantine camps.

    “A Lhasa resident recently compared Lhasa’s current situation to the worst days of Shanghai’s two-month lockdown when people were left to starve,” CTA said.

    Camp managers routinely placed infected persons with others still uninfected, resulting in a further spread of the virus “at every level of society, from police to volunteers,” CTA added.

    CTA spokesperson Tenzin Lekshey said that Tibet’s exile government has responded effectively to India’s own Covid-19 outbreaks during the last two years “with the help of healthcare workers and has learned how to mitigate the crisis.

    “So we are ready to offer our assistance, whether with healthcare workers or other medical facilities, if the Chinese government ever requests them,” Lekshey was quoted as saying.

    ALSO READ: China’s penchant for nuclear modernisation ambitions

  • Delhi HC rejects Facebook’s plea against CCI

    Delhi HC rejects Facebook’s plea against CCI

    “Once the appeals have been dismissed, how another writ petition could be filed,” the bench questioned while dismissing the plea…reports Asian Lite News

    The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed Facebook India Online Services Private Limited’s plea challenging the probe initiated by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against it. This issue is connected with WhatsApp’s new privacy policy.

    The bench of Justice Yashwant Varma dismissed the petition remarking that there has to be some end for the “luxury to litigate”.

    “Once the appeals have been dismissed, how another writ petition could be filed,” the bench questioned while dismissing the plea.

    The judge also said that in the case of WhatsApp and Facebook, the probe is suo moto, but in the petitioner’s case, a complaint or information was received.

    The senior counsel Parag Tripathi appearing for the petitioner said that it is an Indian subsidiary and it does not have any involvement or connection with Meta on the existing platform.

    The court said, “Ultimately if they found that there is a prima facie case against the Principal (Meta), which warrants investigation and you (Facebook India Online) does not adopt something different, and for the purposes of the investigation if the DG were not to follow Facebook Inc and call upon you for investigation, it could have done so.”

    The Petitioner had challenged the order on October 12, 2021 passed by CCI, a notice of October 26, 2021 issued by Director General (DG), CCI and all subsequent notices issued pursuant to the Order.

    Senior advocate Parag Tripathi on behalf of the petitioner contended that it was being clubbed together with WhatsApp and Facebook without any prima facie examination and application of mind.

    However, it was argued by the counsel for CCI that the issues raised by Facebook India Online was rightly addressed and answered in the division bench order.

    The Delhi High Court earlier had refused to stay CCI investigation into WhatsApp’s privacy policy and Meta.

    The High Court had said that the policy shares sensitive data with Facebook (now Meta) and virtually forces users into an agreement by providing choices. (ANI)

    ALSO READ: Over 200 Indian Sikhs to visit Pakistan for centenary event

  • Central govt approves 4% hike in DA

    Central govt approves 4% hike in DA

    This increase is based on the percentage increase in 12 monthly average of All India Consumer Price Index for the period ending June, 2022…reports Asian Lite News

    The union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved a proposal to increase the Dearness Allowance (DA) of the central government employees and pensioners by 4 per cent effective from July 1, 2022.

    Addressing a media briefing after the cabinet meeting, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the union cabinet has approved the release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance and dearness relief at a rate of 4 per cent to central government employees and pensioners.

    This increase is based on the percentage increase in 12 monthly average of All India Consumer Price Index for the period ending June, 2022.

    The central government employees and pensioners will become entitled to a higher amount of Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief respectively from July 1 this year, an official statement said.

    The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief would be of the order of Rs 12,852.56 crore per annum and Rs 8,568.36 crore in the financial year 2022-23 (i.e. for a period of 8 months from July 2022 to February 2023).

    The additional financial implications on account of this increase of Dearness Relief to pensioners are estimated at Rs 6,261.20 crore per annum; and Rs 4,174.12 crore in the financial year 2022-23 (i.e. for a period of 8 months from July 2022 to February 2023).

    This is the second increase in the dearness allowance of the central government employees this year. In March 2022, the government announced a three per cent increase in DA. That increase was effective from January 1, 2022.

    Central government employees, central government pensioners and family pensioners getting pensions from the central government will benefit from the increase in the DA.

    Before the 4 per cent increase approved by the union cabinet on Wednesday, the effective DA of the central government employees and pensioners stood at 34 per cent. Now, this is increased to 38 per cent.

    Rajasthan follows suit

    A few hours after the Centre on Wednesday announced an 4 per cent increase in the Dearness Allowance (DA) for its employees, the Rajasthan government too followed suit.

    Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved an increase of the DA of state government employees and pensioners by 4 per cent to 38 per cent, with effect from July 1.

    “In line with the Central government employees, the rate of dearness allowance to the state employees and dearness relief to the pensioners has been increased by four per cent. Now 38 percent dearness allowance and dearness relief rate will be payable to state employees and pensioners from July 1, 2022,” he said in a series of tweets.

    Noting that the Centre makes the announcement but it is implemented after a long time, he said that his government disburses the increased amount without delay.

    “In the implementation of today’s announcement made in the interest of the employees, an additional expenditure of Rs 1,096 crore will be made from the state funds,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Indian cyber agency warns WhatsApp users of critical bugs

  • Navaratri celebrations begin with fervour in Britain

    Navaratri celebrations begin with fervour in Britain

    The Leicester violence was a shock for multicultural Britain, which has been long espousing diversity of people living under a harmonious umbrella…reports Asian Lite News

    Stern action by the British government, against widespread violence in Leicester, Birmingham and Coventry has brought back peace. The first day of the Hindu festival of Navaratri passed off peacefully on Monday across the country without intimidation as was feared earlier.

    In a tweet, the Leicester police said: “To everyone celebrating – a very happy Navratri. There will be a visible and dedicated police presence throughout the celebrations. We’re committed to ensuring everyone can celebrate safely”.

    The Leicester police increased visible patrolling and gave a shout out to residents to report incidents. It is reportedly investigating 158 incidents related to communal disturbances and steadily charging people for various violations. The Brent police said: “We continue our patrols of religious premises, to ensure the safety of all on the borough of Brent”.

    Taking note of recent threats, Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North tweeted: “I’ve contacted the police about the incitement to demonstrate at a Hindu temple in my constituency tomorrow. Anyone thinking of demonstrating should stay away and recognise that hate crimes carry jail sentences. Hindus should not go to “defend” the mandir. That is the police job”.

    Conservative MP from Harrow East, Bob Blackman had last week written to the Home Secretary Suella Braverman highlighting that hate crime against the Hindus has been growing. He even sought a meeting with her along with a delegation of Hindus to promote social harmony among communities and provide security to Hindu festivals.

    The Leicester violence was a shock for multicultural Britain, which has been long espousing diversity of people living under a harmonious umbrella.

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  • Indian cyber agency warns WhatsApp users of critical bugs

    Indian cyber agency warns WhatsApp users of critical bugs

    Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system, said CERT-In…reports Asian Lite News

    The Indian cyber agency CERT-In on Wednesday warned WhatsApp users of multiple bugs which could be exploited by a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system.

    In an advisory, CERT-In, under the IT Ministry, described two remote code execution vulnerabilities in Meta-owned WhatsApp in both Android and iOS versions.

    The first vulnerability exists in WhatsApp due to integer overflow.

    “A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute remote code in an established video call,” warned the cyber agency.

    Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system, said CERT-In.

    Hackers can also exploit a second vulnerability in WhatsApp by sending a specially-crafted video file that can put users’ information at risk.

    CERT-In advised WhatsApp users to install latest security updates.

    WhatsApp has nearly 500 million users in the country, according the third-party reports.

    Critical bug in older versions, now patched

    Meta-owned WhatsApp has revealed a critical bug that could affect older installations on various devices that have not been updated with latest software versions.

    The vulnerability could allow an attacker to exploit a code error known as an integer overflow.

    “An integer overflow in WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.22.16.12, Business for Android prior to v2.22.16.12, iOS prior to v2.22.16.12, Business for iOS prior to v2.22.16.12 could result in remote code execution in an established video call,” WhatsApp said in an update.

    In remote code execution, a hacker can remotely execute commands on someone else’s computing device.

    Remote code executions (RCEs) usually occur due to malicious malware downloaded by the host and can happen regardless of the device’s geographic location.

    The recently disclosed vulnerability has been called CVE-2022-36934, with a severity score of 9.8 out of 10 on the CVE scale.

    WhatsApp also revealed details of another bug that could have caused remote code execution when receiving a crafted video file.

    Both of these vulnerabilities have been patched in the latest versions of WhatsApp.

    WhatsApp on Monday announced it was rolling out Call Links to make it easier to start and join a call in just one tap.

    The company also started testing secured and encrypted group video calls for up to 32 people on WhatsApp.

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  • R. Venkataramani appointed new Attorney General of India

    R. Venkataramani appointed new Attorney General of India

    Senior Advocate R Venkataramani is an eminent advocate of the Supreme Court and has appeared in various matters as varied as constitutional law, environmental law, taxation, tribal rights, and child and women’s rights…reports Asian Lite News

    The Centre Government on Wednesday appointed senior Advocate R Venkataramani as the new Attorney General of India.

    The appointment of Venkataramani is for a period of three years.

    The Centre Government issued a notification in regards to the appointment of a new Attorney General of India.

    The notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice states, “The President is pleased to appoint R Venkataramani, Senior Advocate as Attorney General for India for a period of three years from the date he enters upon his office.

    Senior Advocate R Venkataramani is an eminent advocate of the Supreme Court and has appeared in various matters as varied as constitutional law, environmental law, taxation, tribal rights, and child and women’s rights.

    He has represented several state governments, the Union government, universities and public sector undertakings in major litigation in the Supreme Court and in High Courts.

    Earlier, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi declined the central government’s proposal to be appointed as the next Attorney General for India.

    On September 30, 2022, the term of Senior Advocate KK Venugopal as Attorney General of India is coming to an end.

    In June of this year, on the request of the Central Government, KK Venugopal, Senior Lawyer agreed to continue for three more months as Attorney General of India. His approved tenure was upto June 30, 2022, and he had showed unwillingness to continue because of personal reasons.

    KK Venugopal was appointed by the President of India as Attorney General of India with effect from July 1, 2017. He was subsequently reappointed to this post.

    The Attorney General for India is the Indian government’s chief legal advisor and is its principal Advocate before the Supreme Court of India.

    AGs are appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Union Cabinet under Article 76(1) of the Constitution.

    Venkataramani has a rich experience of over 40 years as lawyer and he was also a former member of the Law Commission of India. He was enrolled in July 1977 in the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and joined the chambers of late senior advocate in SC P.P. Rao in 1979. He was designated as senior advocate by the Supreme Court in 1997. He has also been associated with National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.

    Venkataramani was appointed court receiver by the apex court in Amrapali housing projects matter. On September 23, Venkataramani informed the apex court that over 11,000 flats will be delivered in 2 to 3 months to Amrapali homebuyers’, out of which 5,428 flats will be handed over in October. A bench comprising Chief Justice U.U. Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi, appreciating the court receiver, said that giving possession of over 11,000 flats out of 38,000 flats is an important development.

    ALSO READ: SPPL sets eyes on India’s premium TV market

  • Oracle fined $23 mn over bribe payments

    Oracle fined $23 mn over bribe payments

    The SEC previously sanctioned Oracle in connection with the creation of slush funds…reports Asian Lite News

    Cloud major Oracle will pay the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) more than $23 million to settle charges against the company for bribing officials in India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), thus violating provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in America.

    The US SEC said in a statement that Oracle Corporation violated provisions of the FCPA “when subsidiaries in Turkey, the UAE and India created and used slush funds to bribe foreign officials in return for business between 2016 and 2019”.

    The SEC previously sanctioned Oracle in connection with the creation of slush funds.

    In 2012, Oracle resolved charges relating to the creation of millions of dollars of “side funds by Oracle India, which created the risk that those funds could be used for illicit purposes”, the US regulator said late on Tuesday.

    The SEC’s investigation was done with assistance from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Capital Markets Board of Turkey, and the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority.

    “The creation of off-book slush funds inherently gives rise to the risk those funds will be used improperly, which is exactly what happened here at Oracle’s Turkey, UAE, and India subsidiaries,” said Charles Cain, the SEC’s FCPA Unit Chief.

    “This matter highlights the critical need for effective internal accounting controls throughout the entirety of a company’s operations,” he added.

    According to the SEC’s order, Oracle subsidiaries in Turkey and UAE also used the slush funds to pay for foreign officials to attend technology conferences in violation of Oracle policies and procedures.

    The order found that in some instances, employees of the Turkey subsidiary used these funds for the officials’ families to accompany them on international conferences or take side trips to California.

    “Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findingsa, Oracle agreed to “pay approximately $8 million in disgorgement and a $15 million penalty”, said the US regulator.

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  • ‘Small businesses face higher ransomware attacks‘

    ‘Small businesses face higher ransomware attacks‘

    LockBit and Ragnar Locker were the most active ransomware gangs in India, responsible for 13 per cent and 7.80 per cent of attacks in the January 2020-July 2022 period, respectively…reports Asian Lite News

    India is currently 10th in the world on ransomware attacks and small businesses (up to 500 employees) are at the highest risk, accounting for more than half of all attacks (54.7 per cent), a new report showed on Wednesday.

    In India, tech/IT is the top industry hit by ransomware (23.40 per cent of all attacks), followed by the manufacturing industry (10.90 per cent), according to cyber-security firm NordLocker.

    LockBit and Ragnar Locker were the most active ransomware gangs in India, responsible for 13 per cent and 7.80 per cent of attacks in the January 2020-July 2022 period, respectively.

    “Nearly 17 per cent of ransomware attacks in India attack businesses that have over Rs 80 billion in annual revenue. However, most often, ransomware in India targets companies with annual revenue between Rs 8-40 billion (41.5 per cent),” the findings showed.

    Companies with an employee count of between 201-500 are the victims of 22.60 per cent of attacks, and those with between 1,001-5,000 employees are victims of 17 per cent of ransomware hacks in the country.

    About 11.3 per cent of ransomware attacks in India target companies that employ more than 10,000 employees, said the report that analysed numerous databases of ransomware incidents that affected over 5,000 companies globally.

    Nearly 21 per cent of attacks in India target companies that are publicly-traded.

    “This type of attack is extremely effective. In the past few years, cases have grown exponentially, while cybersecurity awareness has failed to catch up,”A said Tomas Smalakys, NordLocker CTO.

    With a collective revenue of Rs 330.9 trillion, the companies under investigation produce more value than Germany’s entire GDP.

    Consumer services, finance and energy industries are the other most affected by ransomware in India.

    “Small businesses are top targets for ransomware gangs because, for them, cybersecurity is often an afterthought. Smaller companies justifiably prioritise growing their operation, leaving cybersecurity on the sidelines,” said Smalakys.

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