Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged India to strengthen its banking infrastructure against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, warning that modern conflicts can target a nation’s economic foundations as well as its conventional defences. He was speaking at the inauguration of the Reserve Bank of India’s new Greenfield Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Jatni, near Bhubaneswar in Odisha.
The two facilities are intended to reinforce the security of India’s financial systems while developing specialist expertise to address emerging digital threats. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also attended the inauguration, said digitalisation and financial inclusion were helping strengthen India’s economy.
Banking Transformed by Inclusion
Modi highlighted the transformation of India’s banking sector, pointing to expanded financial inclusion, wider access to credit and insurance, and the growth of digital banking services. He cited nearly 60 crore Jan Dhan accounts as an example of progress in bringing more people into the formal financial system.
He said the coming decade should focus on making banking more dependable, accessible and secure, stressing the importance of modern technology, robust digital infrastructure and trained professionals in protecting financial institutions from cybercriminals.
Eastern India in Focus
The Prime Minister described eastern India as an increasingly important contributor to national development, identifying Odisha as a state with opportunities spanning traditional industries such as mining and emerging fields such as semiconductor manufacturing. He also referred to improvements in transport and healthcare infrastructure, including the expansion of expressways, AIIMS institutions and medical colleges into smaller cities and towns.
As digital banking reaches deeper into every district, the new data centre and training institute are positioned as part of the backbone that keeps that system running safely — a point that connects national financial security with everyday account holders across the country.
The Prime Minister’s recent engagements in the east include an aerial display visit and an Odisha tour, while development projects continue across the Northeast.
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