Union Ministers asked not to carry mobile phones during Cabinet meetings

In a first, Union Ministers will not be allowed to carry their mobile phones in Cabinet meetings due to heightened risk of hacking

New Delhi, Oct 22: In a move aimed at checking any possibility of leakage of information through hacking of communication devices, Union Ministers have been asked not to carry mobile phones in Cabinet meetings.

The Cabinet Secretariat has recently issued a directive to private secretaries of the concerned ministers in this regard. "It has been decided that smartphones/mobile phones will henceforth not be permitted inside the meeting venues of Cabinet/Cabinet Committees," it said.

The private secretaries have been asked to appropriately brief the ministers on this. The move assumes significance as security agencies have raised doubts over the security of mobile phones which are prone to hacking.

Official sources said the measure will ensure that the discussion, which is mostly sensitive, during cabinet meetings remains secret. Such an instruction has been issued from the government for the first time.

Earlier, ministers were allowed to bring mobile phones with them which would be kept either on silent mode or preferably switched off.

PTI