The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued an updated email policy for central government employees, mandating the exclusive use of official government emails managed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for any public duties. The updated policy, which replaces the earlier 2015 guidelines, restricts government employees, contractors, and consultants from registering with their official emails on any social media or other websites unless explicitly authorized or required for official functions.
The policy, now formally notified in the government gazette, aims to reinforce cybersecurity protocols and maintain the integrity of sensitive government communications. A senior official clarified that while this policy isn’t legally binding, the gazette notification underscores its importance across departments, helping to ensure compliance.
The policy update also addresses issues related to privacy by removing sections previously included, now superseded by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023. It includes specific directives on separating email addresses of regular government employees from those of contractors or consultants to improve operational clarity.
Another significant addition requires "core use organizations" (central government departments and agencies under government control that don’t engage in commercial activities) to exclusively use NICeMail for official purposes. This directive is intended to address security risks from former employees retaining access to official emails after retirement, which occasionally leads to them inadvertently receiving sensitive communications.
The revised email policy was reportedly in development since December 2023 and reflects the government’s proactive response to evolving cybersecurity challenges, rather than any specific recent threat.
