91 Government Websites Down in J&K Due to Security Lapses

Srinagar — In a major disruption of digital services, the Jammu & Kashmir government has confirmed that 91 of its official websites are currently non-functional, cutting off access to several public services across the Union Territory.

The disclosure came through a Right to Information (RTI) response to activist Syed Adil from Ganderbal. The Jammu & Kashmir e-Governance Agency (JaKeGA) said the sites were taken offline because the concerned departments failed to obtain mandatory “safe to host” security certificates.

JaKeGA noted that security audits are now being carried out by CERT-In empanelled agencies, while third-party auditor Grant Thornton has been engaged to review websites hosted by the J&K State Data Centre.

When asked whether temporary arrangements had been made to ensure uninterrupted services, JaKeGA directed the query to individual departments.

The websites have reportedly been inaccessible since early May.

Activist Adil criticised the administration, alleging the actual number of downed websites could be closer to 150 and blaming the government for its slow response.

Efforts to contact IT Minister Satish Sharma for comments were unsuccessful.