Corporate espionage: Some bureaucrats were against CCTVs in ministries

NEW DELHI: Senior ministers of the Narendra Modi government said the dispensation sensed that some corporate espionage was happening two months ago, when it was decided to install CCTV cameras to catch the culprits.

“We felt a couple of months back that sensitive corporate information is getting leaked to the business houses. It was then decided that CCTV cameras should be installed and movement of outsiders monitored and restricted,” a senior BJP minister said, preferring anonymity.

Interestingly, when the ministers discussed the idea of installing CCTV cameras, some officials suggested this would create unnecessary hassles and cause discomfort to people who may feel they are being watched all the time. “This made us even more suspicious that something is wrong and papers and data are being shared with the corporate sector,” the minister said. “This government is very clear that it will not allow leakage of sensitive information from its corridors to the corporate sector. No espionage of this kind for unfair gains will be permitted,” the minister said.

“The government is likely to set up more CCTVs and take other measures like monitoring movement of outsiders in such ministries and restricting visitors to check this practice.” According to the minister, such elements may have also targeted ministries like coal, power, mining and others related to economic affairs.