What is Government Instant Messaging System?

The Centre Government is testing a prototype of an Indian equivalent of popular messaging application platforms, such as WhatsApp and Telegram, for secure internal use. This secure messaging app is codenamed as ‘Government Instant Messaging System (GIMS)’. It is being packaged for employees of Central government as well as state government departments and organisations for intra and inter organisation communications.

Currently the platform is in pilot testing stage across some states, (like Odisha) and is learnt to have been released to Indian Navy to be tried out on trial basis. In addition to this, a GIMS Portal is also being simultaneously developed for administration and monitoring of platform.

About Government Instant Messaging System (GIMS)

Objective: To develop a secure Indian alternative without security concerns attached with apps hosted abroad or those owned by foreign entities like WhatsApp, Telegram etc.

Key Features:

GIMS is designed and developed by Kerala unit of National Informatics Centre (NIC). As the platform has been developed in India, it is being touted as a safer bet.

Unlike these popular messaging application, GIMS employs end-to-end encryption for one-to-one messaging. Besides one-to-one messaging and group messaging, GIMS has a specific provision for documents and media sharing in keeping with the hierarchies in government system.

Servers Based in India: The server hosting GIMS is installed within India and the information stored would be in government-based cloud – NIC (National Informatics Centre) -operated data centres that are only meant for captive use by government and its departments.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2019