Ownership of the data questions the Cloud State scheme for skill Development

Just after entering into a deal with the software company MindTree, for implementing its ambitious Kaushalya Karnataka Skill Development Programme, the state has also decided to not to renew the partnership with the data privacy as the main aspect.

In a year, when the skills development, livelihood department, and entrepreneurship was under the pressure, to implement the scheme to train and provide employment to a large number of unemployed youth the department has also signed a one-year agreement with the MindTree in the year 2017 Oct.

“Since the data is sensitive and we had shared them with the third party, we felt the arrangement gave room for doubts. We are not saying Mindtree misused or would misappropriate the data, but such arrangements give scope for commercial exploitation of data,” a senior officer with the Skill Development Department told ET.

The concern was the agreement which is allowed the project partner to outsource tele-counseling. “During the initial conversations itself with the department, we pointed out the tele-counselling process will be outsourced,” said Abhishek Johri, head of partnerships, I Got Skills, at Mindtree.

A state e-governance officer said that the department as of now has control over the data which is related agreements other departments get into the private players. “But, generally, in such agreements, data will reside in the department’s server and the project partner is given access to the data,” the officer said. The e-governance department is working on a policy on framing data-related agreements, he said.