15th Eastern India IT Fair 2026: Forging Alliances for Growth in a DPDP-Ready India

Kolkata's premier ICT gathering marked its 15th edition with a sharp focus on data privacy compliance, AI-driven cybercrime, and homegrown security innovation

The city of Kolkata came alive on the evening of 11th September as the 15th Eastern India Information Technology Fair (EIITF) 2026 brought together the region’s technology community under one roof. Hosted by VARINDIA at Hotel The Park, the event brought together government officials, CXOs, policymakers, academics, OEMs, and value-added resellers (VARs) under the central theme, “Alliances for Growth in a DPDP-Ready India.”

Over the years, EIITF has established itself as an important platform for collaboration, networking, and knowledge-sharing across Eastern India’s ICT ecosystem. This year’s edition carried an even sharper focus, with discussions spanning the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, AI-driven cybercrime, deepfake fraud, indigenous cybersecurity innovation, and the need for stronger alliances as India moves towards a more privacy-conscious digital economy.

The evening began with a warm welcome to delegates representing COMPASS, FAIITA, the Philanthropic Technical Association (PTA), and value-added resellers from across Eastern India. The opening remarks set the tone for the discussions ahead, highlighting the reported 3,000 percent surge in deepfake fraud and the growing challenge of AI-driven social engineering, while also reflecting on VARINDIA’s 27-year journey as a strong voice for India’s ICT ecosystem.

Lighting the Lamp, Setting the Tone

Following the floral welcome extended by Mr. Anil Kumar Sahu, Vice President, VARINDIA, the ceremonial lamp was lit by Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Editor-in-Chief, VARINDIA, along with a distinguished gathering of industry, government, academic and technology leaders. The dignitaries included Mr. Manjit Nayak, Director, STPI, MeitY, Government of India; Dr. Sandip Pradhan, VP & CIO, Century Plyboards Ltd.; Mr. Sourav Das, Group Chief of Digital & IT, Rupa & Co.; Dr. Arindam Sarkar, HoD, CS & Electronics, RKMV, Belur Math, Howrah; Mr. Sandeep Sengupta, MD, ISOAH Data Securities Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Sandeep Jain, Secretary, COMPASS; Mr. Jagannath Patnaik, Head, Sales & Marketing Strategy, Cyber Security, Biz Secure Labs; Mr. Subhamoy Chakraborty, Group CTO, ABP Group; Dr. Pallab Ganguly, Vice Chairman, IEEE TEMS-Kolkata; Mr. Rishikesh Kumar Singh, VP, IT & Digital, Grasim Industries; Mr. Prakash Mani Tripathi, Senior Vice President IT, Shyam Steel Industries; Mr. Abhijit Chatterjee, Sr. Director, IT & CISO, TCG Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Prakash Sharma, Group CIO, Kredent Group; and Ms. Gargi Bhattacharya, Head IT, ITC Ltd.

Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Editor-in-Chief, VARINDIA, then delivered the inaugural address, setting the context for the evening around the need for stronger alliances in a DPDP-ready India. He called on the channel ecosystem to move beyond co-building and co-selling towards “co-governing,” with partners taking on a more strategic role in consent management, data protection and compliance. Highlighting the growing urgency around AI-driven threats, he noted that Indians reportedly encounter around four deepfakes every day, while India recorded more than 28 lakh cyber-fraud complaints involving losses of ₹22,495 crore in 2025.

Exports, Startups, and the Career Question

Mr. Manjit Nayak, Director, STPI, MeitY, opened the speaker sessions with an insightful address on IT exports, startups and emerging technologies, drawing from his experience of supporting West Bengal’s growth as an important contributor to India’s evolving digital economy. His session highlighted the opportunities emerging from the state’s expanding technology ecosystem and the role of innovation-led businesses in shaping the next phase of digital growth.

He was followed by Dr. Sandip Pradhan, CDIO, Century Plyboards, who captured the audience’s attention with a provocative question: “Is Your Career Over?” His session explored how AI is reshaping business strategies as well as the responsibilities of enterprise technology leaders. He highlighted the evolving role of the CIO, suggesting that technology leaders may increasingly take on the responsibility of managing AI agents while also ensuring that their organisations remain aligned with DPDP compliance requirements under the MeitY regulatory framework.

DPDP in a BOX: A Homegrown Privacy Solution Unveiled

Dr. Arindam Sarkar, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Electronics, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur Math, took the stage with a presentation closely aligned with the evening’s central theme, “Alliances for Growth in a DPDP-Ready India.” His session explored the intersection of AI, deepfake-related risks and the growing need for regulatory readiness as organisations navigate an increasingly complex digital environment.

His presentation set up a high point of the evening: the unveiling of "DPDP in a BOX," an on-premise data privacy solution from FaceOff Technologies, built on NVIDIA DGX Spark and supported by sales partner Vishal Peripherals. The product was positioned as a way to give enterprises greater data control, predictable costs, and high-performance AI capability without ceding data to external infrastructure. Notably, FaceOff Technologies was incubated at Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, and its unveiling was framed as a homegrown innovation emerging from West Bengal to address one of India's most pressing digital-governance priorities. Dr. Arindam Sarkar, Mr. Hari Kishore Kusumakar, Mr. Manjit Nayak, Mr. Jagannath Patnaik, Dr. Sandip Pradhan, Mr. Sourav Das, Mr. Sandeep Sengupta, and Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu — also Founder & CEO of FaceOff Technologies — joined on stage for the launch.

The Keynote: DPDP and Policing the Digital Frontier

The evening’s keynote address was delivered by Mr. Hari Kishore Kusumakar, IPS, ADG & IGP, Coastal Security, West Bengal Police, who addressed the evolving relationship between the DPDP Act 2023 and AI. Bringing a law-enforcement perspective to the discussion, he focused on the challenges posed by rising cybercrime and the importance of strengthening preparedness to protect citizens as data-protection requirements become increasingly significant.

Indigenous Security and a Growing Digital Threat

Mr. Jagannath Pattnaik, Head of Sales and Marketing Strategy at Net Protector Cyber Security, followed with a presentation on Made-in-India enterprise security, reinforcing the evening’s recurring theme that indigenous cybersecurity innovation is central to building a resilient digital India — a point further sharpened by repeated references to the steep rise in deepfake-enabled fraud.

Taking the discussion forward, Mr. Sandeep Sengupta, Founder and Director, ISOAH Data Securities, addressed “A Growing Digital Threat.” Drawing on 27 years of experience in penetration testing, compliance and cyber resilience, he offered a perspective on the evolving risk landscape and the challenges enterprises face as cyber threats become more complex and persistent.

PTA Marks Two Years

The evening also marked the second anniversary of the Philanthropic Technical Association (PTA), following the association’s first anniversary celebration at the previous edition of EIITF. Mr. Sourav Das, Group Chief of Digital & IT, Rupa & Co., and Chairman of PTA, highlighted the association’s role in strengthening the technology ecosystem across Kolkata and West Bengal.

With more than 25 years of experience in digital transformation, Das spoke about PTA’s efforts to bring together CIOs, CTOs and other IT leaders through knowledge-sharing, mentorship and technology-led social initiatives, further reinforcing the importance of collaboration within the region’s technology community

Looking Ahead

The evening concluded with an informal interaction between Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu and the assembled industry experts, bringing the formal proceedings to a conversational close before delegates continued their discussions and networking. Across its 15th edition, EIITF once again served as a platform for Eastern India’s ICT community to exchange ideas around policy readiness, cybersecurity, indigenous innovation and industry collaboration. The discussions reflected the growing need to address these priorities together as India builds a digital economy that is secure, compliant and driven by homegrown capabilities.