TRUST-IN Bharat — NIRMATA Framework
Introduction
TRUST-IN Bharat (Trusted Resilience and Unified Security Transformation for India) is a national initiative designed to strengthen the information-security and data-protection posture of Indian enterprises through structured maturity assessment and improvement.
It serves as the foundation of the NIRMATA Framework — National Information Risk Maturity and Trust Assessment — a transparent, scalable, and standards-aligned approach to measuring organizational cybersecurity resilience.
Vision
To establish a nationally consistent model for information-risk maturity, enabling organizations of every size to:
- Assess current capabilities using a unified benchmark.
- Identify measurable improvement paths.
- Build verifiable trust with regulators, clients, and partners.
Objectives
- Provide a self-assessment model aligned with India’s legal and regulatory ecosystem.
- Offer progressive maturity levels (0–5) across twelve governance and technical domains.
- Promote interoperability with international frameworks to simplify compliance.
- Encourage a culture of continuous improvement and shared national resilience.
- Support MSMEs and midsize organizations through low-cost, accessible assessment methods.
Alignment with Standards and Regulations
The NIRMATA Framework integrates with:
- Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act, 2023)
- CERT-In Guidelines (2022)
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and 27701:2019
- ISO/IEC 42001:2023 (AI management)
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0
This cross-reference ensures that Indian enterprises can demonstrate both domestic and international compliance readiness without duplicative effort.
Framework Structure
NIRMATA defines six maturity levels (0–5), representing progression from initial awareness to optimized trust maturity, across twelve domains that collectively reflect the state of information-risk management and privacy assurance.
Each domain is assessed through qualitative and quantitative indicators, supported by evidence of implementation and governance.
The model allows consistent comparison across sectors while recognizing contextual differences in scale, data sensitivity, and regulatory exposure.
| Level | Maturity Description |
|---|---|
| 0 — Unaware | No structured practices in place. Reactive response to incidents. |
| 1 — Aware | Basic awareness of obligations. Initial policies exist. |
| 2 — Developing | Defined controls and partial documentation; inconsistent implementation. |
| 3 — Established | Controls implemented, periodically reviewed; measurable improvements visible. |
| 4 — Advanced | Integrated governance and automation; continuous metrics and feedback. |
| 5 — Optimized | Embedded security and privacy culture; proactive, data-driven trust assurance. |
Governance and Evolution
The NIRMATA Framework is maintained under the TRUST-IN Bharat Programme, with Elytra Security as its custodian.
Development follows open-standard principles: transparency, attribution, and community participation.
Stakeholders from public and private sectors are invited to review and propose improvements through the public GitHub repository.
Next Steps
- Expansion of Annex G to include an updated question catalogue and scoring methodology.
- Release of pilot assessment templates for MSMEs and midsize organizations.
- Periodic publication of maturity-trend reports and benchmark findings.
- Establishment of working groups for specific sectors such as healthcare, legal services, and manufacturing.
The detailed operational roadmap and maturity-scoring algorithms remain under controlled release.
For participation, feedback, or collaboration, contact trustin@elytrasecurity.com.
License
© 2025 Elytra Security.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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