The full form of PKI stands for Public Key Infrastructure. This means a security infrastructure of digital signature certificates (DSC), certifying authorities (CA), and other registration authorities (RA) that will verify & authenticate the validity of each subscriber’s public key. PKI is used to secure communications over networks like the Internet, by providing a secure way of exchange of information.
In India, the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) is the regulatory body responsible for managing PKI. The CCA is a department for Digital Signature under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and it is responsible for issuing & managing digital certificates for use in e-commerce and other digital transactions. The CCA also makes guidelines & standards for the operation of certificate authorities (CAs) in India and overseas from time to time. CCA also established the Indian Root Certification Authority (IRCA), which is the top-level CA in the Indian PKI hierarchy and is responsible for issuing digital certificates to other CAs in the country.