Expressing concerns about rising Cybercrimes in India , Home Minister Amit Shah, the home minister, stressed the need for an effective strategy to combat it. He was addressing the Northern Zonal Council meeting held in Jaipur on July 10, 2022.
The Home Minister asked the central and state agencies to use the common software created by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and advised them to collaborate to identify the flaws and locate the culprits, even though the specifics for the panel have not yet been approved by the ministry.
Highlights
- Cyber attacks are becoming a major threat to national security.
- Several strategies were discussed in the meeting to prevent cyber crimes and to deal with them together by the Center and the states.
- Also directed to constitute a committee to prevent financial fraud and crimes through social media.
The software, or the Cyber & Information Security (C&IS) division, deals with the matters relating to cybersecurity, cybercrime, National Information Security Policy & Guidelines (NISPG) and implementation of NISPG, etc.
He further stressed the need to train police officers, public prosecutors and other agencies including telecom companies and their PoS agents with new technology and advanced skills. He called for maximum use of IT tools to detect cybercrimes and take systematic measures to prevent their recurrence.
Amit Shah continued, “Organised and coordinated cyberattacks have substantial national security consequences,” and as a result, he ordered the creation of a group under the direction of the home secretary to develop a plan of action to combat the threat.
Cybercrimes in India – Home Minister Call for maximum use of IT Tools
India ranks fourth globally in the number of victims of cybercrime in 2021, according to available statistics . India recorded 3,131 victims of cybercrime, compared to 4.66 lakh, 3.03 lakh, and 5,788 victims in the US, UK, and Canada, respectively.
As a preventative measure, the government is developing the Personal Data Protection Bill to ensure that Indian internet users are using it safely. The present panel’s only focus is on cybercrime attackers.
The Northern Zonal Council comprises Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, the UTs – Delhi and Chandigarh, Shah. During the discussions the chief ministers of state and governors, discussed issues affecting one or more states or issues between the centre and the states.
The Union Home Minister claimed that there was a need for all to work together to ensure the security of national cyberspace and overall civil security.
He called for strict action against cyber criminals in various hotspots of cybercrime by better coordination among central and state security agencies. Shah also stressed upon the states and union territories to conduct awareness campaigns on cyber vigilance through various mediums.
