Govt To Set Up New Panel To Tackle Growing Cyber Crimes In Country: Home Min Amit Shah

During the Northern Zonal Council meeting held in Jaipur on July 10, 2022, Home Minister Amit Shah expressed concerns over the rising cyber crimes within the country and emphasised making an effective strategy to deal with it.

He added that since ‘organised and coordinated cyberattacks have profound national security implications’, he directed the formation of a committee headed by the home secretary to formulate a strategy to tackle the menace.

While the details for the panel are not yet to be confirmed by the ministry, the Home Minister urged the central and state agencies to use the common software developed by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and advised them to work together to identify the issues and find out the culprits.

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.

It is to be noted that India is the fourth in the world to have cybercrime victims in 2021. India reported 3,131 cyber crime victims, while the US, the UK and Canada had 4.66 Lakh, 3.03 Lakh and 5,788 victims, respectively.

Thus, the government is also working on the Personal Data Protection Bill – a precautionary measure – to ensure safe usage of the internet by Indian users. The current panel only aims to deal with assailants of cybercrimes.

Addressing the Northern Zonal Council which comprises Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, the UTs – Delhi and Chandigarh, Shah, with 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.