Homes minister stresses on the need for collective efforts to curb cybercrime

Subhashis Mittra

With one person falling prey to cybercrime every 37 seconds and, on an average 100 people becoming a victim of such fraudulent acts every hour, the Union home ministry is grappling with a grim scenario. Cybercrime, which was earlier carried out at an individual level, is now being executed in an institutionalised manner. Cyber criminals are continuously evolving their methods by using various kinds of advanced technologies. Against this backdrop, Union home minister Amit Shah believes that it is the collective responsibility of representatives of all agencies and departments engaged in combating cybercrime to deeply understand their challenges and commit to minimising vulnerabilities at every possible level. Delivering the keynote address at the national conference on ‘Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds & Dismantling the Ecosystem’ in New Delhi, the home minister called for concrete and coordinated efforts to make the fight against cybercrime more effective.

The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has adopted a comprehensive and multi-dimensional strategy to combat cybercrime. The key pillars of this strategy include real-time reporting of cybercrime, a robust network of forensic laboratories, capacity building, research and development, promotion of cyber awareness in society, and ensuring cyber hygiene in cyberspace. The objective is to bring together all relevant stakeholders including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), state police forces, other investigating agencies, and government departments, to create a coordinated and highly secure ecosystem. Such coordination is essential to effectively combat cybercrime and to make India’s digital ecosystem safe and trustworthy.

Noting that cyber security is no longer limited to economic security but has now become an integral part of national security, the home minister said that safeguarding economic, social, administrative, and national security dimensions, while continuing to advance the digital revolution is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders. Shah pointed out that since its establishment in January 2019, the I4C under the MHA has successfully created a strong and comprehensive cyber infrastructure across the country. The I4C has also established effective and seamless coordination among various government agencies. Essential cyber infrastructure has been developed in different parts of the country, enabling the initiation of timely, effective, and decisive action against cyber criminals. The home minister said that the time has now come to build upon t