Will the Minister of Electronics & Information Technology be pleased to state:-
(a) whether modern technology of Electronics and Information Technology sector is being used to control crime in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to promote more usage of such technology for controlling crime in the country; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?
(a) to (d):Technology upgradation to prevent, detect and curb crime is a continuous effort. Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 along with Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860 provide legal framework to deal with cyber safety and cyber crime issues. Sections 43, 43A, 66, 66B, 66C, 66D, 66E, 66F, 67, 67A, 67B, 69, 69A and 69B of IT Act provide for dealing with civil contraventions and various types of cyber crimes
Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) have been established under IT Act to respond to cyber security incidents and deal with protection of critical information infrastructure in the country.
As per the information provided by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), ‘Police’ and ‘Public order’ are State subjects as per the Constitution of India. States/UTs are primarily responsible for prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crimes through their law enforcement machinery. Modern technology of electronics and information technology sector such as communication network for police establishments, data centres, communication devices, tools for forensic investigations, X-ray scanners, CCTVs, Bomb detection and gadgets for preventive measures etc. are used by law enforcement agencies as per their operational needs. Ministry of Home Affairs extends support to the States/UTs in promoting use of latest technology and tools through its Modernization of Police Force Scheme. Specific schemes are also launched by MHA from time to time. Under the scheme ‘Cyber Crime Prevention against Women & Children’, financial grant has been released for setting up of a cyber forensic cum training lab in each State/UT and a National Cyber Forensic Lab is also envisaged. Another scheme has been rolled out namely ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’ which aims to address all aspects of cyber crimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. Further, use of latest tools and technology by law enforcement agencies to fight crime is an ongoing process
In addition, Cyber Police Stations and Cyber Crime Cells have been set up in each State to deal with cyber crimes. MHA has launched a portal namely, www.cybercrime.gov.in to report complaints of child pornography and sexually abusive explicit content. A dedicated portal www.infosecawareness.in has also been created for awareness creation relating to cyber safety issues.
Further, MHA, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and State Governments have taken steps to modernise and equip police personnel with knowledge and skills for prevention and control of cybercrime through various Police academies/ judicial academies and other institutes. A number of training programmes have been conducted for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) about cyber-crime investigation.
In addition, MeitY has setup Cyber Forensics Training Labs in north-eastern States and cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata and Bangalore to train State police officials and judiciary in cyber crime detection and collection, preservation and seizing of electronic evidence and dealing with cyber crime. MeitY has also organized a number of cyber crime awareness workshops for LEAs across various States.
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