Lok Sabha Question No. 1607 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Rise in Cyber Crimes
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1607

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 27.11.2019

## RISE IN CYBER CRIMES

## 1607. SHRI RAM MOHAN NAIDU KINJARAPU:

Will the Minister of Electronics & Information Technology be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether there has been a sharp rise of 77 per cent in incidents of cyber crimes from 2016 to 2017 and if so, the details thereof from;
- (b) the reaction of the Government thereto; and
- (c) the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  curb  the  cyber  crimes  and  rising  cases  of cyber-stalking of women?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER of STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI  SANJAY  DHOTRE)

(a): As  per  the  data  maintained  by  National  Crime  Records  Bureau  (NCRB),  Ministry  of  Home Affairs, a total of 12317 and 21796 cyber crime cases were registered during the years 2016 and 2017 respectively  showing  a  rise  of  77  percent.  These    include  cases  registered  under  the  Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and related sections of Indian Penal Code and Special & Local Laws involving computer as medium/ target.

(b) and (c): With the growth of number of users on Internet, rise in cyber crime is a global phenomenon. Government has taken a number of legal, technical and administrative measures to prevent cyber crimes. These inter alia , include:

- (i) Enactment of the Information Technology Act 2000 which has provisions to deal with prevalent cyber crimes. Further, sections 354A and 354D of  Indian Penal Code provide punishment for cyber bullying and cyber stalking.
- (ii) To spread awareness on cyber crime, several steps have been taken that include dissemination of messages on cyber crime through MHA Twitter handle @cyberDost, radio campaign, publishing of Handbook for Adolescents / Students, publishing of 'Information Security Best practices' for the  benefit  of  Govt.  Officials/  Officers.  Organizing  of  cyber  Safety  and  Security  Awareness weeks, in association with police department in different States/Uts etc.
- (iii) To prevent such crimes and to speed up investigation,  MHA has taken several steps to spread awareness about cyber crimes issue through alerts/ advisories, capacity building/training of law enforcement  personnel/  prosecutors/  judicial  officers,  improving  cyber  forensics  facilities  etc. MHA has also launched an online national cyber crime reporting portal, (www.cybercrime.gov.in) to enable complainants to report complaints pertaining to all types of cyber crimes with special focus on cyber crimes against women and children.
- (iv) Ministry  of  Electronics  and  Information  Technology  through  a  program,  namely,  Information Security Education & Awareness (ISEA), has been creating awareness among users highlighting the  importance  of  following  the  ethics  while  using  Internet  and  advising  them  not  to  share rumors/fake news. A dedicated website for information security awareness (https://www.infosecawareness.in) provides all the relevant awareness material.
- (v) Cyber  Crime  Cells  have  been  set  up  in  all  States  and  Union  Territories  for  reporting  and investigation of cyber crime cases.
- (vi) Government  has  set  up  cyber  forensic  training  and  investigation  labs  in  the  States  of  Kerala, Assam,  Mizoram,  Nagaland,  Arunachal  Pradesh,  Tripura,  Meghalaya,  Manipur  and  Jammu  & Kashmir for training of law enforcement personnel and Judiciary in these States.

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