Lok Sabha Question No. 2878 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-10
Subject: Modern Technology for Controlling Crimes
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Janardan Mishra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2878

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 10.07.2019

## MODERN TECHNOLOGY FOR CONTROLLING CRIMES

## 2878.   SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA:

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?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(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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