**Executive Summary**
This document outlines the Indian government's comprehensive and coordinated measures to combat cyber-crimes. Key initiatives include the establishment of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and its National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP), alongside significant financial assistance for capacity building. These efforts aim to enhance the prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of cyber-crimes, with a particular focus on protecting women and children, and are being implemented through ongoing schemes and legislative frameworks.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Strengthening Response Mechanisms:**
* The Central Government is implementing measures to enhance the coordinated response to cyber-crimes.
* Initiatives include public awareness campaigns, issuing alerts and advisories, and training law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, and judicial officers.
* Cyber forensic facilities are being upgraded.
* **Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C):**
* Established as an attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs to create a robust framework for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).
* **National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP):** A key component of I4C, enabling the public to report all types of cyber-crimes, with special emphasis on those against women and children.
* The portal offers dedicated facilities for reporting Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) and Rape/Gang Rape (RGR) related content, including anonymous reporting and trackable complaint mechanisms.
* Reported incidents are processed by State and UT LEAs for FIR registration, chargesheet filing, arrests, and resolution.
* **Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme:**
* The Ministry of Home Affairs has released ₹132.93 crores in financial assistance to States and UTs for capacity building.
* This includes establishing cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories, hiring junior cyber consultants, and training LEA personnel, public prosecutors, and judicial officers.
* 33 laboratories have been commissioned, and over 24,600 LEA personnel, judicial officers, and prosecutors have received training.
* **Collaboration and Data Sharing:**
* A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), USA, for sharing Tipline reports on online child pornography and child sexual exploitation content.
* NCRB is authorized to issue notices to intermediaries for the removal of Child Pornography (CP) and Rape & Gang Rape (RGR) content.
* **National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Initiatives:**
* Developed resources to promote online safety.
* Released "Being Safe Online" guideline in 2017.
* Issued a Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools (updated 2020-21) to prevent cyber bullying.
* Released guidelines on Preventing Cyber Bullying for school children in 2024.
* Conducted conferences and capacity-building programs on child rights, school safety, and cyber safety.
* Conducting virtual district workshops on school safety and child security in March and April 2026.
* **Legal Framework:**
* The Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act) and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules) form a comprehensive framework for addressing unlawful digital content.
* The IT Act penalizes the publishing or transmission of sexually explicit acts and obscene material.
* Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS 2023) provisions, including Section 294 (obscene material sale), Section 296 (obscene acts and songs), and Section 353 (misinformation/disinformation causing mischief or fear), are relevant.
* IT Rules impose obligations on intermediaries to expeditiously remove specified unlawful content, including obscene, pornographic, child-harming, and harassing material.
**Impact Analysis**
* **States and Union Territories (UTs)**
* **Impact:** Primarily responsible for prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of cyber-crimes. Benefit from Central Government support in capacity building, financial assistance, and access to resources like the NCCRP.
* **Action Required:** Continue to implement measures for prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of cyber-crimes using provided resources and frameworks. Process reported incidents via the NCCRP.
* **Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs)**
* **Impact:** Enhanced capacity through training, upgraded facilities, and a robust coordination framework (I4C).
* **Action Required:** Utilize training programs, upgraded cyber forensic facilities, and the NCCRP for effective cyber-crime response.
* **Prosecutors and Judicial Officers**
* **Impact:** Receive training to improve their understanding and handling of cyber-crime cases.
* **Action Required:** Participate in training programs to enhance expertise in cybercrime investigation and prosecution.
* **General Public**
* **Impact:** Provided with a platform (NCCRP) to report cyber-crimes, including those affecting women and children, with enhanced security features like anonymous reporting. Increased awareness and resources for online safety.
* **Action Required:** Utilize the NCCRP to report cyber-crimes. Access and utilize NCPCR resources for online safety awareness.
* **Intermediaries (e.g., Social Media Platforms)**
* **Impact:** Subject to specific obligations under the IT Rules to remove unlawful content expeditiously.
* **Action Required:** Comply with the IT Rules regarding the hosting, display, publication, transmission, storage, update, or sharing of prohibited content. Expedite the removal of unlawful content within stipulated timelines.
* **Women and Children**
* **Impact:** Enhanced protection through specialized reporting facilities on NCCRP for CSEAM and RGR content, and targeted prevention initiatives by NCPCR.
* **Action Required:** Report relevant cyber-crimes via the NCCRP. Benefit from NCPCR's educational resources and guidelines on online safety.
* **School Administrators, Educators, Parents, and Students**
* **Impact:** Access to updated guidelines and manuals on preventing cyber bullying and ensuring online safety.
* **Action Required:** Utilize the provided manuals and guidelines for implementing cyber safety measures in schools and at home. Participate in relevant workshops and training.
Key Entities Referenced
Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act): The primary law governing cybercrimes and digital content in India.
Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C): A key initiative established by the Ministry of Home Affairs to create a robust framework for Law Enforcement Agencies dealing with cybercrimes.
National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP): A component of I4C that enables the public to report cybercrimes, with specific provisions for reporting child exploitation material.
Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme: A scheme providing financial assistance for capacity building of states and UTs in preventing cybercrimes against women and children.
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS 2023): Legislation containing provisions related to obscenity, misinformation, and disinformation.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Government implements various measures to
strengthen a comprehensive and coordinated
response mechanism to deal with cyber-crimes
Posted On: 11 MAR 2026 4:32PM by PIB Delhi
States and Union Territories (UTs) are primarily responsible for the prevention, detection, investigation,
and prosecution of crimes, including cyber-crimes, through their Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). The
Central Government supports these efforts by issuing advisories and providing financial assistance under
various schemes to enhance capacity building.
To strengthen a comprehensive and coordinated response mechanism to deal with cyber crimes, the
Central Government has implemented measures such as raising public awareness, issuing alerts and
advisories, training LEAs personnel, prosecutors, and judicial officers, and upgrading cyber forensic
facilities. In this regard, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has been established as an
attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs to create a robust framework and ecosystem for LEAs.
A key component of I4C is the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) at https://cybercrime.go
v.in, which enables the public to report all types of cyber crimes, with special emphasis on those against
women and children. It offers dedicated facilities for reporting Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse
Material (CSEAM) and Rape/Gang Rape (RGR)-related content, including anonymous reporting and
trackable complaint mechanisms. Reported incidents are processed by the States and UTs LEAs
concerned, which handle FIR registration, chargesheet filing, arrests, and resolutions in accordance with
legal provisions.
Under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme, the Ministry of
Home Affairs has released ₹132.93 crores in financial assistance to States and UTs for capacity building,
including establishment of cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories, hiring of junior cyber consultants,
and training of LEA personnel, public prosecutors, and judicial officers. Consequently, 33 such
laboratories have been commissioned across States and UTs, and over 24,600 LEA personnel, judicial
officers, and prosecutors have received training in cybercrime awareness, investigation, and forensics.
On 26 April 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB), India, and the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC),
USA, to facilitate sharing of Tipline reports on online child pornography and child sexual exploitation
content with States and UTs concerned. Additionally, NCRB has been designated as a Government of
India agency authorized to issue notices to intermediaries under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information
Technology Act for removal of Child Pornography (CP) and Rape & Gang Rape (RGR) content.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has developed key resources to
promote online safety. In 2017, it released "Being Safe Online," a guideline and standard content for
awareness among children, parents, educators, and the public, available at https://ncpcr.gov.in/uploads/166
13370496305fdd946c31_being-safe-online.pdf.NCPCR also issued a Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools in 2017-18, updated in 2020-
21 to incorporate guidelines preventing cyber bullying. This manual details cyber safety measures,
including Do’s and Don’ts for students, and steps for prevention and countermeasures, accessible at http
s://ncpcr.gov.in/uploads/165650391762bc3e6d27f93_manual-on-safety-and-security-of-children-inschools
-sep-2021.pdf.
In 2024, NCPCR released guidelines on Preventing Cyber Bullying for school children, offering
comprehensive information on cyber bullying, reporting mechanisms, prevention strategies in schools,
homes, and cyberspace, along with Do’s and Don’ts for teachers and management, and recommendations
for educators and caregivers. These are available at
https://ncpcr.gov.in/uploads/1714382687662f675fe278a_preventing-bullying-and-
cyberbullyingguidelines-for-schools-2024.pdf.
During 2025-26, NCPCR conducted 38 conferences at State and district levels across India on child rights
issues, including school safety (encompassing cyber safety) and the POCSO Act, engaging school
stakeholders. It also organized a four-day virtual capacity-building programme in collaboration with the
Atomic Energy Education Society (AEES) for school administrators and educators on child protection
laws and safety practices. Further, NCPCR is conducting virtual district workshops on school safety and
child security in March and April 2026.
The Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act) and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines
and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules) collectively establish a comprehensive framework
to address unlawful content in the digital space.
The IT Act penalizes the publishing or transmission of sexually explicit acts in electronic form (Sections
67A and 67B) and obscene material in electronic form (Section 67), with imprisonment extendable to five
and three years, respectively. Relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS 2023)
further apply:
Section 294 addresses offences related to the sale of obscene material, including its display in
electronic form.
Section 296 provides punishment for obscene acts and songs.
Section 353 curbs misinformation and disinformation by penalizing false or misleading statements,
rumours, or reports that may cause public mischief or fear.
The IT Rules impose specific obligations on intermediaries, including social media platforms, to ensure
users do not host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update, or share obscene, pornographic,
paedophilic, child-harming, privacy-invasive, gender-insulting, or harassing content, or material violating
any law. Intermediaries must expeditiously remove such unlawful content within stipulated timelines.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Annpurna
Devi in Rajya Sabha in reply to a question today.
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SS
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