The government has initiated the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) scheme under the Nirbhaya Fund. A National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) has been established to report various cybercrimes, with a particular emphasis on crimes against women and children. Additionally, a toll-free Helpline No. 1930 is available across all States/UTs. To date, NCRP has received over 16.18 crore visitors and 1.94 lakh complaints related to child pornography and rape or gang rape.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on April 26, 2019, between the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India, and the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), USA, to receive reports on online child pornography and child sexual exploitation from NCMEC. As of March 31, 2024, over 69.05 lakh Cyber Tip-line reports have been shared with relevant States/UTs. The CCPWC scheme has also facilitated the establishment of Cyber Forensic cum Training Labs in 33 States/UTs.
Under the CCPWC Scheme, the Ministry of Home Affairs has provided Rs. 131.60 crore to States/UTs, of which Rs. 105.30 crore has been utilized. An additional Rs. 41.45 crore has been disbursed to central agencies like NCRB, Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), and Directorate of Forensic Science Services (DFSS), with 100% fund utilization.
Several technology-driven projects under the Nirbhaya Fund include:
- The Emergency Response Support System (ERSS)-112, operational in all 36 States/UTs, has handled over 36.29 crore calls as of April 30, 2024, with 14.36 lakh downloads of the ‘112 India’ Mobile App.
- Safe City Projects are comprehensive initiatives developed by city police and municipal corporations to address women’s safety needs and fill infrastructure gaps. Phase I includes eight cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Mumbai.
- Strengthening or establishing State Forensic Science Laboratories (SFSLs) in 30 States/UTs.
- Integration of Women Helpline (WHL)-181 with ERSS, which is operational in 35 States/UTs, has assisted more than 76.02 lakh women as of May 31, 2024.
- Monitoring Centers for Vehicle Tracking Platform (VTP) have been set up in 11 States/UTs: Bihar, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Odisha.
- A state-of-the-art DNA analysis center was inaugurated at the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Chandigarh on December 23, 2019. Additionally, four independent units with modern DNA Profiling tools have been established.
- Under the Integrated Emergency Response Management System (IERMS) project, 489 railway stations nationwide have been equipped with CCTV systems.
- 2034 tablets have been distributed to Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel to assist women traveling alone or needing help on trains.
- An AI-based Facial Recognition System (FRS) integrated with video surveillance is being piloted at seven major railway stations: Mumbai CST, Delhi, Howrah, Sealdah, Patna, Secunderabad, and Chennai Central.
This information was provided by the Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Annapurna Devi, in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
