New Delhi – Amid the surge in cyber frauds and online financial crimes, the Government of India and state agencies are preparing a joint strategy to curb cybercrime and strengthen digital security infrastructure across the country. The move marks a significant step toward creating a nationally coordinated cyber defence framework.
Senior officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the initiative aims to bridge existing gaps between central and state capabilities, focusing on joint investigation mechanisms, shared training modules, and resource support for technologically under-equipped regions.
Unified Effort and Technological Empowerment
The new framework will provide states with forensic tools, training labs, expert guidance, and funding to modernize their cybercrime investigation wings. A draft policy under review includes the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), data analytics, and threat detection systems into the broader law enforcement architecture.
An MHA official explained:
“Some states lack adequate cyber infrastructure and skilled personnel. The Centre is working to fill these gaps through targeted funding, specialized training, and deployment of technical experts.”
The collaborative model will enable real-time coordination between agencies investigating cross-border and interstate cybercrimes, which have seen exponential growth in recent years.
₹132.93-Crore Fund to Boost State Capabilities
Under the Cyber Crime Prevention Scheme, the Centre has released ₹132.93 crore to help states and Union Territories enhance their investigative and forensic capacities.
The funding will be utilized for:
- Establishing cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories
- Appointing junior cyber consultants, and
- Conducting training for police officers, government prosecutors, and judicial officers.
Officials said these efforts would standardize the country’s approach to tackling cyber threats and help establish a National Response Mechanism to ensure swift coordination in the event of major data breaches or ransomware incidents.
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Training and Awareness: Building a Skilled Cyber Workforce
The Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with state police academies, has introduced a new training curriculum focused on emerging cyber threats — including child exploitation, financial frauds, social media misuse, and data privacy breaches.
The curriculum emphasizes hands-on forensic investigation, digital evidence management, and cyber law application. It also aims to train officers to identify and dismantle transnational cyber networks, many of which operate using encrypted platforms and cryptocurrency channels.
Toward a National Cyber Defence Framework
Policy planners emphasize that India needs an Integrated Cyber Defence Framework to address the growing sophistication of digital crimes. This would include real-time threat intelligence sharing, a unified monitoring dashboard, and rapid-response cyber units that could act within hours of detecting a breach.
Officials are also exploring enhanced cooperation with INTERPOL, Europol, and allied nations to track cyber syndicates operating beyond India’s borders.
Expert View: “Partnership is the Key to Digital Resilience”
India’s leading cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Professor Triveni Singh described the Centre–State partnership as a “historic and necessary shift” in the country’s cyber defence approach.
According to him:
“Cybercrime has no geographical boundaries. Legal measures alone are not enough. We need shared training systems, real-time data exchange, and strong technical integration to stay ahead of global threat actors.”
He added that India must prepare for a new wave of AI-driven scams, deepfake manipulation, and crypto-based financial frauds, which demand both technological agility and inter-agency coordination.
“India’s cyber resilience will depend on how efficiently the Centre and States operate under one unified policy and one digital platform,” Prof. Singh said.
The Road Ahead
With the rapid expansion of digital services and rising dependency on online transactions, the Indian government’s renewed focus on cyber governance could become a cornerstone for national security and citizen trust in the digital ecosystem.
The upcoming months will be crucial, as the MHA and state home departments finalize operational blueprints, allocate funds, and begin the nationwide rollout of the integrated cybercrime control program — a move experts believe could finally bring India’s digital policing framework on par with global standards.
