SPEECH OF HON’BLE GOVERNOR PUNJAB AND ADMINISTRATOR, UT CHANDIGARH, SHRI BANWARILAL PUROHIT ON THE OCCASION OF VALEDICTION SESSION FOR 2ND BATCH OF CYBER INTERNS CUM CYBER AWARENESS SESSION AT TAGORE THEATRE, CHANDIGARH ON MARCH 21, 2023 AT 4.30PM

At the outset, I extend my warm wishes to the valedictorians of the 2nd batch of the Cyber Interns of Chandigarh Police on successfully completing their internship program.
They have played an important role in increasing awareness about cyber crimes amongst the people of Chandigarh and I wish that they will continue in their efforts.
Friends,
With the expansion of cyber space in various aspects of our lives, sensitisation about cyber security, is a must. 
Chandigarh Police has rightly identified the need of spreading cyber awareness among the citizens. To achieve the same, engaging the youth through ‘Cyber Swachhta Mission’ is a much appreciated step.
Today, it is not possible to imagine our nation’s development without cyber safety. We are making strides in every field in our Amrit Kaal but if we do not ensure cyber security in this era of digital revolution, our own strengths shall become a challenge for us.
Large scale automation, use of artificial intelligence powered solutioning, or just the way we work, ie, use of emails, social media, e-commerce, data storage, smaller local area networks to large scale networks, digital technologies have profoundly changed our lives. This large scale digital exposure has also enhanced the threat surface. And this threat surface has the potential to be exploited by anti-national and anti-societal players. 
Each one of us would have experienced a phishing or vishing attack. Be it such low level attacks or the more intense ones like the recent attacks on AIIMS New Delhi and Oil India, we are vulnerable. And with our large scale dependence on the digital world, these vulnerabilities have the potential to cripple society and even nations. 
The cyber crime reporting has increased by 6 percent from 2021, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). More than 10,000 cyber crimes against women are reported in India every year. Out of this most number of cases were registered for cyber pornography or publishing obscene materials of such female victims.
Along with individuals, even businesses are falling prey to cyber-fraud. We keep hearing of breaches occurring in different places like e-commerce websites, banks, manufacturing set ups etc. In other words, any organization having an online presence is vulnerable to cyber breaches resulting in attacks and thefts of data.
Such crimes undermine the fundamental stability of our financial systems and pose a grave risk to economic stability and progress of the nation. There is an impending need to strengthen our measures to ensure cyber security and cyber resilience of our nation. This underlines the need for greater efforts to ensure cyber security in all walks of life. 
So, it is very obvious that something has to be done to secure our cyber space. But how does one do it? How does one start? One answer that comes to my mind is education, awareness and training. It is absolutely necessary to inform people what is needed to secure their systems.
To tackle cybercrime efficiently, it is essential to establish active partnerships and cooperation between the Government and the Nodal bodies such as security agencies, law enforcing bodies, private sector, information security organizations, financial institutions and institutions investigating cyber crime and supervising financial market transactions and enforcing laws.
Without efficient private-public cooperation, cybercrime cannot be tackled effectively. The synergization of intent and efforts is absolutely imperative to curb this menace.
The need of the hour is to educate the masses about the steps to be taken to counter cyber crime unitedly .
Friends,
Awareness is the tested means to prevent Cyber crime. It is heartening to know that Chandigarh has started Cyber Swacchta Mission in which Academia, Industry and Police have collaborated and are working together in Mission Mode.
Chandigarh Police has been making greater efforts to keep our city beautiful cyber safe and cyber secure. Chandigarh Police has notified a Cyber Police Station. Also, Cyber Desks are now functional in every police station in Chandigarh.
It is heartening to note that the Cyber Cell of Chandigarh Police has recovered or put on hold an amount of approximately Rs 2 crores of cheated amount since last year. 
Total 135 schools and colleges have been covered for awareness and approximately 45,000 students and teachers were made aware of cyber crimes. 
Cyber Awareness programmes have been conducted at almost 130 public places in which they have been able to touch around 80,000 citizens. 
Chandigarh Police is also in the process of setting up CenCOPS (Centre for Cyber Operation and Security). It shall be a state-of-the art Centre of Excellence having facilities for Data Analytics, Advanced Forensics and improved tools for Cyber Investigation. Rs 22.5 crores have already been sanctioned for this centre by Ministry of Home Affairs under Cyber Crime Prevention Against Women and Children Scheme (CCPWC). 
I hope that this centre will play foremost role in enhancing the capabilities of the police to combat cyber criminals more effectively.
A cyber curriculum has also been designed by the Chandigarh Police for Classes 6th to 10th. It shall spread awareness about cyber crimes amongst these students. This shall transform children into ambassadors of cyber awareness starting right from their households.
Chandigarh police is also the nodal agency for the Joint Cyber Crime Co-ordination Team representing the states and Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Ladakh. I hope that this platform shall be put to use to build up a joint and well co-ordinated response to cyber-crime in North India.
An MoU has been signed between Chandigarh Police and Punjab Engineering College for the launch of specialised courses in cyber investigation and forensics to build capacity of our personnel leading to increased crime detection and conviction. It shall also ensure better research on various dimensions of cyber crime and cyber security.
It is important to note that Cyber security is now increasingly linked with National security. Many countries are now developing “cyber armies”. Some cyber frauds are found to be a way of transferring hard earned money from one country to another. This may lead to a wealth drain. These cyber criminals are getting state support to increase their activities to undermine economic and technological progress of our nation. We should therefore be ready to fight this increasing menace.
The honourable Union Home Minister has reiterated that public awareness is the most important pillar in the vision of a cyber safe India. Without public awareness cyber crime cannot be effectively controlled. 
In furtherance of this vision, the Chandigarh Police has introduced the Cyber Internship Programme with the students of 9 colleges of Chandigarh. These cyber soldiers are introduced to cyber crime laws. They are given exposure to cyber forensics and financial frauds. Chandigarh Police has lent them a better understanding of the tactics used by the cyber criminals. 
I am happy to note that these cyber soldiers have used this understanding to disseminate awareness in people. They have conducted cyber awareness sessions in public places including parks, markets, schools, colony community centres and even roads and streets.
I hope these cyber soldiers will also work to spread cyber awareness among different sections of the society also through different social media platforms. 
I, once again, congratulate this second batch of cyber soldiers. I have been told that these cyber soldiers have touched nearly 1 lakh people in the last year and created cyber awareness. 
I appreciate them for their invaluable contribution to the nation building in our Amrit Kaal. Chandigarh is proud of them! 
I also wish the best to the next batch of the Cyber soldiers which is being launched today. I hope that they will continue this hard work to keep our city beautiful “Cyber Safe”.
Let us all, in this Amrit Kaal, work together to attain “Cyber Apradh Se Azadi”.
Thank You
Jai Hind.