To combat cybercrime in the State, the government of Odisha today established a dedicated hotline number, 1930, which is intended for victims and regular people. According to Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, the initiative in this regard will be further stepped up in the coming days.
Details about the Odisha government has issued a special helpline ‘1930’ to fight cybercrime
In light of the increasing instances of financial cybercrime and sexual assault on women and children, such urgent action was adopted. To that end, awareness programmes will be planned. Mahapatra urged that any illegal activity involving the use of a computer, communication device, or computer network must be investigated.
The fight against cybercrime should specifically target the elderly, students, Asha and Anganwadi workers, and self-help groups (SHGs). In the State, 34 “Sachetanata Rath” awareness-raising trucks that are outfitted with audio and visual information will be put into operation.
People will be instructed not to click on links, SMS messages, or applications they receive from unknown sources, to confirm the legitimacy of any financial transactions they conduct, and to steer clear of making new friends. There will be frequent symposiums and seminars held all around the state.
At the school level, competitions for essays, quizzes, and debates are to be held. The Chief Secretary noted that Odisha was the first State in the nation to start anti-cybercrime activities.
It is important to note that in 2021, 52,975 cybercrime cases were reported in the nation, which is an increase of 5.9% over the cases reported in the previous year.
In a similar vein, over the same time period, 1485 cybercrime crimes were reported in Odisha in 2019, 1931 cases in 2020, and 2037 cases in 2021. On the other hand, through cyber help desks, the State received 3402 and 7700 petitions in 2022, respectively.
