Mumbai, Oct 16 (IANS) Maharashtra Minister for Information Technology Ashish Shelar on Thursday said that awareness of cyber security and digital literacy is no longer just a luxury, but a necessity of the times.

He said that the government, administration and common citizens must stay updated on this.

He was speaking at the cyber security awareness workshop organised jointly by the National Informatics Centre and the Directorate of Information Technology.

Minister Shelar said that the digital revolution has brought about radical changes in our daily lives and administrative work.

“Today, every officer working in the ministry is working on a digital platform. Therefore, there is a direct link between cyber security and our responsibilities. The law does not forgive mistakes made due to ignorance. Therefore, it is necessary to stay updated about cyber security,” he said.

He said that the cybersecurity campaign urged citizens and organisations to use strong passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, keep software updated regularly, be wary of phishing emails, encrypt data, and use biometric security.

“India is leading the world in digital transactions today. Everyone is accepting digital payments. India has become the country with the highest and most secure digital transactions today. But with this progress, the complexity and scale of cyber crimes have also increased, said the minister. He added that to protect against cyber attacks, it is necessary to develop not only technical skills but also the right mindset.

“The Maharashtra government has built a capable infrastructure for cyber security since 2016. A 24-hour Command and Control Centre, Cyber Helpline and Mobile App are available in the state. Also, a ‘Technology Assistant Investigation Unit’ and an ‘AI-based detection’ system are also operational. Maharashtra has become the first state to establish a Computer Emergency Response Team,” said Minister Shelar.

He drew attention to the serious dangers posed by deepfake technology.

“Deepfake can destroy not only professional but also personal and family life. Therefore, he said that everyone needs to be vigilant to identify and prevent it,” he said.

Maharashtra Cyber Additional Director General of Police Yashasvi Yadav said that in the digital age, while all services are available at a click, a helpline number has been made available to citizens for cyber assistance to make police services equally accessible.

On this helpline, excellent experts and officers in the cyber field provide immediate assistance with the help of state-of-the-art software.

“To enhance the efficiency of the cyber department, both the numbers 1930 and 1945 are now operational. Out of these, the helpline number 1930 is for filing complaints regarding cyber financial frauds, while the helpline number 1945 is for filing FIRs and legal proceedings in addition to financial frauds,” he said, adding that after receiving calls made to this number and effective investigation and action on them, citizens are getting satisfactory services.

Further, Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Deputy Director General, NIC Delhi, said that the Government of India has set concrete responsibilities for various departments regarding telecom network security and cyber crime to strengthen national security.

–IANS

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