Govt allocates Rs 775 crore to combat cyber security threats

Ravi Shankar Prasad said a major programme has been started to develop cyber forensics tools and setting up of infrastructure for investigation and training of users

Government has initiated action to create a national level mechanism to counter cyber security threats with a financial outlay of Rs 775 crore to be spent over a period of five years, Parliament was informed today.

"The government has initiated action to create a national level mechanism to generate necessary situational scenario of existing and potential cyber security threats and enable timely information sharing for proactive and protective actions by individual entities," Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

For this purpose, a financial outlay of Rs 775 crore over a period of five years has been projected, he added.

The Minister said the budget allocation for cyber security programme has steadily increased from Rs 36.06 crore during 2012-13 to Rs 85 crore during 2015-16.

"The budget allocation during 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 were Rs 36.06 crore, Rs 42.37 crore, Rs 62 crore and Rs 85 crore, respectively," he said.

This includes funds for measures and initiatives for tackling cyber crimes effectively, he added.

Prasad said a major programme has been started to develop cyber forensics tools and setting up of infrastructure for investigation and training of users, particularly police and judicial officers, in use of this tool to collect and analyse the digital evidence and present them in courts.

He added that an allocation of Rs 85 crore has been made during 2015-16 for regular operational requirements of Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and Cyber Appellate Tribunal (CAT) and Cyber Security Research and Development.