Apart from the National Police Academy, institutions such as IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, IIT Kottayam, IIIT Naya Raipur, RRU Gandhinagar, and NFSU Delhi have been tasked with training the first batch of Cyber Commandos.(Representative image)
A special wing of Cyber Commandos is set to launch next month, with 346 commandos from various state police forces will get training.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has engaged India’s premier educational institutions to train police officers to address the country’s cyber infrastructure needs. A special wing of Cyber Commandos is set to launch next month, with 346 commandos from various state police forces will get training.
According to an official communication reviewed by News18, apart from the National Police Academy, institutions such as IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, IIT Kottayam, IIIT Naya Raipur, RRU Gandhinagar, and NFSU Delhi have been tasked with training the first batch of Cyber Commandos.
“The Cyber Commando Programme is designed to create a core group of highly trained police personnel who will take up the responsibility of securing infrastructure in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), incident response, and digital forensics in their respective organisations. They will also serve as a national resource,” a senior official said while quoting an official communication sent to all states and Union Territories. These cyber experts will act in the event of cyberattacks and to address cyber threats.
Fifteen institutes have been shortlisted for the training of Cyber Commandos across the country. Initially, ten institutes — Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad; Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar; NFSU Delhi; NFSU Gandhinagar; IIT Kanpur; IIT Madras; IIIT Kottayam; IIIT Naya Raipur; DIAT Pune; and NFSU Goa — have been selected for the first phase of training. Candidates selected for training include investigation officers and senior officers.
The inauguration program is scheduled for September 10, 2024, in New Delhi, where Home Minister Amit Shah will interact with the Cyber Commandos, according to a senior official. This project is part of the 100 Days Key Action Plan. As part of this plan, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has finalised the inauguration of several initiatives, including Samanvaya (Joint Management Information System), Cyber Commandos, and the Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre (CFMC). An event is planned for the second week of September, with various corporates invited.
According to data from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Indians lost Rs 7,488.6 crore to cyber fraud last year. While agencies are struggling to combat rising cybercrime in the country, Maharashtra leads with losses amounting to a staggering Rs 990.7 crore, followed by Telangana with Rs 759.1 crore.