National cyber research, innovation centre opened in Hyderabad

As part of efforts to fight cyber crimes, a dedicated National Cyber Research and Innovation= Centre here was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy on Monday.

The government's aim wasto anticipatenew froms of cyber crime and prevent them and the centre here would play an importantrole in helping the nation face cyber threats besides promoting innovation to keep it ahead of others in the domain, he said.

The centre, set up by the Bureau of Police Research and Development at its Central Detective Training Institute, would undertake research and training to check cyber crime.

It was a critical part of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) established by the Centre to combat cyber crime in a coordinated and effective manner, officials said.

It was very important to ensure that cyber technology was not misused. Unfortunately, the response of the police always has been defensive which would not be effective given the fact that technology changesvery fast, Reddy said.

The Home Ministry conceptualised the cyber centre here appreciating the imperative of a dedicated centre that can carry out researchand innovate new technology for making the lives of people better and to preempt the designs of those involved in cyber crimes, he added.

The Minister said selection of Hyderabad for the centre was strategic as it figured among top world cities in information technology development with the presence of organisations like CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), IIT and a slew of defence establishments and a host of private IT companies.

He emphasised on innovation in cyber crime research, highlighting that criminals who exploit the lacunae of smart devices and high-end technology were clever and crafty. Reddy urged the officials to make the centrea vibrantinstitution by augmenting resources and potential available in Hyderabad.

Pacts withCCMB, IIT, DRDO and others and collaborationwithprivate partners besides continuous exploration of new areas through partnership programmes will help promote innovation, Reddy said.

He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also on several occasions highlighted that while cyber space was a source of great opportunity, cyber security has become a major concern.

The government has anticipatedthe danger of cyberthreat and in the recent past has taken several landmark steps, including setting up of a dedicated division in October 2017 under the Ministry of Home Affairs for addressing the problem, he added.