The Government has begun use of Geo-spatial technologies such as GIS and Satellite imagery to monitor and prevent illegal mining activities. The Ministry of Mines has launched the Mining Surveillance System (MSS) in October 2016. It aims at developing a system for detection of incidence of illegal mining by use of space technology and surveillance of area up to 500m outside the lease boundary to check incidences of illegal mining. The MSS has been developed through Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) in collaboration with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG) Gandhinagar. Since, the inception of MSS in 2016-17, the project was implemented in major mineral rich states including in Odisha. The MSS analyzes land pattern changes within a 500-meter radius of mining leases. If discrepancies are detected, alerts are generated and sent to the respective State Government for ground verification.
The details of Reserves of Critical minerals in the State of Odisha are furnished in Annexure I.
To enhance the exploration program for identifying potential mining sites in order to boost domestic production for the critical and strategic minerals, Geological Survey of India (GSI), in current year 2024-25, has taken up 195 mineral exploration projects for critical and strategic minerals across the country. Ministry has also focused on funding various projects of mineral exploration through National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET). So far, NMET has funded 72 projects for critical and strategic mineral exploration during FY 2024-25. To encourage private participation in exploration, Ministry of Mines has notified 32 private exploration agencies (NPEAs). These agencies are taking up exploration projects through funding from NMET.
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 was amended in 2015 to introduce a transparent and non-discriminatory method of e-auction for grant of mineral concessions in respect of major minerals. So far, the Government of Odisha has auctioned 48 mineral blocks and the Central Government has auctioned 3 mineral blocks of critical and strategic minerals in Odisha.
Mineral Conservation and Development Rules (MCDR), 2017 was framed under Section 18 of MMDR Act, 1957 for the mineral conservation, systematic development of minerals and protection of environment by preventing or controlling any pollution which may be caused by prospecting or mining operations. As per Rule 12(1) of MCDR (amendment) 2017, the prospecting and mining operations shall be carried out in such a manner so as to ensure systematic development of mineral deposits, conservation of minerals and protection of the environment. Rule 35 to 44 under Chapter V of MCDR, 2017 is provided for Sustainable Mining. Adequate emphasis has been given on Sustainable Development in Mining areas in the National Mineral Policy 2019. Further, to implement the Sustainable Development Framework (SDF), Ministry has evolved a system of Star Rating of Mines.
Annexure-I
Reserves/Resources of critical minerals for the state of Odisha (As on 01.04.2020)
S. No.
Mineral
Unit
Reserves
Remaining Resources
Total Resources
1.
Cobalt
Million
tonnes
0
31
31
2.
Graphite
Tonnes
2838414
17142707
19981121
3.
Nickel
Million
tonnes
0
175
175
4.
Platinum Group of Metals (PGMs)
Tonnes of metal
content
0
14
14
5.
Rare Earth
Elements (REE)
Tonnes
0
25493
25493
6.
Tin
Ore
Tonnes
0
15618
15618
Metal
0
653
653
7.
Titanium
Tonnes
12654141
53019062
65673203
8.
Vanadium
Ore
Tonnes
0
4864795
4864795
Contained V2O5
0
13558
13558
9.
Zircon
Tonnes
476672
390247
866919
10.
Copper
Ore
Thousand
Tonnes
0
11991
11991
Metal
0
97
97
National Mineral Inventory, 2020. Figures rounded off
This information was given by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) was launched on 15th August 2020 by Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in 272 identified most vulnerable districts and now it has been extended to all districts of the country. NMBA has reached out to the masses and spread awareness about substance use with focus on higher educational Institutions, university campuses and schools by reaching out and identifying dependent population and providing counselling and treatment facilities in hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
Year-wise details of total amount spent on NMBA, which was launched in the year 2020-21 is as below:
S.No.
Financial Year
Fund released under NMBA
(Rs. in crore)
1
2020-21
13.38
2
2021-22
3.14
3
2022-23
1.50
4
2023-24
6.19
5
2024-25
27.25
Total
51.46
The achievements of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan are as follows:
Till now, through the various activities undertaken on-ground, 15.44+ crore people have been sensitized on substance use including 5.17+ crore Youth and 3.27+ crore Women.
Participation of 4.18+ Lakh educational institutions has ensured that the message of the Abhiyaan reaches children and youth of the country.
A strong force of 10,000+ Master Volunteers (MVs) have been identified and trained.
Awareness through official Social Media accounts of the Abhiyaan on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
NMBA Mobile Application developed to gather and collect the data of NMBA activities and represent on the NMBA Dashboard at district, state and national level.
NMBA Website (http://nmba.dosje.gov.in) provides detailed information and insights to the user/viewer about the Abhiyaan, an online discussion forum, NMBA dashboard, e-pledge.
MoUs have been signed with six Spiritual/Social Service organizations like The Art of Living, Brahma Kumaris, Sant Nirankari Mission, All World Gayatri Parivar, ISKCON and Shri Ram Chandra Mission to support NMBA and conduct mass awareness activities.
A Toll-free Helpline for de-addiction, 14446, is set up to provide primary counselling and immediate referral services to the persons seeking help through this helpline.
Commemoration of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2024, wherein all the States/Districts conducted several activities reaching out to 7.5+ lakh people.
Sportspersons like Olympic Medalist Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Suresh Raina, Ajinkhya Rahane, Sandeep Singh, Savita Poonia has shared messages in support of NMBA to promote Sports as life-skills to ensure a healthy and drug-free lifestyle among youth.
NMBA has entered into 5th year since its launch on 2020. In recognition of this milestone, Department organized a mass pledge/oath taking ceremony across the country. More than 3 crore people from more than 2 lakh educational institutions from across the country took oath and participated in various programmes conducted to celebrate this occasion.
This information was provided by MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT, SHRI B.L.VERMA, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Department of Health (DH) today (April 2) released the “Student Health Service (SHS) Annual Health Report for 2023/24 School Year”, which summarised the key findings of the annual health assessment service provided to primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong during the school year. Among these findings, there has been an improvement regarding the overweight condition of primary school students but the proportion of students spending two hours or more using the Internet or electronic screen products for recreational purposes has increased, which is a situation that warrants attention.
In the 2023/24 school year, around 257 000 primary school students and 173 000 secondary school students received annual health assessment services at the DH’s Student Health Service Centres (SHSCs). Students were provided with a series of health services, including growth monitoring, physical examinations, screenings for vision, hearing and scoliosis, health assessment questionnaires on health behaviours and psychosocial well-being, individual health counselling, health education and mop-up vaccinations.
The health assessment revealed that the weight problems and dietary patterns among Hong Kong students remain unsatisfactory. The prevalence of being overweight (including obesity) among primary school students has decreased from 19.5 per cent in the 2022/23 school year to 16.4 per cent in the 2023/24 school year, which was a record low since the 2014/15 school year. However, the prevalence of being overweight (including obesity) among secondary school students remained high at 20.0 per cent. In the 2023/24 school year, 94.4 per cent of students reported insufficient physical activity, meaning that they were not able to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity per day. About 89.9 per cent of students (83.5 per cent primary and 97.0 per cent secondary school students) reported an inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables per day (i.e. an average of less than four servings for primary school students and less than five servings for secondary school students).
“To prevent childhood and adolescent obesity from developing into a lifelong threat to health, the DH encourages students to adopt healthy lifestyles and maintain a balanced diet. The DH will continue to offer weight management advice through the SHSCs to students in need. Dietitians of the SHS will provide dietary counselling to individual students if indicated,” the Consultant Community Medicine (Family and Student Health) of the DH, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, said.
The inappropriate use of electronic screen products should not be overlooked. The DH recommends children aged between 6 and 12 years old to limit recreational screen time to less than two hours a day. The health assessment questionnaire revealed that 43.3 per cent of primary school students indicated that they spent two or more hours in using Internet or electronic screen products (including computers, tablets, smartphones, video games and television) for recreational purposes on a typical school day. The proportion was higher than in the pre-COVID years of around 30 per cent. For secondary school students, the proportion was higher at 80.9 per cent, which is a cause for concern.
Dr Chuang noted that, apart from reminding students of the appropriate recreational screen time, the DH has set up a webpage on Healthy Use of Internet and Electronic Screen Products to assist parents and teachers in handling related issues.
The state of vision among Hong Kong students remains less than ideal. The proportion of primary one students wearing glasses was 14.3 per cent which was similar to that of the previous school year (14.8 per cent), but still much higher than that of the pre-COVID years of about 11 per cent. The proportion of students wearing glasses was higher among students at higher grades, up to 53.8 per cent among Primary Six students. Among the primary and secondary school students with a visual acuity test done in the 2023/24 school year, 18.5 per cent required further assessment by optometrists in the SHS or private sector due to a failed preliminary visual acuity test, other eye or visual problems.
Regarding psychosocial health, a majority of students reported they very much enjoyed family life (94.3 per cent) and school life (92.4 per cent). However some students were identified to have psychosocial problems warranting attention. In the 2023/24 school year, 2.2 per cent and 1.0 per cent of students reported that they had planned or attempted to commit suicide in the past 12 months respectively, which were slightly lower than that in the previous school year (2.8 per cent planned and 1.3 per cent attempted to commit suicide) and are similar to the levels in the 2018/2019 school year. Professional staff of the DH promptly provided the students concerned (including some with emotional or mental health problems) with an immediate risk assessment, support or arranged referrals for further evaluation and management. In the 2023/24 school year, 1.4 per cent of students receiving annual health assessment services at the SHSCs were referred to the clinical psychologists of the SHS or other organisations, for further assessment and management of their psychosocial and behavioural problems.
The Government has set up the 18111 – Mental Health Support Hotline to provide one-stop, round-the-clock support for people with mental health needs. The Government has also implemented the Three-Tier School-based Emergency Mechanism through cross-departmental collaboration of the Education Bureau, the Health Bureau and the Social Welfare Department in all secondary schools in Hong Kong to ensure early identification and support for students at high risk, and provide timely assistance and seek professional counselling or treatment services for them.
Furthermore, “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” announced that the Whole School Health Programme (WSHP) will be strengthened. Besides publishing this territory-wide health report, health reports will be compiled for each participating school to recommend targeted school‑based health promotion measures for physical activities, diet and other matters, to improve students’ physical and psychological wellbeing. So far, more than 760 schools have joined the WSHP, covering over 65 per cent of all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. The DH will continue to encourage more schools to join through various channels and work towards realising the vision of “Making every school a health-promoting school”.
At the same time, the Primary Healthcare Commission is actively promoting the Life Course Preventive Care Plan via the District Health Centres (DHCs), DHC Expresses and family doctors. A personalised preventive care plan will be formulated to address the health needs of citizens, including vaccinations required by children as well as prevention of infectious diseases, cancers and chronic diseases. The DHCs and DHC Expresses also provide children-targeted services, such as emotion management, weight management and healthy diet classes as well as collaborate with schools to provide outreach health education, health-risk factors assessment, low salt and sugar diet education and promotion activities. In the long run, the Government will integrate some of the DH’s primary healthcare services into the primary healthcare system, in order to enhance children’s healthcare services in Hong Kong and create a better environment for children’s medical care and healthy development.
“The DH has been safeguarding both the physical and psychological health of school children through health promotion and disease prevention services. The annual health assessment service aims to identify students with health problems at an early stage for timely advice and intervention, including referrals to appropriate organisations for further assessment or management. Enrolment is now open for the annual health assessment service of the 2024/25 school year. Students who have not yet enrolled are encouraged to enrol through their school or directly with the SHSCs,” Dr Chuang said.
For more information on a healthy lifestyle, members of the public are welcome to browse the “@DH mobile application“, DH’s social media accounts, and scan the QR codes attached.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ22: Overseas Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices
ETO(Revised Estimate)(number of posts)(HK$ million)(number of posts)(HK$ million)(number of posts)(HK$ million)*Total operational expenses include personal emoluments, personnel related expenses, departmental expenses and other charges.
The Dubai, Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore ETOs altogether account for 28 per cent of the total staff establishment of the 14 existing overseas ETOs, and about 24 per cent of their total operational expenses.Issued at HKT 16:38
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Fraudulent websites and internet banking login screens related to Dah Sing Bank, Limited The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the websites or login screens concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012. Issued at HKT 16:45
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ6: Regulation of use of electronic screen products by children and adolescents Question:
It has been reported that obsessive use of mobile phones by infants and young children will bring them such harms as social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation and addiction, which are detrimental to the development of their physical movement, fine motor, language, cognitive and social skills. Earlier on, legislation was enacted in Australia to prohibit the use of social media platforms by children and adolescents under the age of 16. The Guidelines (Trial) on Early Childhood Development Services issued by the National Health Commission has also pointed out that infants and young children aged 0 to 3 should not be exposed to any form of products with display screens. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether the Government will draw on the experience of our country, Australia and other regions to enact legislation restricting or prohibiting the use of electronic screen products by infants and young children aged 0 to 3;
(2) whether the Government will consider devising relevant guidelines on the use of computers and the Internet by primary and secondary school students and adolescents; and
(3) as there are views that parents should, through such means as parent-child exchanges, help their infants and young children acquire the abilities to engage in interpersonal exchanges, express emotions and consider other people’s feelings, whether the Government will consider promoting to society the importance for children to stay away from electronic screen products, as well as providing parents with consultation channels in order to help them establish a correct concept of family education?
Reply:
President,
The Government attaches great importance to the physical and mental health of children and adolescents, and provides comprehensive health promotion and medical services by deploying substantial resources in education, public health and medical systems. In particular, we are concerned about the impact of excessive use of the Internet and electronic screen products on their physical and mental development. The Department of Health (DH) set up an Advisory Group on Health Effects of Use of Internet and Electronic Screen Products (Advisory Group) as early as 2013 comprising of members from the Education Bureau (EDB), the Social Welfare Department and relevant Colleges of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, etc, and published the Report of Advisory Group on Health Effects of Use of Internet and Electronic Screen Products in 2014 with recommendations for children, adolescents, parents and teachers on healthy use of the Internet and electronic screen products.
In consultation with the EDB, the DH and the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission), the reply to the question raised by the Hon Luk Chung-hung is as follows:
(1) and (3) The Mainland and other regions in the world have provided guidelines and recommended the time for infants and young children to use electronic screen products, instead of restricting or prohibiting the use of electronic screen products by infants and young children by legislation. The Australian Government enacted legislation last year to prohibit the use of social media platforms by children and adolescents under the age of 16, but has not restricted or prohibited the use of electronic screen products. Regulating the use of electronic screen products by way of legislation requires consideration of a number of factors, including public acceptance, how to regulate, how to enforce and feasibility of enforcement. The Government does not have any relevant legislative plans at present.
With reference to international guidelines, the DH updated the relevant health advice on the use of electronic screen products in 2018 and suggested that infants and young children aged below 2 should avoid exposure to electronic screen products, except for interactive video-chat under parents’ guidance; and that children aged between 2 and 5 should limit their daily screen time to within one hour, and that such screen activities should be interactive and educative, and should be carried out under the guidance of parents. These recommendations are similar to the guidelines of the Mainland, Singapore, the United States and Australia. The DH will continue to keep in view international experience and the local situation, and review the relevant recommendations in a timely manner.
State-wise total number of Mining Leases for the major minerals in States included under the 5th and 6th Schedule areas of the country alongwith total areas and number of operational mines is given at Annexure I. As per the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957 and the rules framed thereunder, the State Governments are empowered to grant mineral concessions for the minerals located within their respective jurisdiction and to collect the revenue generated there upon. The revenue from the mining leases accrues to the State Governments.
The subject matter of rehabilitation of displaced people is in the purview of State Governments.
During the last 5 years (2020-21 onwards) 7 leases have been granted in the Scheduled areas for the State of Madhya Pradesh covering total area of 107 hectares. For Gujarat, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, no mining lease has been granted in the past 5 years in Scheduled areas. As per the information received from the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, above 7 leases have been granted after obtaining all requisite permissions.
Annexure I
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO AT PART ‘A’ & ‘B’ IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5224 REGARDING ‘MINING LEASES ISSUED IN 5TH AND 6TH SCHEDULE AREAS’.
State-wise total number of Mining Leases for the major minerals, in in States included under the 5th and 6th Schedule areas of the country with total area and number of operational mines.
State
Total Number of Leases
Sum of Total Lease Area (in Ha.)
Number of Operational/ Working Leases
Andhra Pradesh
27
657
10
Assam
6
859
4
Chhattisgarh
78
16146
38
Gujarat
3
1108
2
Jharkhand
31
4548
4
Madhya Pradesh
153
6318
77
Maharashtra
50
7102
33
Meghalaya
23
825
15
Odisha
127
40023
79
Rajasthan
17
6715
14
Telangana
15
1835
6
Grand Total
530
86136
282
This information was given by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
The comprehensive report on States Best Practices in Mining documents the best practices adopted by various States in mineral administration to promote peer learning among the States and contribute to the overall growth of the mining sector. The key recommendations made in the report, focusing on improving exploration efficiency, promoting sustainability, simplifying regulations, and enhancing community benefits, inter-alia include streamlining mining clearances and approvals, integration of exploration data with National Geoscience Data Repository, Star Rating for minor minerals, strengthening State Directorates of Mining and Geology for building technical capacity, operationalization of auctioned mineral blocks, adoption of Mining Surveillance System (MSS) and Mining Tenement System (MTS) for minor minerals to curb illegal mining, and creation of land banks to facilitate compensatory afforestation.
The main objectives of the newly launched Mining Tenement System (MTS) are to digitize & streamline the mining related processes, enhance transparency, facilitate better data management, enhance collaboration among stakeholders, provide a flexible system to accommodate future technology advancements and improve efficiency of mineral resource management.
By adopting best mining practices, small and medium scale mining operations in India can increase their competitiveness & operational efficiency, ensure sustainability, and hence, lead to overall growth of mining sector.
The 3rd National Mining Ministers’ Conference, held in January 2025, was attended by the Mining Ministers from mineral-rich States, industry leaders, and other key stakeholders. A major focus was on the National Critical Mineral Mission, which aims at securing long-term sustainable supply of critical minerals and strengthening India’s critical mineral value chains, encompassing all stages from mineral exploration, mining, processing and recycling. During the Conference, State Governments were encouraged to take proactive steps to promote exploration, mining, processing, Research & Development (R&D) in critical minerals, fast-track the operationalization of auctioned mines, integrate exploration data into the National Geoscience Data Repository and encourage industries to acquire and bring critical minerals from abroad to strengthen domestic supply. The Conference also marked the launch of auction of the fifth tranche of 15 critical mineral blocks across eight States including critical minerals like Graphite, Tungsten, Rare Earth Elements (REEs), and Nickel. These initiatives are intended to build and strengthen domestic supply chains and contribute to India’s long-term goal of achieving self-sufficiency in critical minerals.
This information was given by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Development and promotion of tourism sector, is undertaken by the respective State Governments/Union Territory Administrations. Ministry of Tourism complements the efforts of States/Union Territory Administrations including North Eastern States in promotion of Tourism. Ministry of Tourism under the schemes of ‘Swadesh Darshan’, ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’, ‘Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development’ provides financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations/Central Agencies for the development of tourism related infrastructure in the country including North Eastern Region. Ministry of Tourism also promotes various tourist destinations of North Eastern Region through various initiatives including promotional events, assistance to State Governments, stakeholders for organizing fairs and festivals, participation in exhibitions, website and social media. The Ministry has been organizing International Tourism Mart (ITM) in the North Eastern Region to showcase the tourism potential of North Eastern States of India. The latest edition of ITM was held in Kaziranga, Assam from 26thto29th November,2024. Through its Central Institutes of Hotel Management (CIHMs) at Guwahati and Shillong, Ministry of Tourism imparts professional education and training in the field of hospitality to create a pool of manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the tourism and hospitality industry. For projects sanctioned by Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism encourages the State Governments/UT Administrations for due consultation with local communities during preparation of projects. Ministry of Tourism under its scheme Capacity Building for Service Providers (CBSP) has undertaken various skill development programs to provide education, training and certification to the tourism service providers covering different level of Hospitality sector.
Further, promotion of tourism in the North Eastern Region is one of the focus sectors of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER). MDoNER under its scheme viz. North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE), Schemes of North Eastern Council etc. has sanctioned various infrastructure projects, which also support the tourism sector in North Eastern Region.
The details of Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) and Foreign Tourist Visits (FTVs) to North Eastern States during 2023 are given below:
S. No.
States
2023
DTVs
FTVs
Arunachal Pradesh
10,40,601
4,496
Assam
76,12,720
23,818
Manipur
57,701
3,668
Meghalaya
13,71,674
19,973
Mizoram
2,09,087
3,754
Nagaland
99,720
4,725
Sikkim
13,21,169
93,908
Tripura
3,66,104
66,708
Total
1,20,78,776
2,21,050
This information was given by the Minister of State of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Dr. Sukanta Majumdar in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
Matters relating to Cyber Crime are under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as per allocation of the business rules. Department of Telecommunications (DoT) undertakes efforts to prevent misuse of telecom resources for cyber frauds. Further, ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. MHA has established the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (14C) as an attached office to provide a framework and eco-system for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to deal with cyber-crimes. MHA has also launched the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal- NCRP (https://cybercrime.gov.in) to enable public to report all type of cybercrimes. As per I4C, total number of complaints on NCRP and amount lost were 19.18 lakh and 22811.95 crore respectively in 2024. Further, DoT and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have devised a system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers that appear to be originating from within India. These calls appeared to be originating within India but were being made by the cyber-criminals from abroad by spoofing the Calling Line Identity (CLI).
DoT actively engages with citizens to raise awareness about telecom-related frauds & scams, to encourage the use of the Sanchar Saathi App/portal, a citizen centric initiative for accessing information, reporting suspected fraud communications, and staying updated on the latest telecom safety measures. Engagement with citizens is through robust social media campaigns, regular press releases, SMS campaigns and collaboration with multiple stakeholders like Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs)/Banks/TSPs/Student Volunteers etc.
DoT has developed an online secure Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) for sharing of information related to misuse of telecom resources among the stakeholders for prevention of misuse of telecom resources for cyber-crime and financial frauds. About 560 organizations have been onboarded on DIP that include central security agencies, 35 State Police, TSPs, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) etc. The system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers was commissioned on 17.10.2024 and it has shown significant results blocking 1.35 crore calls in 24 hours of its launch, after being identified as spoofed. As on 03.03.2025, calls identified as spoofed and blocked were only 4 lakh so the system has resulted in reduction of almost 97% incoming spoofed calls with Indian CLI.
This information was given by Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications & Rural Development, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.