This came after the Ministry of Education directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to take immediate action to popularise the initiatives of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (ICCCC) among the higher education institutions.

The coordination centre focuses on strengthening the capability of prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes in a coordinated and comprehensive manner. “It is actively involved in developing a robust ecosystem for security the cyberspace, giving due emphasis on capacity building and public awareness,” said the UGC circular.

The government’s cybercrime reporting portal that provides for a centralised mechanism of complaint reporting by citizens relating to cybercrime was operationalised recently.

There is also a special focus in the portal on cybercrimes against women and children, and it allows decentralised dealing of each complaint by the law enforcement agencies of the State.

To strengthen cybersecurity and to tackle the unforeseen challenges of cybercrime, universities and colleges were requested to create awareness among the students, faculties, and other stakeholders about Twitter handle @CyberDost, which provides updates and advisories at regular intervals for the prevention of cybercrimes, the circular said.

Colleges were asked to organise regular competitions, hackathons, workshops and seminars on cybersecurity and cybercrimes.

The UGC is also planning to design a common “Cyber Safe” curriculum for the students of higher education institutions, with emphasis on hands-on training at graduate and postgraduate level in all streams. This curriculum would be taught in all colleges and universities, and build cyber-safe environment.