MeitY leads nationwide awareness campaign on Safer Internet Day to promote safe use of internet

New Delhi [India], March 7 (ANI): The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) spearheaded a nationwide awareness campaign on Safer Internet Day, observed on February 11, to promote safe and responsible internet use.
An official release from the Ministry of Electronics and IT said the campaign, organised under the theme 'Together for a Better Internet, ' aimed to educate and sensitize internet users about cyber hygiene, online safety practices, and emerging cyber threats.
This initiative was conducted under the Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) program in collaboration with NIC, NIXI, C-DAC, NIELIT, MyGov, NeGD, and various partner institutions.
The National Informatics Centre (NIC), through its extensive digital infrastructure and communication networks, played a crucial role in amplifying the outreach efforts.
As part of this extensive campaign, 1,521 awareness workshops were conducted across 35 States, UTs, 599 districts, 493 blocks, tehsils, and 134 gram panchayats, reaching over 3.08 lakh beneficiaries.
These workshops covered key topics such as cyber threat mitigation, digital security best practices, and responsible online behavior.
Additionally, a series of expert talks, quizzes, and competitions were organized to reinforce awareness further.
To maximise outreach, promotional messages and expert interviews were broadcast on a Pan India basis in 11 major Indian languages, covering vital topics such as cyber hygiene practices, common cyber threats, and the mechanism for reporting cybercrimes through the toll-free National Cybercrime Helpline Number (1930).
These messages were disseminated through FM stations, Prasar Bharati, and Vividh Bharati networks, achieving an estimated reach of 2.27 crore listeners.
On digital platforms, social media outreach led by MyGov, NIC, and ISEA teams garnered over 5.49 lakh impressions and 63.57 lakh views through 680 creative posts.
An online awareness workshop, 'Navigating the Digital Highway: Safeguarding Your Online Journey,' was also organized for MeitY officials and other government ministries, departments, and organizations. It engaged 1,217 participants in discussions on digital safety.
The session sensitised participants on best cybersecurity practices and also provided demonstrations of insightful security tools, such as PIC2MAP, deviceinfo.me, coveryourtracks.eff.org, stopNCII.org, SecureEraser app, etc., which help in verifying online content authenticity, preventing identity fraud, analyzing device fingerprints, and securing personal data.
Participants highly appreciated the workshop for its practical approach and relevance in addressing contemporary cybersecurity challenges.
The Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) Project, implemented by MeitY, aims to strengthen cybersecurity awareness and build skilled human resources in Information Security.
The recently approved ISEA Phase-III (October 2023) seeks to develop 2.25 lakh trained individuals in cybersecurity over five years, including 45,000 skilled and certified cybersecurity professionals (CISOs, Deputy CISOs, and aspirants) and 2.3 lakh students and researchers in formal and non-formal courses.
Additionally, the project aims to cover over 12 crore beneficiaries from diverse backgrounds--school children, teachers, college students, faculty, women, senior citizens, government employees, MSMEs, and NGOs--through mass awareness initiatives under the Cyber Aware Digital Naagrik campaign. (ANI)