The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) spearheaded a nationwide awareness campaign on Safer Internet Day, observed on February 11, 2025, to promote safe and responsible use of the internet. Organized under the theme ‘Together for a Better Internet’, the campaign 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) played a crucial role in amplifying the outreach efforts through its extensive digital infrastructure and communication networks.

Cyber awareness drive

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 further reinforce awareness.

Strengthening digital resilience

To maximize outreach, promotional messages and expert interviews were broadcasted 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, titled ‘Navigating the Digital Highway: Safeguarding Your Online Journey’, was also organized for the officials of MeitY and other government ministries, departments, and organizations, engaging 1,217 participants in discussions on digital safety. The session sensitized 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. The workshop was highly appreciated by participants for its practical approach and relevance in addressing contemporary cybersecurity challenges.

About ISEA

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.

For more information and access to cybersecurity awareness resources, visit https://isea.gov.in/ and https://staysafeonline.in/.

 

*****

Dharmendra Tewari/ Navin Sreejith

(Release ID: 2109132) Visitor Counter : 708