Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Saturday, called for strict action against cyber criminals on various hotspots of cyber crime with better coordination between the Central and state security agencies.

The Home Minister was speaking at the 30th North Zone Council (NZC) meeting held in Pink City here.

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While dwelling on the growing threat of cybercrime and strategies for its prevention, he advised the states and Union Territories to conduct awareness campaigns on cyber vigilance through various media, use common software developed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, work in tandem to identify the issues of concern and trace the offenders and take strict action against them.

In view of the profound impact of cyber crimes on national security, public order and economic activity, the council emphasised the need to ensure the security of the nation’s cyberspace and the security of citizens as a whole.

In this context, it was decided that a committee under the chairmanship of the Union Home Secretary with all the concerned departments and state governments would prepare a strategy to tackle the growing menace of cyber crime.

Shah, who is also Cooperation Minister, said that in the northern region, inter-state issues and resolution of problems between the Center and the states are very important for the development of the country and for strengthening the federal structure.

He said that  in  the Northern Zonal Council meeting held in Chandigarh in 2019, 18 issues were discussed, of which 16 were resolved.

Shah also stressed the need to train police officers, public prosecutors and cutting edge agencies including telecom companies, their PoS agents with new technology and advanced skills. He called for maximum use of IT tools to detect cyber crimes and take systematic measures to prevent their recurrence.

The complex issue of sharing of river water among the member states also came up for discussion during the meeting.

A total of 47 issues were discussed in the meeting of the Northern Zonal Council and the 19th meeting of its Standing Committee, out of which four issues were identified as nationally important subjects.

The meeting was attended by Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal,  Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, Lieutenant Governors of Delhi and Ladakh, Vinay Kumar Saxena and Radha Krishna Mathur respectively, the Administrator of Chandigarh Banwarilal Purohit.

Delhi’s Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema and senior ministers of the member states also took part in the meeting. The meeting was also attended by the Union Home Secretary, Secretaries of the Inter-State Council Secretariat, Chief Secretaries of Member States in the Northern Region and senior officials of the States and Central Ministries and Departments.