The Ministry of Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) today held a knowledge session under Chairmanship of Secretary, MSME on “Building Cyber Resilience Towards a Cyber Jagrit Bharat” in hybrid mode, as part of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month. The knowledge session covered various aspects relating to emerging digital threats, financial frauds and redressal mechanisms. Over 1,500 stakeholders participated in the hybrid session comprising officials of the Ministry, its organisations, field offices, MSME Associations, and MSME. The key guest speakers included senior officials from the Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) Special Cell, Delhi Police, HDFC Bank, and Punjab National Bank.

 

Shri S.C.L. Das, Secretary, Ministry of MSME, delivered the keynote address articulating a transformative vision. He stated that “Viksit Bharat can be achieved through Sashakt Bharat (Empowered India), which can be achieved through Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India), and Atmanirbhar Bharat can only be achieved through Cyber Sashakt MSME (Cyber Empowered MSME)”. He called for collective actions across government, industry, MSME, and citizens to build a digitally secure and resilient MSME ecosystem. 

Dr. Simmi Chaudhary, Economic Adviser & Joint Secretary and CISO, Ministry of MSME, underscored that Cyber security transcends Information Technology (IT) and is fundamental to economic resilience and MSME sustainability. She stressed on the need for empowering every MSME to embrace robust cyber practices, which paves the way not just for Cyber Jagrit MSME but also for Cyber Jagrit Bharat, where resilience, self-reliance, and digital trust together drive India’s inclusive growth and innovation.

Shri Vinit Kumar, DCP, IFSO (Special Cell), Delhi Police outlined IFSO unit’s advanced capabilities including state-of-the-art forensic laboratories, rapid-response protocols, and coordination mechanisms. He elaborated on the “Golden Hour” concept—emphasizing immediate fraud reporting through the 1930 Financial Fraud Helpline and cybercrime.gov.in portal to freeze fraudulent transactions, alert banks swiftly, and enable effective law enforcement intervention. He analyzed emerging cyber fraud patterns including UPI scams, deepfake threats, social engineering attacks, and digital payment vulnerabilities.

Shri Vijay Gahlawat, ACP, IFSO (Special Cell), Delhi Police demonstrated the National Cyber Forensic Lab’s role in digital evidence collection, chain-of-custody protocols, and prosecution support. He provided a detailed walkthrough of the citizen-centric cybercrime reporting portal, explaining how 14-digit complaint IDs enable systematic case tracking, inter-agency coordination, and accountability. He addressed participant queries on deepfake threats, cross-jurisdictional investigations, and whistleblower protection mechanisms. Additionally, he highlighted how these facilities and protocols ensure that digital evidence related to business fraud, financial cybercrimes, or intellectual property theft is collected, analyzed, and presented in a manner that strengthens the ability of MSME to seek justice, ensure operational continuity, and recover losses quickly.

Shri Amit Thakur, Deputy Vice President & Area Head – Investigation, HDFC Bank and Shri Rupinder Singh Talwar, Assistant General Manager (IT), Cyber & Information Security Division, Punjab National Bank (PNB) presented a comprehensive analysis of current cybercrime trends targeting MSMEs, including UPI fraud, payment gateway vulnerabilities, business email compromise, and social engineering tactics, outlined the multi-layered security architecture of banks, encompassing continuous vulnerability scans, secure API implementations for merchant payments, intrusion detection systems, and customer awareness campaigns.

 

Virtual attendees from the Ministry of MSME and its attached field offices raised practical queries on topics including the speed of fund recovery after reporting cyber incidents, selection of affordable and scalable cybersecurity solutions for MSMEs, capacity-building and training programs for staff, protection against ransomware and phishing attacks, and available legal remedies for cross-border cybercrimes.

This endeavour reinforces the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises’ unwavering commitment to securing the MSME sector—the backbone of India’s economy—in an increasingly digital landscape. Similar knowledge sessions are being organized nationwide as part of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month, fostering a culture of cyber resilience and digital empowerment.

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AKS

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