Grand opening of nationwide DSCI Cyber Security Awareness Drive launched by Hon’ IT Minister of Maharashtra

• A month-long nationwide Cyber Security and Privacy awareness drive kicked off for citizens.
• The multistakeholder campaign will sensitise citizens around cyber security and privacy best practices while raising awareness against rising cybercrimes.
• Grand opening ceremony hosted at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) through the symbolic IPO bell to ‘Ring the Bell for Security’.

Mumbai, 25 Sep. 2025: Data Security Council of India today launched a nationwide multistakeholder Cyber Security Awareness Drive to promote digital safety and create a safer cyberspace for all. The campaign was formally flagged off by Shri Ashish Shelar, Minister for Information Technology, Govt. of Maharashtra and other dignitaries from Maharashtra Cybercrime Dept., SEBI, SBI, BSE.

October is globally celebrated as the Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM). To champion the cause, DSCI with the help of its supporting partners will promote cybersecurity awareness and digital safety encouraging citizens, businesses, and stakeholders to join hands and spread the word to stay safe online. To symbolise the joint efforts of the government and industry, the time-honoured ‘Ring the Bell’ tradition at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) was utilised as a symbol of commitment to raise awareness and promote cyber safety.

The theme for 2025 is ‘Cyber Suraksha Drive’ inspired by the vibrant spirit of Indian Truck Art. The campaign, throughout October, will deliver a truckload of safety information to Stay Safe Online. Beyond its colourful aesthetics, the campaign will cover key areas such as social media safety, digital payments, app and account security, email safety, AI-driven scams and cybercrime redressal. Citizens will be informed about rising cybercrime incidents and sensitised on how to stay safe. All awareness material and artefacts are available at: https://www.dsci.in/cyber-security-awareness-month-2025/

The CSAM awareness drive is supported by India Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) of Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, CERT-In and other industry partners CRED, HDFC Bank, IIFL Finance, Bangalore International Airport Ltd, Protectt.ai, Providence, Punjab National Bank, QRC Assurance and Solutions, SQ1 Security, Target and ZS Associates.

Launching the awareness drive, Shri Ashish Shelar, Minister for Information Technology, Government of Maharashtra, said, “We as a country are a living example for the world as a digitally progressive country. The time has therefore come to work through public-private synergy and leverage our collaborative strength to build digital resilient systems and prevent cybercrimes. The Maharashtra Government has established a task force to formulate a comprehensive Cybersecurity Policy to secure the state’s IT and digital infrastructure.

The Cyber Suraksha Drive by DSCI is a multistakeholder approach. As urban, semi urban and rural individuals are using digital platforms, more and more citizens are falling victim to cybercrimes. Therefore, this week, this month, the drive for cyber security awareness is a much-needed drive for the country that has over 700 million internet users.”

At the CSAM opening ceremony, Vinayak Godse, CEO, DSCI said, “Digital solutions have enabled citizens to connect online for business, transactions and communication with increased volume and velocity. Albeit this has also led adversaries to defraud citizens and commit cybercrimes which put citizens and businesses at risk. Hence, end-user awareness has become very critical as growing challenges demand stronger confidence in individuals to protect themselves and overcome cyber threats.

The Cyber Security Awareness Drive aims to bring everyone together from different small cities and organisations in this journey and impart cyber education. I would like to thank the government and industry partners for coming forward and supporting us in this cause driven awareness initiative.”