Daily Current Affairs 2025  

23/08/2025

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CA-23/08/2025

Contents
1. Parliamentary Committee report on cyber crime
2. CCPA penalty on Rapido and VLCC
3. National Space Day

 

Why in news?
The committee’s 254th report, "Cyber Crime – Ramifications, Protection and Prevention," tabled on August 20, 2025.

Key Findings of Report
 
1. Parliament Standing Committee on Home Affairs (August 2025)

• The reports highlights the exponential rise in cybercrime complaints and sophisticated financial frauds.
• Cryptocurrency: The report references crypto 15 times, citing its role in scams, laundering, and ransomware. The committee urges stricter regulation and cross-border cooperation to monitor virtual asset service providers and prevent abuse.
• Scale of complaints and losses: Over 53.9 lakh complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal since August 2019 till November 2024. Nearly 85% of these concerned financial crimes, often linked to cryptocurrency. The amount recovered was ?31,594 crore, but a majority of losses were not recoverable.

• Recommendations:

• Strengthen regulation of virtual asset service providers
• Foster cross-border intelligence-sharing
• Launch public awareness campaigns against crypto-based frauds
• Enhance multilateral monitoring of crypto exchanges and wallets

2. Standing Committee on Finance (Report of July 2023, Action Taken Updated October 2024)

• Recognized government initiatives: Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND), National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, and other coordination mechanisms.
• Stressed the need to enhance regulatory control over service providers, particularly big tech and telecom companies, and not allow them to sideline inputs from Indian regulators.
• Committee calls for a Cyber Protection Authority to streamline the current decentralized regulatory landscape, improving the government’s ability to counter cyber threats.
• Key recommendations accepted by Government include improved oversight and regulatory integration.

3. Committee on Communications and Information Technology (Feb 2024)

• Noted a trust deficit in the digital payment ecosystem due to high losses from cyber frauds and low recovery rates.
• Between 2022 and 2023, reported cyber frauds rose from ?2,296 crore to ?5,574 crore, but the recovery rate over three years (2020-2022) was just about 10.4%.
• Called for urgent measures to increase public trust in digital payments through robust security and rapid fraud resolution.

4. Ministry of Home Affairs Initiatives (2025)

• Measures include blocking thousands of suspicious Skype and WhatsApp accounts, workshops for hot-spot regions, and the operationalization of platforms like Samanvaya for law enforcement data sharing.
• Seven Joint Cyber Coordination Teams (JCCTs) set up for cybercrime hotspots to boost multi-jurisdictional coordination among States/UTs.

Current Challenges Identified

• Rapid escalation in cybercrime complaints and financial frauds
• Cryptocurrency’s exploitation for laundering, scams, and cross-border fraud
• Fragmented regulatory landscape with insufficient integration
• Low recovery rate for fraud victims and significant trust deficit in digital transactions
• Need for public awareness and education on cyber hygiene

Key Recommendations

• Strengthen regulation of virtual asset service providers to monitor and control cryptocurrency exchanges and prevent their misuse in scams, laundering, and ransomware.
• Establish a unified national Cyber Protection Authority to streamline the currently decentralized regulatory framework and improve government coordination against cyber threats.
• Foster cross-border intelligence-sharing and multilateral cooperation to tackle cybercrime and cryptocurrency-related frauds more effectively.
• Enhance oversight and regulatory powers over technology and telecom service providers, ensuring their accountability and cooperation with Indian regulatory agencies.
• Launch public awareness and education campaigns focused on cyber hygiene, cybercrime risks, and safe digital practices to reduce victimization.
• Improve multi-jurisdictional law enforcement coordination through Joint Cyber Coordination Teams (JCCTs) for better investigation and prosecution of cybercrime hotspots.
• Boost recovery rates of financial frauds and improve trust in digital payment ecosystems by enforcing robust security measures and rapid fraud resolution.
• These findings show Parliament’s growing urgency to address cybercrime, with a focus on regulatory reform, cryptocurrency risks, coordinated law enforcement, and public awareness in 2025.

These recommendations aim to address the rapid rise in cybercrime complaints, especially related to cryptocurrency and financial frauds, and strengthen India's legal, technological, and operational framework for cybercrime prevention and control in 2025

Overview of Cyber Crime in India (2025)
Current Status and Trends

• India faces an unprecedented volume and sophistication of cyber threats targeting individuals, organizations, and critical sectors.
• Over 369 million malware detections were recorded in the year leading up to 2025, averaging about 702 detections per minute.
• Cyber attacks are spreading beyond metro cities to Tier 2 urban centers, with Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Bengaluru as major hotspots.
• The healthcare sector is the top targeted, accounting for nearly 22% of attacks, followed by hospitality and banking (about 19.5% and 17.4%, respectively).
• Attacks increasingly involve AI-powered malware, ransomware, cloud vulnerabilities, supply chain compromises, and fintech app scams.
• The rise of cloud computing creates new attack surfaces, with 62% of cyber detections occurring in cloud environments.
• Cybercriminals are leveraging generative AI and social media for highly targeted scams and impersonations.
• State-sponsored cyber attacks are also a concern in India's geopolitical context.

Types of Cyber Crimes in India

• Crimes against individuals: Cyberstalking, online harassment, sexual harassment, cyberbullying, defamation.
• Crimes against property: Hacking, identity theft, data destruction, ransomware attacks, financial fraud, phishing, software piracy.
• Crimes against the government: Cyberterrorism, cyber warfare, hacking of government databases, distribution of pirated software.
• Specialized crimes include child pornography, domain squatting, salami attacks (micro-thefts via computers), and fake app frauds.

Cyber Crime Statistics

• Dramatic rise in cybercrime complaints in recent years; reported cases increased five-fold over three years.
• Financial fraud related to cybercrime tripled with substantial monetary losses, although only a fraction of the losses are recovered.
• Cybercrime via cryptocurrency frauds and virtual asset misuse is expanding rapidly.

Government Measures and Initiatives

• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal enables citizens to report cybercrimes easily.
• Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) coordinates responses to cyber threats, conducts audits, awareness, and issues advisories.
• National Cyber Security Policy (2013) provides a framework for protecting critical information infrastructure.
• Cyber Crime Prevention for Women and Children (CCPWC) initiative focuses on combating cybercrimes targeting vulnerable groups.
• Programs like Cyber Surakshit Bharat aim to train government officials in cybersecurity.
• Establishment of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) to provide an ecosystem for law enforcement agencies.
• Special Joint Cyber Coordination Teams (JCCTs) are set up in hotspots for coordination among states.
• Increasing collaboration between government agencies and private sector to build cybersecurity capabilities.

India’s cybercrime landscape in 2025 is characterized by rapid growth in volume and complexity of threats, increasing financial and social impact, and proactive government initiatives to combat evolving risks.
 
 
   
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Rapido for misleading advertisements with the claims "Guaranteed Auto" and "AUTO IN 5 MIN OR GET ?50." And ?3 Lakh on VLCC limited for Misleading Fat-Loss Ads on CoolSculpting.
The advertisements were found to be false, misleading, and unfair trade practices.
 
About CCPA
Established under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 to protect consumer rights in India.
 
The structure of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA):
 

• Chief Commissioner: Head of the Authority responsible for overall leadership and administration.
• Two Commissioners: One Commissioner for goods-related issues and another for services-related matters.
• Investigation Wing: Led by a Director-General, including Additional Director General, Directors, Joint Directors, Deputy Directors, and Assistant Directors responsible for conducting inquiries and investigations.
• District Collectors: Empowered to inquire and investigate complaints within their jurisdiction as referred by CCPA or its Commissioners and submit reports.

Powers and Functions of CCPA

• Established under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 to protect consumer rights in India.
• Protects, promotes, and enforces the rights of consumers as a class.
• Prevents unfair trade practices and ensures no person engages in such practices.
• Regulates and prohibits false or misleading advertisements of goods and services.
• Has powers to inquire, investigate, and take suo motu action or based on complaints.
• Can order recalls of hazardous or unsafe goods and withdrawal of unsafe services.
• Issues safety notices to alert consumers against dangerous products or services.
• Can impose penalties and fines on violators, including suspension or cancellation of licenses.
• Advises Central and State Governments on consumer welfare measures.
• Promotes consumer awareness and education on rights and responsibilities.
• Encourages cooperation with NGOs and consumer organizations.
• Has authority to regulate e-commerce and modern trade practices.
• Can file complaints or intervene in consumer dispute redressal commissions.
• Mandates the use of unique goods identifiers to prevent unfair practices.

 
   
Why in news?
National Space Day in India is celebrated annually on August 23 to commemorate the successful soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023.
 
Theme: "Aryabhatta to Gaganyaan: Ancient Wisdom to Infinite Possibilities"
 
Significance:

• Celebrates ISRO's scientific achievements, including past milestones like the Aryabhata satellite, Mars Orbiter Mission, and the NAVIC navigation system.
• Inspires young minds to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
• Highlights space technology’s applications in agriculture, disaster management, weather forecasting, communication, and navigation.
• Reinforces national pride in India’s growing stature as a global space power.

Key Indian Space Missions and Initiatives in 2025:
 
Gaganyaan Program: India's flagship human spaceflight program aims to send Indian astronauts (Gagannauts) into Low Earth Orbit. The uncrewed test flight, Gaganyaan-1, is targeted for late 2025 (around December) featuring the humanoid robot Vyommitra. This mission is critical to validating crew safety systems for future crewed missions planned in 2026-27.
 
NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR): A joint Earth observation satellite mission with NASA, planned for launch in 2025 aboard GSLV-F16. It will use advanced radar imaging to monitor Earth's ecosystems, natural disasters, climate change, and land ice dynamics, providing valuable all-weather, day-night data.
 
Chandrayaan-4: Planned lunar mission aiming for a sophisticated sample-return mission around 2027. This follows the success of Chandrayaan-3's historic soft landing on the Moon's south pole in 2023, making India a pioneer in polar lunar exploration.
 
Next-Generation Launch Vehicles (NGLV): ISRO is developing reusable launch vehicles that incorporate recovery and reuse technology, aimed at increasing payload capacity drastically (up to 30,000 kg to LEO) and reducing launch costs, marking a major step beyond expendable launchers.
 
Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS): A planned Indian space station targeted for operational status by 2035, enabling long-duration human space missions and scientific experiments in orbit.
 
Mars and Venus Missions: Plans include a Venus Orbiter Mission around 2028 and a Mars Lander Mission with rover and helicopter planned around 2031, enhancing India's interplanetary exploration capabilities.
 
Satellite Development: India continues to advance numerous satellite programs for communication, navigation (NavIC augmentation), disaster management, resource monitoring, and scientific research.
 
 

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