Rs 89cr to create cyber security centre of excellence

Bhubaneswar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday proposed the creation of a centre of excellence for cyber security with an allocation of Rs 89 crore, aimed at strengthening Odisha police in tackling emerging threats from cyberspace. Majhi also made budgetary allocations to improve crime investigation and justice delivery."It will strengthen cyber monitoring, digital forensics, capacity building and advanced response capabilities, and significantly enhance the state's preparedness for technology-driven crime and secure digital governance," Majhi said in his budget speech. Majhi proposed Rs 30 crore for strengthening forensic science laboratories to ensure timely and high-quality examinations, and Rs 33 crore for the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems to enable seamless digital integration of police stations and criminal records.Emphasising technology-led and citizen-centric reforms, the CM earmarked Rs 117 crore under the Subhadra Surakhya Yojana. To enhance emergency response and ensure faster access to police, fire and medical services, he proposed Rs 61 crore for the Emergency Response Support System (dial 112). In memory of police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty, Majhi announced Rs 10 crore for a police memorial in Bhubaneswar, modelled on the National Police Memorial in New Delhi. To be built at the 7th OSAP Battalion campus, the memorial will commemorate martyrs, provide a ceremonial space for police commemoration day, serve as a heritage and knowledge hub on Odisha's policing history, and foster public-police trust. Reaffirming Odisha's commitment to the Centre's goal of ending Naxalism by March 31, Majhi said the state is pursuing a dual strategy. "On one hand, we are intensifying operations with the help of central armed police forces, and on the other, we are offering incentives to cadres who surrender, thereby reducing extremist ranks under a comprehensive rehabilitation policy," he said.