Context: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released the Crime in India 2024 and Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) 2024 reports.
About NCRB Report: Crime Rate Drops but Cybercrime Rises:
What it is?
- The NCRB’s Crime in India report is an annual statistical publication that compiles nationwide data on crimes, cyber offences, suicides, accidents, and law-and-order trends collected from States and Union Territories.
Key Data & Statistics:
- Overall Crime Decline: India recorded 58.86 lakh cognisable crimes in 2024, marking a 6% decline compared to 2023.
- Rise in Cybercrime: Cybercrime cases increased from 86,420 (2023) to 1,01,928 (2024), a rise of over 17%.
- Fraud Dominates Cybercrime: Around 72.6% of cybercrime cases were linked to online fraud, followed by sexual exploitation and extortion.
- Drug Overdose Deaths: Fatalities due to drug overdose rose sharply by 50%, increasing from 650 deaths in 2023 to 978 in 2024.
- Suicides in India: A total of 1,70,746 suicides were recorded, with daily wage workers, unemployed persons, farmers, and homemakers forming a major share.
Significance:
- The report highlights the changing nature of crime in India, with cyber threats emerging as a major internal security challenge.
- It provides critical evidence for policymaking in policing, cybersecurity, narcotics control, mental health, and social welfare interventions.
Relevance in UPSC Exam Syllabus:
- GS Paper 2:
- Governance, vulnerable sections, social justice, and welfare issues
- GS Paper 3:
- Internal security challenges
- Cybersecurity and cybercrime
- Narcotics trafficking and organized crime
- Essay & Ethics:
- Mental health, unemployment, digital fraud, and social responsibility
