About Sanchar Saathi
The central government introduced Sanchar Saathi, an artificial intelligence-based portal that allows telecom users to track and block their lost or stolen phones, even if a new SIM is inserted. Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw formally unveiled the portal on May 16th 2023, and it is now available nationwide.
The development of the Sanchar Saathi portal aims to prevent fraudulent activities like identity theft, forged KYC, and banking frauds, etc. Sanchar Saathi Portal is also important for UPSC Prelims Exam and UPSC Mains Exam (GS Paper 2- Various Government Initiatives for solving problems in the sector)
Need for Sanchar Saathi Portal
With 117 crore subscribers, India has emerged as the second largest telecom ecosystem in the world. In addition to communication, mobile phones are being used for banking, entertainment, e-learning, healthcare, availing government services, etc.
- It is therefore crucial that the users are protected from various frauds such as identity theft, forged KYC, theft of mobile devices, banking frauds, etc.
- To protect users, Deptt of Telecom has developed a citizen centric portal named Sanchar Saathi
Sanchar Saathi Portal Details
Misusing mobile phones can lead to various frauds, including identity theft, forged KYC, and banking frauds. To combat these issues, the development of the Sanchar Saathi portal aims to prevent such fraudulent activities.
- The utilization of the Sanchar Saathi portal has resulted in the identification of over 40 lakh fraudulent connections, out of which more than 36 lakh connections have already been disconnected.
- Sanchar Saathi portal allows citizens to:
Check the connections registered on their names
Report fraudulent or unrequired connections
Block the mobile phones which are stolen/lost
Check IMEI genuineness before buying a mobile phone.
Modules Developed by Telecom Department (Centralized Equipment Identity Register (CEIR))
- In case any mobile device is stolen or lost, a user can submit the IMEI numbers on the portal.
- Information submitted by user along with a copy of police complaint is then verified.
- The system is integrated with the Telecom Service Providers and Law enforcement Agencies.
- Once the information is verified, the system blocks the stolen mobile phones from being used in Indian networks.
- In case anyone tries to use the stolen device, the system allows Law Enforcement Agencies to trace the device.
- When the stolen device is recovered, the user can unlock the device on the portal.
- The system prevents use of stolen/lost mobiles.
- It also prevents mobile devices with inaccurate or forged IMEIs being used in Indian networks.
