India’s Minister of Communications, Railways, Electronics & IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the Sanchar Saathi portal, an initiative aimed at safeguarding mobile phone users in the country. The portal introduces three key reforms aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India vision.
Firstly, the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) allows users to block stolen or lost mobile devices. Secondly, the “Know Your Mobile Connections” feature enables users to verify the mobile connections registered under their names. Lastly, the Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification (ASTR) helps identify fraudulent subscribers.
Sh. Vaishnaw emphasized the portal’s significance in preventing frauds such as identity theft and banking scams associated with mobile phones. The Sanchar Saathi portal has already identified over 40 lakh fraudulent connections, resulting in the disconnection of 36 lakh such connections.
The portal offers services such as checking registered connections, reporting fraudulent connections, blocking stolen devices, and verifying IMEI numbers. It was developed in-house by the Department of Telecom.
ASTR, powered by AI and facial recognition, played a crucial role in the successful detection of 40.87 lakh suspected mobile connections, with 36.61 lakh connections already disconnected. Furthermore, 40,123 Points of Sales involved in selling these connections were blacklisted, and more than 150 FIRs were lodged across India. Details of disconnected numbers were shared with banks, payment wallets, and social media platforms for further action.
Mobile phone users are encouraged to visit the Sanchar Saathi portal (https://sancharsaathi.gov.in) to access these services and enhance their digital safety.