A hill state of roughly 11 million people just outpaced most of India's larger, better-resourced states on cyber crime governance — and the Prime Minister's Office made it official. The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand announced on 7 August 2026 that the state has secured a place among the top-five states in India for cyber crime management, as assessed in the PRAGATI review meeting convened by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on 6 August 2026.

What the PMO's PRAGATI scorecard actually measured

The ranking is not a pat on the back — it is a structured verdict. The State/UT Performance Matrix covering the period 1 January to 31 July 2026 evaluated every state and union territory on their adoption of national cyber infrastructure rolled out by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The criteria were specific and hard to game: establishment of a State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C), implementation of e-Zero FIR, active use of the Grievance Redressal Module (GRM), the Money Restoration Module (MRM), the Sahyog Portal, the Samanvaya Portal, inter-agency information sharing, CIAR compliance, capacity-building through CyTrain, national cyber hot-spot analysis, and public awareness campaigns. Uttarakhand performed 'extremely effectively' across most of these parameters, the post states.

Money back in victims' accounts, mule accounts frozen

Two metrics stand out as direct wins for citizens. Through the Money Restoration Module (MRM), Uttarakhand Police has achieved 'notable success' in securing and returning funds to cyber fraud victims — the kind of outcome that converts institutional rankings into lived relief. Simultaneously, a targeted campaign against mule bank accounts — the conduit accounts used to launder proceeds of cyber fraud — has led to identification, freezing, and legal action against a network that enables organised cyber crime. The 1930 National Cyber Helpline operates 24x7 across the state, with dedicated GRM and MRM teams handling rapid complaint resolution and fund recovery.

US4C: Uttarakhand's dedicated cyber command taking shape

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had previously announced the creation of the Uttarakhand State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (US4C), and the state government has now issued a formal notification for its establishment. A separate building and dedicated infrastructure budget have been provisioned, moving US4C from announcement to institution. The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttarakhand, working alongside I4C, continues to anchor prevention, investigation, technical support, inter-state coordination, and victim assistance. Nearly all eligible complaints received under the e-Zero FIR system are being registered within stipulated timelines, the post states.

DGP Deepam Seth and CM Dhami on what drove the ranking

Director General of Police Deepam Seth called the top-five placement 'a matter of immense pride and satisfaction' for the state police, attributing it to coordinated, technology-driven efforts across Uttarakhand Police, the STF, and all associated units. CM Dhami framed the achievement within the state government's declared work culture of 'saraleekarana, samaadhaan, nistarana evam santushti' — simplification, resolution, disposal, and satisfaction — and expressed confidence that the force would sustain this commitment to building a secure digital ecosystem for citizens. Capacity-building through CyTrain and the Cyber Commando Programme keeps officers continuously trained, while state-wide awareness campaigns specifically target students, women, youth, and senior citizens.

A mountain state at the top of India's cyber crime governance table is not a coincidence — it is a template. Whether Uttarakhand can convert this ranking into a fully operational US4C and hold the position in the next matrix will be the real test.