UP Police Portal Receives Scotch Award

• 12 Apr 2025

Why in News? 

The Investigation, Prosecution and Conviction Portal developed by the Technical Services Unit of Uttar Pradesh Police has been awarded the Scotch Award . 

Key Points 

• About the Portal:  
  • This award has been given in the Police and Security category . 
  • The Investigation, Prosecution and Conviction Portal has been developed by the Technical Services Unit of Uttar Pradesh Police . 
  • This portal monitors the investigation process in cases related to mafia, POCSO, rape and other heinous crimes . 
  • Through this, the work of filing charge sheets on time and expediting the judicial process is done. 
  • So far, 85,000 people have been convicted through this portal and more than 40,000 five-year old cases have been settled. 
• Scotch Award:  
  • Established in the year 2003 by the Scotch Group , it is an independent civilian award given to individuals, projects and institutions that make significant contributions to the sustainable development of India . 
  • This award is given especially to recognize outstanding work in governance, finance, technology and social sectors . 

POCSO Act 

• The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act came into force on November 14, 2012, as a result of India's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in the year 1992. 
• This special law aims to address the crimes of sexual exploitation and sexual assault of children , which are either not specifically defined or adequately punished. 
• The Act defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years . The Act prescribes punishment according to the severity of the offence . 
• The Act was reviewed and amended in 2019 to provide for more stringent punishments, including the death penalty, in cases of sexual abuse of children, in order to prevent such crimes against children. 
• The Government of India has also notified  the POCSO Rules, 2020.