Context: The Delhi High Court asked the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to explain what step has been taken to recognise and classify transgenders as a separate third gender in its annual publication of Prison Statistics India.

Analysis

National Crime Records Bureau

• NCRB, now under the Home Ministry, was set up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
  
• NCRB developed Crime Criminal Information System (CCIS) in the year 1995, Common Integrated Police Application (CIPA) in 2004, and finally Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & System (CCTNS) in 2009. 
  
• National Digital Police Portal allows search for a criminal/suspect on a national database apart from providing various services to citizens like filing complaints online and seeking antecedent verification of tenants, domestic help, drivers etc.
  
• NCRB also compiles and publishes annual National Crime Statistics i.e., Crime in India, Accidental Deaths & Suicides, Prison Statistics and Finger Prints. 
  
• NCRB has been conferred with “Digital India Awards 2016-Silver Open Data Championship” from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
  
• NCRB has also floated various IT based Public Services like Vahan Samanvay (online Motor Vehicle Matching), Talash (matching of missing persons and dead bodies).
  
• In addition, NCRB also maintains Counterfeit Currency Information and Management System (FICN) and Firearms Coordination System for lost and recovered firearms.
  

Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) portal

• Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) portal to check objectionable online content.
  
• The portal will allow citizens to lodge complaints on objectionable online content related to child pornography, child sexual abuse material and sexually explicit material such as rape and gang rape.
  
• The portal will enable citizens to report complainants in without disclosing their identity.
  
• It also allows complainants to upload objectionable content and URL to assist in the investigation by state Police.
  
• The complaints registered through this portal will be handled by police authorities of respective State/UTs.
  
• In this regard, NCRB has been notified as a Central Government nodal agency to issue notices under the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Other functions of NCRB

• To function as a clearinghouse of information on crime and criminals including those operating at National and International levels so as to assists the investigators.
  
• To store, coordinate and disseminate information on inter-state and international criminals from and to respective States, national investigating agencies, courts and prosecutors in India without having to refer to the Police Station records.
  
• To collect and process crime statistics at the National level.
  
• Executive and develop computer-based systems for the Central Police Organisations.
  
• To function as the National storehouse of fingerprint (FP) records of convicted persons including FP records of foreign criminals.