It Ministry

Platforms have almost doubled-tripled deepfake takedowns: Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday highlighted rising concerns over AI-generated deepfakes, and noted that social media platforms, too, have scaled up efforts on deepfake takedowns. The minister termed deepfakes as a new menace and a threat to society. "A lot of content has started coming in the nature of deepfakes. Because of whatever changes have happened in the AI world, a huge quantity of deepfakes have started coming in the social media... the entire world, and the social media platforms themselves have significantly ramped up their efforts at removing the deepfakes," Vaishnaw, who is the minister for IT as well as Information and Broadcasting, told reporters. The platforms themselves have almost doubled or tripled their own takedowns of deepfake content, he added. "It's a new menace, new threat, which is coming for the society," he said, adding that countering it effectively is very important for society, for every individual, and institution.

Govt in talks with tech industry, no impact seen from Iran war: Vaishnaw

The government is in dialogue with hi-tech industry associations on the West Asia conflict and its impact on the ecosystem, and industry bodies have not reported any adverse impact on their operations, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday. The Electronics and IT Minister's comments came amid reports that the helium crunch has started impacting global tech supply chains. "We have asked every industry association here, and each one has said that so far there is no impact... This includes semiconductors, mobile, electronics components, and hardware space...It is an evolving situation. So, we will continue interacting with the industry," Vaishnaw told reporters. The industry believes that the West Asia crisis will not be prolonged, he said.

Govt clears 29 electronics component mfg proposals worth ₹7,104 crore

The government has approved 29 applications under the electronics component manufacturing scheme entailing cumulative investment of Rs 7,104 crore, a senior IT ministry official said on Monday. The Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) Secretary, S Krishnan, said the fresh investment proposal will create as many as 14,246 new jobs in the segment. The new applications will lead to the production of electronics components worth Rs 84,515 crore, he said. With this new set of approvals, Meity has approved a total of 75 applications.

India trained 85,000 engineers in 4 years under Semicon 2.0: Vaishnaw

Prioritising talent development under the Government of India's Semiconductor Mission, Union Minister for Railways and Electronics & IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, stated that India has achieved its 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design in just 4 years.The Minister on Monday informed that world-class Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, Cadence, Synopsys, and Siemens, have been made available in 315 universities across the country, and with the help of these tools, students are designing actual semiconductor chips, according to a release.These chips are being fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, giving students hands-on experience across the entire process from design to manufacturing and validation, he said.Vaishnaw further stated that students from universities across the nation, from Assam to Gujarat and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, are actively engaging in semiconductor design. This marks a significant milestone ...

Govt toughens rules on AI content, mandates 3-hour takedown timeline

From February 20, social media and internet intermediaries must remove unlawful content within three hours and non-consensual intimate imagery within two hours under amended IT rules

Kunal Kamra challenges Sahyog Portal, IT Rules amendment in Bombay HC

Comedian Kunal Kamra has approached the Bombay HC challenging the Centre's Sahyog Portal and amended IT Rules, alleging they enable content blocking without safeguards and violate free speech rights

Meity unhappy with X's reply on Grok misuse, may seek more details

Government may seek additional details on chatbot's role in generating explicit images

Grok objectionable content row: Govt gives X another 72 hours to file reply

Centre gives Elon Musk-owned X 72 more hours to explain how Grok generated objectionable images, seeks detailed technical and governance review

Explicit image row: Meity asks X to review Grok, submit report in 72 hours

X may lose safe harbour if IT ministry not satisfied with the response, say officials

Centre pulls pre-installation mandate for Sanchar Saathi app after backlash

The Ministry of Communications said that given the surge in voluntary downloads of Sanchar Saathi, pre-installation of the app will not be mandatory for manufacturers

Govt to modernise SCL Mohali with Rs 4,500 cr investment: Ashwini Vaishnaw

The government plans to invest Rs 4,500 crore to modernise state-owned chip company Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) over the next three years, union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday. Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is the only integrated device manufacturing facility in the country providing end-to-end solutions for the development of Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), opto-electronics devices, and Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) devices. The minister said that the centre has requested the Punjab government for a 25-acre parcel of land to support the expansion. "SCL will be modernised with an investment of Rs 4,500 crore over a period of the next three years," Vaishnaw said at the device handling ceremony here. He said SCL will play a significant role in realising the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for semiconductors and assured that there is no question o

Govt working to shield conventional media amid rapid digitisation: Vaishnaw

The government has planned a series of initiatives to shield the conventional media from the disruptions expected due to rapid digitisation in the sector. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the government plans to remove the regulatory overhang in the radio industry and Television Rating Point (TRP) reforms. "The government is working to remove regulatory barriers wherever they exist," the minister said in an informal interaction with reporters here. Vaishnaw said the ministry is exploring ways to improve the television rating system to ensure fair revenue to television channels from government advertisements. "Television Rating Point (TRP) guidelines are being formulated. The first round of consultation is complete, feedback has been received, and a second consultation paper will be published soon," the minister said. The government is also considering increasing the advertisement rates for print and television media. Vaishnaw said the

DFS, Meity secys among 3 external members of Payments Regulatory Board

The new Payments Regulatory Board, chaired by the RBI governor, will replace BPSS and include government nominees - the DFS secretary, Meity secretary and retired IAS officer Aruna Sundararajan

Online Gaming Act to be implemented from Oct 1: IT Minister Vaishnaw

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act that bans all forms of online money games, would be implemented from October 1, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday. The Act, passed by Parliament last month, bars all forms of online money games while promoting e-sports and other online games. "The rules will be promulgated with effect from October 1," Vaishnaw said during a pre-event conference for the planned AI Impact Summit 2026 India. The minister said that the government had engaged in discussions with the industry, even after the online gaming legislation was passed. "We have engaged with the industry, we have had multiple discussions with them, we have been having discussions with them for last almost three years. After passing the law, once again, we engaged with them, we also engaged with the banks and practically all stakeholders possible, and we have finalised the rules," he said. The government will hold one more round of discussions with the industry, he ..

CCI, MeitY to work together on competition and data protection issues

CCI and MeitY have agreed to collaborate on overlaps between the DPDP Act and Competition Act, aiming for regulatory harmony in addressing data protection, competition and consumer welfare

Govt clears 23 chip design projects under DLI scheme in semiconductor push

Among the supported firms is Bengaluru-based Vervesemi, developing ICs for space, defence, and smart energy applications

TCS layoffs: Meity keeping close watch; IT union writes to labour minister

The IT Ministry is keeping a close watch on situation arising out of Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) decision to lay off over 12,000 employees, and is in touch with the Tata Group company, sources said on Monday. The move comes as India's largest IT services company is preparing to lay off two per cent of its global workforce this year, in what it describes as a broader strategy to become a "future-ready organisation", with focus on investments in technology, AI deployment, market expansion, and workforce realignment. The bulk of the impact will be felt on middle and senior grades at TCS. The IT Ministry is keeping a close watch on the entire situation, and is in touch with the tech company, sources said. The ministry is concerned and will go into the underlying causes that has prompted the move. The blue-chip stock dipped 1.76 per cent closing at Rs 3,079.05 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Monday, as news of layoffs sent fresh tremors in the tech circles. Meanwhile

Vaishnaw announces free AI training for over 5.5 lakh CSC franchise holders

The government will provide training on artificial intelligence to over 5.5 lakh Village Level Entrepreneurs who run Common Service Centres for free, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. While speaking at the 10th anniversary of CSC SPV, Vaishnaw said that training will be provided under the government's IndiaAI Mission, which has a provision to train 10 lakh people on AI. "All of you will be given AI training for free. We have set a target under the IndiaAI Mission to skill around 10 lakh people. All 5.5 lakh VLEs will be given preference in that training," Vaishnaw said. Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada brought to the notice of the minister the demand of CSC VLEs for merging state-based government services centres with CSC, as it will provide them a higher income generation opportunity. He also said that CSC VLEs want allotment of Aadhaar-related work at their centre. Vaishnaw asked CSC SPV to prepare details on the merger of state-based servi

Govt denies Reuters takedown order; Elon Musk's X insists it happened

X says blocking done on government request, while the IT ministry claims no such request was made

Centre refutes claims, says X took 21 hours to unblock Reuters accounts

The clarification came after X blocked accounts of several news platforms including Reuters and Reuters World on July 5