Page 14 - Rajeev Chandrasekhar

India largest 'connected' nation with over 800 mn broadband users: MoS IT

The minister said that 5G and the largest rural broadband connectivity network project at BharatNet will have 1.2 billion Indian users constituting the single largest presence of the global internet

IT rule tweak likely if social media firms abuse power: Chandrasekhar

The latest stance by the minister follows a series of confrontations between the government and Twitter over the moderation of user-generated content on the platform

May include provisions to stop shadow banning in Digital India Act: MoS IT

Minister of State for IT and electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar told media persons that the govt won't allow weaponisation of information and added that though the ministry had pre-empted such threats

Ransomware attack on AIIMS Delhi servers deliberate; NIA probe on: MoS IT

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is investigating the "deliberate and targeted" ransomware attack on the servers of AIIMS Delhi, Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Thursday. "I can't comment on that as it is a subject matter of an investigation by the NIA...It is pretty clear that it is a deliberate and targeted effort...a ransomware attack on AIIMS' system... and NIA is investigating it," Chandrasekhar said on the sidelines of the CII Global Economic Policy Summit 2022. The minister further said the NIA "will be in a position to comment on it when they are ready". Chandrasekhar, last week, had said the ransomware attack on the servers of AIIMS Delhi was a conspiracy. "It is clearly a conspiracy and it has been planned by forces that are pretty significant. It is a sophisticated ransomware attack. We will wait for the outcome of CERTin and NIA (investigations) before we come to conclusion on who is behind the ransomware attack," Chandrasekhar had said on .

India sees up to $9 bn mobile phone exports in FY23: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

India expects its mobile phones exports to rise to 700 billion rupees ($8.50 billion) to 750 billion rupees ($9.11 billion) this fiscal year, a government minister said on Thursday

Ransomware attack on AIIMS a conspiracy, planned by forces: Chandrasekhar

The ransomware attack on the servers of AIIMS Delhi is a conspiracy and planned by forces that are significant, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Friday. The servers of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, have been out of order for the 10th consecutive day due to the ransomware attack. "It is clearly a conspiracy and it has been planned by forces that are pretty significant. It is a sophisticated ransomware attack. We will wait for the outcome of CERTin and NIA (National Investigation Agency) before we come to conclusion on who is behind the ransomware attack," Chandrasekhar said. In a ransomware attack, cybercriminals lock access to data or a device and promise to unlock it after they are paid the desired ransom. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team within the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Delhi cybercrime special cell, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of

Citizens' data access only in exceptional situations: MoS IT on data bill

The government will not be able to violate the privacy of citizens under the proposed data protection law as it will get access to personal data only in exceptional circumstances like national security, pandemic and natural disasters, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said. Speaking during an online discussion, the minister said the National Data Governance Framework Policy has provision for handling anonymisation of data -- which is not part of the draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill 2022. Chandrasekhar also said the proposed Data Protection Board -- which will adjudicate matters related to data protection -- will be independent and will not have any government officer on the board. While responding to questions around privacy on Twitter Live on Saturday evening, the minister re-phrased the question of a participant to clarify the stand of the government and provisions in the draft DPDP Bill 2022. "Let us say that the government wants to

Data regulation provision to be included in new Digital India Act

The government plans to include data regulation provisions in a new Digital India Act, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Friday. While speaking at an event at Foreign Correspondent Club on 5G, Chandrasekhar said the recently issued draft of Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) focuses on the protection of data of Indian citizens. It (DPDP) does not intend to appoint a regulator and create regulation for the data ecosystem. That is down the road when we create a new bill for Digital India Act. This is a bill which narrowly focuses on data protection of consumers, Chandrasekhar said. The government has issued a draft of a new data protection bill after it withdrew the previous version of the bill from the Lok Sabha in August citing several overlapping rules in the modified version of the bill. Talking about 5G, the minister said that the next-generation technology is based on open technology ecosystem which provides India with an opportunity to

India calls for global data governance framework to prevent harm from AI

India has urged the global community to develop a common framework for data governance, safety and trust around artificial intelligence to prevent user harm, an official statement said on Tuesday. India assumed the Chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) at a summit held in Tokyo. "We all should be concerned about user harm. I would encourage member states to think about evolving a common framework of rules and guidelines about data governance, about safety and trust as much to do with the internet as to do with AI," Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said at the closing session of the three-day GPAI Summit. He represented India virtually at the event. The minister said the India-Stack that has transformed governance and democracy in India and benefitted millions of Indian citizens is designed to be open sourced. He emphasised on developing a common framework on creating skills and talent around AI -- an area in which India coul

India to be a semiconductor manufacturing hub: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Chandrasekhar said India is well positioned to emerge as a major player in electronics and semiconductor products manufacturing as part of the 'China Plus One' diversification strategy

Data protection bill will end misuse of data, penalise violators: MoS IT

The proposed data protection bill will put an end to misuse of customer data, and violators will face punitive action under the rule, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Tuesday. The minister shared his reaction in response to Google's settlement of an investigation in the US which outlines that the internet giant misled users and continued tracking their location even after they opted out of the location tracking system. Google has agreed to settle the lawsuit for which it will pay around USD 392 million, according to a statement issued by the Oregon Department of Justice. "This type of "misuse" of custmr data violates #Privacy n #DataProtection expectations India's #DigitalDataProtection bill will put a stop to this - & ensure that any Platform/Intermediary that does this will face punitive & financial consequences, " Chandrasekhar tweeted. The government in August withdrew the Personal Data Protection Bill from Lok Sabha and said it will ...

Rajeev Chandrasekhar to embark on two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir today

Chandrasekhar will hold interactions with state government officials, students and other stakeholders to broaden engagement in the areas of skilling, innovation and entrepreneurship

Digital India Act framework draft to be out by 2023: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

A significant amount of work has been done on proposed Digital India Act, and the draft legislative framework to support 'India's techade' is expected by early 2023, Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said. The comments assume significance as India is moving swiftly towards a strong framework to catalyse its digital ambitions and govern online ecosystem, with openness, user safety and trust as the guiding principles. At the same time, the government has asserted that extensive consultation will go into framing key legislations which are going to be essential building blocks for 'new India' and its digital architecture. Asked about the status of Digital India Act, which will replace the IT Act, Chandrasekhar said: "A significant amount of work has been done on it, and we expect that in early 2023, under PM's leadership, a legislative framework for India's techade will be placed in front of the country." The minister asserted that the government intends to have detaile

India is world's fastest growing innovation ecosystem: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

India is the fastest growing innovation ecosystem in the world where around 102 unicorns have been created in the last few years, Minister of State for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said here. Speaking at 'Vishwa Sadhhavna' event here on Saturday, Chandrasekhar said that none of these unicorns have famous last names. They don't have any political connection. They have been built on enterprise and capability, and determination and hard work, he said. The minister spoke about various initiatives taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and transforming India into "New India" during the Dubai Chapter of the event, organised by the NID Foundation. He said that Prime Minister Modi "is very clear that businesses create investments, they create jobs, and most importantly, they create revenues for the government to support those who are vulnerable." Chandrasekhar said that India has covered a great distance in the electron

Will realise $1-trn digital economy goal in 5-7 years: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology said that despite the deep disruption caused by the pandemic, India as a nation has emerged stronger

Maharashtra bags around Rs 500-crore electronics cluster project

The central government has approved a Rs 500 crore project to make Ranjangaon in Pune, an electronics manufacturing cluster, in a move that is being seen as an apparent bid to make up for Maharashtra losing back-to-back big-ticket projects to Gujarat. Announcing the project, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday said the cluster will attract major investments from manufacturers, generate thousands of jobs and put the state in the league of locations that have emerged as vibrant electronics production hubs in the country. The announcement came amid a political slugfest over mining giant Vedanta switching to Gujarat for its Rs 1.53 lakh crore chip factory and Maharashtra also losing out on the Rs 22,000-crore Tata-Airbus transport aircraft project. While former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray has criticised the Eknath Shinde-led government for letting go of these projects, the Maharashtra chief minister has stated that Prime Minister Narendra .

Govt announces electronics manufacturing cluster in Maha worth Rs 500 cr

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday announced that an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster will be developed in Ranjangaon, Maharashtra, at a cost of Rs 500 crore. The Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) is targeted to attract an investment of over Rs 2,000 crore, with a potential to generate thousands of jobs in the coming years. "To make Maharashtra into an electronics hub, we have approved an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster project in Ranjangaon, Pune. The total investment of the government will be about Rs 500 crore," Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Chandrasekhar said at a briefing. With this, Ranjangaon (Maharashtra) joins the growing roster of locations such as Tamil Nadu, Noida and Karnataka that are making an aggressive pitch to emerge as a vibrant electronics hub. The overall cost for development of the EMC is Rs 492.85 crore, out of which Rs 207.98 crore will be funded by the government of India and balance contribution of Rs 284.

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Protection of citizens' Constitutional rights a must: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar while speaking on the amendments to the IT intermediary Rules 2021 said protection of Constitutional rights of Indian citizens is a must

'IT rules give 72 hours but remove illegal content as fast as possible'

IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday said while social media norms require platforms to remove illegal content within 72 hours of being flagged, he feels the timelines are "too long" and platforms should takedown such content "as fast as possible". Chandrasekhar said the IT Ministry had been keen on prescribing a 24-hour timeline for removal of illegal content (as specified under rules) given that "virality and velocity" of misinformation tends to be much higher, but then finally settled for 72 hours after wide consultations. "Frankly I am of the opinion that 72 hours is too long...it was 24 hours during consultation, but it was widely felt that this is still early days and let us keep it at 72 hours and then progressively as the platforms gain capacity and capability, we will create a shorter window," the minister said. His message to social media platforms: "Letter of IT rules says 72 hours but the spirit should be as fast as possible". The complaints around illegal conte