Page 4 - Rajeev Chandrasekhar

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.

How will Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter change the public square?

Elon Musk finally entered the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco last week, pulling off a difficult feat. Here's an analysis of how Twitter will transform under Musk in the days to come?

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

'Scope of appellate panels for social media grievance to be announced soon'

IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday said the modalities defining the structure and scope of Grievance Appellate Committees will be worked out soon, and hoped that their formation will, in fact, discourage social media platforms from continuing with their "casual" and "tokenism" approach to address user grievances. The government on Friday tightened IT rules, paving the way for the setting up of grievance appellate panels, which will settle issues that users may have against the way social media platforms initially addressed their complaints regarding content and other matters. The government says that the "broken" grievance redressal mechanism currently being offered by intermediaries (read social media platforms) and lakhs of messages flagging users' concerns around unresolved complaints had forced its hand. "Grievance Appellate Committee will be an important institution in the coming days for internet and intermediaries. We will make an announcement about its structure, .

MoS speaks to Apple after reports of iPhone 14 Pro running out of stock

Minister of State For Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday said he has spoken to Apple on reports of stores in the national capital running out of stock of the firm's latest phone offering iPhone14 Pro. The minister also said there has been a surge in demand for iPhone 14 Pro and Apple is addressing the supply constraints. "I have spoken with Apple and they have said while iPhone14 demand is being met also with India production, the iPhone14 pro demand has surged and is facing supply constraints which they are addressing," he tweeted. His tweet came in response to a complaint of stores running out of stock of Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max versions for weeks in the national capital region and that private sellers were selling them in the black market. "Private sales are probably "alternate" supply channels," Chandrasekhar said. iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max went on sale on September 16.

Govt may clear semiconductor unit proposals in next 30-60 days: MoS IT

The government is likely to start approving proposals to set up electronic chip and display manufacturing plants in the country in next 30-60 days, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Wednesday. Speaking at IESA Vision Summit, Chandrasekhar said there has been a tremendous progress in the development of the semiconductor ecosystem in the country in the last 8-9 months. The government has received proposals from five companies for setting up electronic chip and display manufacturing plants with investment of Rs 1.53 lakh crore. Vedanta Foxconn JV, IGSS Ventures, ISMC propose to set up electronic chip manufacturing plants with USD 13.6 billion investment and have sought support of USD 5.6 billion from the Centre under the Rs 76,000 crore Semicon India Programme. "Over the next couple of months, I think over next 30 to 60 days... Government of India and India Semiconductor Mission will be rolling out those proposals that have been scrutinized and that

5G technology will transform every Indian's life, says MoS Chandrasekhar

Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said 5G technology will transform the life of every Indian

Chandrasekhar to visit Apple vendor Pegatron facility for inauguration

Minister of State for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar will visit Apple vendor Pegatron's mobile manufacturing facility in Chennai on Friday for its inauguration, an official statement said on Thursday. Taiwanese firm is the third Apple vendor to have set up a factory in India after Foxconn and Wistron. "Taiwanese electronics major Pegatron's new mobile phone manufacturing facility, set up under Centre's popular Production Linked Incentive scheme (PLI), in an industrial park in Chengalpattu near Chennai, will be inaugurated tomorrow. The Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Rajeev handrasekhar will be attending the event as a guest of honour," the statement said. Pegatron has been running trial production of iPhone since last six to eight months. The company has committed to invest around Rs 1,000 crore and produce mobile phones worth about Rs 1 lakh crore in India under production linked incentive scheme. "Pegatron's India subsidiary ...

Firms should not pin down staff: MoS IT Chandrasekhar on moonlighting

He added the days when employees signed up with big tech majors and spent their lives on the job were long gone