Indore Declared India's Cleanest City For Eighth Time In A Row
Indore retained the top position among the cleanest cities for the eighth time in a row, followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai in the government's annual cleanliness survey. In the category of 3-10 lakh population category, Noida emerged as the cleanest city, followed by Chandigarh and Mysore.
President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards at a ceremony organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital.
According to the government, the primary goal of the 'Swachh Survekshan' mission is to encourage large-scale citizen participation and create awareness among all sections of society about the importance of working together towards making towns and cities better places to live in.
Entering its ninth year, Swachh Survekshan covered over 4,500 cities, using a framework of 10 parameters and 54 indicators to evaluate sanitation, waste management and service delivery.
According to the Centre, the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 adopted a "smart, structured approach to assess urban cleanliness" and service delivery, using "10 well-defined parameters with 54 indicators."
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Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
IAFI's Space Policy conference outlines India's satellite roadmap
NEW DELHI, July 25, 2025: The ITU-APT Foundation of India ( IAFI ) organised the two-day Indian Space Policy Conference 2025 (ISPC-25) at Hotel Imperial, New Delhi. The event, held from July 24 to July 25, brought together senior government officials, international regulators, industry leaders, and satellite experts to discuss India's emerging space and spectrum ecosystem. It was attended by over 200 delegates. Participants examined regulatory frameworks, global spectrum policy, satellite applications, Direct-to-Device (D2D) communications, and the path toward India's 'Viksit Bharat' vision across six technical sessions and two plenaries. Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in his inaugural address, stated, 'Satellite communication will be pivotal in fulfilling India's digital inclusion goals. With the right spectrum policy and regulatory flexibility—particularly in enabling non-geostationary satellite systems—we can ensure affordable, high-quality connectivity across the most remote corners of the country.' He reaffirmed that TRAI's recent recommendations, including a 4% AGR fee applicable to both GSO and NGSO operators, were designed to create a balanced and innovation-friendly ecosystem. He also emphasised the importance of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) in delivering up to $250 billion in global socio-economic benefits by 2030, supporting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ' Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working to finalize satellite communications rules—streamlining spectrum allocation, simplifying licensing, and promoting ease of doing business,' Lahoti further said. Ms. Isabelle Mauro, Director-General, Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA), urged India to embrace a more agile regulatory framework to accelerate deployment, suggesting 'a progressive approach including administrative allocation of satellite spectrum can help ensure digital equity and inclusion'. Mr. Gautam Sharma, Managing Director, Viasat India , raised concerns about global spectrum consolidation and encouraged the Indian government to safeguard its orbital assets. He noted that Viasat was working closely with Indian startups to launch Direct-to-Device (D2D)-enabled satellites by next year. Ms. Revathi Mannepalli, Joint Wireless Advisor and Member of the ITU Radio Regulatory Board, reiterated that the Indian Space Policy 2023 has played a crucial role in enabling private sector participation and supported the establishment of a dedicated space regulator to streamline licensing and enhance transparency. 'India has opened up the space sector to private players, and the way the policy has evolved, it is going to bring in a lot of new jobs and investments,' noted Shri Bharat Bhatia, President of IAFI, commending India's transformative policy shift. Bhatia underlined the organization's commitment to shaping India's telecom and space communication agenda and noted that in recent years, IAFI has emerged as a powerful voice for Indian stakeholders in global telecom and satellite forums. 'With ISPC-25, we are bringing together the right people at the right time to align India's policy and regulatory ecosystem with the massive technological shift being driven by satellite innovation,' he added. Throughout the six technical sessions and two plenaries, delegates explored key aspects of India's space transformation. The first technical session, moderated by Shri Bhatia, focused on India's evolving space policy and regulatory framework. Shri Arun Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Satellite), Department of Telecommunications , provided an overview of policy and licensing structures supporting the satellite sector. Mr. Vinay Paliwal, Deputy Director, Programme Management and Authorization Directorate, IN-SPACe, highlighted efforts to simplify authorizations and catalyze private sector engagement. Lt. Gen. Anil Kumar Bhatt (Retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA), spoke about the growing industry-government collaboration and the importance of IN-SPACe as a single-window facilitator. Mr. Tony Azzarelli, Vice President, Eutelsat OneWeb , remarked during the session, 'We've been very busy for the past two years to start providing services in India. We're just waiting for the final touches of the regulations, which are crucial.' He emphasized global coordination for spectrum and orbital resources, particularly for non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite systems. Dr. Laura Roberti, Director for Spectrum and Market Access, Telesat, during the session emphasized the need for internationally harmonized regulations and efficient spectrum access to support sustainable growth in satellite services. The second session addressed spectrum issues in the lead-up to WRC-27, focusing on agenda items 1.1 to 1.6. Shri Amit Gulati, Senior Deputy Wireless Advisor, WPC, Department of Telecommunications, outlined India's preparatory strategy and its alignment with international developments. Participating virtually, Ms. J Sofi, Associate Director (Frequency Management), ISRO Satellite Communication Programme Office, discussed coordination challenges in satellite network deployment and the importance of protecting interference-free operations. Dr. Roberti addressed global regulatory alignment and market access constraints. Ms. Marta Donate Fuente, Spectrum Engineer, Eutelsat OneWeb, joining remotely, offered global insights on fair spectrum sharing and multi-operator coexistence in increasingly congested orbital environments. Session three, chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, explored spectrum requirements for defence, civil aviation, and maritime safety. Mr. Laurent Parente, Director General of the International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO), delivered a virtual keynote stressing the preservation of interference-free environments for critical safety systems such as GMDSS. Mr. John Dodd, Director of Safety Services at Inmarsat, presented the modernization of maritime safety services. Brigadier Rahul Anand, Director, Joint Communication Electronics Staff (JCES), Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, underscored the need to safeguard defence spectrum against encroachment. Mr. Vivek Banzal, Director, CFA, BSNL , reflected on operator priorities. Ms. Donna Bethea-Murphy, Senior Vice President, Regulatory, Viasat, emphasized the importance of protecting L-band spectrum for emerging services like D2D. Mr. Bashir Patel, Senior Advisor, Policy and Spectrum, concluded with a global view of the future of Mobile Satellite Services (MSS). Mr. Lokesh Kabdal, Co-founder and CEO of AeroDome, also participated. Day 2 Highlights On day two, GSOA's Mauro spoke about D2D potential and hybrid integration. Shri N. K. Bhola, Director, WMO, addressed D2D policy gaps. Shri Anand Khare, Member (Services), DCC, DoT, emphasized convergence between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Session 4 of ISPC-25 examined the future of Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite communications, focusing on spectrum policies, global coordination, and commercial viability. Chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, the session addressed key WRC-27 agenda items related to MSS and non-terrestrial network integration. Ms. Sonali Nanda, Deputy Director, PMAD, IN-SPACe, emphasized the need for regulatory clarity and harmonized licensing to support private D2D deployments. Shri M. P. S. Alawa, Joint Wireless Advisor, DoT, called for alignment with global spectrum frameworks. Mr. Jitendra Singh, Head of Government Affairs, Qualcomm, highlighted 3GPP standards and chipset readiness for global mobile-satellite interoperability. Ms. Mariona Pazos Rovira of Sateliot outlined the growing role of nanosatellite constellations in enabling affordable IoT applications. Mr. Chris Woolford, Director, Ofcom, UK, offered a European perspective on spectrum coordination and advocated international cooperation. In a panel moderated by Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Partner, EY, experts, including Shri T. R. Dua, Chairman, IAFI, and Shri R. S. Singh, DDG (IoT), TEC, discussed India's leadership potential in D2D, stressing the need for flexible regulation, spectrum efficiency, and interoperability. Session 5, chaired by Shri Arun Agrawal, DDG (Satellite), DoT, explored how satellite technologies support India's Viksit Bharat agenda. Mr. Mukesh Kumar, DDG (Radio), TEC, highlighted the role of satellite-terrestrial convergence in universal broadband. Mr. H Rayappa of ISRO outlined satellite capacity for civilian use. Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Director, DCPW, discussed satellite applications in disaster response and public safety. Mr. Prabhat Dikshit, DDG (SMC), DoT, emphasized satellite's role in last-mile connectivity. Mr. Utpal Bhowmick, Principal BD India/APAC, Amazon Kuiper, presented low-latency NGSO solutions for rural connectivity. Mr. Alok Shankar Pandey of DFCCIL explained the integration of satellite systems into logistics and railways. The conference concluded with an important session on Space Sustainability, Ms. Bethea-Murphy and Mr. H. C. Soni, Vice President, IAFI, called for global efforts to address orbital debris, and highlighted the growing challenge to sustainability caused by orbital debris. Soni delivered the vote of thanks. Shri Bhatia concluded the event, and thanked GSOA and other partners for making the event a success. About IAFI ITU-APT Foundation of India (ITU-APT) is a non-profit, non-political, non-partisan Industry foundation registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1960. ITU-APT is working for last 22 years with the prime objective of encouraging involvement of professionals, corporate, public/private sector industries, R&D organizations, academic institutions, and such other agencies engaged in development of Indian Telecom sector in the activities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT). The Foundation has been recognized as an International/Regional Telecommunications Organization by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). For any further information, please see our website (DISCLAIMER: The article has been published under ETTelecom's Brand Connect Initiative)
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
India sets clear satellite roadmap at IAFI's Space Policy conference
NEW DELHI, July 25, 2025: The ITU-APT Foundation of India ( IAFI ) organised the two-day Indian Space Policy Conference 2025 (ISPC-25) at Hotel Imperial, New Delhi. The event, held from July 24 to July 25, brought together senior government officials, international regulators, industry leaders, and satellite experts to discuss India's emerging space and spectrum ecosystem. It was attended by over 200 delegates. Participants examined regulatory frameworks, global spectrum policy, satellite applications, Direct-to-Device (D2D) communications, and the path toward India's 'Viksit Bharat' vision across six technical sessions and two plenaries. Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in his inaugural address, stated, 'Satellite communication will be pivotal in fulfilling India's digital inclusion goals. With the right spectrum policy and regulatory flexibility—particularly in enabling non-geostationary satellite systems—we can ensure affordable, high-quality connectivity across the most remote corners of the country.' He reaffirmed that TRAI's recent recommendations, including a 4% AGR fee applicable to both GSO and NGSO operators, were designed to create a balanced and innovation-friendly ecosystem. He also emphasised the importance of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) in delivering up to $250 billion in global socio-economic benefits by 2030, supporting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ' Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working to finalize satellite communications rules—streamlining spectrum allocation, simplifying licensing, and promoting ease of doing business,' Lahoti further said. Ms. Isabelle Mauro, Director-General, Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA), urged India to embrace a more agile regulatory framework to accelerate deployment, suggesting 'a progressive approach including administrative allocation of satellite spectrum can help ensure digital equity and inclusion'. Mr. Gautam Sharma, Managing Director, Viasat India , raised concerns about global spectrum consolidation and encouraged the Indian government to safeguard its orbital assets. He noted that Viasat was working closely with Indian startups to launch Direct-to-Device (D2D)-enabled satellites by next year. Ms. Revathi Mannepalli, Joint Wireless Advisor and Member of the ITU Radio Regulatory Board, reiterated that the Indian Space Policy 2023 has played a crucial role in enabling private sector participation and supported the establishment of a dedicated space regulator to streamline licensing and enhance transparency. 'India has opened up the space sector to private players, and the way the policy has evolved, it is going to bring in a lot of new jobs and investments,' noted Shri Bharat Bhatia, President of IAFI, commending India's transformative policy shift. Bhatia underlined the organization's commitment to shaping India's telecom and space communication agenda and noted that in recent years, IAFI has emerged as a powerful voice for Indian stakeholders in global telecom and satellite forums. 'With ISPC-25, we are bringing together the right people at the right time to align India's policy and regulatory ecosystem with the massive technological shift being driven by satellite innovation,' he added. Throughout the six technical sessions and two plenaries, delegates explored key aspects of India's space transformation. The first technical session, moderated by Shri Bhatia, focused on India's evolving space policy and regulatory framework. Shri Arun Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Satellite), Department of Telecommunications , provided an overview of policy and licensing structures supporting the satellite sector. Mr. Vinay Paliwal, Deputy Director, Programme Management and Authorization Directorate, IN-SPACe, highlighted efforts to simplify authorizations and catalyze private sector engagement. Lt. Gen. Anil Kumar Bhatt (Retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA), spoke about the growing industry-government collaboration and the importance of IN-SPACe as a single-window facilitator. Mr. Tony Azzarelli, Vice President, Eutelsat OneWeb , remarked during the session, 'We've been very busy for the past two years to start providing services in India. We're just waiting for the final touches of the regulations, which are crucial.' He emphasized global coordination for spectrum and orbital resources, particularly for non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite systems. Dr. Laura Roberti, Director for Spectrum and Market Access, Telesat, during the session emphasized the need for internationally harmonized regulations and efficient spectrum access to support sustainable growth in satellite services. The second session addressed spectrum issues in the lead-up to WRC-27, focusing on agenda items 1.1 to 1.6. Shri Amit Gulati, Senior Deputy Wireless Advisor, WPC, Department of Telecommunications, outlined India's preparatory strategy and its alignment with international developments. Participating virtually, Ms. J Sofi, Associate Director (Frequency Management), ISRO Satellite Communication Programme Office, discussed coordination challenges in satellite network deployment and the importance of protecting interference-free operations. Dr. Roberti addressed global regulatory alignment and market access constraints. Ms. Marta Donate Fuente, Spectrum Engineer, Eutelsat OneWeb, joining remotely, offered global insights on fair spectrum sharing and multi-operator coexistence in increasingly congested orbital environments. Session three, chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, explored spectrum requirements for defence, civil aviation, and maritime safety. Mr. Laurent Parente, Director General of the International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO), delivered a virtual keynote stressing the preservation of interference-free environments for critical safety systems such as GMDSS. Mr. John Dodd, Director of Safety Services at Inmarsat, presented the modernization of maritime safety services. Brigadier Rahul Anand, Director, Joint Communication Electronics Staff (JCES), Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, underscored the need to safeguard defence spectrum against encroachment. Mr. Vivek Banzal, Director, CFA, BSNL , reflected on operator priorities. Ms. Donna Bethea-Murphy, Senior Vice President, Regulatory, Viasat, emphasized the importance of protecting L-band spectrum for emerging services like D2D. Mr. Bashir Patel, Senior Advisor, Policy and Spectrum, concluded with a global view of the future of Mobile Satellite Services (MSS). Mr. Lokesh Kabdal, Co-founder and CEO of AeroDome, also participated. Day 2 Highlights On day two, GSOA's Mauro spoke about D2D potential and hybrid integration. Shri N. K. Bhola, Director, WMO, addressed D2D policy gaps. Shri Anand Khare, Member (Services), DCC, DoT, emphasized convergence between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Session 4 of ISPC-25 examined the future of Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite communications, focusing on spectrum policies, global coordination, and commercial viability. Chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, the session addressed key WRC-27 agenda items related to MSS and non-terrestrial network integration. Ms. Sonali Nanda, Deputy Director, PMAD, IN-SPACe, emphasized the need for regulatory clarity and harmonized licensing to support private D2D deployments. Shri M. P. S. Alawa, Joint Wireless Advisor, DoT, called for alignment with global spectrum frameworks. Mr. Jitendra Singh, Head of Government Affairs, Qualcomm, highlighted 3GPP standards and chipset readiness for global mobile-satellite interoperability. Ms. Mariona Pazos Rovira of Sateliot outlined the growing role of nanosatellite constellations in enabling affordable IoT applications. Mr. Chris Woolford, Director, Ofcom, UK, offered a European perspective on spectrum coordination and advocated international cooperation. In a panel moderated by Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Partner, EY, experts, including Shri T. R. Dua, Chairman, IAFI, and Shri R. S. Singh, DDG (IoT), TEC, discussed India's leadership potential in D2D, stressing the need for flexible regulation, spectrum efficiency, and interoperability. Session 5, chaired by Shri Arun Agrawal, DDG (Satellite), DoT, explored how satellite technologies support India's Viksit Bharat agenda. Mr. Mukesh Kumar, DDG (Radio), TEC, highlighted the role of satellite-terrestrial convergence in universal broadband. Mr. H Rayappa of ISRO outlined satellite capacity for civilian use. Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Director, DCPW, discussed satellite applications in disaster response and public safety. Mr. Prabhat Dikshit, DDG (SMC), DoT, emphasized satellite's role in last-mile connectivity. Mr. Utpal Bhowmick, Principal BD India/APAC, Amazon Kuiper, presented low-latency NGSO solutions for rural connectivity. Mr. Alok Shankar Pandey of DFCCIL explained the integration of satellite systems into logistics and railways. The conference concluded with an important session on Space Sustainability, Ms. Bethea-Murphy and Mr. H. C. Soni, Vice President, IAFI, called for global efforts to address orbital debris, and highlighted the growing challenge to sustainability caused by orbital debris. Soni delivered the vote of thanks. Shri Bhatia concluded the event, and thanked GSOA and other partners for making the event a success. About IAFI ITU-APT Foundation of India (ITU-APT) is a non-profit, non-political, non-partisan Industry foundation registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1960. ITU-APT is working for last 22 years with the prime objective of encouraging involvement of professionals, corporate, public/private sector industries, R&D organizations, academic institutions, and such other agencies engaged in development of Indian Telecom sector in the activities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT). The Foundation has been recognized as an International/Regional Telecommunications Organization by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). For any further information, please see our website (DISCLAIMER: The article has been published under ETTelecom's Brand Connect Initiative)
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
SC to begin hearing President's reference on timeline to act on Bills from Aug 19
The Supreme Court will start hearing on August 19 the reference made to it by President Droupadi Murmu under Article 143 of the Constitution, following the apex court's verdict on setting timelines for the President and governors to act on Bills passed by state Assemblies. Fixing the timeline for the hearing, a five-judge constitution bench of Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar asked the parties to file their written submissions on or before August 12. The bench said that it will first hear the parties on the question of maintainability of the reference. Kerala and Tamil Nadu have opposed the reference and have urged the court to return the reference. 'We will hear parties on maintainability first. The ones opposing shall be heard on 19, 20, 21 and 26 August. Supporting the reference will be heard on August 20, Sept 2, 3 and 9. Time schedule will be strictly followed. Let parties complete arguments as prescribed,' the court said. In the reference, President Murmu has posed 14 questions over the top court's April 8 verdict in which it set a timeline for governors to act on pending Bills, and for the first time, prescribed that the President should decide on the Bills, reserved for consideration by the governor, within three months from the date on which such reference is received. Under Article 201 of the Constitution, no timeframe has been set for a President's decision. President Murmu sought to know whether the actions of the governors and the President are justiciable and whether such timelines can be imposed on them in the absence of any such provision in the Constitution. The reference pointed out that 'there are conflicting judgments of the Supreme Court as to whether the assent of the President of India under Article 201 of the Constitution of India is justiciable or not'. Under Article 145 (3), when the President makes a reference for the court's opinion, it is placed before a five-judge bench. In its April 8 ruling, a two-judge bench headed by Justice J B Pardiwala had said that 'in case of any delay beyond this period, appropriate reasons would have to be recorded and conveyed' to the state concerned. The ruling set aside Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi's decision to withhold assent to 10 Bills for consideration of the President in November 2023 after they had already been reconsidered by the Assembly, and said that the action was illegal and erroneous. President Murmu sought to know: 'Is the exercise of constitutional discretion by the President under Article 201 of the Constitution of India justiciable? In the absence of a constitutionally prescribed timeline and the manner of exercise of powers by the President, can timelines be imposed and the manner of exercise be prescribed through judicial orders for the exercise of discretion by the President under Article 201 of the Constitution of India?' Article 201 prescribes the powers of the President and the procedure to be followed while assenting to Bills or withholding assent therefrom, but 'does not stipulate any time frame or procedure to be followed by the President for the exercise of constitutional options under' it. 'Is the exercise of constitutional discretion by the Governor under Article 200 of the Constitution of India justiciable? Is Article 361 of the Constitution of India an absolute bar to judicial review in relation to the actions of a Governor under Article 200 of the Constitution of India? In the absence of a constitutionally prescribed time limit, and the manner of exercise of powers by the Governor, can timelines be imposed and the manner of exercise be prescribed through judicial orders for the exercise of all powers under Article 200 of the Constitution of India by the Governor?' President Murmu pointed out that Article 200 of the Constitution, which prescribes the powers of the governor and the procedure to be followed while assenting to Bills, withholding assent to Bills and reserving a Bill for the consideration of the President, 'does not stipulate any time frame upon the Governor for the exercise of constitutional options'. President Murmu asked whether 'in light of the constitutional scheme governing the powers of the President', she 'is required to seek advice of the Supreme Court by way of a reference under Article 143 of the Constitution of India and take the opinion of the Supreme Court when the Governor reserves a Bill for the President's assent or otherwise?' 'Are the decisions of the Governor and the President under Article 200 and Article 201 of the Constitution of India, respectively, justiciable at a stage anterior into the law coming into force? Is it permissible for the Courts to undertake judicial adjudication over the contents of a Bill, in any manner, before it becomes law?' she further asked. The President also asked: 'Can the exercise of constitutional powers and the orders of/by the President / Governor be substituted in any manner under Article 142 of the Constitution of India?' Some of the other questions referred to the top court are: 'What are the constitutional options before a Governor when a Bill is presented to him under Article 200 of the Constitution of India?; Is the Governor bound by the aid and advice tendered by the Council of Ministers while exercising all the options available with him when a Bill is presented before him under Article 200 of the Constitution of India?' The reference pointed out that the Constitution enlists numerous instances where the assent of the President has to be obtained before a legislation can take effect in a state. It said that 'the exercise of constitutional discretion by the Governor and the President under Article 200 and Article 201 of the Constitution of India, respectively are essentially governed by polycentric considerations, inter alia being federalism, uniformity of laws, integrity and security of the nation, doctrine of separation of powers'. The President said, 'States are frequently approaching the Supreme Court of India invoking Article 32 [and not Article 131] of the Constitution of India raising issues which by their very nature are federal issues involving interpretation of, inter alia, the Constitution of India.' The reference also said that 'the contours and scope of provisions contained in Article 142 of the Constitution of India in context of issues which are occupied by either constitutional provisions or statutory provisions also needs an opinion of the Supreme Court of India.' The President also said that 'the concept of a deemed assent of the President and the Governor is alien to the constitutional scheme and fundamentally circumscribes the power of the President and the Governor'.
