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The Hindu
06-08-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Aadhaar face authentication boosts ‘transparency' of competitive exams: IT Ministry
Aadhaar face authentication would help competitive examinations enhance 'transparency, build trust among aspirants and strengthen administrative accountability,' the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology told Parliament on Wednesday (August 6, 2025). In a written response to a question endorsed by eight Lok Sabha MPs, the IT Ministry pointed out that two examination bodies — the Staff Selection Commission and the Railway Recruitment Board — are already authorised to use Aadhaar facial recognition to authenticate examinees. Using the 'liveness' factor with basic phone cameras, Aadhaar face authentication matches people with the photo they took when enrolling for Aadhaar, and the feature has seen increased interest among government bodies. For instance, the Employment Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) said in a circular last month that Universal Account Numbers, the main identifying number for salaried employees and retirees with PF accounts, would only be generated henceforth with this feature. The feature has also seen increased interest due to Aadhaar authentication failures due to worn out biometrics among labourers and elderly people. In a separate response on Wednesday to DMK MP A. Raja, the IT Ministry said that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is undertaking '[p]romotion of face and iris authentication for residents with worn fingerprints' to cater to people who can't use their fingerprints. The India Post Payments Bank, under the Ministry of Communications' Department of Posts, also introduced Aadhaar face authentication this month. The feature 'is aligned with Digital India and Financial Inclusion missions of the Government of India,' IPPB said, adding that its use empowers 'values of equity, access, and empowerment'. Aadhaar authentication in general — not just facial recognition authentication — requires approval from the IT Ministry. In the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Amendment Rules, 2025 notified in January, the IT Ministry laid out a framework where private entities as well as government organisations could submit authentication proposals to the IT Ministry, which would have them vetted by UIDAI. The IT Ministry has set up a Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge (SWIK) portal where such proposals can be submitted. A review of the portal shows that up to half a dozen (or as little as one or two) proposals a month are being approved every month. On Monday (August 5, 2025), the Sports Authority of India was authorised to use Aadhaar authentication to 'verify the identity of athletes, coaches, and staff during registration, attendance marking, and DBT processing under schemes like Khelo India, Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), and National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs)'. 312 Union and State government organisations have received approvals under SWIK rules since 2020.
Indian Express
29-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
To further tech manufacturing, India rethinks China blockade
Nearly half a decade ago, India adopted a 'China-out' strategy of sorts, in response to the border clashes in 2020, introduced an anti-Beijing foreign investment policy, and kept Chinese firms out of critical sectors like telecommunications. Now, however, necessitated by changing geopolitical dynamics, following US President Donald Trump's unprecedented onslaught on global trade, and India's own manufacturing ambitions, New Delhi is undertaking a serious rethink on the existing strategy, and is strongly considering particularly easing China-based entities' entry into the country, with some riders. The most recent sign of the thaw came in the form of a recommendation made by the government think tank Niti Aayog, earlier this month, to ease India's foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, which involves government scrutiny into investments made by Chinese firms. Earlier, the Economic Survey 2023-24 had sprung a surprise by advocating attracting investments from Chinese companies to boost exports. India had earlier put restrictions on investments from China through Press Note 3 in April 2020 to curb potential opportunistic takeovers of Indian companies during the Covid-19 pandemic by making a government approval mandatory for all investments from countries sharing a land border with India, including China. It continued to be in force in the wake of national security concerns due to border tensions after the Galwan clash. Early signs of a thaw There have been some signs that India is slowly, but surely, allowing Chinese companies to partner with Indian entities. Dixon Technologies, which is a major Indian electronics assembly company, received approval from the IT Ministry to set up a joint venture with China-based Longcheer. The new company will focus on manufacturing and supplying a wide range of electronics, including smartphones, tablets, true wireless stereo (TWS) devices, smartwatches, AI-powered PCs, automotive electronics, and healthcare devices. Dixon will hold 74 per cent in the JV, and the remaining 26 per cent will be with Longcheer. 'We can not continue to avoid China. The truth is, they make things which we need for our assembly operations, and if we want to go deeper into the supply chain, our companies have to work with Chinese companies,' a senior government official said. The IT Ministry, earlier this year, notified a Rs 23,000 crore policy for electronic components manufacturing, and it is widely anticipated that Indian firms would partner with Chinese entities to participate in the scheme, given the expertise they have. Recently, India also resumed issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals as part of a broader effort to repair bilateral ties. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to China where he had underlined that 'differences should not become disputes' nor should 'competition ever become conflict' and that while India and China have made good progress in the past nine months towards the normalisation of bilateral relations, they should work to address de-escalation on the border. China out in letter, not in spirit, and some repercussions Of course, while the government managed to keep China out in some sectors like finished smartphones, imports from the country continued, particularly for a number of electronic components, which are crucial for the final assembly process in India, but for which New Delhi has little to no production base. The Indian Express had earlier reported that the financial year 2023-24, India imported electronic components worth over $12 billion from China and $6 billion from Hong Kong, with the two accounting for more than half of total such imports to India – suggesting that the country's growing footprint in electronics manufacturing was not necessarily into reduced reliance on Beijing. In the last five years, electronics imports from China and Hong Kong have far outnumbered imports from other major manufacturing hubs like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and all ASEAN countries, combined. China, for its own part, and seeing India's growing manufacturing footprint, also imposed restrictions on its companies, making it harder for them to do business with Indian firms. For instance, India's share in US smartphone imports surged to nearly 36 per cent in the first five months of 2025, from about 11 per cent in 2024. China, which continues to dominate the product category, saw its share drop from 82 per cent to 49 per cent over the same period, this paper had reported earlier. China's actions include pulling workers out of India, and making it more difficult for India-based manufacturing companies to obtain capital goods, which are needed for the assembly process. China has also imposed a blockade on several rare earth metals and magnets, and while the prime target of that restriction is the United States, India has found itself caught in the crosshairs. Soumyarendra Barik is Special Correspondent with The Indian Express and reports on the intersection of technology, policy and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he has reported on issues of gig workers' rights, privacy, India's prevalent digital divide and a range of other policy interventions that impact big tech companies. He once also tailed a food delivery worker for over 12 hours to quantify the amount of money they make, and the pain they go through while doing so. In his free time, he likes to nerd about watches, Formula 1 and football. ... Read More
NDTV
28-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
IT Ministry Keeping Close Watch On Tata Consultancy Services' Layoffs Situation: Report
New Delhi: The IT Ministry is keeping a close watch on the developments after Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) decision to lay off over 12,000 employees, according to sources. Employment growth remains a key priority, with sharp focus on how initiatives like Employment Linked Incentive can help boost job creation, they asserted. At the same time, the emphasis is on skilling and reskilling, they added. 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 why it is happening to understand the underlying causes. The stance assumes significance as India's largest IT services firm, TCS, is set to lay off 12,261 employees or two per cent of its global workforce this year. The bulk of the impact will be felt on middle and senior grades. TCS's workforce stood at 6,13,069, as of June 30, 2025. It increased its workforce by 5,000 employees in the recently concluded April-June quarter. The move is part of the company's broader strategy to become a "future-ready organisation", focusing on investments in technology, AI deployment, market expansion, and workforce realignment, TCS said in a statement on Sunday. "TCS is on a journey to become a future-ready organisation. This includes strategic initiatives on multiple fronts, including investing in new-tech areas, entering new markets, deploying AI at scale for our clients and ourselves, deepening our partnerships, creating next-gen infrastructure, and realigning our workforce model. "Towards this, a number of reskilling and redeployment initiatives have been underway. As part of this journey, we will also be releasing associates from the organisation whose deployment may not be feasible. This will impact about 2 per cent of our global workforce, primarily in the middle and the senior grades, over the course of the year," it said. TCS will provide appropriate benefits, outplacement, counselling, and support to the impacted employees, the company added.
Time of India
28-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
TCS layoffs: IT Ministry keeping close watch on situation
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills The IT Ministry is keeping a close watch on the developments after Tata Consultancy Services ' (TCS) decision to lay off over 12,000 employees, according to growth remains a key priority, with sharp focus on how initiatives like Employment Linked Incentive can help boost job creation, they asserted. At the same time, the emphasis is on skilling and reskilling, they IT Ministry is keeping a close watch on the entire situation, and is in touch with the tech company, sources ministry is concerned and will go into why it is happening to understand the underlying stance assumes significance as India's largest IT services firm, TCS, is set to lay off 12,261 employees or two per cent of its global workforce this year. The bulk of the impact will be felt on middle and senior workforce stood at 6,13,069, as of June 30, 2025. It increased its workforce by 5,000 employees in the recently concluded April-June move is part of the company's broader strategy to become a " future-ready organisation ", focusing on investments in technology, AI deployment , market expansion, and workforce realignment , TCS said in a statement on Sunday."TCS is on a journey to become a future-ready organisation. This includes strategic initiatives on multiple fronts, including investing in new-tech areas, entering new markets, deploying AI at scale for our clients and ourselves, deepening our partnerships, creating next-gen infrastructure, and realigning our workforce model."Towards this, a number of reskilling and redeployment initiatives have been underway. As part of this journey, we will also be releasing associates from the organisation whose deployment may not be feasible. This will impact about 2 per cent of our global workforce, primarily in the middle and the senior grades, over the course of the year," it will provide appropriate benefits, outplacement, counselling, and support to the impacted employees, the company added.
News18
28-07-2025
- Business
- News18
TCS layoffs: IT Ministry keeping close watch on situation
New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) The IT Ministry is keeping a close watch on the developments after Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) decision to lay off over 12,000 employees, according to sources. Employment growth remains a key priority, with sharp focus on how initiatives like Employment Linked Incentive can help boost job creation, they asserted. At the same time, the emphasis is on skilling and reskilling, they added. 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 why it is happening to understand the underlying causes. The stance assumes significance as India's largest IT services firm, TCS, is set to lay off 12,261 employees or two per cent of its global workforce this year. The bulk of the impact will be felt on middle and senior grades. TCS's workforce stood at 6,13,069, as of June 30, 2025. It increased its workforce by 5,000 employees in the recently concluded April-June quarter. The move is part of the company's broader strategy to become a 'future-ready organisation", focusing on investments in technology, AI deployment, market expansion, and workforce realignment, TCS said in a statement on Sunday. 'TCS is on a journey to become a future-ready organisation. This includes strategic initiatives on multiple fronts, including investing in new-tech areas, entering new markets, deploying AI at scale for our clients and ourselves, deepening our partnerships, creating next-gen infrastructure, and realigning our workforce model. 'Towards this, a number of reskilling and redeployment initiatives have been underway. As part of this journey, we will also be releasing associates from the organisation whose deployment may not be feasible. This will impact about 2 per cent of our global workforce, primarily in the middle and the senior grades, over the course of the year," it said. TCS will provide appropriate benefits, outplacement, counselling, and support to the impacted employees, the company added. PTI MBI HVA view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 16:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
