Latest news with #MinistryofElectronicsandInformationTechnology
India Today
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Vetri Maaran's Bad Girl teaser removed from YouTube over minor portrayal problem
The teaser of director Varsha Bharath's 'Bad Girl', produced by Vetri Maaran and presentedby Anurag Kashyap, has been removed from YouTube after the Madras High Court expressed problems with the portrayal of children and teens. Recentlt, the Madras High Court ordered the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) to remove the teaser of the Tamil film 'Bad Girl' from court expressed concerns that the content sexualises minors and could negatively influence teenage viewers. Justice P Dhanabal stated, "If the children see the said contents of the videos, certainly it will spoil the minds of the children."The film, directed by debutant Varsha Bharath, has faced backlash from right-wing groups for its depiction of a Brahmin schoolgirl who candidly discusses sex and relationships. Varsha remarked, "I just wanted to write a character that is very relatable," adding that "My film is not a self-help book." Despite the uproar, 'Bad Girl' has received international acclaim, clinching the NETPAC Award at the 2025 International Film Festival of Rotterdam for its portrayal of a young woman's coming of age. However, its bold themes have not sat well with conservative factions in film's teaser, released on January 26, 2025, drew severe criticism, prompting legal action from individuals like S Venkatesh, a lawyer. They argued that the teaser violated the POCSO Act and the Information Technology Pa Ranjith, who is not part of the production, faced online backlash for endorsing the film as "bold and refreshing." Conversely, director Mohan G criticised the film, stating, "Try with your own caste girls and showcase it to your own family first."The controversy surrounding 'Bad Girl' underscores the tension between artistic expression and cultural sensibilities in Tamil cinema. The film's production is backed by renowned filmmakers Vetrimaaran and Anurag Kashyap, further highlighting the high-profile nature of the controversy. Their involvement has brought additional attention to the ongoing debates over the film's 'Bad Girl' cleared censor hurdles and was issued a U/A certificate. It was slated for a release on September 5 alongside Sivakarthikeyan's 'Madhrasi'. With the new court order, it is unclear if 'Bad Girl' will witness a smooth theatrical release this September.- EndsMust Watch
India.com
a day ago
- Business
- India.com
India's Mobile Exports Jump From Rs 1,500 Cr To Rs 2 Lakh Cr In Decade: IT Minister
New Delhi: India's mobile phone exports have surged 127 times over the past decade, rising from Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 2 lakh crore, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Jitin Prasada, informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday. The minister attributed this unprecedented growth in mobile manufacturing to the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. Over the last ten years, mobile production in India has witnessed a 28-fold increase, growing from ₹18,000 crore to ₹5.45 lakh crore. Under the aegis of the National Policy on Electronics (NPE) 2019, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had notified the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Large-Scale Electronics Manufacturing (LSEM) and the PLI Scheme for IT Hardware. "The PLI Scheme for Large-Scale Electronics Manufacturing has significantly impacted the mobile manufacturing sector in India, particularly in transforming the country from a net importer to a net exporter of mobile phones. Bharat is now the second-largest mobile manufacturing country in the world," the minister stated in his written reply. As of June 2025, the PLI Scheme for Large-Scale Electronics Manufacturing has attracted a cumulative investment of ₹12,390 crore, led to a cumulative production of ₹8,44,752 crore, exports worth ₹4,65,809 crore, and created 1,30,330 direct jobs. Meanwhile, the PLI Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware has attracted a cumulative investment of ₹717.13 crore, resulted in cumulative production worth ₹12,195.84 crore, and generated 5,056 direct jobs as of June 2025. Total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the electronics manufacturing sector over the last five years (since 2020–21) stands at USD 4,071 million, of which USD 2,802 million has been contributed by MeitY PLI beneficiaries. As part of its 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Make in India' initiatives, the government launched PLI schemes across several sectors in 2020 to make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investments, boost exports, integrate India into the global supply chain, and reduce import dependency.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Form SOP to deal with cyberattacks on women: Madras HC
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Government of India to evolve a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to deal with cyberattacks against women, including the uploading and sharing of intimate videos and images recorded without their consent on digital platforms and social media. Justice N Anand Venkatesh granted two weeks to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to submit the SOP in the court and said appropriate orders on the matter would be passed after perusing the SOP. The union government's counsel, A Kumaraguru, informed the court that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Women and Child Development are already working on finalising an SOP. The direction was issued by the judge while hearing a petition filed by a woman advocate seeking a direction to the centre to take immediate action to remove from digital platforms her intimate videos and images shot and uploaded without her consent by her ex-partner.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Indian AI startup makes European breakthrough with BharatGPT Mini launch
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills India's artificial intelligence sector achieved a significant milestone last month as CoRover , the country's leading conversational AI company, successfully launched BharatGPT Mini at Europe's premier technology conference VivaTech 2025 in Paris and quickly secured its first commercial partnership with a French business school The breakthrough came when Ecole des Ponts Business School in Paris signed a deal with CoRover to deploy the multilingual AI system for student services, marking the first European commercial adoption of the Indian-developed technology. The partnership will see the school use BharatGPT Mini to assist prospective students with resume reviews, program selection, and admissions lightweight model supports 14 Indian languages alongside major international languages and accepts multiple input formats including voice, text, and video. Its privacy-first architecture means sensitive data remains on users' devices rather than being transmitted to external servers."In a world grappling with ballooning cloud costs and growing data privacy concerns, BharatGPT Mini offers a timely alternative," the company stated while announcing the Mini distinguishes itself in an increasingly crowded AI market through its focus on efficiency and accessibility. Unlike resource-intensive large language models that require constant internet connectivity and significant computing power, CoRover's solution operates offline and on-device, addressing growing concerns about cloud computing costs and data Paris success is part of a broader Indian government initiative to establish the country as a global AI innovator rather than merely a consumer of foreign technology. The company was among 10 startups participating in the Station F-HEC International LaunchPad program, supported by India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and facilitated by the Indian Embassy in Sabharwal, CoRover's founder and CEO, framed the Ecole des Ponts partnership as reflecting the diplomatic relationship between India and France. "Inspired by the shared vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron, this collaboration reflects how India and France can jointly shape the future of responsible AI," he Minister of State Jitin Prasada, who unveiled the technology at VivaTech in Paris, highlighted its potential for digital inclusion . "This AI model works even without the internet, in 14 Indian languages," Prasada said at the launch ceremony. "Imagine citizens accessing healthcare, banking, or governance services just by speaking in their language - no apps, no typing. This is digital empowerment at scale."The launch ceremony was attended by senior Indian officials including Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and IT and CEO of IndiaAI, along with Sanjeev Singla, India's Ambassador to France and market indicators suggest strong appetite for CoRover's approach. The company reports enterprise interest has risen 60-70 per cent, while small business adoption is projected to increase fivefold in fiscal year Wadhwa, Director of Marketing and Admissions at Ecole des Ponts Business School, praised the technology's potential impact. "CoRover's GenAI solution will completely transform how we engage with future students. This partnership sets a powerful example for Indo-French cooperation in AI."The success of BharatGPT Mini represents a strategic shift for India's technology sector, moving beyond software services to compete in cutting-edge AI development. With more than 25,000 clients globally and over one billion users, CoRover is positioning itself as a champion of what it calls "AI sovereignty" - the principle that nations should develop indigenous AI capabilities rather than depend entirely on foreign company's no-code/low-code development platform, CoRoverBuilder, aims to democratize AI creation, allowing businesses to build conversational AI applications without extensive technical global attention increasingly focuses on the concentration of AI development in a few major technology companies, India's emergence as a creator of alternative, privacy-focused AI solutions may signal a broader shift in the industry's geographic and technological landscape.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
India can reframe the Artificial Intelligence debate
Less than three years ago, ChatGPT dragged artificial intelligence (AI) out of research laboratories and into living rooms, classrooms and parliaments. Leaders sensed the shock waves instantly. Despite an already crowded summit calendar, three global gatherings on AI followed in quick succession. When New Delhi hosts the AI Impact Summit in February 2026, it can do more than break attendance records. It can show that governments, not just corporations, can steer AI for the public good. India can bridge the divide But the geopolitical climate is far from smooth. War continues in Ukraine. West Asia teeters between flareups. Trade walls are rising faster than regulators can respond. Even the Paris AI Summit (February 2025), meant to unify, ended in division. The United States and the United Kingdom rejected the final text. China welcomed it. The very forum meant to protect humanity's digital future faces the risk of splintering. India has the standing and the credibility to bridge these divides. India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology began preparations in earnest. In June, it launched a nationwide consultation through the MyGov platform. Students, researchers, startups, and civil society groups submitted ideas. The brief was simple: show how AI can advance inclusive growth, improve development, and protect the planet. These ideas will shape the agenda and the final declaration. This turned the consultation into capital and gave India a democratic edge no previous host has enjoyed. Here are five suggestions rooted in India's digital experience. They are modest in cost but can be rich in credibility. Pledges and report cards First, measure what matters. India's digital tools prove that technology can serve everyone. Aadhaar provides secure identity to more than a billion people. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) moves money in seconds. The Summit in 2026 can borrow that spirit. Each delegation could announce one clear goal to achieve within 12 months. A company might cut its data centre electricity use. A university could offer a free AI course for rural girls. A government might translate essential health advice into local languages using AI. All pledges could be listed on a public website and tracked through a scoreboard a year later. Report cards are more interesting than press releases. Second, bring the global South to the front row. Half of humanity was missing from the leaders' photo session at the first summit. That must not happen again. As a leader of the Global South, India must endeavour to have as wide a participation as possible. India should also push for an AI for Billions Fund, seeded by development banks and Gulf investors, which could pay for cloud credits, fellowships and local language datasets. India could launch a multilingual model challenge for say 50 underserved languages and award prizes before the closing dinner. The message is simple: talent is everywhere, and not just in California or Beijing. Third, create a common safety check. Since the Bletchley Summit in 2023 (or the AI Safety Summit 2023), experts have urged red teaming and stress tests. Many national AI safety institutes have sprung up. But no shared checklist exists. India could endeavour to broker them into a Global AI Safety Collaborative which can share red team scripts, incident logs and stress tests on any model above an agreed compute line. Our own institute can post an open evaluation kit with code and datasets for bias robustness. Fourth, offer a usable middle road on rules. The United States fears heavy regulation. Europe rolls out its AI Act. China trusts state control. Most nations want something in between. India can voice that balance. It can draft a voluntary frontier AI code of conduct. Base it on the Seoul pledge but add teeth. Publish external red team results within 90 days. Disclose compute once it crosses a line. Provide an accident hotline. Voluntary yet specific. Fifth, avoid fragmentation. Splintered summits serve no one. The U.S. and China eye each other across the frontier AI race. New Delhi cannot erase that tension but can blunt it. The summit agenda must be broad, inclusive, and focused on global good. The path for India India cannot craft a global AI authority in one week and should not try. It can stitch together what exists and make a serious push to share AI capacity with the global majority. If India can turn participation into progress, it will not just be hosting a summit. It will reframe its identity on a cutting edge issue. Syed Akbaruddin is a former Indian Permanent Representative to the United Nations and, currently, Dean, Kautilya School of Public Policy, Hyderabad
