Author Archives: wp-admin

Closing India’s technology gap Though 48% of urban Indians are computer literate, only 14% of rural Indians can use a computer efficiently

It is a notable irony that India, which produces solutions to many of the knottiest information-technology (IT) problems faced by the world’s largest companies, has benefited little from technological progress. Fortunately for India’s citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi intends to change that. The gap between India and its emerging Asian counterpart, China, is significant. Whereas…

Curbs on free speech cause for concern: report

2014 saw a rise in recorded attacks on the media and the increasing use of defamation suits, says a report from Hoot’s Free Speech Hub The state of free speech in India remains a cause for concern judging by the rise in recorded attacks on the media and the increasing use of defamation suits, the…

Why the censorship case in the Supreme Court could change the way the internet works for you

You might not have realised it, what with Uber and religious conversions dominating the news, but a case currently being heard in the Supreme Court could alter the way the internet works in India. It has received some coverage, most notably because of the court’s stern stance on internet censorship and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s…

Tovihoto launches National digital literacy mission

Parliamentary secretary for IT & C, technical education, science & technology and taxes, Tovihoto Ayemi launched the National digital literacy mission (NDLM) at conference hall, office of the commissioner of taxes, here Thursday. Speaking at the launching programme, Tovihoto said that the department of electronics and information technology, government of India has recently approved the…

Karnataka’s One may have overshadowed Centre’s Mobile Seva project

The Mobile Seva AppStore hosts 315 live apps and it is used by 1,710 departments and agencies across the country Earlier this month, the Karnataka government launched the MobileOne initiative which makes 4,500 services, both public and private accessible through the mobile phone. The project is expected to break new ground when it comes to…

Telstra Health buys business of Chennai-based e-health solutions firm Idea Object

Telstra Health, the e-health business unit of Australia’s telecom firm Telstra Corp., has acquired the business of Chennai-based health software solutions provider, Idea Object Software Put Ltd, for an undisclosed amount. Post-acquisition, the Idiolect’s business, along with the business of Cloud9 (an Australian e-health cloud software firm which it acquired recently), will be integrated into…

Broadband for all panchayats by 2016 too ambitious target: Trai

As government targets to expand broadband connectivity to all 2.5 lakh panchayats of the country by 2016, telecom regulator TRAI chief Rahul Khullar today termed it as a very “ambitious” target, saying believing in it would be like “deluding ourselves”. “Right now we are sort of deluding ourselves by saying we will achieve 100 per…

Govt calendar will help take forward Clean India Mission: Arun Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday unveiled Indian government’s calendar for the year 2015, which is a convergence of two projects – Clean India Mission and Digital India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Clean India Mission in October with an aim to modernize sanitation within five years. At the launch programme in New Delhi, Jaitley…

Odisha panel for Digital India plan

The Odisha government has constituted two panels, state committee and state apex committee, for smooth and effective implementation of the Digital India programme. The eight member state committee will function under the chairmanship of the chief minister for providing overall vision, broad policy direction and guidance for implementation of the new initiative at the state level. Apart from the…

India Building Database to Unite Records for 1.2 Billion

India is building its own database platform to consolidate public records from across the world’s second-most populous nation in a bid to modernize services. The initiative will integrate police, court and criminal files, R.S. Sharma, secretary of the Department of Electronics & Information Technology, said in an interview. The government will also build its own…