All posts tagged: meity

MeitY orders removal of Chinese BAT-BMS after viral e-rickshaw disruption videos

MeitY orders removal of Chinese BAT-BMS after viral e-rickshaw disruption videos

Published by Webster

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed Google Play Store and Apple App Store to remove the Chinese BAT-BMS mobile application after concerns emerged over its potential misuse to remotely disrupt the operation of e-rickshaws, sources said on Friday.  The decision comes after a series of videos circulated on social media allegedly showed individuals using the BAT-BMS app to connect to nearby e-rickshaws via Bluetooth and remotely switch off their battery systems while the vehicles were in motion. The incidents have raised concerns over passenger safety as well as the security of battery management systems (BMS) used in low-cost electric vehicles. The ministry took cognisance of the matter after the videos went viral and has initiated action to restrict public access to the application, according to them. Moreover, the government is examining the broader cybersecurity implications of such vulnerabilities and is assessing further safeguards for connected battery systems used in electric vehicles. The BAT-BMS app — developed by Shenzhen Grenergy Technology — designed as a companion application for Bluetooth-enabled lithium-ion batteries. It …

UPSC uses real-time face authentication in prelims to strengthen exam security

UPSC uses real-time face authentication in prelims to strengthen exam security

Published by Webster

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) successfully implemented face authentication in the 2026 Civil Services preliminary examination, an official statement issued on Thursday said. The face-authentication protocol ensures that the candidate whose photo was uploaded at the time of filling the application form matches when they appear with the admit card to write the exam, it said. The system enabled live, real-time authentication of candidates at examination venues through mobile-phone-based verification by invigilators, ensuring seamless identification and eliminating the possibility of impersonation and malpractice, said the statement issued by the UPSC. UPSC conducted a real-time face-authentication exercise across all 2,072 examination venues nationwide during this year`s Civil Services (Preliminary) Examinations 2026, held on May 24, it said. Out of a total of 8,19,732 candidates who had applied for the examination, nearly 5.49 lakh candidates (around 67 per cent) appeared for it, as per the provisional data. The face authentication application has been developed and implemented by UPSC with technical support from the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). …

MeitY warns VPNs, intermediaries over access to banned betting sites

MeitY warns VPNs, intermediaries over access to banned betting sites

Published by Parlour News

The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has directed VPN service providers and online intermediaries to ensure they do not facilitate access to illegal betting and prediction market platforms such as Polymarket, signalling a tighter enforcement push against offshore gaming services operating in India through workarounds. Prediction market platforms such as Polymarket are banned in India. In an advisory issued on April 25, the ministry asked intermediaries and VPN providers to comply with due diligence obligations under existing law, warning that failure to do so could result in the loss of safe harbour protections available under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. The government said the direction was issued in view of the “serious nature” of the issue. MeitY noted that some users were converting Indian rupees into virtual digital assets such as USD Coin (USDC) and other stablecoins to participate in such platforms despite domestic prohibitions. Polymarket is a crypto-based prediction market platform where users wager on the outcome of real-world events, ranging from elections to economic indicators, by buying and selling …

Major opportunities for AI in jobs and governance, says MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan

Major opportunities for AI in jobs and governance, says MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan

Published by Parlour News

Ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, the Secretary for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in a wide-ranging conversation at The Hindu MIND event moderated by Aroon Deep discussed artificial intelligence (AI), India’s semiconductor ambitions, and MeitY’s role in digital governance. We are less than a week away from the India AI Impact Summit, which will witness participation of representatives from dozens of countries. Could you give us a quick rundown on where we are on AI from an Indian perspective? We’ve taken an approach where we will try to provide the three aspects of infrastructure that AI needs: compute, datasets, and models. With government support, access to these is made a little easier. Then the focus is on seeing what we can do with the applications and solutions that people are able to develop using these resources. Ultimately, there are two things that are important. One, that firms’ revenues will depend on how they deploy AI. Deployment is important and that’s what also delivers impact. In the Indian context, there are …

X monetised obscene Grok content: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP| India News

X monetised obscene Grok content: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP| India News

Published by Parlour News

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Saturday accused X of monetising harmful behaviour instead of stopping the generation of sexualised images through its AI tool Grok, saying the platform had restricted the feature to paid users rather than addressing the underlying problem. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi made the comments on the same day when Indonesia temporarily blocked Grok over concerns that the AI tool could generate pornographic content, becoming the first country to restrict access to (ANI) Grok told X users on Friday that image generation and editing features were available only to paying subscribers, after widespread backlash over the tool’s use of AI to create and publish sexualised images. “It is unfortunate to see how instead of altogether stopping problematic, sexualised image generation through Grok, the platform has restricted its use to paid users,” Chaturvedi said in a post on X, adding that this could enable the unauthorised misuse of images of women and children. She described the move as “shameful use of AI” and tagged the Ministry of Electronics and …

Govt seeks legal opinion for action over Grok-generated obscene content| India News

Govt seeks legal opinion for action over Grok-generated obscene content| India News

Published by Parlour News

The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) is seeking legal opinion for action against X over obscene and sexually explicit content generated using its AI tool Grok, people aware of the matter said. Officials said the government has made it clear that Grok cannot be treated as a neutral platform tool. (X) On January 2, MeitY wrote a letter to X flagging what it called serious failures in preventing such content, warning that continued non-compliance could lead to the loss of legal protection under the Indian law. An official said the “opposite side” is very big and powerful, which is why their stand has to be unambiguous. “The law of the land must prevail,” said the official, adding that the same approach would apply to other platforms if their AI bots generate unlawful content. “In Grok’s case, the impact is accelerated because it operates on a platform like X.” Officials said the ministry has made it clear that Grok cannot be treated as a neutral platform tool. “The mindset has now changed. Earlier, they …

Building capacity for data storage top priority of MeitY: Secretary

Building capacity for data storage top priority of MeitY: Secretary

Published by Parlour News

S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, Government of India, unveiled a bronze statue of Mrs. YGP during the centenary celebrations held in Chennai on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: RAGHUNATHAN SR Building capacity to store data in the country has been accorded top priority by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the department’s secretary, S. Krishnan, said here on Wednesday. Speaking at Dr. (Mrs.) YGP’s Centenary Celebrations, Mr. Krishnan said India generated 20% of the world’s data, but had the capacity to store merely 4%. “Unless we create capacity, we can’t even store the data. At the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, it is our top priority to see how we build this strength over a period of time in every space,” he added. The present geopolitical context was a stark departure from the past — free trade and exchanges have been replaced by trade barriers and restrictions. This meant that resilience had to be built, country by country, Mr. Krishnan said. Recalling Mrs. YGP’s efforts to promote pure science and mathematics among young …

Two cheat MeitY of ₹3 crore using SAMRIDH startup scheme; arrested by Delhi Police | Latest News India

Two cheat MeitY of ₹3 crore using SAMRIDH startup scheme; arrested by Delhi Police | Latest News India

Published by Parlour News

Two men, including a chartered accounted, allegedly cheated the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), a Delhi Police official said on Tuesday. According to a PTI news agency report, the pair cheated the ministry of over ₹3 crore under the pretext of the government-run ‘SAMRIDH’ scheme for startups. Two men have been arrested for cheating the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.(Representational) The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police arrested the duo. The accused pair have been identified as Prashant Agarwal (34), Director of M/s HPPL Foundation, and Sudhanshu Kumar Rakesh, a chartered accountant and partner in M/s Tripurari & Associates. Modus operandi Their modus operandi saw them exploit the SAMRIDH scheme by making false representations to get government funds, failing to transfer the money to selected startups and covering up the fraud with forged financial reports, the officer said. They also collected funds from startups under false pretenses. “The case was registered on the basis of a complaint by Rashi Sharma, an authorised representative of the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) — an …