Category: Science & Technology

Elon Musk Criticizes Biden’s Decision to Award George Soros the Medal of Freedom

Manish Kumar

Elon Musk has strongly criticized President Joe Biden’s decision to award George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, describing it as a “travesty.” This honor, the United States’ highest civilian award, will be presented to Soros for his contributions to promoting democracy, human rights, education, and social justice globally. Musk’s Controversial Statement: Musk voiced his disapproval on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “A travesty that Biden is giving Soros the Medal of Freedom.” This criticism adds to Musk’s long-standing discontent with Soros, dating back to 2023, when Musk…

Apple Agrees to $95 Million Settlement in Siri Privacy Case

Manish Kumar

In January 2025, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over privacy concerns linked to its Siri voice assistant. The lawsuit alleged that Apple recorded and stored user interactions with Siri without explicit consent, including instances when Siri was not actively in use. The claims suggested a violation of privacy expectations and a lack of transparency in Apple’s data handling practices. Users accused Apple of breaching trust by collecting sensitive voice data without proper disclosure. Despite the severity of the allegations, Apple denied any wrongdoing but…

MeitY Releases Draft Rules for DPDP Act

Manish Kumar

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has unveiled the draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025, under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, marking a pivotal step for India’s privacy landscape. The draft rules detail obligations for data fiduciaries, consent manager roles, and handling children’s personal data.   Additionally, the draft rules outline the establishment of the Data Protection Board, including the process for appointing the chairperson and other members, along with their terms and conditions of service, marking a key step in implementing the Digital Personal Data…

Starlink Faces New Regulatory Troubles in India Over Security Concerns

Manish Kumar

NEW DELHI: Starlink, the satellite communications company led by Elon Musk, is under scrutiny in India as its devices have reportedly been used by insurgents and smugglers. This has raised serious security concerns within the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The government’s investigation revealed that Starlink’s satellite devices were recovered during anti-smuggling operations and raids on insurgents. A significant discovery was made in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where 6,000 kg of methamphetamine was seized. Authorities found smugglers using Starlink devices for navigation and…

India’s Schools Struggle with Digital Access: Computers in 57%, Internet in 54%

Manish Kumar

India’s school infrastructure presents a mixed picture of progress and persistent challenges, as highlighted in the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2023-24 report. While over 90% of schools have basic amenities like electricity and gender-specific toilets, advanced facilities such as functional desktops, internet access and ramps with handrails remain limited. Only 57.2% of schools have functional computers, 53.9% have internet, and 52.3% are equipped with ramps, underscoring significant gaps in accessibility and tech readiness. The enrolment landscape has seen changes, with total number of students down by…

“Unified Armed Forces Can Address Challenges with Greater Efficiency Through Integration”

Manish Kumar

Mastering frontier technologies in today’s constantly-evolving times is the need of the hour, and the military training centres are playing a crucial role in equipping & readying our soldiers to deal with future challenges,” said Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh while addressing the officers at the Army War College (AWC) in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh on December 30, 2024. Highlighting the radical changes being witnessed in the ways of warfare, he stated that unconventional methods like information warfare, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based warfare, proxy warfare, electro-magnetic warfare, space warfare and cyber attacks are posing a big challenge in today’s times.…

Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL Users to Get Voice-Only Plans Soon, TRAI to Announce Updates

Manish Kumar

Currently, all telecom operators offer recharge plans bundled with data, which are not beneficial for feature phone users and those on 2G networks. TRAI is soon going to implement a policy for voice-only recharge plans. As the new year approaches, the country’s 1.2 billion mobile users may soon have reason to celebrate, thanks to a promising initiative from TRAI. This plan comes in response to growing frustration among users over rising recharge costs since July. Notably, those with dual SIM cards and users of 2G phones stand to gain the…

Union minister Jitendra Singh addresses “Good Governance” workshop:

Manish Kumar

Addressing at the National Workshop on Good Governance Practices, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the transformative initiatives that have reshaped governance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Speaking at the event inaugurating Good Governance Week, Dr. Jitendra Singh praised the “whole-of-government” approach as a key driver of these reforms. The week, running from December 19 to 25, coincides with the 100th…

India, US Strengthen Ties with Bold Space and Innovation Initiatives

Manish Kumar

Both sides agreed to explore the creation of a new space innovation bridge to promote partnerships between US and Indian startups focused on advancing space situational awareness, satellite technology and space launch and exploration. Indian and the United States officials have charted next steps in space collaboration, including human spaceflight, joint space exploration and a commitment to facilitating commercial partnerships between space companies to advance the shared interests in the growing space economy, the White House said on Wednesday. A meeting in this regard was held in Houston on December…

C-DOT and Silizium Circuits Collaborate on Cutting-Edge LEO Satellite and GNSS RF Front-End Development

Manish Kumar

In a significant step towards developing Indigenous state-of-the-art next-generation telecommunications technology, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India has signed an agreement with Silizium Circuits Pvt Ltd a fabless Semiconductor IP & SoC Startup under FABCI(Fabless Chip Design Incubator) IIT Hyderabad for the “Design and Development of LEO Satellite Components and GNSS RF Front End ASIC”. The agreement is signed under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme of the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. This…