NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and the World Bank (WB) are working together to facilitate a program for faster and easier financing of electric vehicles (EVs). NITI Aayog and World Bank are setting up a $300 million ‘first loss risk sharing instrument’, with the State Bank of India (SBI) as its program manager. The current rate of interest for electric two-wheelers & electric 3 Wheelers, which is in the range of 20-25 per cent is expected to be reduced to 10-12 per cent.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has joined hands with Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) in a bid to implement electric vehicle charging facilities across the country. CESL is a subsidiary of state-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. This pact will help both parties collaborate on technological advancements to set up electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure that includes developing flagship products, standardizing technical specifications and customizing solutions for the Indian EV charging ecosystem.

India is working on reducing vehicular pollution in its metros, with the government encouraging startups to innovate on technology to make electric vehicles affordable for the masses. Several states have also formed their various EV policies and are encouraging people to adopt EVs with various subsidy schemes in a bid to reduce the carbon footprint.

E-Amrit is a one-stop destination for all information on electric vehicles–busting myths around the adoption of EVs. The Central government launched ‘E-Amrit’, a web portal on electric vehicles (EVs), at the ongoing COP26 Summit in United Kingdom’s Glasgow. According to a statement issued by the NITI Aayog, E-Amrit is a one-stop destination for all information on electric vehicles–busting myths around the adoption of EVs, their purchase, investment opportunities, policies, and subsidies. “The portal has been developed and hosted by NITI Aayog under a collaborative knowledge exchange programme with the UK government and as part of the UK-India Joint Roadmap 2030, signed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries,” the statement said.

E-Amrit intends to complement initiatives of the government on raising awareness on EVs and sensitizing consumers on the benefits of switching to electric vehicles. In the recent past, India has taken many initiatives to accelerate the decarbonization of transport and the adoption of electric mobility in the country. Schemes such as FAME and PLI are especially important in creating an ecosystem for the early adoption of EVs. NITI Aayog intends to add more features and introduce innovative tools to make the portal more interactive and user-friendly.

• G.S.R 720 regarding concessions under the Vehicle Scrapping Policy. Read more>>

• G.S.R. 653(E) regarding the Motor Vehicles (Registration and Functions of Vehicle Scrapping Facility) Rules, 2021 Read more>>

• G.S.R. 652(E) regarding Recognition, Regulation and Control of Automated Testing Station. Read more>>

Notification G.S.R. 800(E) regarding Central Motor Vehicles (Twenty Sixth Amendment) Rules, 2021 on emission norms for construction equipment vehicles Read more>>

In a major boost for the Department of Telecom, the made-in-India standard 5Gi is all set to be formally incorporated in the global 5G standard (3GPP). This will enable telecom equipment makers, especially the domestic players, to start using this standard to develop network gear for 5G services. According to sources, a formal agreement is expected to be announced in the coming week. The DoT has been coordinating with the global players for the incorporation of 5Gi with the 3GPP standard. 3GPP is an international body that defines the global standard for telecom sector. The new standard was developed under the supervision of Telecom Standard Development Society India and DoT with major contribution from all major IITs and IISc.

Concerned about the growing threat posed by cyber-attacks and national security threats, the government is in the process of forming a unified national-level cyber security task force with a special focus on risks posed by the telecom sector. The move comes at a time when the government is finalizing a “trusted source” list for telecom gear procurement as the country moves towards 5G and other cutting-edge telecom and immersive technologies, but insignificant purchases from China and other countries are detrimental to India’s security interests.

The telecom secretary launched the Public Procurement Policy (Make in India) portal for Telecom Products. The portal will help OEMs, Vendors, and other stakeholders to register and track their complaints. He also released the technical report on “Emerging Communication Technologies and Use Cases in IoT Domain”, a concept paper on “Optical Fibre & Cable in Indian Telecom Network”, and “TEC Handbook – 2021”, documented by IoT, Regional TECs, and RC Division of TEC, respectively. Along with the Public Procurement Policy portal, the DoT secretary also inaugurated the Nationwide MTCTE Helpdesk and Evaluation Centre infrastructure and Control Lab, situated in TEC premises.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has created a technology innovation group focused on the next frontier, sixth generation (6G), with the hopes of taking the lead in global technology development. As chairperson, Telecom Secretary will set the vision and objectives for the effort, as well as construct a roadmap for research and development (R&D), pre-standardization, application and product development, and action plans for 6G technologya.

With the launch of satellite broadband services in India, a new wave of connectivity options and technologies will surface. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working to streamline the process of deploying satellite networks in order to speed up the rollout of services. Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellite Communications and Bharti Group-backed OneWeb are competing to provide satellite-based broadband services in India. The faster the rollout, the faster innovative technology can hit the market and the earlier firms can break even on their heavy investments.

Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MEITY) released “National Strategy on Blockchain” with the vision to create trusted digital platforms through shared Blockchain infrastructure; promoting research and development, innovation, technology and application development; and facilitating state of the art, transparent, secure and trusted digital service delivery to citizens and businesses.

This strategy document lays out overall vision towards development and implementation strategies for a National Blockchain Platform covering the technology stack, legal and regulatory framework, standards development, collaboration, human resource development and potential use cases. It is envisaged that this strategy document would provide the necessary guidance and support for realizing the vision and creating a nationwide ecosystem for creating the National Blockchain Platform and development of relevant applications using this platform in various domains. Download>>

• Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) have released a technical report titled “Smartphone User Data & Privacy Protection” Read more/Download>>

• MEITY launched its AI compendium’ 75@75 India’s AI journey”. This was done in collaboration with NeGD and NASSCOM. The compendium highlights the 75 use cases of AI in India that have successfully impacted the people and the governance of the nation. The use cases have been categorized under government, startups, academia, and enterprises. Read more/Download>>