Apiary-CoE aims to incubate 100 start-ups in the field of blockchain technology and to contribute to government of India's 'Make-in-India' and 'Digital India' programmes

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) has launched Apiary, a centre of excellence (CoE) in Blockchain and also an 'Idea Challenge Program in Blockchain' at STP incubation centre, Gurugram in association with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of Haryana, Government Blockchain Association and several blue-chip companies and top tier academic institutions.

DoT is expected to provide the spectrum needed by telecom service providers for testing their 5G networks. 5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for cellular networks, superior to the 4G networks which currently provide connectivity to most cellphones. The testing was originally scheduled for March but got delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Telecom operators will need 6 months of testing 5G devices and spectrum before we begin auctions”. “We are looking at providing the companies with spectrum for the testing by September so that they can begin the process,” the official said.

• TRAI has released recommendations on 'Provision of Cellular Backhaul Connectivity via Satellite through VSAT under Commercial VSAT CUG Service Authorization'. Read more/Download
• Consultation Paper on Roadmap to Promote Broadband Connectivity and Enhanced Broadband Speed. Read more/Download
• Recommendations on Methodology of applying Spectrum Usage Charges (SUC) under the weighted average method of SUC assessment, in cases of Spectrum Sharing. Read more/Download
• Consultation Paper on Regulation of International Mobile Roaming Services. Read more/ Download
• Recommendations on Traffic Management Practices (TMPs) and Multi-Stakeholder Body for Net Neutrality. Read more/Download
• Recommendations on Cloud Services. Read more/Download
• Recommendations on Regulatory Framework for Over-The-Top (OTT) Communication Services. Read more/Download
• Telecom Consumers Protection (Eleventh Amendment) Regulations, 2020. Read more/Download

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution launched the Bureau of Indian Standard’s Mobile App ‘BIS-Care’ and three portals – the Standardization, Conformity Assessment and Training Portals of e-BIS on  www.manakonline.in for consumers. The mobile app BIS-Care can be operated on any Android phone and can be downloaded free from Google play store. Consumers can check the authenticity of the ISI-marked and hallmarked products and lodge complaints using this app. The Minister said that the government has taken several steps to protect the interests of consumers.

The Consumer Protection Act,2019 comes in to force from 20 July, with its salient features including the establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers. This new Act will empower consumers and help them in protecting their rights through its various notified rules and provisions like Consumer Protection Councils, Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions, Mediation, Product Liability and punishment for manufacture or sale of products containing adulterant / spurious goods.

A framework that would help cities follow a climate-sensitive approach in urban planning and development was launched. The objective of the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0 is to provide a roadmap for cities for combating climate change while planning and implementing their actions, including investments. The framework has 28 indicators across energy and green buildings, urban planning, green cover and biodiversity, mobility and air quality, water management and waste management.

India Cycles4Change Challenge is an initiative of the Smart Cities Mission to support Indian cities to quickly implement cycling-friendly initiatives in response to the pandemic.  The housing and urban affairs ministry has launched the India Cycles4Change Challenge to support smart cities to implement cycling-friendly projects in response to the COVID-19. In the first phase, 10 cities will be selected and will receive technical support from the Centre and also a reward of Rs 1 crore (10 Million) each.

The five-year project will design a tailor-made transport emissions assessment framework for India. The NITI Aayog and the International Transport Forum (ITF) of Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD), have jointly launched a project aimed at decarbonizing India’s transport sector. The program, Decarbonizing Transport in Emerging Economies (DTEE), is a collaboration between the ITF and the Wuppertal Institute, supported by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

As a one stop solution for Indian automobile industry, portal a step towards the vision of ‘AatmaNirbhar’ Bharat. Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), Govt of India, has embarked on a mission to promote innovation, R&D and product development in India for various sectors. A step towards this mission is the creation of technology platform e-portals where such technology development, information exchange and innovation can be facilitated. There are five portals being developed for specific sectors by different organizations viz, BHEL for power sector equipment, HMT for machine tools, CMFTI for manufacturing technology, ICAT and ARAI for automotive sector.