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All villages to get broadband connectivity by 2012
NEW DELHI: The Bharat Nirman target of providing every village with telephone connectivity is likely to be achieved by November 2007, two years ahead of schedule, according to a report presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In a review meeting yesterday, Dr Singh was informed that of the 66,822 villages, 48,125 have been covered till May 2007 and the remaining will be covered by November 2007. A total of 14,183 villages will be connected through satellite technology and the rest through other technologies. In an effort to increase rural tele-density, about 80,000 towers will be installed by May 2008 to facilitate mobile and other wireless services in rural areas. The final goal is to create 50 million rural connections by 2007 and increase this to 80 million connections by 2010 and provide broadband connections in every village by 2012.
The Prime Minister was informed that efforts are also on to provide Broadband services to cover 200,000 villages in 5000 blocks across the country.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
