Hardware
Government refers uplinking norms issue to GoM
NEW DELHI: The government today referred to a group of ministers (GoM) the various changes suggested in the uplink policy, including making sharing with Doordarshan on a mandatory basis feeds of sports events of national importance irrespective of the fact whether it has telecast rights or not.
Information and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy told newspersons after a Cabinet meeting today that a decision has been deferred as wider debate on various aspects of uplinking is needed.
However, he said the GoM, yet to be formalised by the Prime Minister, would be expected to submit its report on the uplink policy and the changes suggested by the I&B ministry within two weeks.
Asked about the aspects of the uplink policy that the I&B ministry had sought to amend, Reddy said following things had been proposed, amongst others:
Allowing FII/NRI/OCB investment in news channel ventures in India within the overall foreign cap of 26 per cent.
Granting foreign channels (like BBC and CNN) and news agencies (like Reuters TV) uplink permission on a long term basis, which would be annually renewable, instead of giving permission event-wise.
Allowing all channels and teleports to uplink to KU-band transponders from India. At the moment, only C-band uplinking is allowed and KU-band frequencies are normally reserved for DTH services.
Making it mandatory for any broadcaster to share on a commercial basis with pubcaster DD the terrestrial feed of any event of national importance, including sports.
According to Reddy, there was a lack of consensus on the issue of sharing of rights with DD on a compulsory basis in the Cabinet meeting. “It has to be debated and modalities discussed,” the minister added.
In recent times, Doordarshan has been able to show important cricket matches only because of the intervention of courts, Reddy said.
If the government brings in such a legislation favouring national broadcaster, prices of telecast rights of sporting events, including domestic cricket, would fall drastically.
In 2003 August, the then government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, had tightened the enforcement of foreign equity regulations for television news channels seeking uplinking facilities from India by mandating 51 per cent shareholding in such ventures will have to be dominant Indian on the same lines as in the print medium.
The tightening was done then as the government felt dissatisfied by replies given by Star to the queries sought by the I&B ministry about foreign equity structure in Star News.
Earlier in March 2003, the government had decided to cap the total foreign equity at 26 per cent for TV news channels wanting uplinking rights from India.
News channels, which had a foreign equity of more than 26 per cent, were given one year for restructuring to adhere to the norms.
Since then several extension to the deadline has been granted and, according to information revealed in Parliament recently, some news companies are yet to comply with the guidelines on shareholding pattern.
MUMBAI: Addverb has taken a decisive turn on the road to humanoid automation, unveiling its first wheeled humanoid robot, Elixis-W, at LogiMAT India 2026 in Mumbai. Built and manufactured in India, the robot signals the company’s push to make so-called physical AI a practical presence on the factory floor rather than a futuristic concept.
Unlike traditional fixed automation, Elixis-W is designed to move, think and work alongside people in dynamic industrial settings. The robot combines adaptive wheeled mobility with dual arms, each fitted with five-fingered dexterous hands, allowing it to handle tasks that demand precision as well as flexibility.
At its core sits a Physical AI-ready architecture, supported by dual Nvidia Jetson Orin and Thor computing units. This setup is intended to give the robot the ability to perceive, plan and adapt to changing environments, rather than simply follow pre-programmed routines.
According to Addverb CEO and co-founder Sangeet Kumar, the humanoid reflects the company’s long-standing belief in human-robot collaboration. He said the robot is designed to take on repetitive, risky or physically demanding tasks, freeing human workers to focus on higher-value decision-making roles.
Alongside the humanoid, Addverb also showcased two new intralogistics solutions. The Cruiser 360, a four-way pallet shuttle, is aimed at high-density storage environments where space and speed matter. The FlowT, an autonomous forklift, is designed to move materials safely in busy warehouses and factory spaces.
Visitors also saw Trakr, the company’s quadruped robot, navigating the exhibition floor, offering a glimpse of how legged machines could assist in future warehouse and industrial operations.
Addverb, which began as a warehouse automation specialist, has steadily expanded its global footprint across the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. Its client list includes Reliance, HUL, PepsiCo, Maersk, Mondial Relay and DHL.
With the launch of Elixis-W, the company is steering towards a future where robots are not just bolted to the floor, but rolling, reasoning and working shoulder to shoulder with people on the shopfloor.
