I&B Ministry
I&B ministry discusses DTH set top specifications
NEW DELHI: Action seems to be happening slowly on the DTH front. Now, the information and broadcasting ministry will prepare a note on set-top boxes for KU-band DTH television services in the country after the merits and demerits of proprietary technology and open architecture were discussed today in a meeting of officials from the Bureau of Indian Standards and the ministry.
According to government sources, today’s meeting was a “preliminary one” where additional secretary (broadcasting) of the I&B ministry, Anil Baijal, was the senior most official. The matter is also likely to be discussed with I&B minister Sushma Swaraj before a note is prepared.
After the BIS receives the note from the I&B ministry, which will also keep the existing guidelines on DTH in mind, the matter of open architecture vs proprietary technology will be referred to a BIS committee on radio communication for the viewpoint of BIS.
The BIS committee on radio communication, which will debate and formulate the official BIS response on set-top boxes for DTH issue, comprises representatives from media companies like Star, cable operators and is headed by the chief engineer of All India Radio.
Though the existing DTH guidelines, announced late 2000, mandates that any DTH service provider must go in for open architecture, the broadcasting lobby has been insisting on the fact that there is no such thing called open architecture and any DTH service draws subscribers for showing premium products for which common encryption is not possible.
Even after over 18 months since the time the government announced the guidelines on DTH in India, only two companies have filed for licence with the I&B ministry. The companies are Space TV (a Star affiliate) and Agrani, a satellite company promoted by the chairman of Zee Telefilms, Subhash Chandra.
I&B Ministry
MeitY & Reliance Foundation launch e-SafeHER cyber training for Women
Programme aims to train one million rural women in cyber safety over three years
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has partnered with Reliance Foundation and C-DAC Hyderabad to launch ‘e-SafeHER’, a nationwide cyber security awareness programme aimed at empowering one million women across rural India.
Anchored under the Information Security Education and Awareness Programme, the initiative will focus on building digital confidence and safe online practices among women who are increasingly using digital platforms for financial transactions, livelihoods and essential services.
The programme will be rolled out through a community-led model, with training delivered via women’s self-help groups and grassroots networks. C-DAC Hyderabad will develop and localise training content, while Reliance Foundation will drive on-ground implementation using its rural outreach platforms.
Speaking on the launch, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology secretary S Krishnan said, “e-SafeHER is an exciting opportunity to bring together knowledge and collaboration to build a cyber secure Bharat. Through this initiative, women from even the remotest regions will be empowered to participate safely in the digital ecosystem.”
Echoing this, Reliance Foundation director Isha Ambani said the initiative aims to equip women with the skills needed to navigate the online world safely. She added that the goal is to enable one million “Cyber Sakhis” who can confidently adopt digital tools to improve their lives and livelihoods.
The programme will begin with pilot training in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, before scaling nationwide through a phased approach. It will use multilingual content, audio-visual modules and blended learning formats to ensure accessibility and engagement.
Designed for long-term impact, e-SafeHER will be integrated into existing digital literacy and women’s empowerment programmes, avoiding the need for parallel infrastructure. The initiative also aims to drive measurable behavioural change, from improved awareness of cyber risks to safer digital transactions.
By combining policy, technology and grassroots reach, the programme looks to bridge not just the digital divide, but the digital safety gap, ensuring that inclusion goes hand in hand with security.
