I&B Ministry
I&B Ministry grants new provisional licences to 27 MSOs
MUMBAI: The Information & Broadcasting Ministry has granted provisional licences to as many as 27 multi-system operator (MSO). With this, the total number of provisional registrations has gone up to 451, as of 2 February, 2016.
It may be recalled that in January, the I&B Ministry granted provisional licenses to 42 MSOs in a bid to expedite the implementation digital addressable system (DAS) Phase III in all urban areas in the country.
Between 18 January and 2 February, the I&B Ministry granted licenses to MSOs operating in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Gujarat, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Kerala.
Of the MSOs, which were granted provisional licenses, only Viswam Digital Network based in Puducherry was granted a pan-India license.
The other MSOs that received provisional licenses for DAS Phases III and IV are as follows: Satellite Media Service, SL Cable TV Network, Sapna Cables, Sai Infocomm, Nathan Digital Communication, Maa Shanti Cable Network, Win Cable Network, Ghanshyam Cable Network, Information Service Television Network, Galaxy Cable Network, Shri Vinayak Cable Network, New Millennium Network, Sharda Maa City Cable, New Jai Bharat Cable Network, Sri Chakra Cable System, Friends Cable Network, CO TV, H.D Vision, Sahoo Cable Network, CZS Cable, D.M.V Cable Network, Vashnav Cable Network, Malanad Communication, PMC Network, OK Digital and Sam Digital Cable Network.
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.
