I&B Ministry
Registered MSOs for DAS areas goes up to 315 as I&B grants new licences
MUMBAI: The Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry is pulling up its socks to ensure that there is no delay in the complete digitisation of phase III areas, by December, 2015. In keeping with this, the Ministry has given six new permanent licences to multi system operators (MSOs) and 33 new provisional licences to those interested in setting up base in phase III areas.
With this, the total number of MSOs that have been given permanent registration for a period of 10 years stands at 222 as of 22 July, 2015. While those granted provisional licence has gone up to 93 taking the total number of registered MSOs to 315.
The MSOs that have been given permanent registration include: Tyagi Cable TV Network, ACN Cable, National Cable TV Nilgiris, Swamy Cable Network, Satellite Cable Communications and Air Media Network.
Those given provisional licence include: Bhima Riddhi Infotainment, Shimla Broadband, Star Club, APK Networks, The Giddalur Cable Network and Sai Citi Cable Network amongst others.
Click here to read the list of MSOs given permanent registration
Click here to read the list of MSOs given provisional registration
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.
