Year-End Review 2024: MeitY’s Digital Leap

31 Dec 2024 CW Team

In 2024, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) spearheaded significant initiatives to advance India's digital growth, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and skill development. These efforts aimed to democratise technology, foster innovation, and cement India's position as a global technology leader. Semiconductor Manufacturing under the Semicon India Programme Several major projects received approval under the Semicon India Programme, marking a pivotal year for semiconductor manufacturing in India: 1. Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL): Approved for a Semiconductor Fab facility in partnership with Taiwan's PSMC. The Rs 915.26 billion (bn) project aims for a production capacity of 50,000 wafer starts per month. Additionally, TEPL’s Rs 271.2 bn OSAT facility will leverage indigenous packaging technologies with a capacity of 48 million units per day. 2. CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited: Approved for a Rs 75.84 bn OSAT facility in partnership with global leaders like Renesas Electronics (Japan) and STARS Microelectronic (Thailand). The facility will produce 15.07 million units per day. 3. Kaynes Technology India Limited (KTIL): Approved for an OSAT facility in Gujarat with a Rs 33.07 bn investment and a production capacity exceeding 6.33 million chips daily. The INDIAai portal, a collaborative initiative by MeitY, NeGD, and NASSCOM, serves as a comprehensive platform for AI developments in India. Currently, it hosts over: • 2,800 articles, 1,175 news items, and 334 videos. • Listings of 472 startups, 164 research reports, and 184 government initiatives. The AIRAWAT project, featuring a 200-petaflop mixed-precision AI machine (scalable to 790 petaflops), ranked 75th in the Global Supercomputing List. This achievement underscores India's emergence as a global leader in AI supercomputing. The IndiaAI program emphasises inclusion, ethics, and innovation. Key pillars include AI skilling, responsible AI, data governance, and establishing a National Centre for AI. MeitY has also published a detailed IndiaAI Report outlining next steps to achieve "AI for All."

India, a leading Global South economy, was elected Incoming Council Chair of GPAI in 2022 and became Lead Chair in 2024. Hosting the 6th GPAI Ministerial Council Meeting in New Delhi highlighted India’s global leadership in ethical AI development. Several high-impact projects were approved under EMC 2.0, including: • Hyderabad Knowledge City, Telangana: A R 1.04 bn Common Facility Centre to support prototyping and validation. • New Energy Park, Telangana: A Rs 5.69 bn project, attracting investments of Rs 105.74 bn and generating over 19,000 jobs. • Tamil Nadu EMC, Sriperumbudur: With a Rs 4.24 bn investment, it has already attracted Rs 87.37 bn in investments and created over 36,000 jobs. • Karnataka EMC, Mysuru: A Rs 2.21 bn project, with three companies committing Rs 15.91 bn investments. Nine additional projects under the SPECS scheme received approval, with a combined proposed investment of Rs 79.60 bn and the potential to generate 15,710 jobs. Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) The initiative trained 6.39 crore individuals nationwide, surpassing its target of 6 crore. Significant strides in digital literacy were noted in both rural and urban areas, facilitated by increased smartphone usage and internet penetration. Skill Development in Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) Two government-backed schemes trained over 4.93 lakh candidates (against a target of 4.18 lakh), with 1.36 lakh placed in the ESDM sector. A "Place & Train" model ensured industry-aligned skilling, supported by 320 participating industries. IT for Masses Programme Since 2006, 124 projects under this initiative have directly benefited 5.56 lakh women and over 1.7 lakh individuals from SC/ST communities, fostering inclusive growth in underserved regions. Cybersecurity Initiatives The Cyber Surakshit Bharat (CSB) program continued to strengthen digital security through advanced CISO training and cybersecurity drills. CERT-In onboarded 388 organizations to the Cyber Swachhta Kendra for proactive cyber threat management. BHASHINI: India’s Language Translation Platform The BHASHINI platform, launched under the National Language Technology Mission, supports 17 Indian languages, facilitating over 100 million monthly inferences. The platform's mobile apps have garnered over 700,000 downloads, offering 100+ use cases across sectors. BHASHINI received several awards, including the Digital Trailblazer Award and ET Government Award for AI and Predictive Technologies.

National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) In 2024, three PARAM Rudra Supercomputers were deployed at key institutions across India. These supercomputers, built with indigenous hardware and software, enhance research in physics, earth sciences, and cosmology. With 33 supercomputers now operational, NSM supports over 10,000 researchers, including those in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.

Infrastructure Urban

06 Jul 2026

ABS Marine Sees CRISIL Credit Rating Upgrade

ABS Marine Services has secured an upgrade to its long term and short term credit ratings from CRISIL, reflecting improved profitability and revenue growth through long term contracts. CRISIL moved the long term rating from BBB+/Stable to A-/Stable and revised the short term rating from A2 to A2+. The action signals strengthened financial metrics and operational resilience. The company benefited from durable client relationships with firms such as ONGC and Schlumberger. The rating decision followed stronger cash flows and an enlarged bank loan facility, which increased from Rs 3,705 million (m..

Project BRAHMANK Marks 16 Years Of Strategic Roads In Arunachal

Project BRAHMANK is marking 16 years of work to establish strategic road and bridge links across Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining and developing 811 kilometres of roads and nearly 86 bridges that range from small culverts to large steel and arch bridges. These transport links are described as critical for ensuring year-round movement of defence personnel, equipment and essential supplies while improving everyday travel for people in remote villages. The project balances national security requirements with regional development by focusing on reliable access in challenging terrain. Notable enginee..

Longleng CSOs Give One Week Ultimatum Over Two-Lane Highway

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Longleng district have demanded immediate restoration of the deteriorating Changtongya–Longleng two-lane road and sought a detailed status report on the stalled construction within one week. The demand followed a consultative meeting convened under the Phom Peoples' Council (PPC) to discuss welfare and development concerns. PPC president YB Angam Phom said prolonged non-maintenance had caused hardship to commuters and affected transportation, local commerce and the district's development. The meeting urged authorities to undertake immediate restoration a..