Vinod Bhat

New Delhi: A Fact Check Unit (FCU) functions under Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. FCU identifies fake news, misinformation relating to the Central Government. After verifying the authenticity of news from authorized sources, FCU publishes correct information on its social media platforms. Additionally, it encourages citizens to report suspicious content for verification, thereby strengthening public participation in combating misinformation.

FCU has identified various fake claims related to the Government of India including deepfakes, AI-generated and misleading videos, notifications, letters and websites. A total of 2913 fact- checks have been published so far. All fact-checks are available across PIB Fact Check official social media platforms, including X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Threads and WhatsApp Channel.

During Operation Sindoor, the PIB Fact Check Unit actively identified misinformation and hostile narratives circulating online. It promptly acted on fact-checking false claims, providing authentic information, and ensuring accurate public communication, thereby helping prevent the spread of misleading and anti-India narratives. Ministry also issued directions for blocking of over 1,400 such URLs on digital media during Operation Sindoor.

For the publishers of news and current affairs on digital media and publishers of online curated content, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021) provides for a Code of Ethics along with a three-level institutional mechanism for redressal of grievance relating to violation of Code of Ethics by such publishers.

Vinod Bhat

New Delhi: India’s electronic manufacturing strategy is driven by the Prime Minister’s vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat and Making India a global manufacturing hub. The Government adopted a structured and targeted policy for electronics manufacturing across the entire value chain including semiconductors.

As a result of these policies, electronics manufacturing in India has expanded significantly in the last 11 years. It can be seen from the following statistics:

Semicon India Programme

Semiconductors is a foundational and strategic industry. Semiconductors are used in almost every device.

To promote the development of its manufacturing ecosystem in India, the Government launched Semicon India Programme in January 2022. It aims at developing a complete ecosystem, ranging from design, fabrication, assembly, testing, packaging and module manufacturing.

In a short span of four years, the Government has approved 10 projects with investment commitments of about ₹1.6 lakh crore. Commercial production from two plants (Micron and Kaynes) has commenced with 2 more plants to start commercial production this year.

The details of the approved Semiconductor manufacturing units are placed at Annexure I.

Developing India’s chip design ecosystem:

Government is developing India’s chip design ecosystem in two ways:

1. Supporting Indian design engineers through chip design tools

In a one of its kind initiative in the world, Government has provided cutting edge chip design tools from 8 different companies to 315 universities at no cost. So far, their usage has exceeded 200 lakh hours.

Using these tools 211, chips have been taped out by 75 institutions across India including 149 chips at 180nm, SCL Mohali and 62 chip at overseas foundries.

2. Supporting Indian design companies through grant, free design tool and fabrication support:

Government has approved 24 projects for the design of semiconductor chips and SoCs. These projects address critical sectors such as video surveillance, drone detection, energy metering, microprocessors, satellite communications, and broadband and IoT SoCs.

Out of 24 projects, 14 companies have raised venture capital funding of more than Rs 650 Cr to scale up and productize their solutions. Seven (7) chips have been successfully fabricated at various nodes including advanced nodes such as 12 nm.

Further, to enhance bilateral collaboration on opportunities to advance resilient semiconductor supply chains and leverage complementary strengths, the Government has entered into MoU with United States, Japan, European Union, Singapore and Netherlands.

Employment generation

The growth of the electronics manufacturing sector has led to substantial employment generation. As per industry estimates, it supports around 25 lakh jobs, including direct and indirect employment.

Out of this, the mobile phone manufacturing sector alone supports around 12 lakh jobs, across manufacturing, logistics, supply chains and allied services.

Apart from this, the Government is implementing flagship schemes to further boost employment by attracting investments.

Under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), 10 semiconductor units are under construction. As a foundational industry, semiconductor manufacturing is expected to have a cascading impact on employment generation across the supply chain and allied sectors, leading to significant indirect job creation.

Similarly, under Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), 249 applications have been received for components, base materials and capital equipments such as PCBs, capacitors, laminates etc.

India Semiconductor Mission 2.0: Building on the success of Semicon India Programme and further enhance the capabilities in semiconductors, FM, in the Union Budget 2026-27, announced India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 for manufacture of equipment and materials, design full stack, Indian IP and fortify supply chains.
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Annexure-I

Details of approved semiconductor manufacturing projects:

1.  Micron Technology Inc. is establishing semiconductor manufacturing facility in Gujarat with an investment of Rs.22,516 crore. Micron’s facility in India will enable assembly and test manufacturing for both DRAM and NAND products and address demand from domestic and international markets. The production capacity is around 14 million units per week.

2. Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL) is establishing semiconductor manufacturing facility in Gujarat with an investment of Rs. 91,526 crore. The fab facility will be set up in technology partnership with PSMC, Taiwan. The production capacity of the project would be around 50,000 wafer starts per month (WSPM).

3. Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL) is establishing semiconductor manufacturing facility in Assam with an investment of Rs.27,120 crores. The facility will use indigenous semiconductor packaging technologies with a production capacity of 48 million units per day.

4. CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited is establishing semiconductor manufacturing facility in Gujarat with an investment of Rs. 7,584 crore. The facility will be set up as a joint venture partnership with Renesas Electronics America Inc., USA, and STARS Microelectronic, Thailand. The Technology would be provided for this facility by Renesas Electronics Corporation, Japan and STARS Microelectronic, Thailand. The production capacity would be around 15.07 million units per day.

5. Kaynes Technology India Limited (KTIL) is establishing semiconductor manufacturing facility in Gujarat with an investment of Rs. 3,307 crores for Wire bond Interconnect, Substrate Based Packages. The Technology would be provided by ISO Technology Sdn. Bhd. and AOI Electronics Co. Ltd. (AOI). The facility will have the capacity to produce more than 6.33 million chips per day.

6. Vama Sundari Investments (Delhi) Private Limited (VSIPL) is establishing semiconductor manufacturing facility in Uttar Pradesh with an investment of Rs 3,706 crores for display driver ICs (DDIC) using Gold (Au) Bump technology along with chip probing facilities and die processing services. The Technology would be provided by Hon Hai, Taiwan. The facility will be set up as a joint venture partnership between VSIPL and Foxconn, India. The production capacity would be around 20K wafers per month/36 million chips per month.

7. 3D Glass Solutions Inc. (3DGS) is establishing semiconductor manufacturing facility in Odisha with an investment of Rs. 1,943 crores. The plant will handle the assembly of packaged products such as Flip Chip Ball Grid Array (FCBGA) assembly, Radio Frequency System in Package (RF SiP), Antenna in Package System in Package (AiP SiP), glass interposers with passives and silicon bridges and 3D Heterogeneous Integration (3DHI) modules. The Proposed installed capacity for glass panel substrate production, assembly and 3DHI is around 5800 panels per month, 4.20 million units per month, and 1100 units per months respectively.

8. SiCSem Private Limited is establishing semiconductor manufacturing facility in Odisha with an investment of Rs. 2,066 crores. The facility will be set up in technology partnership with Clas-SiC Wafer Fab Ltd. for SiC fab and Continental Device India Pvt. Ltd. for packaging. The production capacity is 5,000 wafers/month, and the packaging capacity is 8 million units/month.

9. Continental Device India Private Limited (CDIL) is expanding its semiconductor manufacturing facility in Punjab, with an investment of Rs. 117 crores. The facility will manufacture high-power discrete semiconductor devices such as MOSFETs, IGBTs, Schottky Bypass Diodes, and transistors, both in Silicon and Silicon Carbide. The production capacity will be around 158.38 million units/annum.

10. Advanced System in Package Technologies Private Limited (ASIP) is establishing semiconductor manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh, with an investment of Rs. 480 crores. The facility will be set up in technology partnership with APACT Co. Ltd, South Korea. The production capacity of the facility would be around 96 million units/annum.

Vinod Bhat

New Delhi: India’s AI strategy is based on the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision to democratize the use of technology. It aims to address India centric challenges, create economic and employment opportunities for all Indians.

The Government approved the IndiaAI Mission on 7th March 2024. The Mission is built on seven pillars focused on compute access, foundational models, datasets, talent development, startups and industry partnerships, development of applications, and ethical AI. These efforts aim to build a self-reliant and globally competitive AI ecosystem in the country.

Impactful AI solutions are being promoted and developed under IndiaAI Mission to address major societal challenges, including in healthcare.

IndiaAI–NCG Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH) has been launched in collaboration with the National Cancer Grid. The partnership supports joint proposals from AI innovators and clinical institutions for development and validation of AI solutions across the cancer care continuum.

The initiative addresses the critical gaps across the cancer care continuum in a balanced and impact-oriented manner. It provides grant support and access to clinical validation environments, thereby enabling real-world testing, scale-up and adoption of AI tools in public health settings.

A total of 299 proposals were received under the Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH) Grant challenge from a wide range of stakeholders including startups, academic institutions, healthcare providers, and industry participants across the country.

Following a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process, 10 solutions have been selected for grant support. These selected proposals represent diverse thematic areas across the cancer care continuum and reflect a broad-based participation from different regions and categories.

The CATCH grant was conducted across 7 priority tracks viz. Screening, Diagnostics, Clinical Treatment, Patient Engagement, Research Enablement, Operational Efficiency, Data Curation.

The evaluation framework does not exclusively prioritize any single category. Instead, proposals are assessed holistically based on their potential for clinical impact, scalability, innovation, and alignment with national health priorities.

The Programme incorporates a structured, phased support mechanism to assess and strengthen the operational readiness and scalability of selected solutions.

In the initial phase, selected teams are provided grant support of up to ₹50 lakh per solution, disbursed in milestone-linked tranches, to enable development, validation, and pilot deployment.

Based on demonstrated performance, selected solutions may be considered for an enhanced grant support of up to ₹1 crore per solution for scale-up. The evaluation framework includes technical assessment, clinical validation in collaboration with relevant institutions, and real-world pilot testing.

The Government envisages that successful solutions emerging from the Programme will be progressively scaled through appropriate institutional partnerships and integration pathways.

The scale-up approach will be guided by evidence generated during pilot deployments, clinical validation outcomes, and alignment with national and state-level health system priorities.

Efforts are being undertaken to ensure that solutions developed under the Programme are aligned with existing clinical workflows and public health systems. This includes engagement with relevant stakeholders to facilitate interoperability, adherence to clinical standards, and integration within healthcare delivery settings, subject to validation and regulatory considerations.

The Government places strong emphasis on the ethical and responsible use of health data. Appropriate safeguards are being incorporated within the Programme design, including adherence to applicable data protection frameworks, anonymization protocols, and oversight mechanisms during data collection, model development, and deployment stages.

All approved projects must submit a study protocol to the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) of the participating hospital or institution. IEC clearance is mandatory prior to the release of funds and project commencement.  Upon receipt of IEC approval, selected teams will receive a formal grant award letter.

Vinod Bhat

New Delhi: Indian Railways has achieved significant milestones in both passenger operations and freight during 2025–26, setting new records in cargo transport while also reporting robust growth in passenger traffic and revenue. These achievements reflect sustained improvements in operational efficiency, capacity enhancement, and the growing reliance on rail-based transportation by both key sectors of the economy and everyday commuters. Together, they underscore Railways’ pivotal role as a backbone of the nation’s logistics network and a provider of safe, reliable, and accessible mobility for citizens across the country.

Increased Passenger Traffic and Revenue Growth

Indian Railways has reported robust growth in passenger traffic and revenue for the fiscal year. The total number of passengers carried rose to 741 crore in 2025–26, a 3.54% increase over 716 crore in 2024–25, reflecting sustained growth in rail usage across the country. Correspondingly, total revenue reached approximately ₹80,000 crore in 2025–26, marking a 5.96% increase from ₹75,500 crore in 2024–25, driven by strong passenger traffic and earnings. These figures underscore Indian Railways’ expanding role in passenger mobility and its improving financial performance year-on-year.

Freight Growth Highlights Increasing Logistics Demand

During 2025–26, Indian Railways carried a record 1670 Million Tonnes (MT) of freight, registering a growth of 3.25% over the previous year. This strong performance was complemented by a 4.56% increase in the number of wagons handled, which rose from 2,79,12,271 in 2024–25 to 2,91,86,475 in 2025–26. The steady rise in freight loading highlights the increasing demand for reliable, cost-effective, and efficient logistics solutions, positioning Railways as a preferred mode of transport for bulk commodities.

The growth has been largely driven by key sectors such as Fertilisers (13.49%), ‘Pig Iron and Steel’ (13.11%). This reflects both the rising demand for agricultural inputs across regions and the continued expansion of industrial activity, particularly in the steel sector.

Iron Ore and Cement Sustain Infrastructure Momentum

Core infrastructure commodities have also played a crucial role in sustaining this momentum. Iron Ore transportation increased by 6.74%, reaching 190.12 MT, while Cement loading grew by 4.74% to 157.17 MT. These trends indicate ongoing infrastructure development and construction activity across the country, where Railways continues to serve as a vital logistics partner.

Balanced Growth Across Railway Zones

Zone-wise loading performance during 2025–26 reflects broad-based growth across several regions, with South Western Railway (SWR) recording the highest increase of 14.89% over the previous year. Other zones demonstrating strong double-digit growth include North Central Railway (NCR) at 12.62%, East Coast Railway (ECoR) at 10.42%, and West Central Railway (WCR) at 10.06%. Additional zones that registered positive growth include Eastern Railway (ER) (0.78%), East Central Railway (ECR) (0.39%), North Eastern Railway (NER) (0.25%), Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) (6.75%), North Western Railway (NWR) (5.17%), South Central Railway (SCR) (2.59%), South East Central Railway (SECR) (3.18%), Southern Railway (SR) (1.10%), and Western Railway (WR) (3.57%). This widespread improvement across zones highlights balanced regional development and enhanced freight handling capacity across the Indian Railways network.

Strong Growth in Freight Earnings

In addition to strong loading performance, Indian Railways has also registered robust freight earnings, which have reached approximately ₹1,77,754 crore in 2025–26, reflecting a 1.44% increase over ₹1,75,302 crore in 2024–25. Among commodities, Iron Ore emerged as the highest revenue contributor with earnings of ₹14,600.51 crore, followed by Cement (₹13,599 crore), Pig Iron & Finished Steel (₹12,181 crore), Fertilisers (₹9,039 crore), Food Grains (₹8,312.5 crore), and Mineral Oil (₹7,249.54 crore).

Railways Continues to Drive Growth and Connectivity

Building on its achievements in freight, Indian Railways has also seen sustained growth in passenger traffic and revenue, reflecting its expanding role in providing reliable and efficient mobility across the country. This consistent performance underscores Railways’ pivotal contribution to the nation’s economic development, enhancing connectivity, reducing logistics costs, and supporting a more sustainable and efficient transport ecosystem.

Vinod Bhat

New Delhi: The private television channels are required to adhere to the Programme Code and Advertising Code framed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. The Programme Code provides that programme which contains any of the following should not be telecast on a private television channel:

Obscenity

• • • Attack on religions or communities
    • Visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups
    • Content which promotes communal attitudes
    • Content which criticizes, maligns or slanders any individual in person or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country

Further, the Advertising Code, inter-alia, stipulates that indecent, vulgar, suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes or treatment shall be avoided in all advertisements.

The Central Government has also established a statutory mechanism for redressal of grievances/ complaints of violation of Programme and Advertising Codes. As per the three-level grievance redressal mechanism, any complaints regarding the content broadcast by private satellite TV channels, are dealt as follows:

• • • • Level-I: directly received and disposed of by the Broadcaster
      • Level -II: Self-Regulating Bodies of the Broadcasters
      • Level-III provides for Oversight mechanism by the Central Government.

The Government acts against private satellite TV channels by issuance of advisories, warnings, apology scroll orders and off-air orders etc. The Ministry also issues Advisories from time to time to private satellite TV channels for adhering to the Programme Code and Advertising Code.

The details of action taken by this Ministry in last 5 years in respect of all violations of the Programme Code and Advertising Code as under:

Apart from above, the Government takes all possible steps to curb violations by other media platforms, which include:

• Print media: Newspapers have to adhere to “Norms of Journalistic Conduct” brought out by the Press Council of India (PCI). These norms, inter-alia, restrain publication of fake/ defamatory/ misleading news. The Council holds inquiry into alleged violations of the norms, as per section 14 of the PCI Act, and may warn, admonish or censure the newspaper, editors, journalists, etc. as the case may be.
• Digital media: For the publishers of news and current affairs on digital media and publishers of online curated content, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021) provides for a Code of Ethics along with a three-level institutional mechanism for redressal of grievance relating to violation of Code of Ethics by such publishers.