Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Criminal gangs are helping students cheat on exams in India, according to The Wall Street Journal.</li><li>Cheating has, in particular, plagued India's highly competitive medical entrance exam.</li></ul>India's massive examination machine is floundering.This year, the country's primary testing body — the National Testing Agency (NTA) — has faced a series of controversies.They range from exam delays and cancellations to more serious allegations of errors in questions and leaked papers.While NTA officials have denied that any exam papers were leaked the federal education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, told the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv22wl82yldo">BBC</a> in June that "some irregularities" had been found.Now, it seems some are taking advantage of the examination chaos.According to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/india/gangs-are-making-millions-helping-indians-cheat-on-exams-32500cce">Wall Street Journal, some middle-class families are paying criminal gangs thousands </a>to help their children get the upper hand on these exams.<h2 id="5266815a-7004-480f-a5ba-395977759d6c">Cheating in India's medical entrance exam</h2>Cheating has, in particular, plagued India's highly competitive medical entrance exam, also known as the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET).This year, around 2.4 million students in India took the exam, competing for medical college seats totaling about 0.02% of that number."Very few people crack it on the first try," one student, who asked not to be named for privacy reasons, told Business Insider.She spent a year preparing for the undergraduate and postgraduate exams, respectively. During this time, she woke up at 4 a.m. and studied for at least 10-12 hours each day.Some prefer to take an easier route.The Journal found that several students had paid $15,000-20,000 to illegally look at the question paper before the exam. BI could not independently verify the figures.The police made multiple arrests related to exam cheating after results showed that 67 people received perfect scores in the NEET exams this year."Question papers are sold at extravagantly high prices," Ashok Rathore, a police officer who investigated cheating linked to India's medical school exam, told the Journal. "It's a nexus of desperate students, parents, tuition centers and printing presses."<h2 id="378edaf6-be36-458e-8847-661e66638c81">Leaked questions</h2>One student told BI that several Telegram channels dedicated to exam prep saw messages encouraging students "struggling with exams and don't have time for studies" to get in touch for "help.""My friend said he was asked to pay around 15,000 rupees ($180) to enter the private channel where they shared the questions," she said.BI reached out to the Telegram account offering "help". The person said they can provide next year's medical entrance exam questions for around 1 lakh rupees ($1,200).High ranks in these exams mean coveted "seats" in medical colleges operated by the state and national governments. Those with money can still legally obtain places in private medical colleges if they pay fees ranging from $115,000 to $145,000.However, some students with the financial capacity prefer cheating and getting a government seat instead."It makes very good economic sense," a senior medical advisor with knowledge of the matter told BI. "The question paper will be given for about 25 lakh rupees (around $29,000). For that much, they get a free seat in a government college where they only have to pay around 16,000 rupees ($190) per annum.""For the entire five-year degree, that still only comes to around one lakh rupees ($1191), so of course rich students would rather do that instead of paying their way into private medical schools."<h2 id="4ff61c3d-756d-47c9-8f47-2f6be9f1f6a0">Earning a 'merit' seat</h2>The advisor — who preferred to remain anonymous but whose identity is known to BI — also said there is a significant amount of respect that comes with having "earned" a merit seat instead of paying their way into a private "management" seat."Unfortunately, there are very few objective metrics that people have as outsiders to judge the competence of their doctors, especially at a time when everybody in India sits with an MBBS board outside their clinic," agreed Asish George, a doctor who cleared the entrance exam in 2014."For those people, the fact that someone cracked a highly competitive entrance exam and got in would inspire more confidence than someone who paid their way through the whole thing."According to the Journal, authorities in India have tried to install video cameras inside exam halls and increased their monitoring of social media to catch cheaters. But many are still finding ways to illegally gain the upper hand, at a high price. The NTA did not immediately respond to a request by BI for comment.

India's exam system is in chaos, with some families paying thousands to help their kids cheat

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A provision of the final version of the fiscal year 2021 <keyword id="565573" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="National-Defense-Authorization-Act">National Defense Authorization Act</keyword> bars federal law-enforcement personnel and members of the armed forces from hiding their identities while responding to civil disturbances.</li><li>The practice caused concern as some unmarked <keyword id="7233327" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="federal-law-enforcement">federal law enforcement</keyword> officials responded to protests and unrest this past summer.</li><li>President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the annual <keyword id="418645" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="defense-spending">defense spending</keyword> bill for unrelated reasons.</li></ul>A bipartisan $740.5 billion defense bill for fiscal year 2021 bars federal law-enforcement officers and members of the armed forces from hiding their identities while responding to civil disturbances.The latest version of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act <a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20201207/CRPT-116hrpt617.pdf">states that members of the armed forces, to include the National Guard, and federal law-enforcement agencies responding to domestic unrest</a> must "visibly display" either their name or a unique identifier as well as the name of the service or agency of which they are a part.This past summer, the presence of unidentifiable federal law-enforcement personnel in the nation's capital and elsewhere amid protests after the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in police custody in Minneapolis, caused alarm.In Washington, DC, <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2020/06/who-are-they-unmarked-security-forces-dc-spark-fear/165892/">reporters who questioned the affiliation of some federal officers</a>, which lacked any clear identifiers in a number of cases, were given vague answers, such as "Department of Justice."Former DoJ spokesman Matthew Miller <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewamiller/status/1267960573985202179?s=20">tweeted in response</a> to those reports that "there is no generic DoJ police force, obviously.""No badges, no identifying info, refusal to say who they represent - it's like Russia's little green men have taken over the nation's capital," he wrote, referencing the unmarked Russian troops who appeared in Crimea before Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian territory in 2014.It was later determined that the personnel in Washington, DC, were members of the <keyword id="1844394" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bureau-of-Prisons">Bureau of Prisons</keyword>.Later in the summer, there were <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/07/17/892277592/federal-officers-use-unmarked-vehicles-to-grab-protesters-in-portland">reports of unidentified Department of Homeland Security personnel</a> in camouflage detaining protesters in unmarked vehicles during protests in Portland, Oregon.The defense bill would prohibit such behavior, except in cases where personnel are not required to wear a uniform or in undercover situations.The bill, a compromise between the Democrat-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate, also includes requirements that will affect local law enforcement, specifically their acquisition of Department of Defense equipment.In particular, it states that certain weapons, such as bayonets, grenades (not including stun and flash bang), weaponized tracked combat vehicles, and weaponized drones are not permitted to be transferred from the US military to law enforcement.President Donald Trump, who faced sharp criticism for his militaristic response to the protests this summer, has repeatedly threatened to veto the annual defense spending bill if it includes provisions to change the names of military installations named after Confederate leaders or if it fails to include a repeal of Section 230, a law that offers legal immunity for third-party content, such as social-media posts.The defense bill includes the former and lacks the latter. Trump tweeted a handful of criticisms of the NDAA on Friday morning, writing at the end of the most recent tweet: "I will VETO!"

$740 billion defense bill bans federal law enforcement and troops from hiding their identities while responding to protests

Starting from Monday, the <keyword id="6354870" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="United-Arab-Emirates" source="Orion">United Arab Emirates</keyword> (UAE) will resume issuing tourist visas to those who have been <keyword id="11121292" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fully-vaccinated" source="Orion">fully vaccinated</keyword> against <keyword id="8763838" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Covid-19" source="Orion">Covid-19</keyword>. The move comes as the daily number of positive cases continued to drop in the country, having gone lower than 1,000 since last week. The vaccination rate was closing on the 92 per cent mark, the highest in the world after Malta. Both <keyword id="9897456" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Federal-Authority-For-Identity-and-Citizenship" source="Orion">Federal Authority For Identity and Citizenship</keyword> (ICA) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (<keyword id="9500850" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NCEMA" source="Orion">NCEMA</keyword>) jointly announced that application for tourist visas will be open to people from all countries who have received the World Health Organization (WHO)-approved vaccines. The UAE's official news agency WAM said: "This comes as part of the country's strategy to create a balance between public health and the activities of vital sectors, and in support of the national efforts to achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth." Travellers who wish to receive the benefits provided to individuals vaccinated in the UAE, like visiting malls and public spaces in Abu Dhabi, can register their vaccination via the ICA platform or Al Hosn application. As of June 3, the WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines include AstraZeneca/Oxford/CoviShield, Johnson &amp; Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac. WAM added that "passengers arriving on tourist visas must take a mandatory PCR test at the airport". Despite an entry ban, India continued to be the <keyword id="6354539" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dubai" source="Orion">Dubai</keyword> International Airport's) top destination country by traffic volume in the first half of 2021 with passenger numbers exceeding 1.9 million, reported Gulf News. Emirates airlines continues to be the preferred choice of Indians travelling to the US and Canada and Dubai is a convenient place for transit. Earlier this year in March, the UAE Cabinet had approved a five-year multiple entry tourist <keyword id="6359421" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="visa" source="Orion">visa</keyword> for all nationalities. Otherwise, the tourist visa is granted for either 30 days or 90 days. Indian citizens with valid visa of the US or UK are also eligible for visa on arrival. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/mumbais-nariman-point-mantralaya-areas-will-be-submerged-by-2050-if-people-dont-wake-up-says-citys-municipal-chief/articleshow/85710647.cms">Mumbai's Nariman point, Mantralaya areas will be submerged by 2050 if people don’t ‘wake up’, says city’s municipal chief</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/enterprise/enterprise-software/news/freshworks-files-for-an-ipo-in-the-us-looks-to-raise-100-million/articleshow/85707900.cms">Freshworks files for an IPO in the US, looks to raise $100 million</a>

UAE to resume issuing tourist visas to fully vaccinated travellers from Monday

<ul><li>The Indian government has drafted a <keyword id="10714457" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-strategy-on-blockchain">National Strategy on Blockchain</keyword>.</li><li>This could be the next big step in the <keyword id="3264646" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-stack">India Stack</keyword> – an ambitious technology project Indian government embarked upon over 10 years ago.</li><li>If the implementation of UPI was revolutionary, the scale of changes that the addition of <keyword id="6355684" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blockchain">blockchain</keyword> infrastructure can facilitate will be way, way bigger.</li></ul>Over 10 years ago, the Indian government opened up its database for private players to build products upon it. The combination of Aadhaar ⁠— the world’s largest identity database ⁠— along with the government’s payments infrastructure, riding on the proliferation of mobile phones, allowed millions of Indians to leapfrog into the digital payments era. <div type="image" title="india stack1" msid="80718503" hostid="261"></div> The sheer scale of the ambition and its success in bringing financial inclusion got the Indian government laurels from some of the biggest icons of modern technology, including <keyword id="45830" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bill-Gates">Bill Gates</keyword>, Satya Nadella and <keyword id="164502" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sundar-Pichai">Sundar Pichai</keyword>. And now, India is set to add blockchain infrastructure to that India Stack and the benefits could be way, way bigger than what the unified payments interface (UPI) achieved. According to the draft National Strategy on Blockchain, a government-led blockchain infrastructure can become the hub for private developers to build applications. If the India Stack allowed developers to build payments products, access to blockchain infrastructure can revolutionise products and services across healthcare, cyber security, governance, media, logistics &amp; hospitality, education, legal, energy, smart cities and so on. <div type="image" title="Blockchain" msid="80718512" hostid="261"></div> “Blockchain being a single source of truth can be used for authentication and verification of all the transactions and data, produced by various government departments,” said the draft. The government is currently accepting public opinions on the draft until February 16 through the MyGov platform. Now, what can this technology be used for? The latest draft from The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has laid out some of its targets. <ul><li>Setting up a national framework for blockchain.</li><li>Architecture options for blockchain including private participation.</li><li>Applications of national interest for blockchain which includes e-voting, land records, pharmaceutical supply, power distribution, identity management among others.</li><li>Build centres of excellence of blockchain technology.</li></ul>The success of the India Stack is fuelling excitement around the ‘India ledger’ By opening up its database securely for private developers, India had done what no other country had. Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, which owns the internet giant Google, in an <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/if-upi-payments-work-in-india-it-will-work-everywhere-sundar-pichai-ceo-google/articleshow/56341566.cms">interview</a> in 2017 had said that UPI and India Stack conversations get him excited. Pichai, who had then said we will see products being built out of India for a global stage, has since then gone on to commit $10 billion into the country’s technology ecosystem. <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/digital-india-and-india-stack-have-made-the-country-stand-out-satya-nadella/articleshow/79783076.cms?from=mdr">Talking about India Stack</a>, Microsoft founder Bill Gates had said that India is at the “cusp of leapfrogging” whereas his successor Nadella said ,”'Digital India' framework has made India 'stand out' from the rest of the world”. One of the architects of India Stack Nandan Nilekani, the co-founder of Infosys, had called it the “single most important innovation India needs”. Opening up a blockchain infrastructure for similar innovations may lead to bigger advancements in technology than UPI, which is hailed as India’s most successful digital project. “We can create our own massive blockchain ledger, say India Ledger, where all researchers and experts come together. The third is that we need to create our own journey with blockchain. Now, is the time to really work on these thoughts,” said Prasanna Lohar, head of digital innovations at DCB Bank and a blockchain expert who has been privy to the discussions around blockchain with the government. Along with the blockchain strategy, India is toying with the idea of banning private cryptocurrency and instead bringing out its own “digital rupee”. “Niti Aayog, India's think tank has been working on IndiaChain, India's own ambitious project to develop a nationwide blockchain network, which has revolutionized India’s position as one of the emerging technology players. A few months ago, a blockchain project named Vajra designed by the National Payments Corporation of India for various payment companies providing secured transactions on their online platforms or mobile applications, shows the government is taking proactive initiative to support blockchain,” said Neeraj Khandelwal, co-founder of cryptocurrency and bitcoin startup CoinDCX. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/india-becomes-the-first-asian-country-allow-small-investors-to-directly-lend-to-the-government/articleshow/80701417.cms">India becomes the first Asian country to allow small investors to directly lend to the government</a>

The India stack that Bill Gates and Sundar Pichai so love is set to get much bigger – thanks to the Indian government’s new blockchain strategy

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Indian economy has grown strongly under Narendra Modi, whose party is set to win another term.</li><li>India's success has caught the eye of figures including Elon Musk, Jamie Dimon, and Tim Cook.</li></ul>India's powerful economic growth and blossoming middle class under Narendra Modi have caught the eye of corporate titans like Elon Musk, Jamie Dimon, and Tim Cook.Modi is pretty much a shoo-in for a third term as prime minister after the national election now underway ends on June 1. But the work starts there, as he'll have to navigate thorny issues such as youth unemployment, income inequality, and reliance on sanctioned Russian oil.<h2>Fueling growth and shaking hands</h2>India's economy has more than doubled in size during Modi's decade in charge to more than $3.7 trillion last year.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2024/04/29/asias-growth-and-inflation-outlook-improves-but-risks-remain">recently upgraded</a> its growth forecast for real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to a robust 7.8% this year, 6.8% in 2025, and 6.5% in 2026.India has already overtaken Britain to become the world's fifth-largest economy. It's on track to leapfrog Japan and Germany into third spot behind the US and China by 2027.The country's flagship stock index has also tripled in value since Modi took office in May 2014, thanks to wealth gains and growing investment appetites.Moreover, <a target="_blank" href="https://sbi.co.in/documents/13958/36530824/270224-HCES_Feb24.pdf">one estimate</a> puts the percentage of the Indian population living on less than $2.15 a day at below 5%, down from 12% in 2011. However, the <a target="_blank" href="https://pip.worldbank.org/country-profiles/IND">World Bank</a> pegged that figure at nearly 13% in 2021.India's middle class has also ballooned with 60 million people now earning the rupee equivalent of more $10,000 a year — about $37,200 once adjusted for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/profile/IND">purchasing power</a>. Goldman Sachs <a target="_blank" href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/indias-affluent-population-is-likely-to-hit-100-million-by-2027.html">expects</a> the ranks of the relatively affluent to swell to 100 million by 2027."Modi has done an unbelievable job in India," JPMorgan's Dimon <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jpmorgan-jamie-dimon-economy-inflation-recession-stagflation-geopolitics-crypto-bitcoin-2024-4">told</a> the Economic Club of New York last month. "I know the liberal press here, they beat the hell out of him. He's taken 400 million people out of poverty."Musk has <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1781541775183610310">posted</a> on X that he's looking forward to visiting India and meeting Modi this year. He delayed his trip last month, blaming "very heavy Tesla obligations." The pair are expected to discuss Tesla building a multibillion-dollar factory in the country.As for Apple's Cook, he hailed India on a November earnings call as an "incredibly exciting market" and a "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-tim-cook-obsessed-india-consumers-iphone-2023-7">major focus of ours</a>" given the explosive growth in potential customers as locals get richer.<div type="image" title="Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden" height="3907" width="5861" msid="109838230" hostid="261" sizebytes="846512"></div>Modi has also met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Microsoft boss Satya Nadella, and Alphabet's Sundar Pichai. He's likely to be seeking to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in India — and to capitalize on bosses' <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-china-relations-reshoring-manufacturing-jobs-made-in-america-2023-10">desire to hedge their bets on China</a> given its strained relationship with the US, economic woes, and how disruptive its strict pandemic lockdowns were to global supply chains."India's population and economic growth numbers are causing a lot of global executives to revisit their India presence and consider scaling up," Richard Rossow, a senior advisor and chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic &amp; International Studies, told Business Insider."Paired with increased concerns about supply chain resilience and security concerns about China, it's a very good time for a hard push to win investments."The United Nations said that India and China both had a population of 1.426 billion in April last year, meaning India is probably now the most populous given its rising birth rate.<h2>Change for the better — mostly</h2>Modi has instigated a raft of major economic reforms since taking office, intended to make India more business-friendly, and boost government revenues by taxing more of the country's vast informal economy.He rolled out a tax on goods and services, simplified bankruptcy laws, lifted FDI restrictions, cut corporate income tax, and ended retrospective taxation.However, not all of Modi's moves spurred growth."Demonetisation was a key economic policy which had negative effects on the economy," Kunal Sen, a director of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics, told BI.Sen is the author of several books about India's economy and a professor of development economics at the University of Manchester.He was referring to Modi's sudden declaration in November 2016 that all 500 and 1,000-rupee bills — 86% of Indian currency in circulation — would <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-ending-500-and-1000-rupee-bills-to-fight-corruption-2016-11">no longer be accepted as legal tender</a>.The government's goals were to capture undeclared income, get rid of counterfeit currency, broaden the tax base, and bring more activities into the formal economy."The other key economic policy was JAM — the trinity of bank accounts for the poor, mobile numbers and a biometric card. This last economic policy has been revolutionary," Sen said.He was hailing a broader digitization drive under Modi that has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/how-indias-digital-payments-ecosystem-has-evolved-in-the-last-one-year/slidelist/90595832.cms">transformed</a> how Indians bank, invest, pay their taxes, and conduct business.<h2>Prosperity for all</h2>Modi's efforts have helped to usher in a more prosperous era for some Indians, but many have been left behind.Young people are India's beating heart, with about half its population under 25 and almost two-thirds under 35. Matching those hundreds of millions of people with jobs has proven a challenge, with youth unemployment almost tripling from below 6% in 2000 to about 18% in 2019. It still stands at a hefty 10% in 2023, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://webapps.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---sro-new_delhi/documents/publication/wcms_921154.pdf">International Labor Organization</a>.The report found that nearly 30% of India's graduates were unemployed in 2022, and only about 10% of the working-age population was formally employed.<div type="image" title="A farmer uses oxen to plow fields for lentils in Nimaj, Rajasthan, northern India." height="3464" width="5196" msid="109838232" hostid="261" sizebytes="690700"></div>"Unemployment is a big issue," Rossow said, emphasizing this isn't just a problem with recent graduates but a "much, much larger bubble: the underemployed farm laborers."Rising agricultural productivity is likely to help farm workers make a faster transition to city life in the years ahead, but they'll struggle to secure modern jobs in the services industry "without significant reskilling and education," Rossow said.As a result, lower-skilled manufacturing and assembly jobs and lower-end services jobs will be needed, he added.Another major challenge will be tackling a widening wealth divide. The richest 10% of the population hold more than 72% of the nation's wealth, per an Oxfam report <a target="_blank" href="https://d1ns4ht6ytuzzo.cloudfront.net/oxfamdata/oxfamdatapublic/2023-01/India%20Supplement%202023_digital.pdf?">published</a> last year.Business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani both rank among the world's 15 richest people, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/">Bloomberg Billionaires Index</a>. Luxury-goods sales are booming with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.carwale.com/news/mercedesbenz-lineups-waiting-period-reduced-in-india/">long waitlists</a> for flashy purchases like the Mercedes "G Wagon."<div type="image" title="The Ambani family onstage with Rihanna." height="854" width="1280" msid="109838233" hostid="261" sizebytes="99148"></div>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anant-ambani-pre-wedding-festivities-lack-empathy-india-radhika-merchant-2024-3">lavish pre-wedding party</a> thrown by the Ambani family earlier this year was singled out by some as an affront to the huge number of Indians living in poverty.Almost 1.3 billion people live on less than $3,500 a year by one estimate, and India ranks 111th on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html">Global Hunger Index</a>, below even North Korea.Rising equality is partly explained by a "capital-intensive mode of economic growth along with increasing power of business conglomerates," Sen told BI, referring to how huge companies like the Adani Group secure huge government contracts to build ports, bridges, highways, and other infrastructure.A third challenge is regional inequality, as some states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh haven't experienced the same growth and modernization of their economies as others, Rossow said.<h2>The Russia riddle</h2>One striking aspect of Modi's economic boom has been its reliance on Russia since it invaded Ukraine in early 2022.India went from getting 2% of its crude oil from Russia before the war, to 35% last year. During that period, the US and Europe slapped sanctions on Russian oil to defund Putin's military machine and punish Moscow for attacking a sovereign nation.Despite that, India purchased an estimated $37 billion of Moscow's oil in 2023 — 13 times the amount it bought annually prior to the conflict. Its buying helped Russia rake in a <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-economy-oil-sales-india-ukraine-war-moscow-western-sanctions-2024-2">record $320 billion</a> of federal revenue last year.Indian demand for Russian oil has <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-oil-trade-crude-india-discount-barrel-sanctions-price-cap-2024-2">cooled</a> in recent months as new sanctions have made it <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-economy-oil-energy-exports-india-imports-revenue-sanctions-discount-2024-3">more expensive</a>, but the buying remains controversial.Officials in India have <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/crude-oil-prices-india-russia-trade-geopolitics-opec-supply-puri-2024-2">defended</a> the purchases, saying that if they'd bought Middle Eastern oil instead, global crude prices would have shot up.India is also one of the world's largest oil refiners and has helped Western nations to maintain access to refined petroleum products even as they're refraining from buying Russian crude directly.Yet the country imports 85% of its oil, so its overriding interest is securing the cheapest oil possible to support its development, said Neelima Jain, a senior fellow and chair in US India Policy Studies at CSIS."India will continue to buy Russian oil if the price remains favorable and allows for firm volume guarantees, as the country prioritizes energy affordability and accessibility during its rapid rural-to-urban transition, which has led to a 6% year-on-year growth in energy demand," she told BI."In an inflationary environment, economics [rather] than geopolitics will drive India's energy choices."<div type="image" title="Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin" height="3196" width="4714" msid="109838234" hostid="261" sizebytes="426292"></div><h2>India the IT hub</h2>Under Modi, India has made big strides in modernizing its economy, combating bureaucracy, and appealing to foreign investors.Big Tech stalwarts like Microsoft have a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-has-so-many-patents-its-outsourced-the-job-to-india-2013-5">long history</a> of outsourcing to India, but recent efforts to cut red tape and slash corporate taxes appear to have fueled fresh interest.Sweeping layoffs at Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Salesforce and other US tech titans in the past few years could presage a large exodus of jobs to India.Sanjay Shetty of Randstad India <a target="_blank" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/outsourcing-hubs-like-india-to-bag-40-of-jobs-lost-to-layoffs/articleshow/101088673.cms?">told The Economic Times</a> last summer that he expected 30% to 40% of the tech jobs eliminated globally to move to India by 2025."India is going to be the biggest gainer in the medium to long term, as almost every company that we speak to is looking at expanding its India base," Shetty said.Even if that pans out, it won't be a panacea for a country facing not just unemployment and underemployment, but also stark income inequality, regional disparities, and the risk of alienating Western allies by continuing to buy Russian oil.Yet overall, India appears to be headed in the right direction."The growth is real, if focused on a few key states," Rossow said. "India's dynamic technology services sector is to IT services what China is to manufacturing. So there is much to cheer, even as the reform agenda seems to never end."

Tech titans love Modi's economic powerhouse India — despite mass unemployment and abject poverty 

New Delhi [India], July 20 (ANI): The Monsoon session of <keyword id="6354721" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="parliament" source="Orion">Parliament</keyword> begins on Thursday amidst outrage over the situation in <keyword id="6359754" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="manipur" source="Orion">Manipur</keyword> with the Opposition demanding a statement from the Prime Minister of India. Parliamentary Affairs Minister <keyword id="145705" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="prahlad-joshi" source="Orion">Prahlad Joshi</keyword> has said that 31 bills will be taken up in the monsoon session. Among these include the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023. Other important legislations that are expected to be taken up in the Session are the Bill to replace the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, promulgated in May this year. The ordinance deals with the control of services in Delhi and was promulgated after the Supreme Court verdict on an appeal by the Delhi government. Parliamentary Affairs Minister yesterday said that 34 parties and 44 leaders participated in the all-party meeting convened by the government for smooth conduct of the monsoon session which will continue to till August 11 and will have 17 sittings. Other Bills on the agenda of the government include Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019; DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019; Mediation Bill, 2021; Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 ; Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022; Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022; Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023; Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023; Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022 (with respect to State of Himachal Pradesh); Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022 (with respect to State of Chhattisgarh); Postal Services Bill, 2023; National Cooperative University Bill, 2023; and Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The list also includes International Monetary Fund and Bank Bill, 2023; Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023 18; the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023; National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023; Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2023; Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023; <keyword id="6357972" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jammu" source="Orion">Jammu</keyword> and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023; Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023. Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2023; National Research Foundation Bill, 2023; Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 are also among the 31 bills on the agenda of the government. Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, was approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this month. This government had withdrawn Personal Data Protection Bill from Parliament in August last and said that it will come up with a fresh bill. Supreme Court had ruled in 2017 that privacy is a fundamental right and the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, is a crucial pillar of the overarching framework of technology regulations being framed by the Centre. The previous version of the bill had come after an extensive consultation process with a Joint Parliamentary Committee also examining it. The government has held another round of consultations to frame the new bill. The Bill to replace the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, seeks to establish the National Capital Civil Services Authority, which consists of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary of Delhi, Principal Home Secretary of Delhi. The Authority will make recommendations to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) regarding transfers and postings of officials and disciplinary matters. While the government is expected to give push to its legislative agenda, the Opposition parties have planned to raise several issues including Manipur violence, railway safety, unemployment, inflation, India-China border standoff and trade imbalance between the two countries. Pralhad Joshi said the government has sought the Opposition's support in the smooth functioning of the Parliament during the Monsoon Session. "The government is ready to discuss all issues in the Monsoon Session. We have appealed to the Opposition parties to support in the smooth functioning of the Parliament," Joshi said after the all-party meeting yesterday. Some of the parties have planned to move an adjournment motion over Manipur violence among other issues on day one of the Parliament's Monsoon Session today. The opposition insisted that the discussion should take place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress on Wednesday said that the party will raise Manipur violence during the session. "Today, in the beginning (of the meeting), I kept my point. Our first issue is the violence in Manipur. Prime Minister should come and answer in Parliament. We will bring adjourment motion over the matter tomorrow," Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary said after attending the all-party meeting. <keyword id="6355187" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="Orion">Lok Sabha</keyword> Speaker Om Birla also chaired a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee ahead of the session. He said, leaders of all parties have assured cooperation in the proceedings of the House. (ANI)

Parliament Monsoon session begins today; 31 bills likely to be taken up

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A National <keyword id="12109374" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="parents" source="Orion">Parents</keyword> Union poll highlights parents' views on <keyword id="11899154" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="race" source="Orion">race</keyword> and gender classroom instruction.</li><li>Majorities of parents support classroom instruction about <keyword id="11945685" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gender-identity" source="Orion">gender identity</keyword> or <keyword id="12421821" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sexual-orientation" source="Orion">sexual orientation</keyword>.</li></ul>Majorities of parents support classroom instruction about gender identity or sexual orientation in K-12 public schools, but only about a third say it should be encouraged, according to a <a href="https://nationalparentsunion.org/2022/03/31/new-poll-shows-majority-of-parents-concerned-about-rising-inflation-keeping-their-children-on-track-academically/">new poll</a> shared first with Insider.Parents of younger children were more resistant to such instruction, with 35% opposing it in elementary schools compared to 25% in middle and high schools, the National Parents Union survey of 1,000 parents of K-12 public school students found. Nearly a third said it should be "allowed, but not encouraged" in middle and high schools compared to 27% in elementary school.The opposition from more than a third of parents with young children "tells me that there hasn't been enough communication with parents so that they trust schools to be able to engage in this conversation, that there's a lot of fear about it, there are a lot of cultural issues around it, and that there needs to be a further discussion around what this curriculum is, how it's introduced, at what ages is introduced," Keri Rodrigues, National Parents Union co-founder and president, told Insider.The survey, conducted March 18-21 by Echelon Insights, highlights parents' views on classroom instruction about race and gender, both topics at the center of culture war battles in <keyword id="11893346" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics" source="Orion">politics</keyword> as parents seek a greater say in their children's <keyword id="11897808" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="education" source="Orion">education</keyword>. Most parents thought they (87%) along with teachers (88%) should have a lot or some influence on what and how public schools teach, compared to 60 percent for state legislators.<keyword id="11899267" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="republicans" source="Orion">Republicans</keyword> have targeted the teaching of gender issues and critical race theory – a college-level framework for studying racism in US laws — to win votes with their base, arguing that some lessons go too far and pushing for restrictions on what's taught in schools. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 GOP presidential contender, just signed a controversial bill,<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-ron-desantis-dont-say-gay-bill-law-2022-3"> called "Don't Say Gay" by critics, </a>that would restrict classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in schools.<div type="image" title="Ron DeSantis" height="2842" width="3790" msid="90575529" hostid="261"></div>The poll showed parents were more enthusiastic about the teaching of race in schools, with more than half saying teaching about racial inequality, both in America's past and present, should be encouraged. Nearly 60% said more US history lessons should be encouraged about historical figures from racial or ethnic groups who may have been omitted from past lessons.Parents were also more encouraging of students reading books by authors from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds (60%) compared to reading books that include stories about LGBTQ people (32%).Of the survey respondents, 34% leaned or considered themselves Republicans while 51% are Democrats or Democrat-leaning. Rodrigues said the poll results show that, as people on the "radicalized" left and right try to speak for parents, the majority of parents are in the middle on issues like the teaching of history."It's very clear that they want the truth to be taught, that they want the lessons that they were taught in school in addition to new and different perspectives to be introduced, and they're just not as radicalized as I think a lot of folks in the media would portray," she said.

A majority of parents are okay with teaching on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, a new poll finds

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/DoYou-Need-Aadhaar-Card-Govt-Says-Yes-Supreme-Court-Says-No/articleshow/22981267.cms">Controversy</a> is still raging over the mandatory use of <keyword id="144117" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="AADHAAR">Aadhaar</keyword>, but an expert <keyword id="2006823" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Committee-on-financial-inclusion">committee on financial inclusion</keyword> has already recommended that the <keyword id="6354335" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="reserve-bank-of-india">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> should leverage the <keyword id="2006820" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhaar-network">Aadhaar network</keyword> to ensure that every Indian has a <keyword id="2006817" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Free-bank-account">free bank account</keyword> by January 2016. The recommendation has come from the Committee on Comprehensive <keyword id="2006821" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Financial-Services-for-Small-Business">Financial Services for Small Business</keyword> and Low-Income Households, which is headed by <keyword id="311391" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nachiket-Mor">Nachiket Mor</keyword>, an <keyword id="2006825" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="RBI-board-member">RBI board member</keyword> and former <keyword id="6653" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="ICICI-bank">ICICI Bank</keyword> executive. 
 <keyword id="30067" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="RBI">RBI</keyword> set up the committee last September and it has now sought comments from the public on the <keyword id="1180163" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="draft-recommendations">draft recommendations</keyword> on or before January 24, 2014. Other key members of the panel include former <keyword id="44473" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Citigroup">Citigroup</keyword> CEO <keyword id="25396" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vikram-Pandit">Vikram Pandit</keyword> and <keyword id="2006826" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Axis-Bank-CMD">Axis Bank CMD</keyword> <keyword id="6356453" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shikha-Sharma">Shikha Sharma</keyword>. 
 According to the report, every Indian resident over 18 years of age should be automatically issued a “universal <keyword id="2006829" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Electronic-bank-account">electronic bank account</keyword> at the time of receiving his/her <keyword id="485058" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhaar-number">Aadhaar number</keyword>.” One can choose his/her <keyword id="2006832" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Preferred-bank">preferred bank</keyword> from the empanelled ones and need not pay any fee for opening an account. However, the bank can levy <keyword id="162862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="transaction-charges">transaction charges</keyword>, the committee says. It also recommends setting up of a ‘unified’ redressal agency under the <keyword id="47209" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Finance-Ministry">finance ministry</keyword> to deal with <keyword id="786199" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="customer-complaints">customer complaints</keyword>. 
 About 90% of small businesses have no links to a <keyword id="154831" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="financial-institution">financial institution</keyword> and 60% of Indians do not have bank accounts, the report states. “Aadhaar is the key piece of infrastructure to enable a customer to be identified and authenticated so that repudiation and fraud risks are minimised and therefore, should become the universal basis for authentication,” it adds. 
 The panel has also suggested that a special type of <keyword id="6368751" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Banks">banks</keyword> should be introduced to provide payment services and deposit products to small businesses and low-income households. Such banks could be categorised as <keyword id="2006841" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Payments-banks">payments banks</keyword> and “they will be restricted to holding a <keyword id="2006842" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Maximum-balance">maximum balance</keyword> of Rs 50,000 per customer,” the report says. Even <keyword id="2006844" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Existing-lenders">existing lenders</keyword> can set up these payments banks as <keyword id="4128451" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="subsidiaries">subsidiaries</keyword>. The report also recommends setting up another category of wholesale banks that will provide funds to other banks and financial institutions that directly lend to low-income households. 
 On the face of it, the recommendations to introduce a multi-layered <keyword id="6354778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Banking">banking</keyword> system make sound sense as these ‘proposed’ entities will be serving the <keyword id="2006855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Financially-weak">financially weak</keyword> segment of the country and overall, the inclusion plan for 2013-2016 looks good. 
 
Except for the Aadhaar part. 
 But before we go ahead, let us have a look at Aadhaar and what all it offers. Launched by the <keyword id="86474" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Unique-Identification-Authority-of-India">Unique Identification Authority of India</keyword> (<keyword id="6355252" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="UIDAI">UIDAI</keyword>), the <keyword id="804646" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhaar-scheme">Aadhaar scheme</keyword> was initially introduced to ‘promote inclusion and benefits of the <keyword id="1389586" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="marginalised-sections">marginalised sections</keyword> of the society that has no <keyword id="2006861" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Formal-identity-proof">formal identity proof</keyword>.’ Even today, Aadhaar-enabled services are essentially linked to various <keyword id="580043" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="government-welfare-schemes">government welfare schemes</keyword> – so that its beneficiaries can access the same in a hassle-free manner. 
 However, the ‘<keyword id="2006816" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Banking-for-all">banking for all</keyword>’ initiative in its ‘suggested’ format cannot be a marginalised movement, aimed to serve only the under-banked/unbanked regions or the weaker section or those below the <keyword id="141042" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="poverty-line">poverty line</keyword>. It has to have a <keyword id="2006866" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Unified-structure">unified structure</keyword> across the country – involving every Indian citizen. In other words, it will be much like the ‘<keyword id="49358" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="voter-card">voter card</keyword>’ mechanism we have in place right now. At the age of 18, an Indian is entitled to get a voter card irrespective of the <keyword id="2006868" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Financial-divides">financial divides</keyword>. Going forward, if the central bank intends to follow the same principle and wants to bring the entire population of the country under its <keyword id="2006870" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Inclusion-umbrella">inclusion umbrella</keyword> (after all, one cannot leave one section of the citizens out of a <keyword id="2006871" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mass-initiative">mass initiative</keyword> just because they are financially more stable), opening an account at the stipulated age should become mandatory and that means a mandatory <keyword id="1953676" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhaar-validation">Aadhaar validation</keyword>. 
 And that brings us back to the basic question – what is the legal status of Aadhaar in India? Is it just a <keyword id="107911" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Financial-inclusion">financial inclusion</keyword> tool for the economically weak or do the government agencies intend to turn it into an ‘all-inclusive’ tool required for every social and <keyword id="672932" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="economic-activity">economic activity</keyword> – right from <keyword id="427269" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Marriage-registration">marriage registration</keyword> to <keyword id="854003" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="land-registration">land registration</keyword>, from banking to <keyword id="6368952" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="shopping">shopping</keyword> and more? 
 The RBI has already asked banks to ensure <keyword id="1953683" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhaar-authentication">Aadhaar authentication</keyword> for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Now-RBI-Wants-Aadhaar-Validation-For-Card-based-Transactions/articleshow/26473660.cms">card transactions</a> at merchant locations. “All new card present infrastructure has to be enabled for both <keyword id="1953693" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="EMV-chip-and-PIN">EMV chip and PIN</keyword> and Aadhaar (<keyword id="1953679" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Biometric-validation">biometric validation</keyword>) acceptance,” the central bank stated in a notification on November 26 last year. 
 Although the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> has ruled that the <keyword id="6356006" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhaar-card">Aadhaar Card</keyword> is not mandatory to get <keyword id="1739662" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="government-benefits">government benefits</keyword> and services, and the <keyword id="1878758" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Identity-Authority-of-India-Bill">National Identity Authority of India Bill</keyword> is yet to get Parliamentary nod, Aadhaar seems to be enjoying a more hallowed status and getting its teeth deep into every key financial transaction one can think of. That might not be quite desirable at this stage as divulging <keyword id="441301" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="biometric-data">biometric data</keyword> (required for Aadhaar Card) is still considered voluntary and <keyword id="2006881" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Secure-storage">secure storage</keyword> of the same cannot be guaranteed even now. 
 The rest of the recommendations by the committee dwell on the structure and requirements of the <keyword id="2006882" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Proposed-banks">proposed banks</keyword>, <keyword id="6597293" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="priority-sector-lending">priority sector lending</keyword> and deposits, and classification of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). 
 Interestingly, the payment banks will be required to meet the standard <keyword id="35038" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="crr">CRR</keyword> terms and must also deposit the balance proceeds in approved <keyword id="838337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="SLR-securities">SLR securities</keyword> with duration of no more than three months. As they won’t be permitted to assume any kind of <keyword id="854662" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Credit-risk">credit risk</keyword>, which literally rules out any risk of default, the <keyword id="2006891" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Minimum-entry-capital">minimum entry capital</keyword> for them will be Rs 50 crore instead of the Rs 500 crore required for full-service commercial banks in the country. Also, the wholesale banks cannot accept deposits bigger than Rs 5 crore from a single depositor. 
 The RBI had launched a three-year financial <keyword id="2006853" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Inclusion-programme">inclusion programme</keyword> in April 2010, which prompted banks to open outlets in 200,000 villages. The current recommendations seek to deepen such access and experts even feel that the new banking licences, to be announced soon, can be categorised accordingly. But both the government and the RBI should ensure that the programme becomes ‘inclusive’ in the true sense of the term and validation issues should not throw a spanner in the works.

Aadhaar Gaining More
Teeth, To Play Key Role In ‘Banking For All’

<ul><li>India’s <keyword id="2617070" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Personal-Data-Protection-Bill">Personal Data Protection Bill</keyword>, 2019 is likely to be placed in front of Parliament sometime this month.</li><li>The underlying goal of the proposed laws is to assign rights to users over the collecting, storage and usage of their information.</li><li>However, vague language and open-ended clauses leave room for government overreach and resulting misuse.</li></ul>When it comes to data privacy it looks like users have every option available to them except for the one they want — control over their data. This includes knowing who’s collecting data, where it’s being stored, how it’s being used and what can be done if it's misused instead. There have been one too many instances where personal information, anonymised or not, has been used with bad intentions. One prominent example from recent history was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/the-cambridge-analytica-whistleblower-explains-how-the-firm-used-facebook-data-to-sway-elections/articleshow/71461113.cms">Cambridge Analytica</a>’s use of data from Facebook to profile voters during the 2016 US Presidential election. With the recent increase in cyber crimes, the government of India is coming up with its own data protection laws, which officials claim is based on the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Any data that can identify an individual — either directly or indirectly — is covered under the <keyword id="4839724" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-protection-bill">Data Protection Bill</keyword>, 2019. This includes names, addresses, financial information, IP addresses, cookies, device IDs and other data. Hobson’s choice that Indian internet users face The bill outlines that an organisation needs to tell an individual from before collecting or using their data. The exceptions to this are if the data is processed under law or court order, for purposes related to employment or for a ‘reasonable’ purpose specified by the Data Protection Authority (DPA) — the nodal organisation that will be looking after the entire framework. Reasonable purposes include the operation of search engines, fraud prevention, mergers and acquisitions, and credit scoring but is not limited to any prescribed scope of activity. Moreover, clause 91 of the bill allows the central government to access anonymised or non-personal data to frame policies in the internet of the ‘digital economy’. “Such provisions show that the proposed law is far more interested in treating data as a resource,” noted the Internet Freedom Foundation (<a href="https://internetfreedom.in/essential-features-of-a-rights-respecting-data-protection-law/">IFF</a>). This indicates that there is still considerable scope for a user’s data to get collected without their consent. The only difference is that instead of a private company exploiting your personal details, it will be the government with little in its way to stop overreach. Even ‘critical’ and ‘sensitive’ data — such as religion, age, gender and other personality identifiers — may be available to the government in the interest of ‘national security’. The vaguely worded clause leaves room for misuse, according to <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/personal-data-protection-bill-2019-privacy-laws-7135832/">critics</a>. User rights under the Personal Data Protection Bill: <ul><li>The right to obtain confirmation from the fiduciary on whether their personal data has been processed.*</li><li>The right to seek correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date personal data.</li><li>The right to have personal data transferred to any other data fiduciary in certain circumstances</li><li>The right to restrict continuing disclosure of their personal data by a fiduciary, if it is no longer necessary or consent is withdrawn.</li></ul>*A data fiduciary is an entity or individual who decides the means and purpose of processing personal data. Penalties under the Data Protection Bill, 2019: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Offence </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Penalty </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Processing or transferring personal data in violation of the Bill </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Fine of ₹15 crore of 4% of annual turnover, whichever is higher </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Failure to conduct a data audit </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Fine of ₹5 crore or 2% of annual turnover, whichever is higher </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Re-identification and processing of de-identified data without consent </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Imprisonment of up to three years, or fine, or both </td></tr></tbody></table> Authority without independence In the case of data misuse, users had to file a complaint under the Information Technology Act, the Indian Penal Code, Consumer Protection Act, Indian Contract Act or look to sectoral regulators until now. With its new set of laws, India hopes to cover all issues under the ambit of the DPA. If there is ever any breach of personal data, the organisation in-charge will have to inform the DPA. After that, however, the apex body will be in charge of deciding whether the data breach should be communicated to the affected users or direct the company to mitigate the threat. The decision making is still not in favour of the users themselves. Moverover, the independence of the DPA has also been <a href="https://thewire.in/tech/india-data-protection-authority-needs-constitutional-entrenchment">called into question</a>. The members that comprise the DPA includes a chairperson and six committee members, which will be appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a selection committee. The committee itself is formed by senior civil servants, including the Cabinet Secretary. Critics claim that the government has too much power to appoint and remove members at its discretion. This also implies a level of ability to influence the members of the DPA and the underlying committee. The Hobson’s choice in front of internet users in India is whether they’re okay with information being used by private companies to make a profit or to hand data over to the government with whom many are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/what-is-facial-recognition-technology-and-how-india-is-using-it-to-track-down-protestors-and-individuals/articleshow/80782606.cms">facing a trust deficit</a>. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-is-using-the-quad-alliance-to-get-help-from-the-us-japan-and-australia-to-match-chinas-covid-19-vaccine-push/articleshow/81408044.cms">India is asking the QUAD for money to boost vaccine production and counter China’s moves on the global stage</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/gold-prices-are-falling-and-the-worlds-biggest-market-for-the-yellow-metal-is-hoping-for-more-shoppers/articleshow/81406658.cms">Gold prices are falling and the world’s biggest market for the yellow metal is hoping for more shoppers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-blockchain-tech-to-make-sms-more-secure-is-leaving-users-locked-out-of-their-account/articleshow/81409145.cms">India’s blockchain tech to make SMS more secure is leaving users locked out of their accounts — and potentially more at risk</a>

India’s new data protection bill makes a good show of user rights — but can it deliver on its promises?

<ul><li>2020 will be a busy year for India with the 5G spectrum auction still pending, <keyword id="2617070" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Personal-Data-Protection-Bill">Personal Data Protection Bill</keyword> under discussion, and the deadline for social media regulations closing in. </li><li>Emerging technology is changing the landscape faster than the Indian government can keep up. </li><li>Here’s a list of the top 12 technology issues that will be at the forefront of India’s digital policies in 2020. </li></ul>The world is undergoing a quiet revolution as technology rapidly changes the policy landscape all over the world. The same holds true for India. More people are online than ever before — only set to increase as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/10-reasons-why-2020-will-be-the-year-of-5g/5g-is-going-to-make-phones-even-more-addictive/slideshow/72988952.cms">5G replaces last-mile fibre broadband connectivity</a>. As access to the internet grows, so do the risks associated with being online. Cybersecurity threats are on the rise as data hackers find new ways to breach through firewalls. Earlier this year bad actors were able to gain access to the administrative serves of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-nuclear-plant-hack-is-only-one-small-part-of-a-much-bigger-operation-according-to-a-cybersecurity-expert/articleshow/72033253.cms">India’s largest nuclear power plant with a simple phishing email</a>. The government want to increase its cyber might to ward off such hazards but experts feel some of its policies might do the exact opposite. The use of the Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) by authorities is already being called out for being ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/afrs-facial-recognition-use-by-delhi-police-illegal-and-unconstitutional/articleshow/73052332.cms">completely illegal</a>’ since there is no proper policy structure in place to govern its deployment. Emerging technology is changing the landscape faster than the Indian government can keep up. These are the top 12 tech policy challenges that India will have to face in 2020:

You Searched For "National Identity Authority of India Bill" and got 10 results

India's exam system is in chaos, with some families paying thousands to help their kids cheat

Hannah Abraham

$740 billion defense bill bans federal law enforcement and troops from hiding their identities while responding to protests

Ryan Pickrell

UAE to resume issuing tourist visas to fully vaccinated travellers from Monday

IANS

The India stack that Bill Gates and Sundar Pichai so love is set to get much bigger – thanks to the Indian government’s new blockchain strategy

Sanchita Dash

Tech titans love Modi's economic powerhouse India — despite mass unemployment and abject poverty

Theron Mohamed

Parliament Monsoon session begins today; 31 bills likely to be taken up

ANI

A majority of parents are okay with teaching on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, a new poll finds

Nicole Gaudiano

Aadhaar Gaining More Teeth, To Play Key Role In ‘Banking For All’

Sanghamitra Mandal

India’s new data protection bill makes a good show of user rights — but can it deliver on its promises?

Prabhjote Gill

5G, AI, data privacy and mass surveillance — 12 biggest tech policy challenges India will have to face in 2020

Prabhjote Gill

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides