Ashwini Vaishnaw News

₹33,660-crore Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (Bhavya) kicks off in fiscal year 2027 (FY27), aiming to expand India's manufacturing muscle, while creating large-scale employment.The Union Cabinet also approved a series of projects totalling more than ₹45,000 crore, including Bhavya, which will be executed over five years."The scheme is expected to drive large-scale job creation, generating substantial direct and indirect employment across manufacturing, logistics, and services, while catalyzing significant investments. The scheme aims to generate 15 lakh direct jobs by boosting manufacturing-led growth and enhancing infrastructure with ready-to-use industrial parks," said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union minister for railways, information and broadcasting, and electronics and information technology.The Bhavya scheme will be implemented in partnership with states and private sector players, building on the experience of industrial smart cities developed under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme.

India has recently joined a growing list of countries weighing restrictions on children’s access to social media.Speaking on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit last week, information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government is discussing age-based restrictions on social media platforms. The remarks follow closely after the Economic Survey flagged the need to address “digital addiction” among the young.At the state level, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala are also examining similar restrictions.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : India has put forward a framework for how the country's artificial intelligence startups and the world’s frontier labs should build and deploy inclusive AI.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Despite global attention, India’s artificial intelligence (AI) startups and policymakers do not expect a “DeepSeek moment" to emerge from New Delhi’s weeklong AI gala beginning tomorrow.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. On 29 January, the 2026 Economic Survey flagged the need for India to take a cautious approach in developing artificial intelligence. On Sunday, the outlay proposed for the India AI Mission in the Union Budget was halved.

The Indian Railways increased fares twice in this financial year—first in July and then in December, marking its most concerted effort in years to narrow losses from passenger services and ease the burden on freight users who have cross-subsidised passenger travel.While the hikes have triggered political criticism, the railways argues that the increases are modest, progressive and fiscally unavoidable, especially when passenger fares recover barely 55% of costs, implying a subsidy element of about 45%, as railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted in the Lok Sabha during the recent winter session of Parliament.The twin fare revisions were part of a rationalization strategy aimed at improving the financial sustainability of passenger services without imposing a sudden shock on travellers.The railways has been absorbing the rising costs of employees, pensions, safety investments and network expansion even as passenger fares remained structurally underpriced.

Grok operates within a global ecosystem. Compliance requires localization for Indian regulations without disrupting global operations.AI-generated content can deliver benefits, such as simulations for factories or product design, but in the wrong hands, it raises serious concerns. Addressing misuse, therefore, requires a combination of technical, organizational, and regulatory guardrails, not a single fix.More powerful AI models are likely to amplify risks.

Pamban Bridge in Tamil Nadu’s Rameshwaram, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 April, has been declared safe to run trains at 80 kmph for the next 100 years. This assurance comes from MP Singh, director (operations) at Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the public sector company behind the project. Singh, who is also part of a five-member Expert Committee formed last November to look into safety concerns, said that the panel carefully examined every part of this iconic structure.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved four multitracking projects worth Rs 18,658 crore this week. Addressing journalists on Friday, Union Railways, Information Broadcasting, and Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw said these initiatives will improve travel convenience, reduce logistic cost, decrease oil imports, and contribute to lower CO2 emissions. In another decision, the cabinet approved the second Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP-II) for improving infrastructure at bordering inhabited areas. The four multitracking projects cover 15 districts across Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh, increasing the existing network of Indian Railways by about 1247 kilometres (kms). They are expected to be complete by 2030-31. Vaishnaw said these new projects will operate similar to freight corridors. The projects aim to enhance logistical efficiency by increasing the line capacity along the key routes for coal, iron ore, and other minerals. Responding to a query on whether these new lines will be dedicated solely for freight operations, Vaishnaw said, “Networks work best when they are integrated, whether railway, highway, or telecom.” The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 88.77 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).

Cabinet has approved a Rs 23,000-crore programme to strengthen the electronics manufacturing supply chain. India is looking to grab a bigger share of the market as companies opt for ‘China Plus One,’ as well as create jobs. The much-anticipated electronics component manufacturing (ECM) scheme is a move to increase domestic value addition and integrate with global value chains. It will be spread over six years and is expected to generate investment worth Rs 60,000 crore. “We are already making very good progress in the semiconductor part of the value chain,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for electronics and IT, railways and information and broadcasting, referring to the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. “We have had super success in PLI-based finished products manufacturing. Now, we are covering sub-assemblies and bare components.”

The budgetary requirement for the Kharif season will be Rs 37,216.15 crore, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters here. The minister said the government has ensured that the retail prices of DAP (Di-ammonium phosphate) remain at the present level.

Indian Railways' network with an endeavour to ensure smooth and uninterrupted services, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Vaishnaw responded to questions raised by parliamentarians on complaints filed by MPs, MLAs, ministers and public representatives against corruption in the award of contracts for base kitchens by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) and issues related to that. «On an average, 16 lakh meals are served per day on the Indian Railways' network. It is the endeavour of Indian Railways to ensure smooth and uninterrupted services of such a large volume of meals to passengers. Further, necessary measures are put in place from time to time to improve overall services to passengers,» Railway Minister said. He added that with the objective to bring improvement in the quality and hygiene of food in trains, the Railway Ministry issued instructions for the stipulation of supply of meals in trains only from designated base kitchens.

Congress parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh on Sunday wrote to information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging him to «pause, review and repeal» Section 44 (3) of the Data Protection Act, 2023, claiming that otherwise it would eliminate the proviso in Section 8 (1) of the Right To Information Act (RTI), 2005, which gives citizens equal right to information as legislators who represent them. Pointing out that Section 44 (3) of the Data Protection Act, 2023, states that «In section 8 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, in sub-section (1), for clause (j), 2005, the following clause shall be substituted, namely, (j) information which relates to personal information», Ramesh argued that «the implications of this on Section 8 (1) (j) of the RTI Act, 2005, are that almost everything in it gets deleted.» Maintaining that proviso in Section 8 (1) of the RTI Act, 2005, that gives citizens equal right to information as legislators who represent them is eliminated, Ramesh told Vaishnaw: «The existing Section 8 (1) (6) of the RTI Act, 2005, had enough guardrails to protect unwarranted invasion of privacy.

Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates met prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday to discuss collaboration across the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare and agriculture, as well as on the digital infrastructure front. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the India AI Mission and the Gates Foundation is expected soon. “AI solutions for better crops, stronger healthcare, smarter education, and climate resilience—MoU soon between India AI Mission and the Gates Foundation,” Vaishnaw posted on X.

Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Vaishnaw said maintenance of railways is different from other infrastructure like highways. He said since the tracks and wheels are made of steel and the trains are travelling at a speed of 70 to 100 km per hour, the tracks often get damaged, resulting in creation of micro fractures «If we don't repair the micro fractures regularly, there is a possibility of increased rail fractures which may lead to train accidents. That is why globally, out of 24 hours in a day, a few hours are kept for maintaining the tracks,» he said.

Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday amid noisy protests by opposition members seeking to ask questions on the statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Maha Kumbh. The proceedings were earlier adjourned till 1 pm, shortly after Modi made his statement and the opposition members rose in their seats in protest, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi apparently urging Speaker Om Birla to allow the opposition members to speak. They also demanded the inclusion of the stampede deaths in the statement. Members of the Congress, TMC and other opposition parties then stormed the Well, raising slogans, while Samajwadi Party members staged a walkout in protest. Parliamentary sources said the opposition parties demanded a discussion on the Maha Kumbh so that their members could share their views on the subject. They had demanded a discussion on the Maha Kumbh at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the House. As many as 30 pilgrims were killed and 60 injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh on January 29.

Lok Sabha debate recordings will be made available to researchers on the IndiaAI Datasets Platform (IDP), announced IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Delhi on Tuesday. An MoU in this regard between the IndiaAI Mission and the Lok Sabha was signed on Tuesday, he revealed. The IDP, one of the seven pillars of the IndiaAI Mission, seeks to enhance access, quality, and utilisation of public sector datasets to make them AI-ready. It aims to function as a unified data platform, integrating datasets from all existing data platforms as well as onboarding non-government data contributors and providing new-age AI-centric features.

Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the Hyperloop testing facility at IIT Madras on Saturday and said that the Hyperloop tube, being developed with the help of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, will soon be the world's longest tube, measuring 410 meters in length. The 410-meter-long Hyperloop test tube located at IIT Chennai is already the longest Hyperloop test facility in Asia. Hyperloop is a high-speed train that runs in a vacuum in a tube. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday in a social media post added, «Longest Hyperloop tube in Asia (410 m)… soon to be the world's longest.»

Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed Elon Musk's Starlink on Wednesday, highlighting its potential to benefit railway projects in remote areas. «Starlink, welcome to India! Will be useful for remote area railway projects,» said Vaishnaw in a statement on X. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms has struck a deal with SpaceX, the aerospace company led by Musk, to bring Starlink's broadband internet services to India, a surprise move that follows months of bickering over how Musk's venture should be granted spectrum rights. The deal with Musk — considered the right-hand-man of US President Donald Trump — came a day after telecom tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal's Bharti Airtel signed a similar partnership deal with SpaceX.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written response to a question in Lok Sabha. The stampede happened at the New Delhi Railway station in the evening of February 15 amid a huge rush of devotees headed to the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. In his response in Parliament, Vaishnaw did not give the number of the deceased and the injured, but after the incident officials had said the stampede killed 18 people and left 15 injured. Vaishnaw said a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident. On other questions by members on the stampede and amenities created for devotees during the Maha Kumbh Mela, the railway minister gave a detailed response.

Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Rajya Sabha on Monday. Vaishnaw moved the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024 that seeks to amend the Railways Act, 1989 in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. The Bill, already passed by Lok Sabha, was approved by the Upper House after a debate. The minister assured the House that reports of CCTV cameras being shut down after the February 15, 2025 stampede at the New Delhi station are false.