The making of a digital Bharat

Exactly 20 years ago, Nicholas Negroponte of MIT Media Labs wrote a book called Being Digital. In that book, he distinguished between ‘atoms’ and ‘bits’. Atoms make up physical, tangible objects such as CDs, books and letters. Digital information, on the other hand, is made up of bits, the smallest unit of information on a…

Mamata condemns murder of blogger Avijit Roy

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday condemned the killing of Bangladeshi writer and blogger, Avijit Roy. “I have no language of consolation for the bereaved family. We condemn those who did this act of killing,” the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson said. “I strongly condemn the brutal murder of the Bangladeshi writer. We believe…

Where is the median?

It’s ok to be confused. Like I am. Every time I read the newspapers or watch news on television I’m wrought with confusion. A few weeks ago there was a furor about AIB. Then Tamil writer Perumal Murugan gave up writing because of pressure from a community against his novel. Now Puliyur Murugesan has been beaten up…

NHRC Notice to DGP on Arrest of Activists

Taking suo motu cognizance of a media report, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the State Director General of Police, calling for a report within two weeks in the case of arresting two activists – Tushar Nirmal Sarathy and Jaison C Cooper. The media report has said that the…

The National eGovernance Plan of India

In the colonial times, the conventional idea people carried about a Government was fixed to that of an unchallenged authority which restricted and controlled the lives of its citizens. However, with time, things changed and so did ideas and perceptions. Now the Government is seen as the ultimate benefactor; responsible for extending services to its…

Social media seen aiding cyber attackers’ cause

Banks have made significant efforts in educating customers on safe banking practices, but it is often found to be inadequate in the face of a sustained cyber attacks, a top RBI official has said. Data breach arising from phishing attacks and social engineering continues to be on the rise, according to G Padmanabhan, Executive Director,…

Delhi government sets up 21 task forces

The Delhi Dialogue Commission, the Delhi government’s ‘think tank’ led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, decided to form 21 task force groups on various issues ranging from Wi-Fi connectivity CCTV coverage and government on mobile to priority areas like women’s security, water, electricity, pollution and unauthorized colonies. A nine-member panel for DDC headed…