New AI Law To Protect News Publishers, Government Says Time For Tesla To Get Cracking On Plant

New AI Law To Protect News Publishers, Content Creators Soon: Vaishnaw

The government is looking to frame a new law on artificial intelligence (AI) to protect the interests of news publishers and content creators, the Economic Times reported Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw as saying in an interview.

The law will also minimise user harm while protecting the interest of news publishers and content creators, he said. The minister said the new law will be balanced and strong in securing rights, as well as leave room for innovation. The law can be an independent legislation or part of the Digital India Bill, which is about to replace the Information Technology Act, 2000. Here’s more 

Tesla May Discuss Investment Plans For Plant Soon, Says DPIIT Secretary

It is up to Tesla to lay down its investment plans for India after the government cut import duty on electric vehicles, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said in a Bloomberg report carried by the Business Standard.

The industry department last month released a comprehensive policy for boosting EV manufacturing in the world’s most populous nation. Singh said the government machinery can help Tesla contact states and added some links have been made. He noted that Vietnamese EV maker VinFast had already announced its plans in Tamil Nadu and was expecting a few others as well. Here's more 

Ministry Defends Domestic Semiconductor Chip Policy 

The domestic market demand for 28 nanometre and above semiconductor chips in 2023 is in the range of US$ 17-20 billion annually, according to estimates by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), the Business Standard reported quoting a top ministry official. 

This accounts for around half of the total domestic semiconductor chip market requirement, which is pegged between US$35 million and US$ 40 billion in 2023. According to a broader estimate by Counterpoint Research, between 2025 and 2030, the total semiconductor demand in India will be US$ 600 billion. Of this, the 28 nanometre and above market is expected to be 30-35 per cent, or US$ 180-210 billion. Read more

Key Babus Hard At Work To Come Up With Five-Year Roadmap

Senior bureaucrats of the government departments are burning the midnight oil to prepare a five-year road map in line with the 'Viksit Bharat' vision for a developed India by 2047, the Business Standard reported quoting officials.

 A review meeting, where secretaries of all important ministries and departments are expected to be present, has been scheduled for May 1. The first draft of the five-year plan could possibly come up for discussion at the meeting. Agriculture, education, skilled employment, infrastructure, trade, tourism, green economy and startups are among the areas on the agenda, the source said. The first meeting of secretaries, led by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, began sometime in March on this. Here's more 

New Regulator For Health Insurance In The Works

A brand-new regulator for health insurance may be among the first proposals to be taken up by the next government, Livemint reported following the Union finance ministry seeking early consultations.

The ministry has tapped the health ministry to begin consultations with insurance companies, healthcare service providers, the National Health Authority and others to formalise the plan, the report said. Earlier, the finance ministry had written to the health ministry on the contours of the new regulator, which aimed to bring about uniformity in health services and facilitate affordable health insurance coverage for all citizens. Read more

EV Battery Self-Sufficiency Unlikely Even By 2035, Says Study 

Tata Motors is the largest consumer of batteries in the country as it leads the electric passenger vehicle market in the country with an over 70 per cent share, the Business Standard reported. Quoting an S&P Mobility study, the report said Maruti Suzuki India is expected to match Tata’s demand for battery cells by 2035 after the company begins the launch of electric vehicles (EVs) later this year.

However, India’s dependence on imported cells for light vehicles is expected to persist. Only 13 per cent of the total battery cells required to power light vehicles by 2030 will be domestically produced, with the rest outsourced. More here