Ashwini Vaishnaw retains IT Ministry, Jyotiraditya Scindia to be Telecom Minister

The last ten years under the Narendra Modi-led NDA government saw a big focus on developing digital public infrastructure like Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and also a major price disruption in the telecom space with the entry of Reliance Jio, which tremendously reduced data prices in the country, making the Internet a lot more accessible for millions of Indians.

Vaishnaw was first appointed as the minister for IT and Telecom in 2021. In a short time, Vaishnaw has established himself as one of the most important ministers in the Union Cabinet and achieved major infrastructure and regulatory milestones. Scindia served as the Union Minister of Civil Aviation in the outgoing government. He was alloted the cabinet role in 2021. Scindia was in the Congress for a long time and was considered a close associate of Rahul Gandhi.

What’s on the table for IT, Telecom Ministries

IT

As work resumes at the IT Ministry, there are some key things in the waiting that were worked upon before the 2024 elections. Chief among them is to get the ball rolling on beginning public consultation on the Digital India Bill, the successor to the current Information Technology Act, 2000, which promises to herald a new era of legislative approach to the fast changing technology ecosystem.

Fresh funds for the India Semiconductor Mission will also have to be allocated, aside from clearing new projects. Operationalising of the Rs 10,000 crore IndiaAI Mission would also need to be operationalised. Under the scheme, the government will allocate funds towards subsidising private companies looking to set up AI computing capacity in the country, among other things.

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, passed in Parliament last year is yet to be implemented due to a delay in clearing subordinate legislation. At least 25 rules have to be operationalised.

Telecom

A turnaround of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the government’s telecom company, will have to be a key focus for the new government. Last year, the Union Cabinet had approved a revival package of Rs 89,047 crore ($10.79 billion) for the state-run telecom operator. The network, which is a major laggard compared to its private sector counterparts, is yet to offer 4G and 5G services across the country.

With Scindia leading telecom and the Development of North East Region ministry, the push towards connectivity in the north-eastern region could also see a renewed push.

The government’s ambitious BharatNet project, one of the biggest rural telecom projects in the world which aims to offer broadband internet connectivity to all rural areas, has also faced a number of hiccups in its rollout. This would also be on the new government’s list, especially since it was first announced more than a decade ago, under the UPA government.

Before the elections, the Parliament had also passed the Telecommunications Act, 2023, but the law is yet to come into force. Subordinate legislation to operationalise the law will also need to be passed by the new government.