The new appointment was part of a major Cabinet reshuffle directed by the President of India, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, a native of Jodhpur and a former alumnus of IIT Kanpur and Wharton Business School, was recently appointed as the new Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology. In his first few days as a minister, Vaishnaw has conducted a few review meetings and also given an indication of how he might deal with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and its various requirements. This running report by MediaNama will document key policy statements/announcements made by the cabinet minister from here on:
July 7, 2021: Vaishnaw takes charge
Former IAS officer and Wharton Business School alumni Ashwini Vaishnaw takes charge as the Minister in the Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ministry of Communications, and Ministry of Railways.
Assumed the charge of Minister of Communications at Sanchar Bhawan today. pic.twitter.com/BPQYyDxNVG
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) July 8, 2021
July 8, 2021: Law of the land should be abided by everyone: Vaishnaw
After taking charge, while speaking to media persons, Vaishnaw says, “The law of the land should be abided by everyone.” This statement comes amid a tussle between the Indian government and Twitter regarding the IT Rules 2021. Vaishnaw’s predecessor and Lok Sabha MP RS Prasad had been unwavering in his stance and criticised the social media platform multiple times for not complying with the rules. Vaishnaw also meets RS Prasad on the same day along with the newly-appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications Devusinh Chauhan.
पूर्व संचार मंत्री माननीय श्री @rsprasad जी के निवास पर माननीय संचार मंत्री श्री @AshwiniVaishnaw जी के साथ शिष्टाचार भेंट की और मार्गदर्शन प्राप्त किया pic.twitter.com/hLR8k3GJp3
— Devusinh Chauhan (@devusinh) July 8, 2021
July 9, 2021: Review meeting on Digital India
Vaishnaw conducts a review meeting on the Digital India program along with the newly-appointed Minister for State in MeitY Rajeev Chandrasekhar and other officials. This comes nearly a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a virtual event to mark the completion of six years of Digital India, said data and demographic dividends along with tech capabilities present a massive opportunity for the country.
Conducted an introductory meeting and reviewed Digital India program and key schemes under @GoI_Meity along with my colleague Sh @rajeev_mp with @SecretaryMEITY and other officers. pic.twitter.com/fBkfEkZFZv
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) July 9, 2021
July 10, 2021: Review meeting on C-DAC
Vaishnaw conducts a review meeting for the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) along with the newly-appointed Minister for State in MeitY Rajeev Chandrashekhar. The CDAC is responsible for taking up IT-related research, creating cyber awareness, and so on. Ajay Prakash Sawhney, secretary in MeitY, was also present at the meeting.
Took a review meeting today along with my colleague Shri @rajeev_mp on CDAC and its progress on National Supercomputing Mission and other programs & services with @SecretaryMEITY and other officers in @GoI_MeitY pic.twitter.com/ws8rWtwW7o
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) July 10, 2021
July 11, 2021: Vaishnaw’s first post on Koo about IT Rules
Vaishnaw joins the social media platform, Koo. In his first update on the platform which was the first to announce that it had complied with the IT Rules 2021, Vaishnaw says, “Reviewed the implementation and compliance of Information Technology Rules, 2021 along with my colleague Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar ji. These guidelines are empowering and protecting users and will ensure a safer and responsible social media ecosystem in India.” Koo has often been positioned as a competitor to Twitter. Recently, after Nigeria banned Twitter in the country, the country opened an official account on the India-made social media platform.
July 12, 2021: Prasad’s message for Vaishnaw
Former Union IT Minister and Lok Sabha MP RS Prasad lauds Vaishnaw for his comments on the IT Rules made on Koo, and mentions that Twitter has taken steps to comply with the IT Rules. During the hearing of the Amit Acharya vs Twitter at Delhi High Court recently, the social media platform assured the court that it would soon make the necessary appointments in compliance with the IT Rules 2021. The company has now appointed Vinay Prakash as the interim grievance redressal officer.
Greetings to the new IT Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw for firmly reiterating that the new IT Rules are designed to empower the safety & security of users against misuse and redress their grievances. Assuring to note that Twitter too has taken some steps to comply with the new Rules.
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) July 12, 2021
Also Read:
- Former Bureaucrat Ashwini Vaishnaw Now Chief Of MeitY, Anurag Thakur Elevated To Minister In MIB
- IT Minister Watch: A Running Report Of Tech Policy Statements Made By India’s IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
