NEW DELHI: A parliamentary committee has recommended strengthening institutional capacity in cybersecurity, data protection and digital infrastructure while examining the government’s spending plans for the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) for 2026-27. The panel also cautioned that inadequate funding could affect the expansion of digital governance systems, cybersecurity capacity and emerging initiatives such as artificial intelligence infrastructure.The observations are part of the “Twenty-Fourth Report of the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology” on the ministry’s Demands for Grants, which was presented in Parliament on March 16.The committee said that “allocation of more funds to the Ministry may help promote Digital Governance for empowering citizens, promoting the inclusive and sustainable growth of the Electronics, IT and ITeS industries… and ensuring a secure cyber space.”According to the report, MeitY’s budget estimate for 2026-27 stands at Rs 21,632.96 crore compared with Rs 26,026.25 crore in the 2025-26 budget estimates. The ministry told the committee that part of the reduction reflects the closure of the production linked incentive (PLI) component for large-scale electronics manufacturing, whose tenure ends on March 31, 2026.The committee also noted that variations between budget estimates and revised estimates in 2025-26 were linked to lower expenditure during the first half of the financial year and delays in executing agreements under semiconductor manufacturing projects. The ministry told the panel that semiconductor manufacturing projects are “highly complex, technology-intensive” and approved companies must fulfil stipulated conditions before fiscal support can be released, resulting in delays in agreements.The report also highlighted implementation challenges across several programmes, including interoperability gaps in e-governance systems, cybersecurity and privacy risks, and capacity constraints in digital infrastructure projects. It asked the ministry to address these issues and keep the committee informed of progress.On cybersecurity and digital safety, the committee sought updates on the creation of additional posts in the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and recommended strengthening the Data Protection Board to improve safeguards for personal data and address incidents of cyber fraud and digital scams.The committee also asked the ministry to ensure that funding shortages do not affect the functioning of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), which provides core digital infrastructure for government platforms. It further recommended expanding digital public services with stronger local-language support to improve digital inclusion.The report also discussed the implementation trajectory of the IndiaAI Mission, noting that variations in allocations partly reflected the programme’s rollout dynamics following its approval in March 2024. According to the ministry, early stages focused on institutional setup, consultations and operational guidelines before scaling up activities across research, ecosystem development and international collaboration.Among future initiatives, the panel suggested using enhanced funding under the National Knowledge Network to establish a blockchain-based National Digital Research Repository aimed at enabling secure knowledge sharing among research institutions.The report further recommended expanding digital literacy programmes in rural and tribal areas and strengthening the IT ecosystem in underperforming states, including in the Northeast, to support more balanced growth in India’s digital economy.

NEW DELHI: The Left front on Monday released its first list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections, fielding leaders like outgoing Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and CPI(M) central committee member Minakshi Mukherjee .Out of 192 seats, CPI(M) will contest 142, the Forward Bloc (21), RSP (13), CPI (14), RCPI (1) and MCP (1).Bhattacharya will contest from Jadavpur constituency in south Kolkata, while Mukherjee, a youth face of the Left Front, will fight from Uttarpara in Hooghly district.Mukherjee was fielded from Nandigram in the 2021 elections and came third after BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.The Left Front has also fielded Sabina Yasmin from Kaliganj.Yasmin’s six-year-old daughter Tamanna was killed in a crude bomb blast allegedly from a victory rally during bypoll counting in June last year, which was won by the TMC.Left Front chairman Biman Bose said the candidates for the remaining seats will be finalised and announced within three to four days.“The fight this time is against the neo-Fascist forces in the country, the autocratic activities in our state, and the hardships faced by the people owing to these,” Bose said while announcing the 192 nominees at a press conference here.“We will also be fighting to revive Leftist politics and strengthen Left forces in the state,” he added.Stating that women candidates have been fielded in 28 constituencies, Bose said, more women will be named for the remaining seats.Bose said CPI(ML)-Liberation and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) will field candidates as associates, adding that apart from these, some independents and important names will also feature on the Left Front’s list.The ISF, which contested the 2021 assembly polls in a seat-sharing arrangement with the Left Front, won a single seat – Bhangar in South 24 Parganas. PTIThe upcoming election is seen as a battle for survival for the CPI(M)-led front in West Bengal, which ruled the state uninterruptedly for 34 years until 2011 and failed to win a single seat in the 2021 assembly polls.The assembly polls will be held in the state on April 23 and 29, and votes will be counted on May 4.

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday raised the LPG crisis arising out of the conflict in West Asia, asking why the govt did not do advance planning of LPG imports or make alternative arrangements despite being aware of the regional tensions. “Why did the govt not make alternative arrangements if it was aware of the regional tensions? Why was the Opposition not taken on board for a coordinated response to public anxiety.”Why is the govt not taking any measures to curb hoarding and black marketing in LPG? This crisis not only exposes our mismanagement but also highlights our weak domestic and foreign policy,” he alleged.Kharge’s submission, which extended well beyond the 3 minutes allowed to each member during the zero hour, drew a sharp reaction from Leader of the House J P Nadda who accused the Opposition of spreading anarchy and engaging in politics over LPG shortage, rather than standing with the govt as it manages the situation not of India’s own making but caused purely by international developments. While reminding Kharge of petroleum minister Hardeep Puri’s earlier statement in the LS on the LPG situation, Nadda recalled that Congress MPs had not even heard him. Nadda claimed that a Congress leader was himself caught hoarding LPG. Earlier, Kharge said the LPG crisis has created a panic across the country, given its adverse impact on the poor, middle-class households, besides restaurants, hostels and commercial establishments. Recalling that India imports LPG to meet 60% of its domestic requirements, he added that 90% of these imports come via the Strait of Hormuz. “Both LPG availability and price stability have become issues of serious concern...MSMEs and commercial users are facing problems in securing LPG refills. It is worrisome that some establishments have stopped operations while some are paying up to Rs 5000 per cylinder,” he claimed.Pointing to Puri’s claims that there is no LPG shortage, Kharge alleged that the ground realities were different. “When India was issuing advisories to its citizens in Iran, warning of the deterioration in the situation, it should have also warned of adverse impact on critical maritime routes and energy supplies. We should have accordingly been prepared. Govt knew of the impending situation in the Strait of Hormuz. So had the LPG imports advance planning and alternative arrangements been done, we would not be facing this crisis,” he noted.

NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister and Rajya Sabha MP H D Deve Gowda on Monday wrote a letter to Congress MP Sonia Gandhi expressing concern over what he described as “chaos” inside Parliament and its premises. In his letter, Gowda shared that he had been “greatly disturbed” by developments in Parliament, which he attributed primarily to opposition parties. The former PM also added that Parliament, in the recent times, had seen excessive disruptions.“I have been greatly disturbed by a certain chaos that has been unthinkingly introduced inside Parliament, and in its larger premises, primarily by the Opposition parties,” Gowda wrote.He cautioned that such actions could have wider implications for democratic institutions. “I am not sure if you visualize the consequences of such unchecked activity and circulation of negative energy. I honestly feel, it may immensely harm the foundations of our democracy and leave a trail of indelible bitterness,” he said.Gowda said he had initially refrained from writing as he hoped the situation would resolve on its own. “The reason I was not too sure of writing to you earlier was because I thought things may settle down with the wisdom of time. But, am afraid, I see no signs of correction,” he said.Urging Sonia Gandhi to intervene, the former Prime Minister appealed to her seniority and experience in the opposition ranks. “I do not wish to put down anybody, or curtail anybody’s role or enthusiasm. But I urge you, who is the eldest in the ranks of the Opposition, to speak to your party leaders and others, drawing from the wealth of your political experience and maturity,” he wrote.Gowda also reflected on his long political career, saying he had spent most of his public life in the Opposition. “You are aware that I started my career at the grassroots of our democratic institutions, and have spent, in all, 65 years of my life as a legislator and parliamentarian. This may well turn out to be the last parliamentary session of my life,” he wrote.He also said Parliament in recent times had seen excessive disruptions. “Parliament in recent times has witnessed an excess of slogan-shouting, display of placards and name-calling. There has been an attitude of non-seriousness, which has assaulted my very idea and construct of Parliament and parliamentary democracy,” Gowda wrote.He said Gandhi could ask opposition leaders to reconsider their approach to protests in Parliament. “You can perhaps ask them not to harm themselves, their cause and their political futures in the long run,” Gowda said.Stressing that protests are a legitimate part of parliamentary democracy, Gowda said they must be conducted in a way that does not “dismantle what we have build together in over 75 glorious years”.

NEW DELHI: Announcing a major shake-up in West Bengal’s administrative and police brass within hours of announcing the poll schedule, the Election Commission ordered the immediate replacement of the state state chief secretary, director general of police (DGP), principal secretary (home) and Kolkata police commissioner, among others.EC’s overriding powers to shift officers directly engaged in the conduct of polls, stem from Article 324 of the Constitution, which places the entire poll machinery in an election-going state/UT under its “superintendence, direction and control” during the preparation of the electoral roll and conduct of elections to Parliament and state legislatures. West Bengal chief secretary Nandini Chakraborty was shunted out late on Sunday night along with principal secretary (home) Jagdish Prasad Meena. Both are seen close to the ruling party in the state. EC ordered that Dushyant Nariala, an IAS officer of 1993 batch be posted as chief secretary with immediate effect, and Sanghamitra Ghosh, an IAS officer of 1997 batch, as principal secretary, home and hill affairs.On Monday afternoon followed another set of transfers in the higher echelons of West Bengal police. DGP Peeyush Pandey was shunted out and 1992 batch IPS officer SIddh Nath Gupta brought in his place. Kolkata police commissioner Supratim Sarkar was replaced by Ajay Kumar Nand, IPS officer of 1996 batch. “Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had, in the EC press conference on Sunday, assured that elections in West Bengal would be violence-free and peaceful. In pursuance of this objective, the EC has appointed/transferred senior police officials of the state, including the DGP and Kolkata police commissioner,” a senior EC official told TOI. Also making a change in the crucial post of ADG and IGP, law and order — with a direct role in curbing political clashes and violence as well as judicious deployment of security forces for poll security — the EC replaced the incumbent with 1995 batch IPS officer Ajay Mukund Ranade. Natarajan Ramesh Babu, a 1991 batch IPS officer, was ordered to be posted as DG, correctional services. The transfers — which are not unusual as EC has similarly replaced top officers in West Bengal during past Lok Sabha and assembly polls — evoked sharp criticism from the Trinamool Congress in Parliament. TMC MP Derek O’ Brien announced a day-long walkout by the party MPs from Rajya Sabha in protest, even as parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju underlined that the poll panel had the constitutional authority to do so and alleged that the TMC has made it a habit to attack all constitutional bodies.

Election Commission

NEW DELHI: After the Election Commission (EC) ordered major transfers of top bureaucrats in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress protested by walking out of the Rajya Sabha on Monday. This happened while voting was under way for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states.The EC, in a letter dated March 15, announced the transfer of West Bengal’s chief secretary and principal secretary of home and hill Affairs. The poll panel said the changes were made after reviewing the state’s preparedness for the upcoming assembly elections.

TMC MPs, including Sagarika Ghose, slammed the EC, saying, “The manner in which the Election Commission transferred the Bengal Home Secretary and Chief Secretary at 4 am in the dead of night is unacceptable. The Election Commission has these powers, but it is misusing them to damage the elected government in Bengal. That’s why our party walked out of Parliament for the entire day.”Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju defended the EC, saying it has the “constitutional authority” to make such transfers and criticized TMC for raising the issue in Parliament.

Who was transferred

The EC removed two top officials from Mamata Banerjee’s administration:

Other key postings include:

The EC’s letter, signed by secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra, said these directions are effective immediately. The transferred officers will not be posted in any election-related work until the elections are over. Compliance reports are expected by 3 pm on March 16.The reshuffle comes after the EC announced the election schedule for four states—West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam—and one Union Territory, Puducherry. The West Bengal assembly polls will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting on May 4.The move is seen as an attempt to ensure administrative neutrality during the elections, especially after TMC’s repeated criticism of the EC over the ongoing Special Summary Revision exercise in the state.