Daily Bulletin

Shri Amit Agrawal, Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Telecommunications, delivered a keynote address at the Digital BRICS Forum in Pune today, August 20, 2026, outlining three key pillars for securing digital enablement in a safe and trustworthy manner. These pillars include the creation of digital public infrastructure that is safe by design, establishing legal obligations for entities delivering digital content or collecting digital personal data, and empowering individuals through law and born-digital mechanisms for rights and grievance redressal. He stressed that safety and trust, alongside child protection, must be embedded by design rather than addressed as an afterthought.

India's robust legal framework, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (set to come into force in May next year), was presented at the Digital BRICS Forum today as a model for ensuring digital safety. The IT Act mandates intermediaries to observe due diligence against harmful content, leading to the removal of approximately 875,000 pieces of harmful material by two major social media platforms in a recent month, and requires labeling of Synthetically Generated Information. The DPDP Act specifically safeguards children by categorically prohibiting processing of their data without verifiable parental consent, tracking, or targeted advertising directed at them.

To empower individuals, India has established born-digital grievance redressal mechanisms under its digital laws, as highlighted at the Digital BRICS Forum today. The Grievance Appellate Committee, an online mechanism for unresolved online grievances, has effectively disposed of over 10,000 appeals since 2023. Similarly, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act provides for a similar at-a-click inexpensive and effective digital adjudication mechanism for unresolved grievances through the Data Protection Board of India.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the third high-level meeting with Secretaries to the Government of India today, August 20, 2026, at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, to discuss the future action agenda for Ministries and Departments. The deliberations specifically covered critical areas including Infrastructure and Connectivity, Security and External Affairs, and Governance, with the Prime Minister urging Secretaries to adopt a long-term perspective in shaping the country’s future.

During his meeting with government Secretaries today, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi stressed that silos are not merely an organizational issue but also a problem of mindset, urging officials to overcome them. He called for Secretaries to take ownership of their responsibilities and work with a spirit of belongingness, citing the effective inter-departmental coordination during the COVID-19 pandemic and the West Asia crisis as examples of successful collective effort.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi underscored the importance of data as a national asset and a crucial resource for the future during his interaction with government Secretaries today. He called for finding solutions to enable greater interoperability and effective use of data, noting that the full potential of government-collected data is often not realized due to departmental silos and fragmented systems.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi urged for the effective use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in governance today, while simultaneously emphasizing the indispensable role of human intervention and judgement. He also called for greater engagement between government departments, universities, and young people to bring fresh and unconventional perspectives into policymaking processes.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, on August 20, 2026, welcomed the Union Cabinet's decision to establish a bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir in Ladakh. This move, taken under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, is intended to significantly enhance access to justice for citizens residing in the remote areas of Ladakh by reducing the time required to avail legal services. The government reiterated its commitment to the comprehensive development and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh.