Technology

Vellore (Tamil Nadu), April 23 (IANS) In a unique blend of technology and democracy, voters in parts of Vellore district were greeted by robots as they arrived to cast their ballots in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on Thursday.

At select polling stations in Gudiyatham and Vellore Assembly constituencies, humanoid robots were deployed to assist and engage voters, offering a novel experience on polling day.

The initiative, introduced by election authorities on a pilot basis, aimed to enhance voter convenience while showcasing the integration of technology into public services.

At the Government Municipal Higher Secondary School in Gudiyatham town, a saree-clad robot welcomed voters in Tamil as they queued up outside the polling booth. Holding a tray with flowers and chocolates, the robot created a warm and festive atmosphere, surprising many first-time and regular voters alike.

"We were pleasantly surprised to see a robot greeting voters at the polling booth. It was speaking in Tamil and even gave tips on how to stay safe in the heat," a voter said.

Officials said that out of the 1,427 polling booths across Vellore district, two were selected for the experimental deployment of robots.

In Gudiyatham, the robot not only welcomed voters but also guided them through the facilities available inside the polling station, helping streamline the voting process.

A similar setup was introduced at the Government Muslim Higher Secondary School in the Vellore Assembly constituency. Here, the robot was equipped with sensors that enabled it to interact with voters, including offering a handshake as they approached. It also provided clear instructions on the voting procedure, including the mandatory deposit of mobile phones at designated counters before entering the booth.

In addition, the robot played an important role in voter awareness by making announcements about special arrangements. It encouraged senior citizens, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities to use separate queues to avoid long waiting times. It also informed voters about the availability of wheelchairs and other assistance facilities at the polling stations.

The initiative drew widespread attention and curiosity, with many voters stopping briefly to interact with the machines.

Election officials described the move as part of efforts to make polling more accessible, efficient, and engaging in an increasingly tech-driven environment.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 22 (IANS) US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) unveiled the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a wide‑field observatory designed to scan the universe for planets outside the solar system and probe the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said at a news conference at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland that “Roman will give the Earth a new atlas of the universe.” The 12‑metre, silvery contraption with large solar panels will be moved to Florida for a launch into space by a SpaceX rocket in September at the earliest.

Named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, the ‘mother of the Hubble Space Telescope,’ the Nancy Grace Roman, the new telescope will have a field of view at least 100 times larger than Hubble's, potentially measuring light from a billion galaxies in its lifetime, NASA said.

This observatory will also be able to block starlight to directly see exoplanets and planet-forming disks, complete a statistical census of planetary systems in our galaxy, and settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics, it added.

The Roman telescope was built at a cost of over $4 billion in more than a decade and will be positioned 1.5 million kilometres from Earth to probe vast regions of space.

At this special place in space, called the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2, gravitational forces balance to keep objects in steady orbits with very little assistance, the agency said in a blog post.

The thermal stability of an observatory at L2 will provide a ten-fold improvement beyond Hubble in much of the data Roman will gather.

It will send 11 terabytes of data a day down to Earth, said Mark Melton, a systems engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) The supply of LPG to domestic households has been prioritised and cylinders are being delivered normally with no reports of dry outs at LPG distributorships, according to an official update issued by Petroleum Ministry on Tuesday.

More than 5.01 lakh PNG connections have been gasified so far since March this year while over 5.68 lakh customers have been registered for new connections. Around 39,400 PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections via MYPNGD.in website, the statement said,

Over 19.28 lakh 5-kg LPG cylinders, used mainly by migrant workers, have also been sold since March 23.

A total of 1,23,680 metric tonnes (MT) (equivalent to more than 65 lakh of 19 Kg LPG cylinders) of commercial LPG has been sold during April so far. The equivalent of more than 4.64 lakh 19-Kg commercial LPG cylinders was sold on Monday.

A three-member committee of Executive Directors from IOCL, HPCL and BPCL is coordinating with state authorities and industry bodies to plan commercial LPG distribution in the states/UTs, said the statement.

Online LPG bookings have increased to about 98 per cent across the industry and delivery based on authentication code (DAC) received on the registered mobile number of the consumer has increased to around 93 per cent to prevent diversion.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said it is taking steps to ensure uninterrupted availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country, in the context of the ongoing situation involving the Strait of Hormuz.

Citizens are advised to avoid panic purchase of petrol, diesel and LPG and to beware of rumours and rely on official sources for correct information. LPG consumers are requested to use digital booking platforms and avoid visiting distributors.

All refineries are operating at high capacity with adequate crude inventories, while sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel are being maintained. Local LPG production from refineries has been increased to support domestic consumption, the statement said.

Despite the ongoing geopolitical situation, the government has ensured that 100 per cent supply is being made to domestic LPG, domestic PNG and CNG for fuelling vehicles, the statement said.

For commercial LPG, priority has been given to hospitals, educational institutions. Besides this, priority has also been given to pharma, steel, automobile, seed, agriculture, etc. In addition to this, supply of 5 Kg LPG to migrant labour is also doubled based on average daily supply on March 2-3, 2026.

The government has already implemented several rationalisation measures on both the supply and demand side, including enhancing refinery production, increasing the booking interval from 21 to 25 days in urban areas and up to 45 days in rural areas and prioritising sectors for supply.

Alternative fuels such as kerosene and coal have been made available to ease pressure on LPG demand.

The Ministry of Coal has directed Coal India and Singareni Collieries to supply additional coal to States for distribution to small and medium consumers, the statement added.

--IANS

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Seoul/New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) Internet giant Naver said on Tuesday it has created a 700 billion-won ($476.4 million) investment fund with Krafton and Mirae Asset Group to foster companies in the artificial intelligence (AI), fintech and content sectors in India.

The companies co-hosted an event in New Delhi to introduce the Unicorn Growth Fund (UGF) to Indian companies and venture capital firms, attended by Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, Naver Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Choi Soo-yeon, Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han and Swarup Mohanty, vice chairman of Mirae Asset Investment Managers India, according to Naver.

The UGF was initially set up by Krafton with a 200 billion-won investment earlier this year, followed by Naver and Mirae Asset, which contributed a combined 500 billion won. The partners have agreed to expand the fund to 1 trillion won, reports Yonhap news agency.

Naver said the fund aims to invest in high-potential technology companies in India across AI, fintech and content sectors.

"Building on its abundant IT talent and dynamic startup ecosystem, India is rapidly emerging as a hub of global digital innovation by expanding its AI industry ecosystem," Choi said.

"The UGF will serve as a key foundation for investing in high-growth tech firms and creating synergies by combining the core competencies of the three companies," she added.

The internet giant also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the information technology (IT) arm of India's Tata Group to explore business opportunities in the South Asian nation.

The agreement with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was signed during a South Korea-India business forum hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries in New Delhi, attended by South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, Naver Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Choi Soo-yeon, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and TCS President Ujjwal Mathur, according to Naver.

Under the MoU, Naver and TCS will combine their capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and business-to-consumer (B2C) services to pursue opportunities in AI and digital transformation, with a focus on the Indian market.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) India and South Korea have taken a significant step towards strengthening their strategic partnership, with industry leaders on Monday expressed optimism over new opportunities in trade, technology and investment following high-level talks between the two nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at Hyderabad House in the national capital.

The meeting resulted in the signing of multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), aimed at deepening cooperation across sectors such as trade, culture and emerging technologies.

Reacting to the development, business leaders highlighted the growing alignment between the two economies.

Rajan Navani, Chairman and Managing Director of Jetline Group of Companies and Founder and CEO of Jetsynthesis, said the India–Korea business dialogue was highly encouraging, particularly in areas like Gen Z engagement, digital ecosystems and infrastructure.

He noted that the partnership, driven by new-age leadership, is poised to deliver long-term global impact.

Hitesh Doshi, Chairman and Managing Director of Waaree Group, credited the government’s “Make in India” initiative for transforming the industrial landscape.

He said the push for domestic manufacturing has attracted Korean companies to invest and set up production facilities in India, thereby strengthening global partnerships and accelerating growth.

Subhrakant Panda, Managing Director of Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Limited, said India’s policy framework has positioned the country as a rising global economic power.

Earlier, PM Modi noted that bilateral trade between India and South Korea has reached $27 billion, with a target to scale it up to $50 billion by 2030.

He described the visit of the South Korean President -- after a gap of nearly eight years -- as significant.

The Prime Minister also emphasised the convergence of interests in the Indo-Pacific region, which has further strengthened ties over the past decade.

He expressed confidence that the partnership will expand across key areas including semiconductors, advanced technology, talent development and energy.

To facilitate deeper economic engagement, both sides have launched the India-Korea Financial Forum and agreed to set up an Industrial Cooperation Committee.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) The Department of Posts India has recorded a strong 16 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in revenue to Rs 15,296 crore in the financial year 2025-26, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday, calling it a “historic year” for the organisation.

Announcing the performance after the department’s annual business meet, the minister said the growth reflects a major transformation in operations, driven by deeper service penetration, customer acquisition, and a sharper focus on service quality through strict Six Sigma service level agreements.

The department’s revenue stood at Rs 13,218 crore in FY25, and the latest jump marks one of the strongest growth rates seen in recent years.

Scindia expressed confidence that the momentum will continue, with plans to expand reach and introduce new offerings to drive even higher growth in FY27.

Performance across regions remained robust, with eight out of 23 postal circles achieving over 90 per cent of their targets, while 14 circles met between 80 and 90 per cent.

Only one circle recorded less than 80 per cent achievement, as per the minister statement.

Among business segments, the parcels division emerged as a key growth driver, with revenue rising 69 per cent to Rs 1,133 crore in FY26, supported by strong performance in states such as Jharkhand, Telangana, and Gujarat.

The mail segment also posted significant gains, with revenue increasing 34 per cent to Rs 3,202 crore, led by Rajasthan, Assam, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Citizen-centric services saw sharp growth of 70 per cent to Rs 864 crore, while the Post Office Savings Bank segment generated Rs 7,756 crore -- reflecting a 13 per cent increase.

Postal Life Insurance and Rural Postal Life Insurance together recorded revenue of Rs 1,458 crore, marking a 25 per cent rise over the previous year.

Vandita Kaul, Secretary at the Department of Posts, said the gap between revenue and expenditure has narrowed by about Rs 1,500 crore in FY26, even as the department continues to meet its universal service obligations.

The total revenue expenditure, including pensions, stood at Rs 38,631 crore, with nearly one-third attributed to pension liabilities.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)-backed BHIM app will now allow users to view their CIBIL score alongside everyday transactions, following a tie-up between TransUnion CIBIL and NPCI BHIM Services Limited, it was announced on Monday.

With this integration, users can directly check their CIBIL Score and Credit Information Report on the BHIM app, enabling them to track their credit health without leaving the platform.

Moreover, access to credit data will be governed by a consent-based model, under which information is retrieved only after explicit user approval.

The feature is available on the BHIM app version 4.0.19 and above.

The addition of credit score visibility is aimed at extending the app’s utility from day-to-day payments to broader financial awareness.

“As India moves from a largely transactional approach towards credit to a more planned one, this is an important step in our consumer awareness journey,” said Bhavesh Jain, MD and CEO of TransUnion CIBIL.

Lalitha Nataraj, MD and CEO of NPCI BHIM Services Ltd, said the collaboration extends the app’s founding principle of simplicity and user control into the credit space.

Earlier in March, NPCI BHIM Services Limited launched biometric authentication for UPI payments on the app, allowing users to approve transactions of up to Rs 5,000 using fingerprint or facial recognition.

BHIM -- developed by NPCI BHIM Services Limited as India’s homegrown UPI payments app -- serves users across urban and rural regions in more than 15 Indian languages. The app offers features such as expense splitting, family mode and spending analytics.

Recently, India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) marked its 10th anniversary, accounting for 49 per cent of global real‑time payment transactions.

Meanwhile, the instant payments system processed 21.70 billion transactions in January 2026 alone, with Rs 28.33 lakh crore in value.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) Technology companies with successful artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives invest up to four times more in core capabilities such as data quality, governance, AI-ready talent and change management, even as only 39 per cent of technology leaders are confident of seeing positive financial returns from their AI investments, a report said on Monday.

According to a report by Gartner, higher investments in foundational areas play a critical role in driving AI success across enterprises.

The report has outlined six key shifts needed to realise AI value, including building AI-first data and analytics capabilities, redesigning teams for human and AI collaboration, and strengthening context and data infrastructure to support AI systems.

It also highlighted the need for integrated engineering practices, trust-based governance models and a move beyond traditional return on investment (ROI) metrics towards long-term value creation.

“Organisations with advanced AI-ready data and analytics capabilities are achieving up to 65 per cent higher business outcomes, including revenue growth and cost optimisation,” Gartner said.

“D&A leaders play a central role in achieving their organisation’s AI value ambition,” said Rita Sallam, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner Fellow and Chief of Research at Gartner.

Sallam noted that through 2030, the mandate for D&A leaders will be to build strong foundational capabilities, including trusted data and context-driven intelligence, requiring shifts in how teams operate, scale and create value.

However, challenges remain. Only 23 per cent of IT leaders are highly confident in their organisation’s ability to manage security and governance while deploying generative AI tools.

“Without trust in the data, outputs and decisions of AI models, there is no value from AI,” Sallam said.

Earlier, another report flagged that tech firms accelerated job cuts in the first quarter of 2026, with over 73,200 layoffs by 95 companies.

It pointed out that within two weeks, Snap Inc., The Walt Disney Company, Meta Platforms and Oracle Corporation announced layoffs as firms streamline operations to cut costs and shift resources toward artificial intelligence.

--IANS

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Jakarta, April 19 (IANS) A Chinese undersea monitoring system was found near an island in a strategically important strait between Indonesia's Lombok and Bali last week, media reports said.

The 3.7 metre-long device was found by fishermen north of Gili Trawangan island in the Lombok Strait and taken by the Indonesian navy to the Mataram naval base on Lombok for further investigation, according to Australia's ABC news.

Indonesian Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Tunggul said that a thorough examination of the device will be conducted by the navy to identify the device, including its purpose, stored data, and its origin.

Defence analyst H.I. Sutton identified the device as a Deep-Sea Real-Time Transmission Mooring System developed by the Chinese 710 Research Institute.

According to Sutton, the institute focuses on underwater attack and defence.

He added that the device monitors things like current, depth, temperature and "sound and target information".

The report highlighted that "the 710 Research Institute was part of the Chinese state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), now merged into the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC)".

The device has the letters CSIC and the logo of the corporation.

The system is designed to send data home via a communication buoy deployed to the surface while the device itself is moored to an anchor on the sea floor.

While contending that they could have military use, Sutton said that "it is likely concerning to Indonesian authorities that a Chinese sensor buoy has been found in the area".

A spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said "it did not have specific details on the matter", but mentioned that "China had always conducted marine scientific research activities and used related equipment in accordance with international law".

"Based on international practice, it is not unusual for marine research equipment to drift into the territorial waters of other countries due to malfunctions or other reasons," the spokesperson told ABC. "There is no need for excessive interpretation or suspicion."

The system's array of sensors combined with its ability to communicate back home made it "undersea warfare capable", said Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore and an expert in maritime security and naval affairs.

He also highlighted that submarines could be detected by the device's acoustic sensor, but the signal would need to be sent for processing to a shore station.

"This is often the problem that we face when it comes to these sorts of dual-use technologies that concern marine scientific research and data collection."

According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), the discovery of the device was concerning and suggested a "level of aggressive behaviour" by China in anticipation of military activity in the future.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) The Centre is reportedly considering a new fuel price stabilisation mechanism aimed at protecting consumers from sharp fluctuations in petrol, diesel and LPG prices amid rising global energy volatility.

The proposal, which is currently under discussion among key ministries, seeks to establish a dedicated buffer system that can be deployed during periods of extreme price swings, according to NDTV Profit report.

The move comes as geopolitical tensions in West Asia continue to disrupt global energy supply chains, pushing up crude oil prices and heightening inflation risks for import-dependent economies like India.

The report said that the proposed framework is likely to be modelled on the existing price stabilisation system used for agricultural commodities.

Under that mechanism, buffer stocks are created and released into the market during periods of sharp price rise to ease volatility.

A similar approach is now being explored for fuels, with the objective of shielding consumers from sudden spikes rather than allowing full and immediate pass-through of global price shocks.

The plan involves setting up a separate fuel buffer fund covering petrol, diesel and LPG.

The report said that this mechanism would be distinct from India’s strategic crude oil reserves, which are primarily meant to ensure supply security during severe disruptions and not for managing price fluctuations.

Deliberations are ongoing between the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and other departments regarding the structure of the fund and the criteria for intervention.

These could include predefined thresholds linked to global crude prices or volatility indicators in international energy markets.

The report indicated that the intent is not to introduce a permanent subsidy regime but to moderate extreme volatility and protect household consumption during periods of stress.

Any intervention under the mechanism is expected to be temporary and calibrated, with buffers replenished when price conditions stabilise.

--IANS

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