India working on balanced AI framework:IT Secretary
NEW DELHI, July 19: India is developing a carefully calibrated regulatory framework for artificial intelligence (AI) that seeks to balance innovation with necessary safeguards, while drawing lessons from evolving approaches adopted by the US, the European Union and other international forums, Electronics and Information Technology Secretary S Krishnan has said. As AI capabilities continue to advance rapidly across the world, governments are increasingly examining ways to regulate powerful AI models without hindering technological progress.India is simultaneously expanding its AI ecosystem through the IndiaAI Mission, strengthening public computing infrastructure and encouraging indigenous AI development. Speaking to NDTV Profit, Krishnan said there is now growing global consensus that AI cannot remain completely unregulated. (IANS)
Protest against Ken-Betwa project in MP ends abruptly
Chhatarpur (MP), July 19: A 15-day protest against the Ken-Betwa Link and other development projects in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district ended on Sunday after police cleared the agitation site and sent protesters back to their villages. Some protesters alleged that the movement leader Amit Bhatnagar was detained, while the police denied making any arrests. The protest, mainly by tribal women, was held for the last fortnight on the banks of the Barana river near Kupi village in Chhatarpur district. The agitation was led by Amit Bhatnagar, who staged an indefinite fast for 11 days. The Ken-Betwa Link Project, the country’s first river interlinking project under the National Perspective Plan, seeks to transfer surplus water from the Ken to the Betwa river to provide irrigation and drinking facilities in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The protest, launched on July 3 on the banks of the Barana river near Kupi village, opposed the Ken-Betwa river-linking project and other development works. (PTI)
NTA warns against fake, AI-generated OMR sheets
New Delhi, July 19: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued an advisory to NEET-UG 2026 candidates and their parents, warning them not to submit fake or AI-generated OMR sheets when raising complaints about score discrepancies. The warning comes after the NTA reviewed several complaints regarding differences between candidates’ expected and declared NEET 2026 scores. During the verification process, the agency found that many of the OMR sheets submitted with complaints appeared to be fake or created using artificial intelligence (AI). “NTA is closely monitoring and scrutinising all complaints. In the wake of many OMR sheets submitted for scrutiny turning out to be fake/AI-generated, students and parents are advised to submit only original OMRs for scrutiny. Any fake/AI-generated OMR may invite legal action against the complainant,” the agency said in an advisory. The results for the medical entrance were announced on July 16. The NTA cancelled the May 3 exam on May 12 amid allegations of a paper leak. (PTI)
