"Internet Shutdowns Not Unique To India": Rajeev Chandrasekhar To NDTV At G20 Conclave

Internet shutdown is always the last resort and it is also not unique to India, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said at the NDTV G20 Conclave today.

Mr Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology, said the spread of misinformation is the biggest risk for any country.

India had snapped internet in Jammu and Kashmir after special status was scrapped. There is also partial internet blackout in ethnic violence-hit Manipur.

"The coming of artificial intelligence can take misinformation to the next level with deep fakes and other methods," Mr Chandrasekhar said at the G20 Conclave.

He said internet shutdowns are meant to stop the spread of misinformation.

Citing the example of the hugely successful United Payments Interface (UPI), the Union Minister also explained how the government has been able to bust the myth that tech is expensive.

Millions of Indians are using UPI now from transactions as low as Re 1 to shopping goods worth thousands.

"We have turned the narrative that tech is expensive on its head. UPI has plugged leaks in the government process. Earlier, Rs 100 left Delhi and only Rs 15 would reach the people as the process had leaks," Mr Chandrasekhar told NDTV.

"We plan to connect all public services with digital public Infrastructure (DPI). India's DPI is moving towards AI for governance," he said, referring to artificial intelligence.