Nation

New Delhi: At the AI India Summit 2026, experts emphasized that India needs to strengthen its IT sector by developing indigenous AI applications. While AI solutions can be built on existing platforms from the US or China, India requires a secure and tamper-proof AI framework for strategic and national security purposes. In other words, India must develop its own AI models. Small Models vs. Large Global Models The Economic Survey 2025–26 highlights the importance of small AI models for specialized applications. Indian startups like Sarvam have created models for Indian languages with around 2 billion parameters, whereas global giants like Google and OpenAI operate models with trillions of parameters, trained on vast datasets worldwide. Smaller models can be trained without massive ...

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday emphasized that increasing green cover could help improve air quality in Delhi-NCR. The observation was made while issuing orders related to the restructuring of an expert committee monitoring a plantation program aimed at compensating for tree felling in the Ridge area. Court Hears Senior Advocate’s Request Senior advocate Guru Krishna Kumar, acting as amicus curiae in the case, requested the bench led by Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud to replace committee member Ishwar Singh, who was recently appointed to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), with a new member. New Appointments The bench accepted two proposed names and appointed retired Indian Forest Service officer M.D. Sinha to the committee. Senior advocate Kumar also h...

New Delhi: Delhi-NCR is feeling the heat as daytime temperatures rise and nights lose their chill. Similar warming trends are being observed across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Currently, no rainfall is expected in the region. Delhi Sees Rising Mercury After light showers on Wednesday, Delhi has experienced a sharp increase in temperatures over the past few days. The weather remains mostly dry with moderate humidity. On Friday, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 28.4°C, which is 2.9°C above the seasonal average, while the minimum temperature stayed at 12.8°C, slightly higher than normal. Humidity levels ranged between 40% and 100% throughout the day. Forecasts indicate clear skies on Saturday, with morning fog possible. Temperatures are expected to reach ...

Varanasi: Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati, head of the Uttaramnaya Badri Peeth, delivered a candid assessment of India’s contemporary political and social landscape in an exclusive interview with NBT at Kashi’s Shri Vidya Math. Known for his erudition in Dharmashastra, understanding of modern science and technology, and outspoken views, the Shankaracharya addressed issues ranging from governance to cultural preservation and cow protection. “Politics Has Become ‘Politiks’” The Shankaracharya remarked, “Today, India is not witnessing true politics but ‘politiks.’ Politics, in its essence, is policy implemented on behalf of the king. Without kings, there is no monarchy, and without monarchy, there is no state policy. What we see now is foreign-influenced politiks runn...

New Delhi: It is not often that one associates humor with tech leadership, but Sundar Pichai proved otherwise at the ongoing AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital. During an interaction at the summit, industrialist Harsh Goenka asked the Google CEO what had brought him to the AI gathering. With a smile, Pichai responded, “My name is Sundar… and I’m here to Pitch-AI,” cleverly playing on his surname and the theme of the summit. The witty remark drew laughter from the audience and quickly became one of the highlights of the event. Goenka later shared the moment on social media, complete with a playful emoji. AI Benefits Must Reach Everyone Beyond the light-hearted exchange, Pichai delivered a serious and forward-looking message about artificial intelligence....

New Delhi: Commuters travelling on national highways across India may soon have to rely entirely on digital payment modes at toll plazas. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is considering phasing out cash transactions nationwide to promote transparency, efficiency, and smoother traffic flow. According to officials, preparations are underway to make toll payments fully digital at more than 1,150 toll plazas operated by the NHAI from April 1. If implemented, cash payments will be completely discontinued. The move aims to reduce congestion, eliminate long queues, prevent disputes at toll booths, and ensure seamless vehicle movement. By shifting entirely to electronic payments, authorities expect to enhance operational transparency and minimize delays caused by cash handling...

New Delhi: The French government is set to ban social media usage for children under the age of 15. French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted this initiative during his keynote address on the fourth day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, and posed a question to India: Is the country ready to take similar steps to protect its young citizens? Macron Highlights Child Safety Speaking at the summit, Macron emphasized that safeguarding children online is not just a matter of law, but a matter of protecting civilization itself. He stated: “There are no rules or laws specifically for children’s safety, but this is entirely about protecting our society. Will India take steps in the same direction to ensure that young citizens are truly safe?” Macron stressed that protecting children...