The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has unveiled its first-ever official Aadhaar mascot, named UDAI, in a move aimed at making Aadhaar-related communication simpler and more citizen-friendly. The mascot was launched during a UIDAI event held in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to UIDAI officials, UDAI has been designed as a friendly and approachable guide to help people better understand Aadhaar services, especially those who often find the system complex or confusing. With Aadhaar being a crucial identity document linked to multiple government schemes and services, clear communication has become increasingly important.
The introduction of UDAI is expected to bridge the information gap by presenting Aadhaar-related messages in a more relatable and easily understandable manner. The mascot will be used across awareness campaigns, digital platforms, and outreach initiatives to educate citizens about enrollment, updates, authentication, and security practices.
UIDAI stated that the initiative aligns with its broader goal of inclusive digital governance, ensuring that Aadhaar services are accessible to all sections of society, including senior citizens, first-time users, and people in remote areas.
With UDAI stepping in as Aadhaar’s friendly face, UIDAI hopes to enhance public trust and make navigating Aadhaar services a smoother experience for millions of Indians.
Across the coastal villages and inland communities of Goa, Common Service Centres are quietly reshaping how citizens interact with government systems. For many residents, especially in rural areas, accessing official documents or welfare schemes once meant repeated visits to distant offices, long waiting times, and uncertainty. Today, CSCs are changing that experience by placing essential services right within village panchayats, making governance more approachable and efficient.
The CSC initiative in Goa draws strength from the national Digital India Programme launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. Recognising the unique needs of local communities, the state government adapted this framework through the Gramin Mitra Yojana, implemented by the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Government of Goa. This adaptation ensures that digital governance is not just technologically sound but also socially inclusive and locally relevant.
At the heart of this system are the Village Level Entrepreneurs, or VLEs, who serve as the human interface between citizens and digital services. These local entrepreneurs play a critical role by guiding residents through online processes, assisting those unfamiliar with digital platforms, and ensuring that services remain accessible to everyone, regardless of age or digital literacy. Their presence adds trust and reassurance, turning technology into a supportive tool rather than a barrier.
The growing usage of CSCs reflects the trust citizens are placing in these centres. Between 1st April 2025 and 10th September 2025, over 30,000 transactions were successfully completed through 351 active VLEs operating across 191 village panchayats. With registered CSCs already functioning and additional centres in the pipeline, the network continues to expand, extending its reach to more communities across the state.
CSCs offer a wide range of services designed around everyday needs. Citizens can apply for Aadhaar and PAN cards, obtain birth and marriage certificates, access land records, apply for licenses, and seek pension-related assistance, all at a single, familiar location. This consolidation of services not only saves time but also reduces the stress often associated with navigating complex administrative systems.
Goa’s CSC initiative stands as a strong example of how technology, when combined with responsive governance and community participation, can transform public service delivery. By making services local, transparent, and user-friendly, CSCs are helping bridge the digital divide, strengthening trust in institutions, and ensuring that governance truly reaches every citizen’s doorstep.
State-owned telecom operator BSNL has kicked off 2026 by rolling out free Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) services across India, marking a significant step in improving connectivity for its users. The service allows customers to make voice calls and send messages over any stable WiFi network while retaining their existing mobile number, without the need for additional applications.
VoWiFi is particularly beneficial in areas with weak cellular signals, such as elevators, thick-walled buildings, basements and remote locations. The service seamlessly switches between WiFi and cellular networks, ensuring uninterrupted communication as users move in and out of network coverage zones.
The rollout aligns with BSNL’s broader modernisation strategy, which includes the expansion of its 4G network to nearly 97,000 sites nationwide. By enabling calls over WiFi, BSNL is also easing congestion on mobile towers while significantly enhancing indoor coverage and call quality.
With this move, BSNL aims to strengthen its competitive position against private telecom players like Jio and Airtel, both of whom already offer WiFi calling services. The initiative reflects BSNL’s focus on improving customer experience while leveraging existing broadband infrastructure.
Activating VoWiFi on BSNL is simple for most modern smartphones. Users with a BSNL 4G SIM can enable the feature directly through their phone settings, provided the device supports WiFi calling. Once activated, calls and messages automatically route through WiFi whenever available, switching back to the cellular network when WiFi is unavailable.
As BSNL continues to expand its network and introduce customer-friendly digital services, the nationwide VoWiFi rollout represents another step towards bridging connectivity gaps and strengthening reliable communication across urban and rural India.
Amazon has announced a major initiative aimed at accelerating India’s AI transformation and supporting the Government of India’s AI Mission. The company is set to bring artificial intelligence capabilities to millions of Indians by 2030, with a strong focus on accessibility, productivity, and digital inclusion. As part of this commitment, Amazon is on track to invest $12.7 billion in cloud and AI infrastructure across Telangana and Maharashtra, strengthening the foundation for India to become a global technology leader. This investment supports the rapidly growing demand for cloud, machine learning, and agentic AI solutions and also complements Amazon’s long-running efforts in skilling. Since 2017, AWS has trained more than 6.2 million individuals in India to prepare them for a future shaped by AI.
A central part of this mission is Amazon’s plan to empower over 15 million small businesses with AI-driven tools that simplify operations, remove barriers, and enable entrepreneurs—regardless of size or location—to scale faster. Through innovations such as the enhanced Seller Assistant with agentic AI capabilities, the Next Generation Seller Central platform, GenAI-powered product listing tools, Creative Studio, and Video Generator, sellers can now create content, make informed decisions, and automate daily tasks with ease. These tools help level the playing field for small entrepreneurs, enabling them to compete with larger enterprises by providing professional-grade capabilities at their fingertips.
Amazon also announced a commitment to bring AI literacy and career awareness to 4 million government-school students by 2030. This effort supports the National Education Policy 2020 and aims to equip young learners with future-ready skills through AI-focused curriculum, hands-on activities, teacher training, and career exposure programs. By ensuring equal access to AI learning resources, even for students in rural or underserved regions, Amazon hopes to nurture the next generation of innovators who will create solutions for India and the world. Government leadership emphasized that integrating AI education into classrooms is a nation-building effort essential for achieving a Viksit Bharat.
On the customer front, Amazon continues to use AI to make shopping easier, more intuitive, and more inclusive for hundreds of millions of shoppers across India. Tools like Rufus, the in-app AI shopping assistant, help users discover products, compare options, and understand key features quickly and naturally. Lens AI allows shoppers to search using images, screenshots, or barcodes, while augmented reality features let customers visualize products like furniture in their own homes. These innovations reduce the effort involved in product research and decision-making and break down barriers of language, literacy, and digital familiarity.
Amazon’s broader vision is that AI should be an equalizer for India—empowering small businesses, enabling students, supporting economic growth, and making everyday life easier for customers. By combining large-scale AI infrastructure investments with user-friendly AI tools and nationwide skilling initiatives, Amazon aims to help India unlock the full potential of AI and build a more equitable digital future for all.
The Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (DITE&C), Government of Goa, has strengthened its commitment to advancing blockchain adoption in the State by initiating the formation of a dedicated blockchain community. This effort brings together industry leaders, academic institutions, incubators and technology experts to explore opportunities for tokenization and the broader potential of blockchain solutions. The initiative was supported by McLaren Strategic Solutions and Omnumi, a global blockchain platform known for secure, compliant and adaptable frameworks for tokenized deposits and regulated digital currencies.
The meetings, held at Paryatan Bhavan in Panjim, created a vibrant space for collaboration. Omnumi representatives, including CEO and Co-founder Kirk Chapman, CTO Sree Tirumalasetti, Chief Architect Robin Huiser, Head of Product Delivery Joe O’Rourke and Head of Service Delivery Natalie Nopareporn, engaged participants across three specialized sessions. Corporates were introduced to the fundamentals of tokenization and the capabilities of the Omnumi platform. Blockchain specialists took a deeper dive into the platform’s technical features, with discussions on multisig architecture, card integration and deployable ERC20 contracts led by Chief Architect Robin Huiser. The final session focused on academia and incubators, exploring pathways for collaboration and skill development to prepare Goa’s youth for future opportunities in digital innovation.
Shri Rohan Khaunte, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, emphasized that Goa’s youth possess immense potential and that blockchain is poised to be a transformative force for them. He highlighted the State’s commitment to fostering emerging technologies and creating opportunities for young professionals.
McLaren Strategic Solutions has already established Goa as a global hub through the creation of its Development Centre last year. Now, following this momentum, Omnumi is planning to set up its own operations in Goa. Together, they aim to recruit over 200 professionals in the coming years, demonstrating confidence in Goa’s tech talent and signaling further growth in the local innovation ecosystem. Representatives from McLaren noted that Goa’s academic partners and students are highly motivated to work on real-world challenges, and the company plans to provide sandbox access to the Omnumi platform along with training and support to help bring new ideas to life.
DITE&C’s ongoing efforts to position Goa as a center for emerging technologies received strong reinforcement through these discussions. Plans for a two-day hackathon will further encourage experimentation, skill-building and the development of practical use cases. The McLaren team also proposed a Goa Tourism App powered by the Omnumi Wallet, signaling opportunities for blockchain-driven solutions across sectors. Overall, the initiative marks a significant milestone in Goa’s journey toward becoming a thriving hub for digital innovation, collaboration and technological advancement.
