Ashwini Vaishnaw takes charge as India's new IT Minister

by Argus News

New Delhi, July 8: Ashwini Vaishnaw, a Rajya Sabha member from Odisha, has taken charge of the Ministry of Electronics and IT and Railways.

He has also taken charge of the Communications Ministry.

Vaishnaw succeeded Ravi Shankar Prasad in both the ministries. Prasad was handling the IT Ministry since 2016, besides holding the Communications portfolio since 2019.

A former IAS Officer of 1994 batch, Vaishnaw handled important responsibilities over the last 15 years and was particularly known for his contribution to the PPP framework in infrastructure.

He has an MBA degree from Wharton School, Pennsylvania University, and an MTech degree from IIT Kanpur.

Vaishnaw has held leadership roles across major global companies such as General Electric and Siemens.

He takes charge of both the ministries at a crucial time.

The IT Ministry has been at loggerheads with Twitter over the new IT guidelines, while on the communications front, India awaits the rollout of 5G which is already running behind time.

Further, the financial stress in the telecom sector and the AGR dues would be the other major issues facing the new minister.

Although the other major social media companies have complied with the new IT Rules, sustained and strict implementation of these guidelines will remain a key task for Vaishnaw.

On Wednesday, Vaishnaw tweeted: "With the blessings of PM @narendramodi ji, I will take charge tomorrow and work relentlessly to realise his vision. #Govt4Growth."

The industry has also expressed high hopes from the 50-year-old incoming minister.

Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, ICEA, said: "We aspire that the new incumbent consolidates the gains made so far - particularly in mobile phone manufacturing."

"Electronics is the second largest traded commodity in the world at $2 trillion. It permeates every vertical in our and the global economy. The new leadership can propel India into a leading economy on the back of manufacturing in general, and electronics manufacturing, in particular," Mohindroo said.

Debjani Ghosh, President, of NASSCOM tweeted: "Congratulations @AshwiniVaishnaw. Never before opportunities in India's tech sector to grow global leadership and impact. Look forward to working with you to achieve the goal of making this decade India's #techade."