End of an era: MS Dhoni steps down as the skipper of Chennai Super Kings, just ahead of IPL 2024

In today’s newsletter: 

• Setback for IT Min's fact-check unit
• Inside govt's GPU for startup programme
• No relief for Indian app makers: CCI

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The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has had a rough day today, facing rebukes from both the judiciary and the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Just a day after MeitY notified the Press Information Bureau's Fact Check Unit (PIB FCU) as the sole authority for verifying government content, the Supreme Court has put the brakes on. 

"We are clearly of the view that the notification of the Union government dated March 20, 2024, would need to be stayed," a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said. 

The court has stayed the formation of the PIB FCU, waiting for the Bombay High Court to rule on challenges against it.

Also read: What is PIB's fact-check unit & why SC has put it on hold

Remember all those "Viksit Bharat" messages flooding your WhatsApp recently? Well, the ECI hasn't forgotten either.

• The messages sparked a controversy with critics alleging misuse of government database and for political propaganda

With the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) now in effect for upcoming elections, the ECI directed MeitY to stop the spread of these messages.

• While the ministry claims the messages were sent before the code came into effect, they acknowledge technical limitations could cause delays in delivery

Picture credit: Microsoft Copilot

The Indian government is making a billion-dollar push to establish domestic GPU capacity, a crucial ingredient for training powerful AI models.

• But unlike the chip incentive scheme, experts propose a new approach to avoid government ownership and bureaucratic hurdles

Top tech honchos in the deep tech industry have advised the government against investing directly in the capital expenditure for GPUs for its IndiaAI mission. 

• Taking it a step further, Aadhaar pioneer Pramod Verma suggests the creation of a financial instrument or bonds to democratise access to GPUs
  
  
• Meanwhile, data center company Yotta has suggested that the government should subscribe to GPU capacity and distribute it to startups

Experts argue that computing costs for training AI models are very high; therefore, individual startups lack the bargaining power to cut costs. 

• This is where Verma’s ingenious suggestion comes in: to create affordable pricing models or vouchers for startups to use, using a pooled demand

Although new to India, China has experimented with such a scenario, according to Verma.

Dig deeper

Indian app developers have suffered a minor setback in their efforts to challenge Google's new Play Store payment policy.

India's antitrust regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has rejected the interim relief application from app developers, including Shaadi.com, which sought complete restraint over Google levying a fee for in-app purchases or paid transactions on the Play Store. 

• This move comes less than a week after CCI ordered an investigation into Google's user choice billing system, noting that the system "prima facie" violates several provisions of the Competition Act

In its latest order, the regulator stated that while there may be concerns about the fairness of Google's fee structure, the app developers have not been able to demonstrate a need for interim relief regarding the tech giant levying this fee on transactions in the Play Store.

• Google argued that providing such relief would essentially require the company to offer its app marketplace and associated services for free to developers in India, as per the order

CCI's latest order means that Google is free to delist apps of local companies from the Play Store if they do not comply with the tech giant's payment policy.

• Earlier this month, Google had delisted over 100 apps of app developers such as Matrimony, Info Edge (which runs Naukri, 99acres, and Jeevansathi), Shaadi.com, and Kuku FM over similar grounds and subsequently reinstated them on a temporary basis after government intervention

• A forum was also established between Google and a few prominent Indian app developers, including Matrimony and Shaadi.com, to come up with a long-term solution for the app billing issue within the next 120 days, as reported on March 5

Go deeper

The Rohit Sharma-led Men in Blue receive the same match fees as the women's cricket team led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur. 

• However, a significant pay gap exists in the endorsement world, where brands compensate male and female cricketers vastly differently

Virat Kohli commands endorsement fees in the crores, while Kaur's brand deals are comparable to those of entry-level male cricketers. Brands, however, maintain that this is not a gender pay issue.

The Women's Premier League has been a game-changer for female cricketers, who are now securing yearly endorsement deals. The recently concluded Women's Premier League 2024 will be followed by the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League. For franchises, securing sponsors for IPL 2024 has proven to be a bit challenging. More on that here

• Cohere, an AI startup competing with OpenAI's ChatGPT, is nearing a $500 million funding round at a $5 billion valuation.
  
  
• Facing a global AI race, leading European AI startups like Germany's Aleph Alpha are being lured by Canada and UAE with subsidies, tax breaks, and looser regulations to relocate their headquarters. 

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