Editor's Pick: rethinking order on international webinars

The Hindu Newsletter - Newsletter - subject [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Sunday 21, February 2021 [alt_text]( Editor's Pick Government may loosen up on international webinars [alt_text]( (The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.) The Hindu has learnt that the [government may modify a controversial order]( regarding international webinars organised by government-funded institutions and organisations. Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India K. VijayRaghavan told The Hindu that the concerns that have been raised about last month's order from the Ministry of Education have been noted and that modifications may be notified soon. [The Ministry of Education order says]( that all international conferences organised by Ministries, PSUs, Central institutions, and government-funded institutions will require the permission of the Administrative Secretary of the Ministry. It also said that any international conference dealing with 'sensitive subjects', or having to do with 'internal security', or having foreign funding, will need clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs. It further stipulated that the participation of Ministers and senior government officials in international conferences also requires MEA clearance. The order is being criticised as having too broad a sweep. Internal security issues have been defined as anything to do with border, J&K, North East states, "or any other issues which are clearly/purely related to India's internal matters"; sensitive subjects cover "political, scientific, technical, commercial, personal." Academics say that the stipulations are vague and confusing and could include anything. They also say that the restrictions will stymie research, particularly at a time in which collaboration on issues relating to the coronavirus pandemic is important. Several scientific organisations have written to the government urging that the order be reconsidered. While some restrictions and scrutiny on foreign participants in physical conferences held in India have existed before, this is reportedly the first time that such restrictions have been placed on online participation. The possibility that the government may now loosen the restrictions on the sweeping provisions is what makes the story important. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Facebook sparked global outrage by blacking out news content in which country, as the tech firm was asked to pay for journalistic content? 1. New Zealand 2. Switzerland 3. Brazil 4. Australia To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here]( The Big Story [NITI Aayog meeting | Ease path for businesses, says Modi]( [alt_text]( From the Front Page [alt_text]( [Petrol price hike a vexatious issue: Nirmala Sitharaman]( [alt_text]( [Centre may rethink order on international seminars]( Profiles [alt_text]( [Mitch McConnell | Trump’s ‘political hack’]( [alt_text]( [Extinction Rebellion | Rebels with a green cause]( Literary Review [Woman, foregrounded: Vaishna Roy]( Vaishna Roy [‘The Chipko Movement: A People’s]( Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0bfgchk8bf2f90kaup33rtbysa8hk1v@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. If you can't see the mailer, please [click here.]( Group Sites [The Hindu]( | [இந்து தமிழ் திசை]( | [Business Line]( | [BL on Campus]( | [Sportstar]( | [Frontline]( | [The Hindu Centre]( | [Images]( | [roofandfloor]( | [Classifieds]( Copyright @ 2021 ,THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. [About Us]( | [Contact Us]( | [Digital Subscription](