Although spending on science has risen worldwide, greater investment is needed in the face of growing crises, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recommended in a new report published.

The Department of Science & Technology has recently issued revised guidelines on 15th February, 2021 to liberalize the field of Geo-spatial Sector in the country for acquiring and producing Geospatial Data, Maps and related Services & Solutions.

This publication is the first of two to explore the findings and insights from an online global consultation, held in July 2020, exploring young Africans’ use of digital technologies in different areas in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 25.02.2021, notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

Recent developments in frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics and biotechnology, have shown tremendous potential for sustainable development. Yet, they also risk increasing inequalities by exacerbating and creating new digital divides between the technology haves and have-nots.

This is a major landmark reforms in the country's mapping policy. Under this the government has announced liberalisation of norms governing the acquisition and production of geospatial data. This is aimed at boosting innovation in the sector and create a level playing field for public and private entities.

On February 09, 2021, the Government of India vide the Ministry of Commerce and Industry published the draft Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2021 (hereinafter referred to as the “new draft Rules”) as a proposal to further amend the Patents Rules, 2003.

NITI Aayog released the second edition of the India Innovation Index-2020. The index demonstrates the government's continued commitment towards transforming the country into an innovation-driven economy. The index illustrates that India is on the right path and the states are endeavouring to improve their innovative ecosystem.

The Status of Science and Technology report is an important step for monitoring the progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework and an attempt to capture some of the progress across geographies, stakeholders, and disciplines towards the application of science and technology towards risk reduction in Asia-Pacific.

The world in 2020 is in a state of flux.