What’s in the news?

• The government has launched Digital India futureLABS to strengthen research and development (R&D) and innovation in areas such as automotive, computing, communication, strategic electronics, industrial electronics and internet-of-things in the country.
• The futureLABS will serve as a platform for partnerships and strategic direction in these areas.
• Funding for the platform will come from the R&D budget of the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) 
• and those of various other labs and the larger Rs 1 lakh crore that the government of India has provided.
• The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing in India (C-DAC) will be the nodal agency to develop the overall plan, standard operating procedures and guidelines for startups and other private sector companies working in this space.