Context: Recently, the Secretary of India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Shri S Krishnan, launched a new integrated web portal by ERNET India. The launch event took place at ERNET India’s head office.

About ERNET India

• The portal includes Website as a Service (WaaS) and Learning Management as a Service (LMaaS), allowing users to create customized websites and Learning Management Systems using various templates.

• ERNET India is a not-for-profit society dedicated to providing Internet services for India’s education and research sectors.

• It operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

• It is the exclusive domain name registrar for all .ac.in, .edu.in, and .res.in websites.

• The organization also offers IT services like campus Wi-Fi, smart classrooms, network connectivity and is establishing data centers to benefit research community across India.

Key Features

• The portal offers several domain name and website services tailored for educational institutes like schools, colleges, and universities. These include domain registration, DNS setup, website templates, and learning management system templates.

• Users can easily create customized websites and learning portals through the portal’s simple drag-and-drop interfaces. The portal utilizes open-source software and latest technologies like AI and machine learning.

ERNET India’s Role as India’s NREN

• As India’s National Research and Education Network (NREN), ERNET India facilitates the ICT needs of the country’s academic and research institutions.

• ERNET India provides consultancy, project management, training and other IT services like web hosting, email, and video conferencing. It serves institutions across sectors including health, agriculture, higher education, schools, science and technology.

• A key responsibility is being the exclusive domain name registrar for .ac.in, .edu.in, .res.in websites and their IDN equivalents. 

• Through its mix of networks, services and support, ERNET India enables institutions to adopt information technologies vital for 21st century teaching, learning and research. It consults on building campus infrastructure and imparts skills to use new systems productively.