An Artificial Intelligence Course Designed For Everyone By One Of The Topic's Most Prolific Teachers

One of the world's leading artificial intelligence teachers is back with a new course designed for the general public. Andrew Ng's latest Coursera.com course is a high-level overview of the principles of machine learning, along with how these elements can be applied to business. It doesn't require much at all in the way of a math background, which should be a relief to folks who are intimidated by the multivariate calculus or programming involved in many machine learning courses.

To read more, visit:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregoryferenstein/2019/03/31/an-artificial-intelligence-course-designed-for-everyone-by-one-of-the-topics-most-prolific-teachers/#752c64c76c12 (Accessed on April 1, 2019)

Wipro and IIT Kharagpur partner for advanced research in 5G and AI

Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on high-impact, industry-focused applied research in the areas of 5G and AI.

Research outcomes from this partnership will be leveraged by Wipro to develop solutions for its customers, across industry verticals. IIT Kharagpur will benefit from the commercialization of the joint research insights and Wipro's real-world industry expertise.

Wipro and IIT Kharagpur will jointly take up applied research projects on industry challenges related to the design, planning and operations of 5G networks and cognitive information processing for the automation of these processes and 5G use cases. The two organizations will focus on AI research applicable in the healthcare, education and retail sectors as well as in domains such as climate change and cybersecurity. In addition, subject matter experts from Wipro and IIT Kharagpur will promote knowledge sharing through guest lectures, workshops and seminars on 5G and AI.

IIT Kharagpur is pursuing research projects in areas including front and backhaul optical networks, vehicular ad hoc networks, interplanetary networks, channel estimation, optimized resource allocation, Multiple-Input & Multiple-Output (MIMO) and millimetre wave communications, secure communication & amp; cross-layer optimization and multimedia transmission for 5G. Student research groups are also working on Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN), which holds immense potential in 5G telecommunication. In addition, the institute is also working on foundational research in AI Algorithms, formal methods, machine learning, deep learning, graph mining and analytics, game theory and mechanism design.

Wipro offers end-to-end 5G solutions for network equipment providers, network service providers, smart cities and enterprises in the media & entertainment, manufacturing, energy and utility verticals. This involves touch points across all network layers such as radio access, backhaul, transmission network, core network, orchestrator, OSS-BSS systems, edge & amp; public cloud and application ecosystem.

Wipro has developed automation solutions, powered by its artificial intelligence platform - Wipro HOLMESTM. Through algorithmic intelligence and cognitive computing capabilities, Wipro HOLMESTM accelerates the digital journey of enterprises and enhances operational efficiency, economics, and user experience across applications, infrastructure management, and key business processes. Wipro has significant expertise and several use cases in the application of AI across industry domains. In addition, Wipro's Data Discovery Platform (DDP), which has advanced analytics and AI at its core, offers Insight-as-a-Service across industries.

"Wipro is delighted to partner with IIT Kharagpur and strengthen our ties with the academic research community in India. AI and 5G are critical technologies poised to create opportunities that will significantly enhance customer experiences across industry verticals. We hope to bring together the synergies of Wipro's rich industry technology expertise and understanding of domain-specific business challenges with IIT Kharagpur's distinguished research capabilities to co-innovate and develop next-generation AI and 5G solutions that will benefit both our clients as well as the industry at large," said KR Sanjiv, Chief Technology Officer, Wipro Limited.

"Our partnership with Wipro comes at an opportune time and holds tremendous potential for co-innovation. 5G is expected to provide ubiquitous connectivity for diverse applications such as automotive communications, remote control with haptic style feedback (using artificial intelligence), large video downloads, automation of enterprise functions and low data rate applications. For instance, cars of the future will speak to each other to help avoid accidents and also share information about the road conditions ahead. With the advent of 5G, IoT will be extensively used in our day-to-day life, across industry sectors as well as in Smart City and Smart Home concepts because of enhanced connectivity, the speed of communication and reduced round-trip time latency", commented Prof PP Chakrabarti, Director, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/article/printer-friendly-version?article_id=119032900286_1 (Accessed on April 1, 2019)

Technology companies are taking Indian users for a ride

In recent months, a series of shocking and hateful incidents in India have taken hold of both the public sentiment and political discourse at the national level. Fresh in our memories are the terrorist acts in Kashmir only a few weeks ago.

To read the full article, please visit:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/technology-companies-are-taking-users-for-a-ride/story-929TcnAo31g4Zt2fNa8GNN.html (Accessed on April 1, 2019)

Tech Titans on how unlocking data trapped in silos can be transformative

Microsoft, Adobe and SAP’s Open Data Initiative aims at getting all the data

Gesture, gaze, and speech are the next big tech trends, forecast Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in a power packed keynote discussion with classmate Shantanu Narayen, CEO, Adobe, on day two of the Adobe Summit in Las Vegas.

To read the full article, please visit:

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/unlocking-data-that-is-trapped-in-silos/article26663386.ece (Accessed on April 1, 2019)

New interdisciplinary course in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence: BEg Mechatronic can help you be a cobotisist

If you are imaginative and creative and want to play a part in developing the robots of the future working alongside humans, then you are a future 'cobotisist'

Interested candidates can apply at essex.ac.uk. (Representational Image)

The University of Essex, United Kingdom is set to launch a new course called Bachelor’s in Engineering in Mechatronic Systems – an interdisciplinary field of electrical, mechanical, robotics, electronics, computer engineering, telecommunication systems and product engineering. The three-year undergraduate course will begin from the academic year 2019-20 onwards and the applications process for the same has already begun at the official website — essex.ac.uk. The last date to apply is June 30, 2019.

According to Anthony Vickers, head, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, the course will teach students to design, build and test robotic systems and including the structural frame. The design of the structural frame is the unique element that separates mechatronics from electronic and robotics.

Modules include 3D printing technology, drives and power electronics, computer programming, sensors and digital signal processing, motion control algorithms, computer vision, robotics and embedded systems are also going to be part of the course curriculum.

Talking to indianexpress.com, Vickers said, “If you are imaginative and creative and want to play a part in developing the robots of the future working alongside humans, then you are a future cobotisist”.

“If there is one thing that we can be sure about the 21st century, it is that robots will be with us in increasing numbers. Here in the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at Essex, we like to use the term cobotics — the collaborative working of humans and computers. The new course will align with new research areas within the school, and to provide completeness to our work in cobotics,” he adds.

Who can apply?

Indian students who have completed class 12 or equivalent can apply for the course. The minimum marks required for the course includes an overall average from the four best subjects (excluding PE and local language). For CBSE, CISCE and other regional and national boards, the minimum requirement is 75-70 per cent, including 60 per cent marks in mathematics and 70 per cent in English.

For Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh boards minimum requirement is 60 per cent, including 60 per cent marks in mathematics. Students who have cleared class 12 from West Bengal board will need 55 per cent marks, including 55 per cent in Mathematics and at least 60 per cent class 10 Science exam.

Placement Scenario

As part of the course, students can undertake a placement year but students will be responsible for finding their placement. The university, told indianexpress.com, that it would ‘support and guide’ them to find a placement.  If students complete a placement year they will only pay 20 per cent of their usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/education/study-abroad/new-interdisciplinary-course-in-robotics-ai-beg-mechatronic-can-help-you-be-a-cobotist-5643840/ (Accessed on March 27, 2019)

प्राध्यापकांसाठी ‘पीएचडी’ची अतिरिक्त वेतनवाढ बंद ?

Source: Loksatta dated March 27, 2019

CBSE का नया पॉडकास्ट एप शिक्षा वाणी' लॉन्च, मिलेगी सीबीएसई की सभी जानकारी

सीबीएसई ने विद्यार्थियों और अभिभावकों को सभी जरूरी जानकारी से अपडेट रखने के लिए सीबीएसई ने एक नया पॉडकास्ट एप लॉन्च किया है। इस एप का नाम ‘शिक्षा वाणी' है। इसके जरिए अभिभावकों और छात्रों को परीक्षा और उत्तर पुस्तिका के मूल्यांकन से जुड़ी सभी जरूरी जानकारियां दी जाएंगी।

12वीं के बाद CBSE ने सुझाए 113 कॅरियर ऑप्शन

सीबीएसई ने पॉडकास्ट की सुविधा लोगों को सही और जरूरी जानकारियां देने के लिए शुरू की है। इन पॉडकास्ट्स के जरिए लोगों को अकादमिक, ट्रेनिंग और एग्जाम से जुड़ी जरूरी जानकारियां दी जाएंगी। यह एप प्ले स्टोर पर एंड्रॉयड यूजर्स लिए उपलब्ध है। यहां रजिस्टर्ड यूजर्स को नई जानकारी के साथ ऑडियो और वीडियो फाइल मिल जाएंगी। इन्हें सीबीएसई द्वारा अपलोड किया जाएगा।

शिक्षा वाणी एप में छात्रों, अभिभावकों और प्रिंसिपल के लिए अलग-अलग सेक्शन हैं। इससे स्कूल के प्रिंसिपल बोर्ड के दिशा निर्देर्शों को जान सकेंगे। सीबीएसई के ट्रेनिंग एंड स्किल एजुकेशन डायरेक्टर डॉ. बिस्वजीत साहा ने बताया कि यह एप स्कूलों के प्रिंसिपल गूगल प्ले स्टोर से डाउनलोड कर सकते हैं। इससे उनको सीबीएसई द्वारा दी जाने वाली हर जानकारी मिलेगी। अब तक यह वेबसाइट के माध्यम से दी जाती थी, लेकिन अब उनको यह ऑडियो वीडियो के माध्यम से भी दी जाएगी। .

Source: https://www.livehindustan.com/career/story-cbse-new-podcast-app-launch-shikshan-vani-will-get-all-information-of-cbse-2461706.html (Accessed on 27 March, 2019)

Stadia is Google's new streaming service for games — no console needed

It is, however, launching a streaming service just for video games that will work on any TV withChromecast, computers running a Chrome browser, and Google's Pixel devices. You don't download the games to your devices, just play them over any Wi-Fi connection.

The Netflix-like product is called Stadia (that's the proper plural of "stadium") and is expected to launch later this year with big name titles including "Assassins Creed Odyssey" and specialYouTube features. Even without a console, it could help Google (GOOGL) take on game industry leaders Microsoft (MSFT), Sony (SNE) and Nintendo (NTDOF).

Google announced its big foray into gaming Tuesday during a presentation at, fittingly, the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

To read more, visit:

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/19/tech/stadia-google-gaming/index.html (Accessed on March 27, 2019)

पुस्तकाची देवाणघेवाण सोपी - मोबाईल अँप द्वारा

Source: Maharashtra Times dated 26 March, 2019

The artificial-intelligence approach to teaching English in rural India

Artificial Intelligence is drawing a lot of interest from corporates, start-ups and the government because of its potential for business and social transformation. Indian AI sector has seen 18% YoY growth in 2018 and NITI Aayog has also identified five prioritysectors— health, education, agriculture, smart cities and smart mobility in its research paper on National AI Strategy.

ISTOCK

Globally, the total economic value derived from AI is predicted to reach USD 3.9 Trillion by 2022. Hence, this is the right time for innovation in AI-based applications for improving the quality of life of rural population of India, especially in primary sectors. TEACHER SHORTAGE Indian village schools suffer from persistent shortage of qualified teachers. Globally, there is a need for 24.4 million primary school teachers to achieve UNESCO’s goal of universal primary education by 2030. In India, although the overall pupilteacher ratio (PTR) has been improving gradually, most of the teachers in rural areas lack proper training.

This is further aggravated by the fact that India has nearly 100,000 schools, mostly in villages, which are single-teacher schools. This impacts PTR negatively and leads to deterioration of learning experience of the students eventually affecting their motivation to attend classes regularly. Under these circumstances, teaching of all subjects, including English, has suffered a lot across schools in villages. This vacuum in rudimentary education is very difficult to fill using skill-based trainings done later. Unless this conundrum is resolved, ensuring employability of a huge segment of population, is going to be a persistent challenge. Hence, there is an urgent need to augment the teaching community at village schools using digital technologies as well as AI . LANGUAGE TEACHING English has emerged as universally accepted “lingua-franca” globally as well as across India. But various surveys have revealed the state of English language skills of Indian students. Especially, among rural students, the situation is worse, and it affects their employability in various customer facing roles across industries. Teaching of English can benefit from various capabilities of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) technique of AI to make it more effective. On one hand, it helps the students to pick up right skills at right pace, and on the other hand, it exposes teachers to emerging digital technologies. WRITING SKILLS Various NLP-based techniques, generated using (machine learning) ML and word processing, can be used to automate the process of teaching writing English to students. For example, automatic detection of incorrect spellings/punctuations, grammatically incorrect phrases or sentences, generating reward points for correctly formed sentences and such. The process can be made more engaging by starting with partially filled paragraph templates on chosen topics, where students work on correctly guessing and filling the blanks by adding words, phrases, sentences appropriately. Another advanced technique namely, words/phrase prediction on partially constructed sentences can help students to fill the gaps/void which they face while writing a paragraph on some topic. Such a model of Automated Assisted Learning (AAL) enables more experimentation, innovative thinking. Even for translation, the process that is a part of a student understanding the subjects, there are NLP models trained on language translation, which includes the relevant dictionary mapping (e.g. Hindi->English). SPEAKING AND READING For most Indian children, spoken English practice follows learning of writing skills. It is also true that many students who acquire good writing skill, still fear speaking in English, which is perceived as essential skill by employers. One way to help young people to come out of this is to engage them in regular English conversation. A chatbot, like Google Personal Assistant, trained on topic-based conversation can really help students to learn speaking English. To start with, the student can try pronouncing individual words correctly (by listening to pronunciation of the chatbot), followed by speaking individual phrases and complete sentences.

As availability of appropriate corpus is an important pre-requisite of building such a learning application, initially such a model can be targeted for teaching English to students speaking most common languages, such as Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi or Tamil.

Source: Hindustan Times dated 27 March, 2019

‘I always want to master whatever people call impossible’

A relaxed Michael Phelps looked at the Times Sport page, saw the previous night’s IPL report, and chuckled. “Cricket? Doesn’t that take, like, 10 days to get over?”

He was only joking, of course, but we explained there were three formats, and that this was the ultra-shortened version. He seemed to like the idea, especially an analogy which cropped up about fine wine co-existing with the cheaper variety on the shelves, but still couldn’t stop guffawing about a game taking days to get over!

Phelps’ swimming career, after all, was all about short, sharp bursts of sustained physical, tactical and technical excellence. It was all about extending the will and soaring above the bounds of the possible, something he did better, and more often, than most other sportspersons in history.

The most decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 medals, 23 of them gold, Phelps is that rarest of rare species — a sporting genius. As we found out, though, he can also be remarkably human. Here as brand ambassador for apparel company Under Armour, Phelps is still easing into his various post-career roles, and still staving off the keen urge to compete. Most importantly, Phelps the superstar is learning to coexist with Michael the ordinary family man. 

To read the full interview, please visit https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/i-always-want-to-master-whatever-people-call-impossible-michael-phelps/articleshow/68590185.cms

(Accessed on 27 March, 2019)

30 years of surfing the giant web

Source: The Times of India dated 27 March, 2019

AICTE to introduce students feedback-based assessment for the promotion of Engineering teachers

Besides research work and their overall performance, teachers in Engineering colleges will now be appraised on the basis of students' evaluation All India Council of Technical Education's (AICTE) decision to include the students' feedback to assess the teachers has been introduced to improve the educational quality of engineering colleges. But, its effectiveness remains to be seen. "Since students' feedback will be considered while granting promotion to the teachers, they will have to put their best foot forward in the classroom. This assessment pattern is followed by the IITs and NITs," says AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe.

As per the rule, students' feedback will have 25% weightage in the overall assessment of the faculty, which will be a decisive component for their promotions. Till now, the focus for promoting teachers in colleges has been on the number of research papers published by the faculty members. This was partly the reason for the publication of substandard research papers in fake journals. "Colleges in tier II and III cities, may not have the resources to conduct research. But research publications being given high priority during promotions often leads to the problem of paid journals. The new assessment will thus award good teachers," adds Sahasrabudhe. While some academicians are positive about the impact of this assessment system, others are of the view that students might not be honest with their feedbacks owing to various reasons. "Students are sometimes not objective or may be simply confused while giving feedback for teachers. Their opinions are based on peer thinking. While interacting with the students, I have come across several students who behave differently in class and during one-on-one interactions," says Govinda K, professor, School of Computer Science and Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). Addressing the concern, Sahasrabudhe says that the number of such students is mostly low, thus the overall score of a teacher who is good at his work is not hampered. "Some students may give poor feedback, probably because the teacher is strict or is not lenient with marks, but this is temporary. In the long run, a teacher who is passionate about teaching and thinks about students' welfare will always be valued by the majority. Also, such an assessment will also ensure better student-teacher communication," he says. This system will allow the teachers to address their weaknesses and improve teaching methods, says KK Mahapatra, dean, Academics at NIT, Rourkela. "Since students are the direct beneficiaries, this will help the teachers to analyse their skills, for instance, maybe there is an issue with communication or students might be finding the teaching method complicated," says Mahapatra.

Source: The Times of India dated 25 March, 2019

Johns Hopkins Assistant Professor Archana Venkataraman Receives NSF CAREER Award

The Indian American professor’s CAREER project, “Small Data in a Big World: Balancing Interpretability and Generalizability for Data Integration in Clinical Neuroscience,” uses the power of machine learning to address the challenges of high data dimensionality and limited sample sizes in clinical neuroscience, the university said......

To read the full article, visit https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/johns-hopkins-assistant-professor-archana-venkataraman-receives-nsf-career-award/article_6b53a23c-4b45-11e9-a915-cf53b17bddf2.html (Accessed on 25 March, 2019)

Abhyasasathee Wi-Fi cha Wapar Kameech (Marathi article)

Source: Loksatta dated 22 March, 2019

Niranjan Karagi’s Nirnal world’s cheapest portable water filter

Sometimes, the inspiration for the most brilliant of inventions can come from the most humbling of places. Such is the case for NirNal founder Niranjan Karagi while he was playing in a schoolyard nearby his home has invented and patented the world’s cheapest water filter which costs Rs.30 and can be used for 100 times and fits any water bottle and this removes 99% of bacteria and other disease-causing water contaminants.

AAB is proud that we were the first ones to cover his project in December 2016, An Engineer Filters the Way to Success.

Niranjan now has many accolades to his name including Best Entrepreneur Award by Deshpande Foundation – Feb 2017, Best Entrepreneur Award by Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) – Jan 2017, Yuva Shilpi Award by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

It is a compatible, portable, reusable, healthy and an eco-friendly water purifier. A product that ensures ‘Safe Drinking water ’ at an affordable price. This acts as a filter when the water oozes out of Nirnal fixed to the bottles. It is easy to use, imparts taste and also adds some essential minerals to the water. It uses activated charcoal, Filter cloth.

Niranjan did his schooling from St. Mary’s school Belagavi and PUC from Govindram Seksaria Science College, Belagavi. Later completed Mechanical engineering from Angadi Institute of Technology and Management in Belagavi.

During his free time, he noticed some small children using the playground and filling up their plastic water bottles from a potentially unsafe tap. Bearing witness to the scene, Niranjan reflected sadly on this reality and felt that all children should have clean water despite their income or area of residence. It was certainly not a surprise for the young leader to think of such social issues, given his involvement in the LEAD program at AITM College Belagavi. But it was this particular case that leads him to create something that would make a significant social impact for many people.

Water filtration became the main theme for Niranjan as he began to brainstorm ideas on providing a clean, low-cost source of water. Seeing as his research revealed the relatively high prices charged by competitors for filters, the future entrepreneur settled on creating a water filter that was both very affordable and portable for bottles. His first prototype used materials that were easily accessible around the house but after some assistance from LEAD, a second prototype was created that took Niranjan 4 painstaking months to perfect. The result was a small filter that could be fitted into any standard plastic bottle with an incredibly low cost of 20 rupees.

At that point, all the hard work put into the prototype paid off. Approval was given by the Food Divisional Officer stating that the filter could purify up to 100 liters of water. Furthermore, Niranjan turned to social entrepreneurship as a means of spreading his technology by agreeing to receive tier-ii incubation support in Belagavi by the Sandbox-IMER center. Sandbox Startups was instrumental to the founding of the NirNal enterprise, officially registered with the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises in Belagavi. Furthermore, the incubation center gave him a platform to pursue his ideas for his product while gaining business knowledge about scalability and validity for the purposes of society. Complete with networking events, partnership opportunities, mentoring, and investor meetings, Sandbox Startups was an essential springboard to Niranjan’s growth as a social entrepreneur.

The social impact of his product has been significant. With the distribution of his product to various villages, schools, and even India’s military, it is evident that NirNal has been widely acclaimed for its ingenious and inexpensive technology. But on a personal level, Niranjan is happy with the fact that children could use his filter, knowing that they would always have a reliable source of water as they grow up. Niranjan’s initial wish to provide clean water to everyone has become more and more of a reality through the means of his portable water filter. This reality was made possible for thousands of people as 12,000 units of his filter have already been sold.

Indeed, it is exciting to see how NirNal will scale with its water filters. Niranjan himself has stated that he would like to improve the unit even further while maintaining a low price, all while maintaining his goal of providing clean water to all rural people. If he were to truly succeed in his endeavors, there would be much cause for celebration for this ingenious invention.

Order request can be sent from here  

Niranjan can be contacted at +91-888-466-0444 or +91-779-533-9714 or contact@nirnal.in

Source: https://allaboutbelgaum.com/specials/niranjan-karagis-nirnal-worlds-cheapest-portable-water-filter/ (Accessed on March 20, 2019)

Do It Yourself Projects

Here is a list of "Do-It-Yourself" projects curated from the magazine - Electronics For You. The library shall keep on updating the list every month.

Do-It-Yourself Projects

Do have a look at the following too:

All Electronic Projects

Top 50 Projects

Latest 50

Arduino Projects

Raspberry Pi Projects

Software Projects: 

MATLAB

Image Processing

MU reschedules 76 examinations

REGULAR FINAL EXAMINATIONS OF MOST SELF-FINANCED COURSES WILL NOW BEGIN ON MAY 2

MUMBAI: The University of Mumbai (MU) has rescheduled 76 semester examinations, including final BCom tests and most self-financed commerce courses, and few papers of 27 examinations, to avoid a clash with next month’s Lok Sabha elections.

The 76 examinations, which include sixth-semester exams of BMS, BCom (Accounting and Finance) and BCom (Banking and Insurance), have been entirely pushed ahead by a few days.

Some papers of the other 27 examinations, including sixth-semester BCom examinations, will be held on different dates, which are yet to be announced.

“The university has tried to make minimal changes,” said Vinod Patil, director, examination and evaluation board.

The four phases of general elections on April 11, 18 and 23 and 29 are set to overlap with MU’s examination schedule.

With the colleges doubling up as the examination and polling centres, and teachers assigned various election duties, the university has decided to move all the major papers being held on the polling days as well as the days preceding and following them.

The regular final examinations of most of the self-financed courses, which were to start on April 22, will now begin on May 2.

“The university should have ensured that all the examinations end on April 30 — the last day of the term. The teachers will now have to be requested to work during summer vacations. The academic calendar won’t be affected if the date of commencement of the next term is not extended beyond June 11,” said Asgar Lakdawala, principal, Royal College, Bhayander.

However, Gopal Kalkolti, principal, MV Mandali’s College, Andheri, said, “The revised schedule may delay results and admissions to post-graduation courses to some extent.”

Source: Hindustan Times (Mumbai edition) e paper dated 20 March, 2019

Move IST ahead by 30 mins, save 3.5 billion units of energy: Scientists

Two time zones will create a divide between the eastern parts of India and the rest of the country. Our proposal for advancing the clock will not force people to change their schedules or habits. DP SENGUPTA, Retd professor, Indian Institute of Science

MUMBAI: The country can save 3.5 billion units of electricity every year if the Indian Standard Time (IST) is advanced by 30 minutes, two senior Indian scientists who first proposed the idea of a timezone shift a decade ago said on Monday.

At present, India is five-andhalf hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and among few nations with a fractional shift — in minutes — from GMT. Most countries add or subtract hours from GMT to create their standard time zones.

In 1884, India had two time zones – Bombay time and Calcutta time. On January 1, 1906, British India adopted IST of fiveand-half hours ahead of GMT. Only the Assam tea gardens operate one hour ahead of IST (chai bagan time).

Retired professors DP Sengupta from the Indian Institute of Science and Dilip Ahuja from the National Institute of Advanced Studies (both based in Bengaluru) in a 2009 study funded by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency had recommended advancing the IST by 30 minutes to obtain energy and non-energy gains. They estimated India would save an estimated 2.1 billion units of electricity every year or 0.3% of the annual consumption of 750 billion units.

For 2019, the duo has said if IST is made six hours ahead of GMT, India can save 3.5 billion units from the annual 1,200 billion units of electricity consumed. According to their study, there will be a saving of 17-18% during peak energy time, such as during evenings when there is a lot of power demand.

“India is investing heavily in rural electrification, and therefore energy demands will also increase in the future. With most of the electricity requirements met by thermal power plants, a one-time advancement of 30 minutes will save us from burning coal to produce 3.5 billion units every year,” said Sengupta during a talk at the Observer Research Foundation.

The scientists are opposed to the idea of implementing daylight savings twice a year as is followed in Western countries or two time zones for India as recently recommended by the National Physical Laboratory. “Two time zones will create a divide between the eastern parts of India and the rest of the country, and lead to confusion in travel schedules. Our proposal for advancing the clock will not force people to change their schedules or habits,” said Ahuja.

Five Asian countries that have implemented one-time advancement in their clocks are China, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.

Despite making several presentations to various government departments and bodies between 2010 and 2014 and getting letters of endorsement on their proposal, nothing has happened.

“Governments and policymakers have shrugged their shoulders and moved on. We need individual states on board as stakeholders,” said Sengupta.

Source: Hindustan Times (Mumbai) e-paper dated 20 March, 2019

India Innovation Growth Programme 2.0

The India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP) 2.0 is a unique tripartite initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, Lockheed Martin and Tata Trusts.

Supporting the Government of India’s missions of “Start-up India” and “Make in India”, IIGP 2.0 enhances the Indian innovation ecosystem by enabling innovators and entrepreneurs through the stages of ideation and innovation, to develop technology-based solutions for tomorrow.

Complemented by several implementation partners, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay; the programme aims to build an innovation pipeline in India through a high-impact programme focused on the social and industrial innovation ecosystem.

Launched in 2007, India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP) has been one of India’s longest standing public-private partners. The programme has provided mentoring and handholding assistance to over 400 innovators coming from diverse sectors from across the country; generated over 350 commercial agreements and over $900 Million of economic value for India. (Source: Second Impact Analysis Report by Ernst & Young in 2015).

Through two annual parallel tracks viz. University Challenge and Open Innovation Challenge, IIGP 2.0 identifies and supports both industrial and social innovations through:

• Phase A: Ideation
• Phase B: Innovation

To read more and register, please visit:

http://www.indiainnovates.in/abouttheprogram.aspx (Accessed on 20 March, 2019)