Technical institute to be ranked on number of startups created

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has announced some amendments in the existing rules for technical education in India. This is likely to rectify the curriculum, faculty roles and research programmes in technical institutes across the country.

RESEARCH FUNDS

Technical institutes affiliated to AICTE will now have to allocate separate budget for research activities. The notification states that, “We as a nation have been performing fairly well in terms of research; however, most of the contribution is from some elite institutions like IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs whereas there is lot of potential at the bottom of the pyramid. Allocation of research fund will inspire faculty and students from affiliated colleges, autonomous institutes and state universities to contribute towards research and innovation. This will improve employability potential, more job creation and strengthen the startup ecosystem,” said Anil D Sahasrabudhe, chairman, AICTE.

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

At the moment, all the institutions are ranked on the basis of their academic performance and students’ achievement. But, with AICTE’s new rules, technical institutes might soon be ranked as per the number of startups created.

Confirming the news, Sahasrabudhe said, “MHRD innovation cell at AICTE has already initiated AARIA ranking, where focus is on innovation, entrepreneurship and startups. In future, institutes will be recognised by the number of innovative products and number of startups setup annually by an institute rather than mere placement records.”

TEACHER TRAINING

To strengthen the industry-academia synchronisation, AICTE has partnered with a number of organisations to provide industrial training to the teachers.

All the teachers appointed will also have to mandatorily undergo eight online modules of MOOCs on SWAYAM portal as per the AICTE teacher training policy, preferably within the first year of their service. “The aim behind such a programme is to create passion in the field of teaching and profession. The offline courses will also be available in National Institutes of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTRs) and few select universities,” added Sahasrabudhe.

Source: The Times of India dated 11 March, 2019

Aspirants with over 80% disability may be able to study medicine

The health ministry will test a candidate’s percentage of disability while using an assistive device, such as a hearing aid, crutches and prosthetic limb, in deciding on their admission to medical colleges.

In a move that could bring relief to thousands of aspiring doctors who are differently abled, the health ministry will test a candidate’s percentage of disability while using an assistive device, such as a hearing aid, crutches and prosthetic limb, in deciding on their admission to medical colleges.

Currently, candidates with more than 80% disability, without use of assistive device, are not eligible to study medicine. The health ministry listed 21 benchmark disabilities last year for admission to medical colleges.

“If the disability percentage is below 80 with the use of an assisted device, a candidate will be eligible to apply to study medicine. It will be applicable to UG and PG courses,” a health ministry official said on condition of anonymity. The Board of Governors-Medical Council of India (BoG-MCI) approve the proposal last month.

“Yes, we are in the process of putting out a revised notification that will expand the eligibility ambit for students with disability,” confirmed Dr VK Paul, chairperson of BoG-MCI.

With 5% seats across government colleges reserved for persons with disability mentioned under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, around 8,000 UG and 10,000 PG seats are reserved for specially abled candidates who pass NEET. From the 2019-20 session, the number of centres authorised to give disability certificates has also been increased from four to 10.

“This will bring clarity and increase the number of eligible candidates with disabilities,” says Dr Satendra Singh, a disability rights activist and associate professor of physiology, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi.

The minimum degree of disability should be 40% to be eligible for availing of reservation to persons with specified disabilities.

Enabling Rules

The 21 benchmark disabilities under the new rule are: blindness, low-vision, leprosy cured persons, hearing impairment (deaf and hard of hearing), locomotor disability, dwarfism, intellectual disability, mental Illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, specific learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, speech and language disability, thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities (including deaf-blindness), acid attack and Parkinson’s disease.

Source: Hindustan Times dated 11 March, 2019

URL: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/aspirants-with-over-80-disability-may-be-able-to-study-medicine/story-b6QRGIYmPMOiqnMPoAzQYP.html  (Accessed on 11 March, 2019)

Clinical trials to digitising supply chain: Students’ smart push to biz

BRIGHT MINDS AT WORK Submit tech-based solutions at Matunga management college’s event

MUMBAI: From tracking products in a supply chain to screening candidates for clinical trials accurately, college students across Mumbai have come up with technology-driven ideas to improve businesses.

The solutions were submitted at the recently held Smart India Hackathon at Prin LN Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WIMDR), Matunga recently. Participants said they learnt a great deal about developing solutions in such a short span.

A team of students from Shah & Anchor Kutchhi Engineering College, Chembur, developed a computer programme that can speed up the process for testing medicines before their launch.

The programme uses an algorithm to match the people who are willing to volunteer for a clinical trial. It analyses factors such as a volunteer’s medical history, type of trial, number of trials and their success rate.

“People are reluctant to participate in clinical trials because of the side-effects. Our goal was to increase participation and generate better results from laboratosaid Viraj Modi, one of the students.

Teams from WIMDR and Don Bosco Institute of Technology (DBIT), Kurla, worked towards digitising supply chain managesystem. They suggested using barcodes and QR codes on products to track them by manufacturers, retailers and suppliers.

“Recently, a company wanted to recall products from a particuries,” lar batch after detecting a defect in them. But there was no mechanism to trace the products from the defective batch,” said Roshan James, a student from DBIT.

“The current system of returnment ing expired products by retailers to companies is manual and slow,” said Vipul Bhole, a student from WIMDR.

Another team from WIMDR proposed enhancement of customer experience at large retail shops. It suggested 3D hologram promotion of various products at the stores. The team also proposed installing a touch screen to provide information about various products.

Source: Hindustan Times dated 11 March, 2019

Congratulations Silicon Tribe (SFIT Team) for winning SIH 2019!

Project and Research Help for Faculty and Students of Engineering

VISIT

https://sfitlibrary.blogspot.com/p/project-and-research-help-for.html

Shodhganga: a reservoir of Indian Theses @ INFLIBNET

Research: The word itself implies RE-SEARCH i.e. rebuild, refine and enhance.
Search if it is guided in a proper direction yields fruitful results. As said earlier, to build upon, we need a strong foundation of the already existing literature.

Here's to the first dip in literature - the building blocks

1) Shodhganga

The Shodhganga@INFLIBNET Centre provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community in open access. The repository has the ability to capture, index, store, disseminate and preserve ETDs submitted by the researcher.

Information Source: http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/118553 (Accessed on 7 March, 2019)

EU, India to step up cooperation in research and innovation

India and the European Union will step up cooperation in research and innovation, according to a statement.

On areas for future cooperation, health research and bio-economy will remain high on the agenda, it said.

Jean-Eric Paquet, Director-General of Research and Innovation, European Commission, co-chaired the 12th EU-India Joint Steering Committee meeting on science and technology along with Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary of DST, here according to an official statement.

India and the EU will step up cooperation in research and innovation, Paquet said here.

To build upon the robust cooperation of the past 20 years, the EU and India intend to renew the India-EU Science and Technology Agreement for another five years, the statement said.

It was also agreed to explore new areas of cooperation to fill the knowledge gap on climate change, on renewable energy in line with Mission Innovation aiming at reducing CO2 through concentrated efforts on energy.

On artificial intelligence, importance of ethical standards was stressed, the statement said.

The EU and India acknowledged their excellent cooperation which was recently boosted by the launch of seven India-EU projects on purification of water and waste water treatment, two on vaccines and one on polar sciences, it said.

Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/eu-india-to-step-up-cooperation-in-research-and-innovation/article26447711.ece (Accessed on 7 March, 2019)

Coming soon: the Indian museum of natural history

Jurassic find: An excavated ichthyosaur fossil found near Lodai village in Kutch district of Gujarat in 2017.   | Photo Credit: HANDOUT

It will house the country’s geological wealth in one location

From dinosaur fossils to pre-human skulls, India is home to a vast treasury of geological and palaeontological specimens that contain a wealth of scientific information about the planet and its history. But these rare specimens are scattered in different labs all over the country. So, to better conserve this prehistoric heritage, the government is planning to house them in one place — an ‘Earth Museum’.

This museum will be modelled on the American Museum of Natural History, or the Smithsonian museum in the U.S. The museum, which will be set up as a public-private partnership, would be located somewhere in Delhi, Noida or Gurugram, said G.V.R Prasad, head of the Department of Geology, University of Delhi.

K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Prime Minister, said at a press conference on Wednesday that such a repository was necessary to make people aware of India’s palaeontological and geological wealth. “There is a lot of history here, but somehow it hasn’t been communicated well,” he said. Another concern, he added, was that several collections of fossils and important geological specimens weren’t properly organised, and they survived only due to the efforts of individual researchers who maintained them within their labs. A single site, accessible to the public as well as researchers wanting to investigate rare and important finds, was necessary, Mr. VijayRaghavan said.

The PSA led a meeting of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) last November, where the need for such a museum was endorsed. A meeting of experts from the U.S., the U.K, and South Korea is scheduled to be held in Delhi in early April, Mr. Prasad told The Hindu.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coming-soon-the-indian-museum-of-natural-history/article26450838.ece (Accessed on 7 March, 2019)

ISRO space education programme for school students

The selection will be based on the academic performance and extracurricular activities.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched from this year a ‘Young Scientist Programme’.

Called ‘YUva VIgyani KAryakram’, the Programme aims to impart basic knowledge on space technology, space science and space applications to youngsters to arouse their interest in this emerging area.

ISRO has chalked out this programme to “Catch them young”. The residential training programme will run for two weeks during the summer holidays. Three students from each State/Union Territory will be selected to participate in this programme every year. Those who have finished VIII standard and are in IX standard will be eligible.

The selection will be based on the academic performance and extracurricular activities. Students belonging to the rural area will get a special weightage. ISRO is in touch with Chief Secretaries of States/UTs, and the list of selected candidates is expected by the March end.

Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/education/isro-space-education-programme-for-school-students/article26431523.ece (Accessed on 7 March, 2019)

A-list hires of India’s B-schools

Another year, and further proof that India's leading B-schools are almost immune to the business cycle. Job markets are up or down in various ...

To read the full article, visit:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/a-list-hires-of-indias-b-schools/printarticle/68263315.cms (Accessed on 7 March, 2019)

Google launches 'Bolo' to tutor children to read Hindi, English

Google's Bolo app, which is being launched in India first, uses speech recognition and text-to-speech technology.
Bolo will be available on Google Play Store in India for all smartphones running Android 4.4 (Kit Kat) and higher

NEW DELHI: Tech giant Google Wednesday unveiled a new app 'Bolo' that aims to help children in primary school learn to read in Hindi and English.

The free app, which is being launched in India first, uses Google's speech recognition and text-to-speech technology.

The app features an animated character 'Diya', who encourages children to read stories aloud and helps if the child is unable to pronounce a word. It also lauds the reader when he/she completes the reading.

"We have designed the app to work offline, so users need to just download the under 50MB app once and then they have access to close to 100 stories in Hindi and English that the children can read out loud and improve their reading skills," Google India Product Manager Nitin Kashyap told PTI.

Bolo will be available on Google Play Store in India for all smartphones running Android 4.4 (Kit Kat) and higher, he added.

Citing the annual ASER 2018 report, Kashyap said, it was found that only half of students enrolled in grade 5 in rural India can confidently read a grade 2 level textbook.

"Lack of reading ability can significantly impact further education, and ultimately children's ability to realise their full potential. Limited access to quality material, under-resourced infrastructure, and barriers to learning outside the classroom are some of the challenges that children often face," he added.

Google piloted the 'Bolo' app in about 200 villages in Uttar Pradesh and the early results are very encouraging with 64 per cent of children showing an improvement in reading proficiency in just three months, Kashyap said.

"We are now actively working with a number of non-profit partners to take the app to more people across the country who could benefit from it," he said.

Kashyap said the company is also looking at expanding the app to other Indic languages like Bengali, soon.

To ensure safety of the child, all personal information always stays on device. The users are also not asked for details like email ID and gender for logging into the app.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/ (Accessed on March 7, 2019)

Mehak Mirza Prabhu: I am no one to select my story, the story selects me

Mehak Mirza Prabhu is a Mumbai based storyteller, full-time writer, voice-over artist, performer, mentor, blogger, scriptwriter and social enthusiast. She creates fictional stories in multiple languages. She also runs an online story telling school, ‘Jhumritaliaya’. She has a huge fan following both online and offline. Her TEDx talk, “How Story Telling Saved Me,” is a true account of her life experiences. It has been highly appreciated online. Many of her stories are widely accessed on YouTube.

Open Interview features Mehak Mirza Prabhu’s interview with Satish Bendre and Santosh C Hulagabali. In this interview, you will notice how natural, honest and gifted storyteller she is. Her answers are not studded with academic theories of art of storytelling but are full of wisdom and commonsense replete with deep understanding of what she does and how she does. You will also feel how different, simple and clear she is in her thoughts and actions.

To read the full interview, visit: https://openinterview.org/2019/02/20/i-am-no-one-to-select-my-story-the-story-selects-me-mehak-mirza-prabhu/ (Accessed on March 6, 2019)

List of Best BE Project Reports: Update 1

The list of Best B.E. Project Reports of the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 has now been updated with the abstracts and names of the respective project guides.

Please scan the QR Code below to view the list:

Rainmakers of engg services boost biz: Indian Tech’s Fastest Growing Segment Runs On Execs Whom Customers Trust

When former chief digital officer at Rolls-Royce Neil Crockett wanted to identify a service provider to accelerate its IoT (internet-of-things) capabilities three years ago, he floated a request for proposal (RFP). The company wanted to use IoT to get a lot more data from customers and use that to provide long-term service contracts.

Ayyaswamy presented TCS’s IoT platform, called Connected Universe Platform (TCUP), that helps develop and deploy IoT applications. Having worked with Rolls-Royce, TCS had a deep knowledge of its engines, blades, compressors and exhaust. “We were able to characterise what we could do for them. Our strength was contextual knowledge, digital platforms, information security, core engineering, capability around services. We were able to bring the might of TCS into making their business goal a reality,” Ayyaswamy says.Reguraman Ayyaswamy, global head of IoT & engineering and industrial services at TCS, saw it as a great opportunity for the company, and he knew he had his task cut out. Roll-Royce specialises in highperformance power systems engineering and aircraft engines. It was a decade-old-customer for TCS. But this was a different kind of engagement, one that impacted the core operations of Rolls-Royce, and TCS would really have to prove its capabilities. Other IT players too were participating in the RFP.

TCS won the deal. Ayyaswamy declined to mention the deal value, but independent sources estimate it is around $20 million annually. The platform today captures and analyses data to reduce the cycle time for Rolls-Royce to develop new products and services.

Getting customers to outsource core engineering work is very difficult, but Indian IT companies today have built significant expertise in the field, and it has become the fastest growing business for them. Deals above $10 million are considered large in this space. It is also a high-margin business. Industry body Nasscom in its 2018 strategic review called out engineering and R&D and product development as the fastest growing segment in IT services, growing at 12.8%, led by demand for connected cars, mobility and connectivity.

Pareekh Jain, founder of Pareekh Consulting, says the growth in engineering services is not a demand problem, as much as a supply problem. “Of the over $1-trillion R&D spend, only $60 billion or 6% is currently outsourced. There is a huge market but someone needs to go out and make it happen. That’s why the role of key executives and rainmakers are important,” he says.

L&T Technology Services, Persistent and HCL each won an over $50-million deal in the last two years, signalling a psychological threshold that would open up upstream, high-end engineering opportunities.

Source: The Times of India dated 6 March, 2019

Now, just 1-day gap between engg papers at Mumbai University

MUMBAI: A month before the engineering exam is set to commence, Mumbai University has decided to reduce the gap of four to seven days given between each paper for preparation.

After a meeting held recently, a university official issued directives to all colleges, informing them about the need for creating a slot of 45 days for internship post exams. The decision has caused panic among students who plan their studies taking those leaves into account. An online petition, started a day ago, already has close to 20,000 supporters.

A message forwarded by the university’s dean of science and technology, SK Ukrande on Sunday, read, “Examinations will be conducted in two slots. Regular examinations will be held in the first slot and the ATKT (allowed to keep term) exams in the second. There will be only a day’s gap between two successive papers of the semester.” The regular exams are likely to be held from May 7 to May 22, and repeaters’ exams from May 23 to June 7. Students have been instructed to prepare themselves for the change in schedule and accordingly plan their studies. They have also been asked to plan for their internship in any industry from May 25 to July 7.

The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) recently stated students should mandatorily undergo internship for 600 hours during their BE/B Tech programme. Mumbai University, therefore, wanted colleges to facilitate a 45-day period during every vacation in the four-year programme – for first, second, third and final year students.

But the practice of giving preparation time before each paper is being followed for several years. Students claim the decision has come at the end of semester and can make it difficult for them to prepare. Students are worried some papers may clash. A student who signed the petition said there was no point in condensing the time-table as it would affect passing percentage of engineering students, which is already poor. “It is not possible to revise conceptual subjects in one day,” said a student. Another said the university should have announced this decision at the start of semester. The petition on change.org states students are overloaded with assignments and experiments for most of the year and there is enough pressure on students having ATKT.

A senior teacher claimed the decision was ad hoc and taken without discussion in the academic council meeting. “Also, there is a huge mismatch between number of students available and number of industries willing to take them for training,” said the teacher.

While the dean was unavailable for comment, Vinod Malale, spokesperson for the exam section, said the decision is not yet officially declared. “The university will take feedback from stakeholders,” he said. Another official said there was no point in dragging the engineering exam for a month when study leave is not given to students from any other programme. He added the university had recently shortened the timetable for TYBA exams too.

Source:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/now-just-1-day-gap-between-engg-papers-at-mumbai-university/articleshow/68263857.cms (Accessed on March 6, 2019)

Tata Consultancy Services recognised as Top Employer in Middle East

Capital Market March 05, 2019 Last Updated at 11:39 IST
By Top Employers Institute

Tata Consultancy Services has been recognised as a Top Employer in the Middle East for the fourth consecutive year by the Top Employers lnstitute, which independently assesses and certifies companies across the world. TCS was also recognized as the Number One Top Employer in the United Arab Emirates, and achieved Top Employer status in SaudiArabia and Qatar. This recognition was achieved due to TCS' exceptional workplace policies, culture and continued investments in its employees across all regions. Powered by Capital Market - Live News

Source: Business Standard dated March 5, 2019

URL: https://www.business-standard.com/article/printer-friendly-version?article_id=119030500293_1 (Accessed on March 5, 2019)

Smart India Hackathon 2019

Innovation and entrepreneurship are at the peak in India. In order to make development a comprehensive mass movement and innovate on all fronts, MHRD, AICTE, i4c and Persistent Systems have come together to organise Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2019 - a unique Open Innovation Model for identifying new and disruptive technology innovations to solve the challenges faced in our country. It's a non-stop product development competition, where problem statements are posed to technology students for innovative solutions. It can help to:

• Harness creativity & expertise of students
• Spark institute-level hackathons
• Build funnel for 'Startup India' campaign
• Crowdsource solutions for improving governance and quality of life
• Provide opportunity to citizens to provide innovative solutions to India's daunting problems

To read more about the Smart India Hackathon 2019, visit the following URL:

https://www.sih.gov.in/

From AI to cyber security, Cisco nurturing innovations by hi-tech start-ups

Quantum cryptography that could propel India to the forefront of hack-proof communication. Li-Fi that uses light as a medium to transfer data at high speed.

Internet of Things (IoT) devices that are helping airlines for faster turnaround of aircraft. These are some of the innovations by start-ups that are being nurtured by Cisco as part of its ‘accelerator’ programme. The US-based maker of computer networking gear is engaging with Indian start-ups through a Cisco LaunchPad programme, to get feedback and understand the innovations in areas such as IoT, artificial ..

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/in-search-for-next-big-ideas-cisco-wooing-india-s-hi-tech-start-ups-119030300603_1.html (Accessed on March 5, 2019)

Telling Numbers: Computer Science, Chemistry power India in QS Rankings

No university has experienced a drop in rank. India’s eight IITs and IIScs are ranked 104 times, with 33 improvements in rank and only 7 drops in rank.

To read the full article, please visit:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/computer-science-chemistry-power-india-in-qs-rankings-iit-delhi-bombay-5605738/ (Accessed on March 5, 2019)

YourStory features PRAGATI 2019

Thanks to YourStory for featuring our event PRAGATI 

2019 on their page! 

Source: https://events.yourstory.com/partners/pragati-2019

The YourStory Team brings you stories of entrepreneurs and change-makers, funding analyses, resource pieces and the first glimpse of emerging trends from India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as profiles of great businesses and entrepreneurs from all over the world.

Univs should be at least 20 years old to get deemed status: UGC

Source: Daily News and Analysis dated 5 March, 2019

PRAGATI 2019: The National Technical Innovation and Business Plan Competition at SFIT

How Does the Blockchain Work? Blockchain technology explained in simple words

Blockchain technology is probably the best invention since the internet itself. It allows value exchange without the need for trust or a central authority. Imagine you and I bet $50 on tomorrow’s weather in San Francisco. I bet it will be sunny, you that it will rain. Today we have three options to manage this transaction:

1. We can trust each other. Rainy or sunny, the loser will give $50 to the winner. If we are friends, this could be a good way of managing it. However, friends or strangers, one can easily not pay the other.

1. We can turn the bet into a contract. With a contract in place both parties will be more prone to pay. However, should either of the two decide not to pay, the winner will have to pay additional money to cover legal expenses and the court case might take a long time. Especially for a small amount of cash, this doesn’t seem like the optimal way to manage the transaction.

1. We can involve a neutral third party. Each of us gives $50 to a third party, who will give the total amount to the winner. But hey, she could also run away with all our money. So we end up with one of the first two options:trust or contract.

Neither trust nor contract is an optimal solution: We can’t trust strangers, and enforcing a contract requires time and money. The blockchain technology is interesting because it offers us a third option which is secure, quick, and cheap.

To read the full article, please visit:

https://medium.com/s/story/how-does-the-blockchain-work-98c8cd01d2ae (Accessed on March 5, 2019)

Legends of Artificial Intelligence (Marathi)

Source: Loksatta dated 4 March 2019

Skills needed for future job market

India finds itself at a unique advantage when compared to other nations due to its young population. However, a young population is both an opportunity as well as a problem depending on how the advantage is utilised to boost the economy. The rapidly growing population indicates the urgent need for skill development in order to enable the growing population to have meaningful employment. An education that places an emphasis on imparting skills over rote learning and memorisation is necessary to ensure that the youth are gainfully employed.

For India to maintain its stature of being the largest provider of skilled programmers and technologists, we will have to ensure that its populace is skilled accordingly so as to remain competitive in the global arena. What follows are five important skills that will continue to be in high demand in the Indian job market in the years to come.

CODING

Coding or programming in languages such as Javascript or Python has consistently been a skill that is in high demand. Many companies in the past few years have produced both hardware and software that feature augmented reality and machine learning. Individuals who possess the skills required to create, design and refine applications that make the most of these technologies and application programming interfaces, will be able to consistently secure rewarding employment.

MACHINE LEARNING

Machine learning (ML) being a branch of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has proved itself to be one of the most important technological developments in the last few years as it facilitates algorithms and programes to continually learn and improve their efficiency with time. Individuals possessing a sound understanding of machine learning will ensure that they become integral components of both emerging and established corporations.

MOBILE DEVELOPMENT

Companies are constantly in need of mobile applications that make their product or service accessible to the growing target audience. An exciting direction in which mobile applications are currently headed in is integrating technologies such as augmented reality like Pokémon Go. Applications such as these blend elements from the environment around users making the content appearing on screen more engaging.

SEO/SEM

Companies are constantly on the lookout for individuals with digital marketing skills in order to be able to better their presence and visibility across the internet. This skill has an obvious advantage as greater exposure to users across the internet would result in more customers and thus revenue.

CYBER-SECURITY SPECIALISTS

It is no surprise that cybersecurity and information security are one of the highest paying and most wanted skillsets. Ransomware attacks such as WannaCry along with hardware vulnerabilities that were exhibited in MeltdownandSpectrehave become the new norm in modern society. As the world continues its reliance on outsourcing services such as cloud computing providers, coupled with internal networks that are vulnerable, the need for businesses to staff a skilled security team is of utmost importance.

These emerging skillsets will be evolving at an exponential pace and wrapping one’s head around them to stay ahead of the curve is essential. A young population can only become an asset if sufficient job opportunities are created and the youth is skilled enough to meet the aspirations of the populace.

The government has struck the right cords with ‘Skill India’ and ‘Make in India’ as well as providing the policy framework under ‘Ease of Doing Business’. However, a lot more needs to be done if we are to fully utilise youth potential. With focus on acquiring the required skillsets, the possibilities that lie before a youthful India are unlimited.

(The author is founder of Indian Institute of Digital Education)

Source: The Time of India dated March 4, 2019

Centre plans to colour code generic medicines

In a move to promote low-cost generic medicines, the government plans to colour code such drugs to enable consumers to differentiate between generic medicines and other drugs and take an informed decision while purchasing them from chemists. Apart from colour coding, the government is also considering use of symbols to make generic medicines easily identifiable.

The proposal to colour code generic medicines was discussed at a recent Drugs Consultative Committee meeting. The coding system is likely to be similar to that used in food products to differentiate between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The government is expected to soon draw a detailed proposal on the matter, which will be put out for stakeholder consultations.Of late, the health ministry has taken various measures to encourage the sale of generic medicines over branded ones. For instance, it has made it mandatory for pharmacies to have separate shelves for displaying generic drugs and asked doctors to prescribe drugs by generic names in legible handwriting. The drug regulator has also asked companies to print generic names on their labels in a font which is two font sizes larger than the brand name. The government is also strengthening the backend supply chain to promote Jan Aushadhi stores, which sells only generic drugs. At present, there are over 3,000 such stores across the country.

Estimates show that more than 70% of the Rs 1 lakh crore local pharmaceutical market is dominated by branded generics, whereas patented medicines constitute around 9%.

Last year, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had raised concern about the high trade margins included in prices of branded medicines. Highlighting the role of intermediaries in increasing prices, the anti-trust regulator had asked the government to find mechanisms to promote generic medicines.

In a policy note, the CCI said high margins were a form of incentive and an indirect marketing tool employed by pharma companies.

Even international agencies like the WHO has said increased use of generics can reduce the burden of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare. Currently, essential medicines constitute over 60% of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare in India.

In addition to colour coding, the government is also considering the use of symbols to make generic medicines easily identifiable

Source: The Times of India dated March 4, 2019 

Indian dress for Degree Distribution Ceremony

Source: https://epaper.loksatta.com/c/37269844

Now, companies are deploying robots to decode CVs

As robots tread their way into every industry from hotels to healthcare, how could human resources (HR) and recruitment remain far behind?

With automation gradually seeping into various levels within organisations, resumes are getting increasingly scanned by robots, or rather specialised applicant tracking systems (ATS).

According to TopResume.com, a leading global resume service provider, about 95% of Fortune 500 companies today use ATS software in their recruitment process, with Greenhouse and Bullhorn being some of the most popular ATS that are used. The global industrial robotics market is predicted to reach $41.23 billion by 2020, as per a report by Grand View Research, and robotics in resume scanning is expected to gain greater credence.

In India, however, the usage of ATS by HR departments is rising at a gradual pace. “ATS is not used thoroughly in India as yet. We observe large organisations who undergo recruitment volumes of over 300-500 candidates in a year for junior level positions utilising ATS. Advanced recruitment companies who use technology as a differentiation factor have adopted these platforms too,’’ says Nicolas Dumoulin, managing director, Michael Page India.

“Resumes are being read by tools using natural language processing techniques and software tools,’’ says Aditya Narayan Mishra, CEO, CIEL HR Services.

Experts believe as ATS seeps into the recruitment process, it is becoming vital for job seekers to make their resumes ATS=complaint. According to Nida Shahid, associate director – advisory, SHRM India, resumes in India are often not well optimised for ATS as they weigh low in grammar and formatting.

“Even a LinkedIn profile that is not recently updated may not support an ATS to make the correct decisions. The algorithm works basis the data it is fed and analysed in a format that is readable by the software,” adds Shahid. Experts say ATS is designed to pick out keywords in the resume and analyse if the keywords match with the job description. “Earlier, we would advise candidates to highlight important points, niche skills, experience and education. Now, as a machine will scan through the data, candidates should use keywords that match with the job description,” explains Shahid.  

For example, if the job description says “time management’’, the same keyword should reflect in the resume, instead of something like “managing time’’. 

Moreover, job titles should match those in the job description. If the job requirement reads as “Brand Manager’’, then a resume using the fancier “Brand Evangelist’’ might find no favour with the ATS.

Secondly, the resume should be clear and simple while quantifying the work, as the algorithm gets confused by the use of jargon, says Shahid.

Moreover, candidates should include key information in a concise manner and avoid long narratives, adds Dumoulin. Experts add that neither do the tools undervalue a concise resume that uses keywords sparingly but intelligently, nor do they give more importance to resumes that overuse keywords.

ATS carries a host of benefits for HR teams and organisations. “On an average, one job posting receives about 250 resumes. It’s impossible for an HR person to go through and vet each resume minutely. 

In fact, almost 75-88% of resumes that are received do not qualify for the job that is available. ATS reduces human intervention and thus cuts down the cost to the company. We weave in AI and human insights to predict absolute quality in recruits,” says Umasanker Kandaswamy, joint director and chief operating officer, Bruhat Insights Global.

Kandaswamy explains that ATS optimises the turnaround time for recruiters. He says that companies invest up to Rs 50,000 per hire, which also includes 23 working hours taken to thoroughly screen each resume. 

“The biggest shocker is that a candidate stays up in the market for only 10 days, as they are gulped down by other hungry recruiters.”

Besides optimising the cost of hiring and the time taken, ATS enhances recruiter efficiency by as much as 20%, says Mishra. 

FINDING A MATCH

·         Large organisations who recruit over 300-500 candidates in a year for junior level positions utilising ATS  

·         Resumes in India not well optimised for ATS as they weigh low in grammar and formatting

Source: Daily News and Analysis dated 28 February 2019
URL: https://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-now-companies-are-deploying-robots-to-decode-cvs-2724840 (Accessed on March 4, 2019)