Laboratories in engineering colleges, technical institutions in rural areas to get makeover: AICTE

New Delhi, Aug 11 Laboratories in engineering colleges and other technical institutions operational in rural areas are all set to get a makeover, with the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) deciding to providing grants to institutions for procuring modern equipment.

The technical education regulator under the HRD Ministry will be providing grants under the Modernisation and Removal of Obsolescence (MODROBS) scheme.

"A special drive is being undertaken by AICTE under MODROB scheme for modernising laboratories in technical institutions operating in rural areas and approved by AICTE by providing grants for procuring modern equipments. The institutions can apply under the scheme till August 28," a senior AICTE official said.

The MODROB scheme aims to modernise and remove obsolescence in laboratories, workshops, computing facilities excluding libraries, so as to enhance the functional efficiency of technical institutions for teaching, training and research purpose.

"It also supports new innovations in class room and laboratory, teaching technology, development of lab instructional material and appropriate technology to ensure that practical work and project work to be carried out by students is contemporary and suited to the needs of the industry.

"The equipment financed under the scheme could be ideally used for up-gradation of equipment in existing laboratories, enhancement of performance parameter specification of existing equipment, incorporation of latest development in the field and replacement of old depreciated equipment by modern equipment," the official said.

The equipment installed through MODROBS can also be used for indirect benefit to faculty or students through continuing education programmes, training programmes for local industry and consultancy work.

Only institutions that have been in existence for at least 10 years can apply for the scheme and get funding up to Rs 20 lakh. Duration of the project will be two years from the date of receipt of funds in the institute''s account.

"100 per cent grant of sanctioned amount will be released to government and government aided institutes. To private institutions, grants will be sanctioned in the form of per cent of the sanctioned amount as advance followed by 20 per cent as reimbursement on submission of the utilisation certificate and other supporting documents as specified in terms and conditions of MODROB," the official said. GJS GJS DV DV

Source: https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/laboratories-in-engineering-colleges-technical-institutions-in-rural-areas-to-get-makeover-aicte/1594754 (Accessed on August 16, 2019)

VIKRAM SARABHAI'S 100TH: WORDS FROM THE AWARD-WINNING LEADER'S 1971 SPEECH REMAIN IMPORTANT FOR INDIA TODAY

Editor's Note: On 10 April 1971, at the Silver Jubilee Celebration of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the father of India's Space program Dr Vikram Sarabhai was invited to take the stage and share a few words as the Guest of honor. He spoke of the role Tata Institute of Fundamental Research plays in the country's biggest atomic energy program  (the Atomic Energy Commission, of which Sarabhai was the President 1966–1971) and the importance of institutes of national import to freely-interact in clusters with others important institutions to address the needs of a developing nation like India. 

Your Excellency, Mr Tata, Prof Menon and friends,

I speak here on behalf of the Atomic Energy Commission of India with admiration, gratitude, pride, and expectation as Panditji said, "This Institution has been the cradle of Atomic Energy in India", and it is through the agency of one single person: Homi Bhabha, that we saw during the early part of the fifties and right to the middle of the sixties a creation and the development of 3 major institutions — not only the Atomic Energy Commission itself but the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and the Atomic Energy Establishment, of all three of which Bhabha was the guiding spirit.

But when in 1966 Bhabha met his tragic death, it was considered appropriate to separate the directing responsibility of each one of these three units, and we have in Professor Menon a most distinguished successor to Bhabha in the role of the Director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. It is necessary for creative work to be able to see squirrels and birds. It is not a physicist's remark and I feel that Professor Menon has not only maintained the excellence of this Institute but has kept up the core 0f the culture which was created so admirably by Bhabha for the type of creative work which was to be done here.

Vikram Sarabhai (left), Chairman of ISRO, and NASA administrator Thomas Paine sign an agreement in September 1969. Image: NASA

But one of the most important aspects which I would like to deal with you here is this aspect of the relationship of the culture of fundamental research, the culture of research and development and the culture of industry; for the main task of Atomic Energy Commission in this county is to provide the benefits of Atomic Energy for the development of the nation. And I think it is necessary to understand that the main task is related to the completion of this entire innovative change from fundamental research to the industry, if we are to succeed.

I would suggest that the primary task of fundamental research is to discover; of research and development is to optimise, and of the industry to produce. One of the main problems that are faced in the organisation of innovative institutions or establishments is to make the link between these three cultures and to provide for a basis by which transfer of knowledge, of men, of technology can proceed from one step to another interacting freely and also benefitting one from the other. Margarate Mead has talked of the interacting clusters which are necessary if development and change are to take place. The clusters which are in each one of these three cultures require their transfer men who shared each other's trust above all and who share a common commitment to a profession, to science, to excellence, to certain common ideals. In electrical engineering, it is well known that energy from one loop to another can only be transferred if there are matched impedances.

Dr Vikram Sarabhai with Dr Homi Bhabha. Image courtesy: Darpana Archives

It is these common matching transformers at which the point of transfer takes place and it is through the men who are occupying positions of trust in these different clusters that it is possible to make the most important transfers which are involved in the innovative change. I would like to suggest that one of Bhabha's greatest accomplishments was that when he died suddenly, he left the state of affairs in the hands of people who shared a common trust and a common culture and could manage to develop these institutions further as a joint group or a family.

Dr Menon has already remarked about the role that the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is playing in transferring electronics technology to the Electronics Corporation of India, of the big role that today they will be playing in the development of the computer industry in this country, and in the development of radars for the Space Research or the Variable Energy Cyclotron. There are a number of projects which TIFR continues to share with the other members of the family of Atomic Energy. In the years to come, we have a very challenging task before us. The 10-year profile of Atomic Energy and Space Research requires the best from our bright and talented scholars.

Why AIoT Is Emerging As The Future Of Industry 4.0

Two trends that are dominating the technology industry are the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). But for industrial automation, these two technologies are much more than the buzzwords or trending topics. The convergence of AI and IoT will redefine the future of industrial automation. It is set to lead the Industry 4.0 revolution.

To read the full article, please visit:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/janakirammsv/2019/08/12/why-aiot-is-emerging-as-the-future-of-industry-40/#56077a09619b (Accessed on August 16, 2019)

Five Factors Shaping Data Science

As data science evolves, key challenges are driving organizations to seek innovative solutions to compete in the new AI-driven economy.

Five Factors:

1. Making data actionable for data science

2. Shortage of data science talent

3. Time-to-value must accelerate

4. Business users need transparency

5. Improving the operationalization process

To read the full article, please visit:

https://www.informationweek.com/big-data/five-factors-shaping-data-science/a/d-id/1335387 (Accessed on August 16, 2019)

TCS’ AI platform Ignio tops $60m revenue mark

BENGALURU: TCS’ artificial intelligence platform Ignio has crossed $60 million in annual revenue and India’s largest IT services company is doubling down on the product strategy it has created for the unit, the company’s top executives said. 

Five years ago, Ignio began as a platform that was closely integrated and sold with the company’s services offerings but two years ago, TCS began to take it down a product path. ET had reported that the company hired a chief marketing officer and an .. 

Read more at:
//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/70651798.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

TCS Launches Robotic Automation Solutions to Accelerate Digital Transformation in the Semiconductor Industry

Tata Consultancy Services’ Robotic Data Factory Solution, Built at Its New Center of Excellence, Will Significantly Reduce the Response Time to Anomalies in Semiconductor Production

Tata Consultancy Services, a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, announced that it has launched new Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions that leverage the power of analytics to drive greater accuracy and better quality in chip fabrication, and help semiconductor companies accelerate their digital transformation journeys.

The semiconductor market is going through immense change at unprecedented speeds driven by hyper-connectivity, big data, and adoption of Internet of Things. Semiconductor companies are aggressively pursuing strategies to enable rapid innovation, product line expansion and vertical market focus, with speed and agility.

TCS is partnering with leading semiconductor companies in navigating the change using its Machine First Delivery Model and Business 4.0 framework. It is leveraging its deep domain knowledge in the semiconductor industry, and expertise in analytics, AI and machine learning to transform core operations in this sector.

TCS has set up a new Semiconductor Center of Excellence (CoE) to design and build closed loop systems that combine the power of analytics and automation to reimagine the semiconductor fabrication (fab) value chain. Specialists at this CoE are creating solutions that will enable production robots, powered with intelligent algorithms, to respond to heterogeneous scenarios to improve quality and accuracy throughout the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The TCS Robotic Data Factory solution, built on Blue Prism’s Connected-RPA platform, will leverage insights derived from fab production data to trigger appropriate business workflows, significantly reducing the response time to anomalies in the production of semiconductors.

“We are leveraging our deep contextual knowledge gained from engagements in the semiconductor industry and harnessing the power of robotic automation to intelligently streamline core business processes using fab data. This will significantly jumpstart our customers’ Business 4.0 transformation journeys, with faster product introduction and improved quality,” said V Rajanna, Global Head, Technology Business Unit, TCS. “Our new CoE reiterates our commitment to invest in defining new digital paradigms for the semiconductor industry.”

“By combining TCS’ semiconductor industry expertise and our Connected-RPA platform we’re able to transform operations and speed up product delivery in one of the most competitive and vital industries in the world,” said Chad Gailey, Vice President, Channel Sales and Global Service Providers, Blue Prism Americas. “We are driving disruption and innovation by offering an unbeatable value proposition for deploying intelligent automation solutions.”

Source: https://aithority.com/robots/tcs-launches-robotic-automation-solutions-to-accelerate-digital-transformation-in-the-semiconductor-industry/ (Accessed on August 16, 2019)

Opinion | Govt Must Boost Research In Social Sciences To Preserve Ancient Knowledge

Institutions like JNU, TISS, and CSDS, and Centre for the Study of Social Science, have a strong tradition of social science research and must be strengthened to realise government's vision, writes Badri Narayan, Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.

To read the full article, please visit:

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-opinion-govt-must-strengthen-social-sciences-institutes-to-preserve-ancient-knowledge/336100 (Accessed on August 16, 2019)