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Month: May 2024

Governance

DoT and MHA strike down on SMS scammers

ObserveNow Media May 27, 2024

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has taken decisive action to protect citizens from potential SMS fraud through the Sanchar Saathi initiative.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under MHA provided information about the misuse of eight SMS Headers for sending fraudulent communications related to cyber-crime. The DoT found that over 10,000 fraudulent messages were sent using these headers in the past three months.

Consequently, the Principal Entities owning these headers, along with 73 SMS Headers and 1,522 SMS content templates, have been blacklisted and cannot be used by any telecom operator. This measure aims to prevent further victimization of citizens and underscores DoT’s commitment to safeguarding against cybercrime.

Citizens are encouraged to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility on Sanchar Saathi to help prevent the misuse of telecom resources for cyber-crime and financial frauds. Additionally, the regulations on telemarketing SMSs and calls prohibit the use of mobile numbers for telemarketing, with penalties including disconnection and blacklisting for violators. Telemarketing calls can be identified by their prefixes, and spam can be reported by dialing 1909 or using the Do Not Disturb (DND) service.

Tags: cybercrimeDepartment of TelecommunicationsMinistry of Home Affairs

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News

Historic Voter Turnout in Jammu and Kashmir Sets New Record in India’s Electoral History

Observenow Desk

In a landmark moment for Indian democracy, Jammu and Kashmir has achieved its highest voter turnout in the past 35 years during the 2024 General Elections. The Union Territory saw a combined voter turnout of 58.46% across its five Lok Sabha constituencies, underscoring the region’s vibrant democratic spirit and active civic engagement. The Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, commended the polling personnel and security officials for ensuring a peaceful election process.

CEC Rajiv Kumar highlighted a 25% increase in contesting candidates since 2019 and a significant rise in citizen involvement through C-vigil complaints and requests for rallies via the Suvidha Portal. He likened the depth of electoral participation to the intricate craftsmanship of Kashmiri artisanal weaving, marking a promising outlook for the upcoming Assembly elections.

The Union Territory, comprising Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag-Rajouri, Udhampur, and Jammu constituencies, saw a notable voter turnout. The Kashmir Valley’s three constituencies—Srinagar (38.49%), Baramulla (59.1%), and Anantnag-Rajouri (54.84%)—registered their highest participation in three decades, collectively reaching 50.86%, a substantial increase from 19.16% in 2019. Udhampur and Jammu recorded turnouts of 68.27% and 72.22%, respectively.

This historic turnout was attributed to the dedicated efforts of election and security officials in empowering voters, particularly the youth, to participate in the democratic process. The high participation rate among voters aged 18-59 highlights a growing faith in democracy within this demographic.

The ECI also facilitated voting for Kashmiri migrants residing in relief camps in Delhi, Jammu, and Udhampur through special polling stations and postal ballots. Ladakh, now a separate Union Territory, reported an impressive 71.82% voter turnout.

To promote voter awareness, the Chief Electoral Officer of J&K organized various activities under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program. These included adventure sports, symposiums, rallies, street plays, and cultural events aimed at encouraging voter participation. Notable efforts included creating an igloo polling station in Baramulla, a para scooter event in Kathua, and awareness activities at iconic locations like Dal Lake and the highest railway bridge.

Tags: Electoral HistoryJammu and Kashmir

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HR

Shyamala Shukla Joins Suzlon Group as SVP & Head of HR, India

ObserveNow Media

Suzlon Group, a renewable energy solutions provider, has appointed Shyamala Shukla as Senior Vice President & Head of HR – India Business. Shyamala confirmed her appointment on LinkedIn, expressing her excitement about starting this new role.

With over 25 years of diverse industry experience across the Asia Pacific region, Shyamala is a result-oriented Human Resource leader. Prior to joining Suzlon Group, she held the position of Group Vice President of Human Resources at CK Birla Group from January 2022 to October 2023.

Her impressive career also includes stints at Medtronic, Stryker, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, Perfetti Van Melle, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, and Bharti Enterprises. Shyamala holds a Master’s of Business Administration in Human Resources from CMD, Modinagar.

Tags: CK Birla GroupShyamala ShuklaSuzlon Group

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Governance

ACC approves one-month extension in service of Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande

Observenow Desk

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved a one-month extension in service for General Manoj C Pande, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS). Initially set to retire on May 31, General Pande will now continue his service until June 30.

General Pande was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982. Throughout his distinguished career, he has held various key positions, demonstrating exceptional leadership and dedication to the Indian Army.

Before assuming the role of Chief of the Army Staff, General Pande served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff. His extended tenure will ensure continuity in the leadership of the Indian Army during this critical period.

Tags: General Manoj C PandeIndian Army

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Digital Native

Zypp Electric Secures Rs 116 Crore in Series C Funding

Observenow Desk

Gurugram-based B2B delivery and shared mobility startup, Zypp Electric, has raised Rs 116 crore ($14 million) in its Series C funding round from Japan’s ENEOS Oil & Energy Asia. This marks Zypp Electric’s first investment round of the year.

According to regulatory filings accessed from the Registrar of Companies, Zypp Electric’s board has passed a special resolution to issue 1,372 Series C CCPS at Rs 8,43,750 each, raising Rs 116 crore or $14 million.

Zypp Electric has been in discussions to raise $40 million in a new round at a $350 million valuation, led by Tribe Capital, indicating potential further fundraising in the near future. TheKredible estimates the company’s post-money valuation at approximately Rs 2,253 crore ($271 million).

Founded in 2017, Zypp Electric operates an EV-as-a-service platform, offering electric vehicle rentals and delivery services via e-scooters across India. The company claims to have powered 15 million deliveries on electric vehicles, saving around 33 million KG of CO2 emissions.

To date, Zypp Electric has raised around $80 million, including a $25 million Series B round led by Taiwan’s battery-swapping platform Gogoro in February last year. The company is backed by investors such as IAN Fund, 9 Unicorns (now 100 Unicorns), Anthill Ventures, and Eiman Abdullah Mahfood Al Qatar, among others. Additionally, Zypp Electric initiated its first Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) buyback for 15 employees following the Series B round.

Zypp Electric’s operational revenue quintupled to Rs 112 crore in FY23, with losses amounting to Rs 40.5 crore for the same period. The company reported a revenue of Rs 325 crore in FY24 and claimed operational profitability for the fiscal year, although audited results for FY24 have yet to be filed.

Tags: C FundingZypp Electric

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BFSI

BharatPe and PhonePe Settle Long-Standing Trademark Dispute

Observenow Desk

Fintech giants BharatPe and PhonePe have announced the amicable resolution of their prolonged legal battles over the use of the ‘Pe’ suffix in their trademarks. This settlement marks the end of five years of litigation across multiple courts.

As part of the agreement, both companies have initiated the process of withdrawing their respective trademark oppositions, facilitating the registration of their marks. Additionally, they will take further steps to adhere to the settlement terms in cases before the Delhi High Court and the Bombay High Court.

Rajnish Kumar, chairman of BharatPe, hailed the resolution as a positive step for the industry, commending the maturity and professionalism displayed by both parties. PhonePe’s founder and CEO, Sameer Nigam, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the mutual benefits and the potential for both companies to now concentrate on advancing the Indian fintech sector.

The dispute began in 2019 when PhonePe accused BharatPe of unlawfully using the ‘Pe’ suffix in both English and Hindi, asserting trademark rights and seeking an injunction against the Tiger Global-backed BharatPe. Similar legal challenges were faced by the insurtech startup BimaPe, which has since rebranded to Verak.

Tags: BharatPePhonePe

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BFSI

India’s Q4 GDP Growth Expected to Slow to 6.1-6.7%, Down from Over 8% in Previous Quarters

ObserveNow Media

India’s GDP growth in the fourth quarter of the 2023-24 fiscal year is anticipated to be between 6.1 and 6.7 percent, a decline from the over 8 percent growth seen in the previous three quarters, according to various economists’ projections.

The GDP figures for the fourth quarter (January-March 2024) and the provisional estimates for the 2023-24 fiscal year are expected to be announced by the government on May 31.

In the first three quarters of the 2023-24 fiscal year, the Indian economy grew by 8.2 percent in the June quarter, 8.1 percent in the September quarter, and 8.4 percent in the December quarter. For comparison, India’s GDP grew by 6.1 percent in the March quarter of the 2022-23 fiscal year, with an overall growth rate of 7 percent for the entire 2022-23 fiscal year, as estimated on May 31, 2023.

GDP represents the total value of goods and services produced within a specific period, whereas GVA (Gross Value Added) is calculated by subtracting net taxes (gross tax collection minus subsidies) from GDP.

On Tuesday, domestic rating agency ICRA projected that India’s GDP growth would slow to a four-quarter low of 6.7 percent in the March quarter of the 2023-24 fiscal year. ICRA also estimated a 7.8 percent GDP growth for the entire 2023-24 fiscal year. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank, in its April monetary policy review, projected a 7 percent GDP growth for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Tags: GDPIndia's GDP growth

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Education

Researchers from IIT Guwahati and Columbia University Innovate Nanopatterning with IR Laser

Observenow Desk

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and Columbia University in the USA have pioneered a novel nanopatterning technique using a straightforward tabletop infrared (IR) laser. This breakthrough, led by Dr. Rishi Maiti, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at IIT Guwahati and former post-doctoral scientist from Alexander Gaeta’s quantum and non-linear photonics group, has been detailed in the prestigious journal, Science Advances.

Nanopatterning, the process of creating ultra-fine patterns on materials at the nanometer scale—one hundred thousand times smaller than a human hair—is essential for developing advanced optical devices such as light detectors, solar cells, lasers, and LEDs. Traditional nanopatterning methods are often complex and expensive, necessitating specialized equipment like clean rooms and electron beam lithography machines, or involving high local heating and plasma.

In search of a more accessible and cost-effective alternative, the team employed a method called “optical driving,” which utilizes the resonance frequency principle in materials. Their innovative “unzipping” technique, executed with an IR laser, allowed them to cleave hexagonal boron nitride and produce atomically sharp lines only a few nanometers wide. Using a laser wavelength of 7.3 micrometers, they achieved precise and clean lattice breaks, enabling the creation of controllable nanostructures.

Furthering their research, the scientists “unzipped” two parallel lines to form a nano-dimensional cavity capable of trapping phonon-polaritons—unique quasi-particles resulting from the interaction of light and vibrations. These particles can focus light into extremely small spots, which is advantageous for highly sensitive mid-infrared sensing and spectroscopy.

Dr. Rishi Maiti highlighted the significance of this development, stating, “This novel nano-patterning technique using optically induced strain opens doors to a myriad of possibilities in nanoscience and technology. Its simplicity and effectiveness mark a significant advancement in the field, with far-reaching implications across various industries.”

Dr. Maiti envisions the breakthrough having diverse applications, including the creation of hard masks for electrode fabrication on 2D materials and the formation of twisted heterostructures for quantum technologies.

Tags: Columbia UniversityIIT Guwahati

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Education

AI Driving Futuristic Wave in Indian Education — Perspective or Prejudice?

Sheeba Chauhan

While there is hype about internationalization in the education realm, AI and Automation are gaining momentum in the Indian education system, and other noticeable shifts are pushing Indian education towards a futuristic approach. Technology occupies a pivotal role in this evolution, facilitating the adoption of digital learning platforms, virtual classrooms, and collaborative research endeavors.

Supporting the widespread development, Statista’s market forecast projects a staggering 244 million online learners in India by the end of 2027, which shows how technology can be a change maker in the growth plans.

Personalized learning has also received traction after technological implementation. Today, there are adaptive learning software and AI algorithms that can analyze student’s performance and curate learning courses.Sugant-Rajeswaran

Along the same line, Dr. Sugant R., Dean – School of Management & School of Economics and Commerce, CMR University expressed his views on futuristic education and said, “In my view, futuristic education needs to focus on three key factors – interdisciplinary, Technology, and transferable skills. These three factors play a key role as you prepare the students for careers that don’t exist. Irrespective of the stream one chooses, the curriculum must be built on these three factors’ foundation.”

As we crystal gaze into the future, the scene is totally hazy, unlike any time in the past. With changes happening at breakneck speed, envisioning the future is like trying to find your way through a maze blindfolded. However, academicians have the unenviable task of not only predicting but also preparing the students for the future.”

Highlighting the role of collaboration in academics, Dr Sugant commented “In this context, collaborations play a key role. All the institutions will not have expertise in all the areas. Instead of investing and reinventing, the institutions should seek collaborations with national and international institutions, which can be a win-win for both institutions.”

 

Tags: Dr. Sugant REducation

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Education

LG Targets India’s Ed-tech Sector with Smart Boards, Accelerating B2B Market Entry

Observenow Desk May 24, 2024

LG Electronics Inc. is intensifying its efforts to penetrate India’s business-to-business (B2B) sector, focusing on the rapidly growing educational technology (Ed-tech) field with its smart boards, also known as interactive whiteboards. By capitalizing on the Digital India initiative initiated in 2015, LG aims to access India’s $10 billion education market, leveraging its position as a leading brand in OLED TVs globally. This endeavor is in line with India’s objective to bolster online infrastructure and advance digital education in government-run institutions, driving the nation towards digital empowerment.

Over the last three years, LG has already made significant strides by supplying 10,000 units of its LG CreateBoard to 2,900 public high schools in Odisha, one of India’s three government-designated technology hubs. The LG CreateBoard is engineered to enhance teaching efficiency in classrooms and meetings, enabling seamless transitions between traditional blackboard-style instruction and digital presentations, and incorporates educational templates for diagrams and figures.

This initiative forms part of LG’s broader strategy to transition from a conventional white goods manufacturer to a software-oriented platform company, strengthening its B2B services, which are crucial drivers of growth. The CreateBoard’s multitouch screen can detect up to 40 simultaneous touches, and its integrated application, LG Create Board Share, enables the display of up to nine screens concurrently during lessons, facilitating interactive learning experiences.

According to LG, these electronic whiteboards not only improve the effectiveness of classroom teaching but also enrich lessons with diverse digital content. Demonstrating its commitment to this market, LG directly distributes these interactive displays across India, offering hands-on demonstrations to showcase their utility.

The demand for interactive whiteboards has surged significantly, with their availability in India expanding at an average annual rate of around 80% over the past five years, as per Omdia’s report. Furthermore, Statista predicts that India’s ed-tech market will grow at an average annual rate of 30%, reaching $10.4 billion by 2025, compared to approximately $2.8 billion in 2020. Celebrating its 27th year in India, LG continues to reinforce its presence with local sales, manufacturing, and research and development operations. The company’s CEO, Cho Joo-wan, emphasized this commitment with a visit last June, exploring new prospects in ed-tech and other IT solution-based businesses.

Tags: B2B MarketEd-tech SectorLGLG Electronics

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