14 Time Capsules inspiring Young Generations

“Today, when a new world order is emerging, the world is looking at India with a hope and confidence, then India will also have to increase its efforts to rise up to the occasion”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he inaugurated the ‘Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya’, a museum telling the glorious story of India after independence through the lives and contributions of all the 14 Prime Ministers of the country so far.

The Prime Minister also expressed pride in the fact that many of the Prime Ministers came from ordinary families. “It also gives confidence to the youth of the country that even a person born in an ordinary family can reach the highest positions in the democratic system of India… The more our youth knows about key occasions of Independent India, the more relevant will be their decisions,” said PM Modi, in a hope that the museum will expand the experience of the young generations. He said, “Every government formed in independent India has contributed in taking the country to the height it is at today… To remember them is to know the journey of independent India. People coming here will be familiar with the contribution of the former Prime Ministers of the country, their background, their struggles and creations”. The museum also gives some glimpses of our long fought freedom struggle and the making of the constitution which incorporated the beauties of then various existing constitutions across the globe.

Representing a seamless blend of the old and the new, the Sangrahalaya is safeguarding the past through its physical remains incorporated with technology-based interfaces like holograms, virtual reality, augmented reality, multi-touch, multimedia, interactive kiosks, computerized kinetic sculptures, smart-phone applications, interactive screens and experiential installations to present content in an interactive and engaging manner. These tech-based interfaces encompass heterogeneity in content and frequent rotation of display, making all 43 galleries of the museum a treat for the eyes.

Conceptualization of Sangrahalaya is guided by the vision of PM Modi to honour the contribution of all Prime Ministers of India towards nation building. Logo of the Sangrahalaya represents the hands of the people of India holding the Dharma Chakra symbolizing the nation and democracy. The design of the museum building is inspired by the story of rising India, shaped and moulded by the hands of its leaders. Keeping this tribute in ind, the design has been incorporated with sustainable and energy conservation practices. No trees were felled or transplanted during the course of work on the project. Also, the Sangrahalaya does include the erstwhile Nehru Museum, which throws light on the life and contributions of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. A number of gifts received by him from all over the world but not exhibited so far, have also been put on display.

The opening of such a rich collection is aimed at sensitizing and inspiring the younger generation about the leadership, vision and achievements of all our Prime Ministers.

Fundamental Work in Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is one fast emerging technology with the potential to change the way humans live on this planet. Delving into high-end technologies like AI, deep learning, IoT, DevOps, NLP and cloud computing may be the need of the hour, but it is quantum computing that has the kind of sophistication and potential to rule the current technologies and the way they are going to work. Quantum computing is going to be the platform on which majority of the technologies may be working in near future. Considering the urgency, technology superpowers like Google, Microsoft, IBM and others are in the pursuit of exploring things on this line, and even Government agencies are also encouraging committing support to the startups for relevant research.

The Indian government has already set up the ground for collaborations and developments. The QSim by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is one such opportunity. The Indian government announced Rs 8,000 crore for quantum computing in Union Budget 2020. The telecom industry has opened a myriad of opportunities for quantum computing through the quantum lab of the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering in MP. Medicine sector is also in research for the quantum algorithm to support it to give more intricate details like size, pattern, shape, and alignment to the researchers to come up with new drugs to deal with a situation created by Covid pandemic and others.

Quantum mechanics like any physical theory is based on experiments. While a large section of the scientific community is invested in building devices towards quantum computing applications, a separate community is invested in precision tests of fundamental aspects of quantum theory itself. A group of scientists from the Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, in a collaborative research have used quantum computers to perform some precision tests of the fundamental aspects of the quantum theory. These are known as Sorkin and Peres tests, the two vital tests to calculate the chances of happening of an event and determination of potential to behave as waves, respectively. As quantum computers are scalable quantum systems, these fundamental experiments could provide a universal programmable setup for developing a quantum circuit, which could be a Rosetta stone that allows translation of experiments from one physical system to another.

Summing up these experiments, RRI’s Professor Urbasi Sinha says that, “Our method provides a nice way to create well defined benchmarks for quantum computers so that we know exactly how error prone they are, by using the very foundations of quantum theory as the benchmarking tool.” India at the helm of such fundamental work of cutting edge Quantum Computing bodes well for New India.

Efforts towards Gram Rajya

Panchayats have a pivotal role to play in integrated rural development by focusing on the 17 SDGs which are subsumed under nine themes to ensure poverty-free, clean, healthy, child-friendly, and socially secured well-governed villages. Ministry of Panchayati Raj has introduced digital solutions like e-GramSwaraj for planning, budgeting and accounting of Panchayats, inspiring 2.38 lakh Gram Panchayats to adopt e-GramSwaraj. However, all Panchayats also need to be brought onto this platform to meet the digital mission of governance.In recent years, owing to the continuous efforts by the government, Panchayats have emerged as leaders, planners and policymakers at the grass-root level. This has enabled them to realize their national as well as global targets in the true spirit of the transition from ‘Local to Global’. It is also heartening to note here that India has achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) status in 2019, 11 years ahead of its actual timeline in 2030. Now Panchayats need to achieve complete sanitation and adopt waste management practices, converting waste to wealth. This will provide new confidence in rural economy. The government seems to be on target to provide clean drinking water to each household in the country by 2024, which would be a new milestone for the country as vast as India.

It is heartening that the increase in fund allocation to the rural local bodies from Rs.100 per capita per annum in the 10th Finance Commission has been raised to Rs.674 per capita per annum in the 15th Finance Commission, thanks to the growing focus of the present dispensation on the rural populace. Now Central Finance Commission funds are directly transferred to the bank accounts of Panchayats, leaving little or no scope for any diversion, dilution and deviation in the process. Similarly, now efforts are also being made to ensure that every grant meant for people should directly go to the eligible beneficiaries, and improve education, employment, water & other situations.

To further sensitize all stake holders in the process to give a boost to an all round development of the villages, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj is celebrating its iconic week under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Governance Conference, ‘Sushasan – Sugamta se Sampanta’ was also organized today (12th April). Through such programmes, the government is ensuring that the Panchayati Raj institutions become the real instruments to carry out the programmes of rural development. In this endeavour, Governance is playing a significant role in making Panchayati Raj Institutions functional and efficient. With the rapid expansion of the economy and the growing awareness and assertion of rights by the populace, the need and demand for good governance has also increased in recent years. Today’s governance style is becoming more citizen-oriented, citizen-centric, citizen-friendly, ensuring dedication, responsiveness and accountability of both official and Elected Representatives, towards rural development.

‘Ram Rajya is incomplete without Gram Rajya’ , the significance of Mahatma Gandhi’s famous statement is being well-realised today with burgeoning efforts being taken by the government to improve governance at rural level with focus on providing villages (approx 6.5 lakh) with connectivity, education, employment opportunity and entertainment. With the Centre and State Governments together implementing various development programmes, good governance is critical not only for ensuring social inclusion in the Government Programmes, but also for establishing accountability. And Panchayati Raj institutions have a definite mandate for realization of goal towards improving the quality of life in rural areas.

Knowing the State of Indian Agriculture

From an economy struggling with short supply to turn into a net exporter of agri-products, occupying seventh position globally, India has come a long way. It is one of the top producers of cereals (wheat & rice), pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat and marine fish. However, there are areas needing a lot of work for the nutritional security for harvesting the demographic dividend of the country. The country faces deficit of pulses & oilseeds. Though the availability of fruits & vegetables and milk & meat & fish has increased,but affordability is still a work in progress. No denial that a sea change has been witnessed in this domain and a look at working of key initiatives is must to understand the happenings and outlook.

PM-KISAN provides income support to small and marginal farmers, Krishi Bhagya Scheme empowers farmers to use modern technologies to yield more crops per drop of water, NMSA caters to key dimensions of ‘Water use efficiency’, ‘Nutrient Management’ and ‘Livelihood diversification’ through solutions of sustainable development, whereas PM Fasal Bima Yojana provides financial support to the farmers who suffer crop loss or damage. National Agriculture Market (eNAM) portal has been a huge success. The portal is a unified national market for agricultural commodities, a network of the existing APMC mandis. It makes better price discovery available now through transparent auction process based on quality of produce along with timely online payment.

“New India will be more prosperous if the farmers in the country are further empowered. I am happy that Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi and other schemes related to agriculture are giving new strength to crores of farmers of the country,” said PM Modi while sharing details of the benefits of different schemes of the Central government for the farmers.

The government has launched many schemes in Agriculture sector that have been producing exceptional results. These include PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), launch of E-NAM, National Mission For Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Gramin Bhandaran Yojana, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Mrida Swastha Yojana, Livestock insurance Scheme, Scheme on Fisheries Training and Extension, etc.

These schemes have resulted in an unprecedented increase in Agricultural exports and production figures. India’s agri exports crossed USD 50 billion for the year 2021-22, notwithstanding logistical challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic in the form of high freight rates, container shortages, etc. According to the DGCI&S data, exports of many agri items registered record growth including exports of rice, pulses, wheat, other cereals, dairy products, poultry products, sheep/goat meat, Fruits and vegetables, Floriculture, etc. Various initiatives taken by Centre through APEDA such as organizing B2B exhibitions in different countries, exploring new potential markets through product specific and general marketing campaigns by active involvement of Indian Embassies have helped as well. Major export destinations as per 2021-22 data are Bangladesh, UAE, Vietnam, USA, Nepal, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iran and Egypt.

More than 300 outreach programmes in collaboration with state governments have been organised in the country, products matrix for 50 agricultural products which have good scope for expanding exports portfolios have also been created by the government and concerned authorities. Centre has also taken othe initiatives like promotion of geographical indications (GI), recognition of 220 labs across India to provide services of testing to a wide range of products to exporters, facilitating participation of exporters in the International Trade Fairs, organising national events like AAHAR, Organic World Congress, BioFach India etc. Government, through the aegis of APEDA also initiates registration of pack-houses for horticulture products for meeting the quality requirements of the international market. APEDA has adopted multiple world class technology and software in IT division such as Blockchain technology implemented in hortinet traceability, Farmer Connect Portal, Geographical Indications (GI) Promotion Portal, Mobile App, iTrack System, TraceNet, Organic Promotional Portal, Agriexchange App, and Cloud Migration etc.

This significant rise in agri-exports is seen as a testimony of the government’s commitment to enhance farmers’ income through giving thrust on boosting exports of agricultural and processed food products.

Journalists of Future

Kacha baadaam, kacha baadaam! Simultaneous access of high end camera and good internet connectivity through smartphones is becoming ubiquitous. This has made everyone a content producer with access to whole wide world. Citizen journalism is around the corner. Coupled with advents of machines as personal assistants and smart writers, what is going to be fate of a journalism student?

While treatment of news seems rather facile, authenticity of facts, figures, sources and maintaining a responsible view in writing require much more maturity, given the importance of sending a balanced message and accounts to the readers. The latter part is the area which requires greater human intervention, whereas tech-based solutions and tools can now takeover the other steps involved in the process of news production – information gathering, composition, analysis, compilation, adding backgrounder & follow-ups etc.

The process starts with gathering information through various sources and channels, a tedious task where newsrooms are required to find the best pieces from a sea of copies and remove the redundant. This can be easily done now using some simple AI tools and bots which reduce human intervention to great lengths. Such an inheritance is but prone to acquiring undesired bits too, which may lead to inclusion of misinformation and biased opinions/content. This scourge of fake news and misinformation can be dealt with through blockchain technology by using its ability to establish the origin of a story or fact.

AI is helping journalists and media persons in transcribing Audio and Video Interviews allowing them to spend their time on deriving insights instead. It is feasible now to examine large databases and even send alerts as soon as a trend or anomaly emerges from big data. It can provide content producers and publisher’s tools to identify fake news and lessen their impact on their readership. AI can even assist in lessening the subjective interpretation of the data as its machine learning (ML) algorithms are trained to consider accuracy. The bigger picture leads to far greater realities where AI & ML can make automated Newsrooms, publishing and Robotics, etc. possible.

The best use of AI and machine learning in media could be its assistance in direct news operations too, like primary preparation of long-form articles, in-depth analyses and addition of story backgrounders & timelines etc. Once an AI-based draft is ready, simple corrections and basic copy-editing can help media houses produce volumes of news copies. AI-written articles are currently limited to simple and formulaic topics including stock market results, sports game scores, etc. British daily newspaper ‘The Guardian’ has already started using AI & ML tools to produce machine-written articles.

The time and money being saved from such a technological assistance needs to be spent on performing a much more responsible and qualitative journalism, something that the world seems to be missing out on. This can provide journalists and media firms much more flexibility and scope to be in touch with ground reality and at the same time, also be able to see and gather content with added accountability and cut through various layers of misinformation that may be added to the content and suggestions. If used properly by trained journalists, AI can revolutionise the way the Indian Media struggles for covering the entire country, which is so densely populated, has so many languages, religions, so many ministries, legal issues, a nation which brims with vast political happenings on a daily-basis.

Hindi Medium for Engineering and Medicine

Understanding the language of nature and writing them in mathematical formula like no one before was not enough, that Ramanujan needed to spend time, energy and alas even life to be recognised in a language aliens to him. It is painful to calculate the loss which could have been prevented if he would had worked in his mother tongue.

Talking especially of technical education, Indian talent has suffered great losses in the name of language. It’s a psychologically proven fact that students grab things in their mother tongue much more easily than in a language they start reading later in their life. This hampers the cognitive ability, which is essential for spontaneous development.

Providing equal opportunities and level playing field to the mother tongue medium students, who appear to be in a bad shape when it comes to reading technical books and writing exams in English, is essential to bring parity in the education system. Situation seems to be rather worse in Hindi speaking states as around 50% of all students come from the Hindi background. Bringing to the fore the inherent talent of the students coming from backwards areas, rural background, etc. & tapping it to the fullest is essential for complete transformation of the technical education system which doesn’t appear to be in a good shape presently. If their technical abilities are left unharnessed, the dream of a knowledge based economy of 21st century with a scientific bent of mind, can’t be realized.

Language is the biggest roadblock to R&D as technicality or technical education or intelligence of an individual has nothing to do with any language. It has been proved time and again by different scientific researches. The scientific developments in countries like Japan, China, France, Israel, Germany and a few others have sufficiently and repeatedly proved to the globe that technical education could be provided equally efficiently in any language of the world.

Currently technical education is a prerogative to the students coming from only relatively higher economic and social strata of the society, however they may or may not be good for the technical education. The reason behind the failure of engineering in Hindi medium project was translation of engineering terminology in Hindi. For making technical education a success, it is essential that books be written by the technical experts who could write in Hindi or in association of the people who also write Hindi well and understands technical education or things related to it.

India is also a country with a large section of its population falling in the middle class category. Students, belonging to particularly this section are majorly inclined towards pursuing either Engineering or Medical studies. It is high time the barriers of language be removed for the lot in order to free up their time, energy, money and increasing their chances of having a more promising future, and ultimately increasing chances for the country to expect more promising future generations .