Setting up to harness 5G advantage

An unstoppable rise, a dizzying advance in data-carrying capacity, a decrease in latency and over 40 years of a journey – that is how a revolutionary milestone from 1G to 5G in the telecommunication sector has been achieved. Every ten years since 1979, each newer generation has experienced a changed way of communication as it evolved exponentially. From becoming truly “mobile” with analogue technology in the late 80s to live streaming videos with 4G technology, the abbreviated “G” has shown us the unending potential of Data capacity in the faster world.

And as Union Electronics & IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made the country’s first-ever 5G call at IIT Madras, India made a historic technological breakthrough in the telecom sector. The successful testing of this 5G call on an indigenously-developed network was done at the 5G Test Bed set up at the IIT Madras campus, which was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated on 17th May, marking an important step toward self-reliance in futuristic and modern technology in the telecom sector. A state-of-art, global best-in-class advanced Indigenous 5G Solution comprises gNB (a radio base station that connects 5G New Radio (NR) devices to the 5G core network) and Core Network. The 5G Test Bed is also equipped with CPE, a latest nBIoT ASIC chip, Advanced Use cases (IoT, Smart Meter, V2X), and Advanced Technology ( Lifi as a last-mile high-speed delivery mechanism, Multi-RAT Solution). Further, the Hardware and Software developed in the project are available to entities that would like to make commercial use of the IPs through flexible licensing models as per the policies of the concerned Institutes.

Notably, the Test Bed is available to research institutions, academia, government bodies and industry for various R&D, product development, and capacity development activities. The facility will be available at 5 different locations in the country.

Speaking at the TRAI’s silver jubilee event, PM Narendra Modi had said that estimates show that the 5G network rollout will add USD 450 billion to the Indian economy. Highlighting the role of the telecom sector in the progress of the country, he had also said that by the end of this decade, the country will be able to launch 6G services of its own. The prospects seem to be strong too given the pace at which studies and collaborative efforts are bringing the change. However, with research and technological finesse, that is being harnessed from accomplished technical institutes like IIT, India also needs foresightedness and congealed management strategies, in order to realise its growth endeavours. True advancement lies not only in ideological and technological fundamentals, but also in the form in which they are furthered, an addition that can be best experimented through solid planning, managerial and result-oriented approach. Top management institutes and think-tanks can play a massive role in carving out successful itenerary for such projects.

Garib Kalyan Sammelan – A war against poverty

The war is not only on the borders. The vast majority of country has been fighting against poverty. A population impoverished by brutal foreign rule and resultant widespread scarcity of resources has been living in a situation seeming like un-winnable battle for a long long time. The onset of Covid pandemic would have meant bengal-famine like starvation situation if not handled properly. From very beginning PM Modi’s focus has been on the inclusive development of the all sections of the society especially that of the poor and needy. Earlier today, PM Modi who was in Shimla, marking completion of eight years of the government, interacted with beneficiaries of different government schemes. He heard them appreciating government’s schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission, PM Aawas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi among others, which have proved to be huge successes with the smooth process giving no reason to face any hiccup in availing the benefits.

Putting asides the discrepancies and difficulties paved on its path, India successfully ventured out with a victorious flag in poverty alleviation and food security to the needy. Only recently, the World Bank hugely appreciated the efforts being made by the Government of India in reducing absolute poverty and robust economic growth that has led more than 90 million people escape extreme poverty with improved living standards, further highlighting PM Modi’s most fulfilling 8 years journey in “Desh Seva”.

Amid a grand welcome and thunderous applause upon reaching Shimla, Prime minister interacted with a host of beneficiaries of different government schemes. During the event, he also released the 11th installment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, which provides a new lease of life to the farmers badly hit by Covid and other occasional natural calamities. Terming himself as the Pradhan Sevak of 130 crore people, PM Modi at the ‘Garib Kalyan Sammelan’ released Rs 21,000 crore to more than 10 crore beneficiary farmers.

During the interactions, farmers shared their experiences about the PM-Kishan Scheme also, which is a central sector scheme with 100% funding from Government of India. Having become operational from 1.12.2018, the scheme gives an income support of 6,000/- per year in three equal installments to all land holding farmer families. Definition of the family for the scheme is husband, wife and minor children. State government and UT administration identify the farmer families which are eligible for support as per scheme guidelines and funds are directly transferred into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

Shimla Accord of July 1972 was an attempt of lasting peace with a hostile neighbor which unfortunately did not yield desired results. But, today it seems the hill city Shimla has seen redemption of its reputation that the war against poverty has been given a shot in the arm.

Educational system during and Post-COVID world

The National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021- the first exercise of the sort after Covid-19 pandemic struck India, has confirmed how badly school education has been hit by the Covid pandemic. For the first time, a study has quantified the impacts and extents, showing a sharp decline in the performance of majority of the students. Under NAS, about 34 lakh students from more than one lakh schools in 720 districts of the country, have been covered, showing a decline in national average percentage in a range of subjects. The average performance of schools in rural areas was significantly below than their counterparts in the urban areas. Around a quarter of students said they didn’t have an access to digital devices, so couldn’t take any advantage of the online education. Students from poor and rural background faced greater problems also because of the non-availability of parental support. Suspension of physical classes has led to germination of negativity in children.

School closure in India affected 320 million children enrolled from pre-primary to tertiary levels of education. It has been estimated that of these, about 158 million are female students. A parliamentary committee has observed that in the post-pandemic scenario, the probability of more adolescent girls dropping out of school permanently to help with household tasks and childcare due to the economic hardships of their families is very high. The daughters of the country know though how to fight back. They have been able to secure the top three ranks in the UPSC Civil Services 2021 Examination, results of which were declared today.

However, given the inevitable COVID circumstances, several steps and initiatives have helped in aiding the cause. India’s Public Broadcaster also filled the big vacuum by helping students across the country with their studies amidst lockdown. In collaboration with various State Government institutions, Doordarshan and All India Radio broadcasted virtual classes and other educational content through their regional channels across the country on TV and Radio. Prasar Bharati News Services & Digital Platform (PBNS) ensured digital availability of these classes via YouTube channels and NewsOnAIR.com APP and website. These virtual classes helped Lakhs of students, especially the 10th and 12th standard students in preparation for their board and competitive examinations.

Further, Union Budget this year made another special announcement for the Indian education sector and that is the well-thought plan of the Centre to establish a Digital University in the country. While making this announcement, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “A digital University will be established to provide access to the students across the country for world-class quality universal education with a personalised learning experience at their doorsteps.” This university will be a solution to many a problems like shortage of seats in university system, lack of quality education and teachers, etc. which force scores of students to end up with little or insignificant choices. This initiative will also ensure inclusivity as the students belonging to lower strata of the society; normally find it hard to make it to the top institutions because of the lack of access. Measures like e-Vidya, One Class One Channel, digital labs, digital universities will create an educational infrastructure, which will provide better education solutions to the students living in villages and small towns, and belonging to poor socio-economic and educational set up.

India passed National Education Policy 2020 at the right time too. Under NEP, a well designed framework is all set to bring deep educational reforms which focus on development of both technical and soft-skills among scholars. It lays emphasis on inquiry-based, discovery-based, and analysis-based ways to help children learn. Employability is also in fact one of the parts of the policy. Indian students have for so long failed to get decent and appropriate employment opportunities on the basis of their earned professional degrees. The NEP fixes this as it envisions to empower students through encouragement of a set of vocational, employable & entrepreneurial skills provided to them at different stages of training & education.

Mass movements for Clean India, Hydrated India

“Brothers and sisters, you must be getting shocked to hear the Prime Minister speaking of cleanliness and the need to build toilets from the ramparts of the Red Fort… I want to make a beginning today itself and that is – all schools in the country should have toilets with separate toilets for girls…” these were the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he delivered his first-ever I-Day speech in 2014. The ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ (SBM), which seemed like a far-fetched dream has actually turned out to be such a massive reality, a national movement, an unprecedented success.

It was through this mission that all the villages declared themselves open defecation free as on 2nd October, 2019. This time frame of five years was enough to invoke a national conscience. The fundamental messaging has been so strong during SBM 1.0, that the mission which started with a physical undertaking of building toilets could also rightly foster the subtle sense of maintaining cleanliness with a selfless intent and ‘seva bhav’. Thus SBM 2.0 started with an unprecedented vehemence in India. From paying from their own pockets to fix hygiene related issues, to waste management, to cleanliness drives, to cleaning water bodies and beaches, various communities and individuals from across the country began taking up social, political, financial and all other kind of challenges to do wider good by providing for and helping society, thus adding to the growing success of the mission.

PM Modi often narrates such Swachhata stories in his monthly radio programme. Today’s edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ too highlighted instances of cleanliness efforts. PM Modi mentioned about efforts of devotees who are worshipping in the Dham of Baba Kedar these days. He said that the devotees are also performing the ‘sadhna’ of cleanliness as some are cleaning areas near the place of stay, while others engage in cleaning garbage along the travel route. PM also mentioned about Rudra Prayag’s Shriman Manoj Bainjwal who, for the last 25 years, has been running cleanliness campaigns and been engaging in making holy places plastic free. PM Modi also urged listeners to make constant efforts for cleanliness and tree plantation and inspire others to do the same.

Many other sub-initiatives under the mission have also resulted in mass awareness. A nationwide “Plogging” drive, which is a combination of both Fit India Movement and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, was launched around 2018-19. A special plog run was organised in 2019 to mark the 5th anniversary celebration of SBM which was held in over 50 cities across India. Earlier in 2018, Bengaluru Plog Run got registered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the participants’ effort had led to 33.4 tons of plastic waste collection in under 12 hours. Another effort is the ‘Swachh Survekshan’ ranking exercise which is taken up by the Government of India every year to assess and laud rural and urban areas for their levels of cleanliness and active implementation. Another addition in this row is the ‘Swachhata Start-Up Challenge’, a game-changer move launched by MoHUA-AFD to provide an impetus to innovative start-ups to come forward and drive catalytic transformation in the sanitation and waste management sector. Awareness campaigns for causes like ‘Waste Management’, single-use plastic, sanitation coverage in rural areas, etc. are being run aggressively across the nation.

Further, India recently witnessed the inauguration of its first “Amrit Sarovar” at Patwai, Rampur in Uttar Pradesh. This has kick-started India’s journey to coin a historic transformation as it targets to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district, a massive drive which would lead to fresh creation of 50,000 water bodies in the country. Such a burgeoning zeal for cleanliness is not newfound but a result of years of pursuance through showcasing good will, good work and a sure vision.

Worrying trend of mental health among adolescent

Texas shooting in the USA, killing 19 children among 21 in a primary school attack by an 18 year boy, has again raised the rising concerns of mental health among adolescents. Experts from across the globe say- it would be oversimplification to say that such shootings happen because of the lax gun laws, which allow even an 18-year-old to buy a long automatic gun, but rather it is a worsening psychological condition forcing adolescents to go for a shooting spree.

Corroborating the popular concerns, WHO says, globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for around 13% of the global burden of disease in this age group. However, the majority of them do not seek help or receive care, rather they remain unrecognized and untreated. Depression, anxiety, behavioural disorders and suicidal tendencies are fast rising among adolescents.

The consequences of such adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead a fulfilling life as adults, besides creating upheavals in society. According to the WHO, if we do not act immediately, by 2030 depression will be the leading illness worldwide.

Multiple factors affect mental health. Childhood and adolescence are critical stages of life for mental health. During this formative time, rapid physical, emotional and social changes take place. Children and adolescents acquire cognitive and social-emotional skills that shape their future mental health and are important for assuming adult roles in society. However, exposure to poverty, abuse, violence, educational difficulties, bullying, harsh parenting, mental illness of parents, violence in the family, substance use, heavy episodic drinking, use of tobacco and cannabis, severe and socioeconomic problems and apathy of the system, family and society can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems.

Moreover, some adolescents are at greater risk of mental health conditions due to their living conditions, stigma, discrimination or exclusion, or lack of access to quality support system and services. The solutions, besides approaching expert medical practioners/clinical psychologists, include parents or guardians listening to their children and taking their feelings seriously, staying away from passing negative feelings and continuous acrimony, talking through the problem in order to work out the best way to tackle it, generate awareness among masses about mental illnesses.

India is also not immune to this crisis of enormous magnitude. According to India’s latest National Mental Health Survey, an estimated 150 million people across the country are in need of mental health care interventions. In India, lack of awareness, stigma related to mental disorders, delayed treatment-seeking behavior, lack of low-cost diagnostic tests and limited access and availability to easily available treatment further aggravate the problem.

However, the Government of India is implementing the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) under NMHP in 704 districts of the country. To generate awareness among masses about mental illnesses, information, education and communication (IEC) activities are an integral part of the NMHP.

Drone Revolution: Sky is the Limit

As the country celebrated Bharat Drone Mahotsav in the national Capital, a foundation has been laid for an emerging ecosystem of the drone market in India.

The post-Covid Indian scenario had gotten a hang of online delivery mechanism so well that two years down the line, getting things to the doorstep has become a part of businesses. As this idea settles down to mix well with the current logistical landscape across the country, many startups and tech-firms have already begun thinking of ways to use technology and evolve it to take delivery and mapping to another level. This is where Drones become tools of interest and future-shaping. India has acknowledged this well as recent years have seen many reforms inclined towards popularising drones – from liberalising the drone policy, to issuing SOP for using drones to spray pesticides in agricultural, forest lands and non-cropped areas, to permitting FPO’s to receive a grant of up to 75% of the cost of an agriculture drone, to introducing drone-powered solutions and government initiatives like the Svamitva scheme (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas).

Union Finance Minister had announced during the Budget 2022 that the Centre will promote ‘Kisan Drones’ to help farmers assess crops, digitise land records as well as spray insecticides and nutrients. She had also affirmed that drone development is one of the four priorities of the government moving forward. Earlier in February when Prime Minister Modi flagged off 100 Kisan drones in different parts of the country, he celebrated the occasion with a remark that ‘this is the best example of how far the country can fly if policies are drafted with the right spirit.’ The agriculture sector of India especially is rapidly moving towards modernisation with the incubation of Kisan Drones. Drones for agriculture is a concept that talks about a new edge revolution intended to boost the income of farmers, ensure capacity building in the areas of production, supply and more.

The Kisan Drone Suvidha could add a new chapter in the direction of modern agricultural facilities of the 21st century. With Subsidies, farmers’ drone demonstrations, drone pilot courses, and agricultural institutions, the government needs to cultivate a drone ecosystem for the ease of farmers. Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs), Rural entrepreneurs, and Agri startups are going to occupy the central stage to establish a flourishing Kisan Drone set up for farmers. By banning the imports of drones, the government is securing a way for Indian manufacturers to fill the gap of demand and supply of Drones that may arise in the near future. Subsequently, startups like ‘Garuda’ ‘Aerspace’ are leading the space with target of manufacturing 1 lakh Made-in-India drones in the next 2 years. In addition to doubling farmers’ income, and improving the Agri sector, the motive behind Kisan Drones is to promote chemical-free national farming. Sustainable farming practices are the future of Climate Action-packed initiatives of the governments around the world. Kisan Drones will help farmers avoid wastage of water and also assisting them with collecting, recording and monitoring environmental data, paving the way for smart farming practices.

However, it is not enough to just project, implementation is also very important. There are various challenges associated with implementing Kisan Drones in the rural areas, educating framers for the same is most important of all. The reality is that drone handling could be complex and reading data from the same even more so; flight time and range, battery life, land-holding, physical obstruction, connectivity interruptions, certified usage of chemicals and nutrients, etc need to be researched well to provide specialised training.

As India celebrates ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the ‘Made in India’ Kisan drones will leverage country’s goal of “Aatama Nirbhar Krishi” that will not only benefit farms but also encourage Entrepreneurship.