Category Archives: Science & Technology

Bulk Drug Farm Park to come up on 1,000 acres in Kadechur-Badiyal

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology

Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar has said that the Kadechur-Badiyal Industrial Area in Yadgir district will shortly get a Bulk Drug Farm Park on 1,000 acres of land.

He was addressing reporters after visiting the industrial area on Tuesday.

He said that the proposed Bulk Drug Farm Park will come up on 1,000 acres of land as Raichur MP Raja Amareshwar Naik has shown special interest in bringing such a park to the region. He has also submitted a proposal to Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers D.V. Sadananda Gowda.

“We have reserved the required 1,000 acres of land out of the 3,300 acres that has been acquired in the industrial area. A delegation will be taken to Delhi to discuss the proposal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Sadananda Gowda,” Mr. Shettar said and added that this industry will help develop the district.

Recalling Invest Karnataka-Hubballi that was held in Hubballi, the Minister said that nearly a 1,000 industrialist-delegates participated and 43 memorandums of understanding had been signed.

“As many as 15 companies have shown interest in establishing factories in the Kadechur-Badiyal Industrial Area. After the Invest meet, ₹ 31,000 crore was proposed to be invested to develop industries in the State,” he added.

Mr. Shettar said that remarkable changes had been brought in by the industrial policy, and an authority has been constituted to give a boost to tier 2 and tier 3 cities. A Special Investment Region Area has been adopted in the policy covering Dharwad, Kalaburagi and Shivamogga and these areas will see considerable growth, he added.

The Karnataka Industries (Facilitation) Act 2002 has been amended giving certain relaxations to industrialists and the required land will be allotted to them. According to the amendment, industries with less than ₹ 15 crore capital will get the necessary approvals from the district administrations and those with more than ₹ 15 crore capital will get approvals from a committee headed by the Chief Minister and himself. “Industrialists can start their industries immediately after applying for permission without any waiting period. This was the first such reforms in the country,” Mr. Shettar said.

‘Meaningless remarks’

Reacting sharply to Monday’s remarks by the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Mr. Shetter said that “his remarks are meaningless. Initially, he was saying that the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress had toppled the coalition government. Now, he is saying that it was the drug mafia. He will change his versions according to the circumstances he is in. He could have instead revealed the right reason why the coalition government collapsed.”

Mr. Raja Amareshwar Naik, Chairman of Nijasharana Ambigara Chowdayya Development Board Baburao Chinchansur, MLA Shivaraj Patil, MLC B.G. Patil, BJP district president Sharanabhupal Reddy and Chandrashekhargouda Maganur and others were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Yadgir – September 01st, 2020

NIT-K ranked fourth globally in Google Summer Code 2020

Amazing Feats, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The National Institute of Technology – Karnataka (NIT-K), Surathkal, has been ranked fourth globally in the list of universities with the most accepted students for Google Summer Code (GSoC) – 2020.

The GSoC is a global programme organised by Google Open Source team with an aim to introduce students to open source software development. The students are paired with mentors from open source organisations to work on a programming-intensive project. This year, the programme is running from June – August 2020, the institute said in a release.

It said that 23 students from NITK got selected for GSoC 2020 in some of the best open source organisations across the world. A total of 1,198 students from 550 universities globally are participating in GSoC 2020.

Over the past three years, there has been a voluntary and organised effort led by Mohit P. Tahiliani, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and interested students from various departments of NIT-K to structurally plan out open source activities in the institute. The first batch which was a part of the effort resulted in seven selections in GSoC and the number has increased in the past two years, thereby showing the growth of NITK in the field of open source contributions, the release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / Mangaluru – August 21st, 2020

Explore the past, present and future of plants

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology

Science Gallery Bengaluru will hold its first digital exhibition from August 21 to 30

Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) will hold its first digital exhibition, ‘PHYTOPIA’, which will explore the past, present and future of plants, from August 21 to 30.

Science Gallery Bengaluru Mediators, a group of selected and trained young adults, will hold 60-minute sessions every day to engage in conversations with visitors based on the theme of the exhibits.

On Fridays and weekends, there will be talks and events by prominent scholars and artists such as on ‘Who feeds Bengaluru’ and ‘On documenting indigenous food culture’.

In addition, there will be workshops, and an opportunity to submit articles that look at plants critically and creatively.

“The United Nations generally has research-led years. For example, last year was the International Year of the Periodic Table. This year, it’s the International Year of Plant Health. Last year, we did our first pop-up exhibition called ELEMENTS. This year, we thought of plant health. We haven’t done it narrowly on plant health, but took that as a starting point to think about what is it that excites us about plants,” said Dr. Jahnavi Phalkey, founding director, SGB,

Stating that while the exhibition is open to everyone, she says the programming, including workshops, and masterclasses, is specifically targeted at young adults between the ages of 15 and 28.

The exhibition has been developed in partnership with the John Innes Centre, an independent, international centre of excellence in plant science and microbiology based in the UK. The programme partner is Bengaluru Sustainability Forum and Bangalore International Centre is the outreach partner. Chemical ecologist Shannon Olsson, ecologist Harini Nagendra and independent scholar Sita Reddy are the academic advisors to the exhibition.

As for the challenges of holding an exhibition online for the first time, Dr. Phalkey said, “We are an institution that was meant to produce physical exhibitions. It meant we had to retool ourselves and reimagine what our programming would look like. We want to provide a high quality experience but not necessarily limited to the 10 people who have high-tech devices. It was about being able to produce an interesting exhibition while trying to catch people’s attention. Because those who can, are already consuming so much online right now, from shopping to education. So, how do you create something that will draw them in? That, for us, is a challenge and a debate.”

Entry is free. Details at https://bit.ly/phytopia2020

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Aparna Narain / August 19th, 2020

A Tribute To Dr. Indra Amla

Amazing Feats, Science & Technology

DrIndraBF13aug2020

Her popularity as a Doctor was so much, some patients even named their daughters ‘Indra’

When Sam Cherian called me on Saturday morning and gave the news of Dr. Mrs. Indra Amla’s demise, I rushed to their house and paid my last respects to her. In the afternoon when I was sitting at home I remembered some of the events over four decades of association.

Dr. Indra Amla was always seen by us in CFTRI campus during 1972 (when I was a student) as a serious  Doctor who spoke less and would go to her work at Cheluvamba Hospital and return for lunch and again go back to work in the evening in a Herald car, I think.

As a Doctor by profession, she was very busy as one could see. Her popularity as a Doctor was so much, I know some patients who have even named their daughters Indra in reverence to Dr. Indra Amla.

Over a period of time when I came back from the USA,  Dr. Amla and family too had returned from USA after her stint at the  World Bank. I was working as a Scientist at CFTRI and I saw her involved more with some of the Projects on Proteins  and Nutrition at CFTRI and other Hospitals of Mysore, in spite  of her busy schedule with the local Hospitals — especially pertaining to Nutrition and Paediatrics.

Many people at CFTRI came to know her more at that time. After I took over as Director, she used to bring us new thoughts with JSS Hospital involvement where she was working and after her retirement from Government service.

Her interest in the subject of ‘under-nutrition’ became more and more intense. We made a draft of a project towards that and sent it to the Government. But, like it happens to Governments, it did not move forward fast enough which frustrated Dr. Amla who once mentioned to me “How much does it cost? I will take care of the expenditure and let us move ahead.” It was a small project. That showed her commitment to children and women and to help them somehow. In the end, the project did not take off but Dr. Indra Amla’s passion to serve women and children did not die.

Over the years we used to visit Dr. Amla’s residence on Contour Road, Gokulam and later in Hinkal.  She was an excellent host and conversationalist. And her conversations inevitably always led to something to do with service to society.

She had another side too — her love for animals, especially her two dogs Boney and Mint. After retirement the family settled in their own home near Hinkal in a small coconut grove. But the dogs were still attached to the CFTRI campus and would land up at the campus making                                their way from far off Hinkal. Dr. Amla, who would visit the campus for half-a-day would then meet the dogs on campus and indulge them in a sort of conversation, as if to know how their day went. She would then drive them back home, like a mother picking up her children after school !

Dr. Indra Amla was a committed worker not only during service but even after retirement. I feel with the passing of Dr. Indra Amla, the iconic era of exceptional women doctors who stood for a cause in Mysuru, has come to an end.

May her soul Rest in Peace.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by Dr. V. Prakash, Former Director of CFTRI and Distinguished Scientist of CFTRI / August 03rd, 2020

Bengaluru-based startup StepOne launches national COVID-19 Telemed helpline

Records, All, Science & Technology

TS Raghavendra Prasad, founder, StepOne, said that this is an effective method to prevent overburdening of our healthcare workers.

Mysuru :

StepOne, a Bengaluru-based Startup has announced a 24×7 national COVID Telemed Helpline.  The helpline will provide services related to COVID, non-COVID and mental health issues.

Citizens can call the helpline number 9745697456 anytime and get a call back from a healthcare expert in a few minutes to understand the needs of the caller. After the caller explains the symptoms, if required, a doctor would be put through to guide them further.

TS Raghavendra Prasad, founder, StepOne, said that this is an effective method to prevent overburdening of our healthcare workers.  “We aim at serving people with their COVID, non-COVID and Mental Health query. Through a collective effort of 4000+ verified doctors, technologists, entrepreneurs and operators, we aspire to reach every nook and corner of the country and extend our support to the ones in need.”

“One can call on our helpline numbers which will provide with options to choose their symptoms, followed by a call with registered healthcare expert to confirm the findings. On the basis of these, our experts make recommendations to the individual as well as the government. So far, our volunteer doctors have been able to identify over 40,000 high-risk COVID-19 suspects and also managed to prevent about 3.2 lakh people from getting infected and we wish to continue our efforts in this direction,” he added.

“StepOne is an empanelled partner for telemedicine consultations on Aarogya Setu Mitr, an ancillary service on the Aaroya Setu app that enables free teleconsultation for those with COVID19-like symptoms. We are committed to providing high-quality healthcare to all communities in the long run and we see ourselves as a charitable online hospital which will ensure healthcare access to all regardless of their financial or social status,” said Raghavendra Prasad.

StepOne has also come up with a web-based tele-screening both that interacts with citizens who wish to share their symptoms and passes the information to a doctor based on the symptoms. It has also come up with a mental health helpline providing counselling to citizens for expressing their issues for appropriate resolutions.

For the next phase of expanding its services, StepOne plans to launch a mobile app for citizens of the country to share their symptoms with a doctor remotely for e-consultation and free of charge.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Business / by K Rathna / Express News Services / August 12th, 2020

IISc-Bengaluru, IIT-Madras top HRD ministry rankings

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The Indian Institute of Science at Bengaluru in Karnataka is the No.1 higher educational institute in the country as per NIRF rankings.

Bengaluru's IISc has also been ranked as the top university in India, as per the second edition of India Rankings under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) released on Monday. | Express File Photo
Bengaluru’s IISc has also been ranked as the top university in India, as per the second edition of India Rankings under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) released on Monday. | Express File Photo

New Delhi :

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, the first Indian institution to make it to the top 10 in a global ranking, has been ranked at the top in the annual national rankings released by the HRD ministry.

Seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have also made it to the list of the top 10 educational institutions released under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), the other two being Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

The results of the second edition of the domestic ranking were announced by HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar here today.

Unlike last year, this time the ranking was released under five categories — Overall, Colleges, Universities, Management and Engineering.

IISc figured at the top in ‘Overall’ and ‘Universities’ categories.

JNU, which was at third position in the last ranking, has been ranked second this year in ‘Universities’ category.

In the ‘Overall’ ranking, the university, which has been at the centre of controversies for over a year, has been placed at the sixth position.

Last month, IISc was ranked eighth in the Times Higher Education or THE Rankings, 2017 in the “best small universities” category, joining the elite list that includes California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from the US, Ecole Normale Superieure from France and Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea.

The NIRF outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. The methodology draws from the overall recommendations and broad understanding arrived at by a core committee set up by the ministry, to identify the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions.

The parameters broadly cover ‘Teaching, Learning and Resources’, ‘Research and Professional Practices’, ‘Graduation Outcomes’, ‘Outreach and Inclusivity’ and ‘Perception’.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by PTI / April 03rd, 2017

The write way

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Software by city-based brothers looks at helping screenwriters, with options to pen their work in regional languages.

Prashanth and Praveen Udupa
Prashanth and Praveen Udupa

Bengaluru :

When Covid-19 struck India, Bengaluru-based brothers Prashanth and Praveen Udupa knew it would be a long time before their venture would be allowed to open doors again. The two are co-founders of a mini theatre called TERIFLIX, which is currently shut due to safety concerns. But instead of rueing the situation, they decided to look at the other end of the spectrum, and shifted their focus from exhibiting films to helping those involved with writing them instead.

This gave birth to Scrite – a screenplay writing software that allows screenwriters to write in Hindi, Kannada, Sanskrit, Odiya, Tamil and more. So far, they have seen 500 unique installations, including from users in France, UK and USA.Prashanth, who has written the code, says the idea came from his passion of reading and writing screenplays. “When I was trying to write a screenplay, I remember thinking how I wish the app would have responded better to me. Most tools let you write in a linear format but I wanted something that would let me visually capturing the structure of the story,” explains the 38-year-old.

While one would think that all you need to write a screenplay is a blank writing document, Prashanth explains how a screenwriting software doesn’t just provide you a canvas to pen down your story, but also gives you tools that help planning the production and pre-production stages of a project. “For example, we have tools like character report – which when chosen for a particular actor, compiles all the scenes he or she appears in, while highlighting the particular dialogues for them,” adds Prashanth.

Other features that Scrite, for which filmmaker Surya Vasishta contributed towards UI/UX, offers: Location reports (that compiles the number of day and night scenes in a particular setting, which could help in scheduling), character screen matrix reports (which chart out all the characters present in a particular scene) and more.

Currently in beta phase, the duo is seeking feedback for the open source code software, which was developed in three weeks during the first lockdown. New features are currently in the works, including one that allows for more collaboration. “Sometimes, the people who write the dialogues are not the same as the person who writes the screenplay. Multiple writers can be involved with a script so the new feature will look at making it easier for them,” he says.

The tool offers samples of screenplays of Bhinna, animated film Punyakoti, The Matrix and more, so as to help students as well. “The idea was never about making a revenue. We just want to add value to different aspects of filmmaking – be it writing or exhibiting,” says Praveen. Currently, the software (available on Scrite.io) is free to run.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Simran Ahuja / Express News Service / July 30th, 2020

‘IISc. mobile labs will be handed over to Karnataka govt. shortly’

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The mobile RT-PCR testing laboratory created by IISc. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The mobile RT-PCR testing laboratory created by IISc. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The first set of mobile laboratories designed by a team at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) is ready to be deployed and will be handed over to the State government shortly.

Speaking to The Hindu days after being appointed, IISc. director Govindan Rangarajan said the faculty members were engaged in many areas of research on COVID-19. “One of our labs is working on an indigenous vaccine in collaboration with an IISc.-incubated startup. We are also developing test kits that are less expensive and yield faster results. A research team has designed mobile labs for RT-PCR testing that can be dispatched to remote areas, and these are ready to be deployed and will be handed over to the State government shortly. A COVID-19 test centre has also been set up on campus. Our researchers have built prototypes of low-cost scalable ventilators made with locally available components,” he said.

The team developing the mobile labs said one sample collection, sample processing, and sample testing lab each was being handed over to the State government this week. Together, these three labs will enable the processing of up to 200 samples a day — from collection to final RT-PCR test report. “With the flexibility of deployment anywhere in the State, MITR Labs enable a critical tool in the COVID-19 response in the State by reducing the turnaround time for test results. Depending on where the Health Department sees the most need for testing and the longest delay in getting test results, MITR Labs can be deployed near that location,” said Sai Siva Gorthi, associate professor, Instrumentation and Applied Physics, IISc.

The team at ShanMukha Innovations, a company incubated at the Society for Innovation and Development, IISc., is geared up to produce additional units of MITR Labs through their network of vehicle, fabrication, and equipment suppliers. It has started working with the State government to share the benefits of the solution and generate demand to drive the scale-up plans.

Predictions

Prof. Rangarajan also said that another important line of research being carried out was predicting the future course of this pandemic and the effects of various containment measures, which could be of immediate use to policymakers and public health experts. An app that can help identify people who may have crossed paths with COVID-19 patients is also being deployed, he said.

Stressing the need for institutions and governments to learn to work together during these unprecedented times, he said the pandemic was a reminder of the importance of coming together to work on scientific and technological solutions to society’s most pressing problems. “We will continue working on such solutions and will engage with industry and government agencies to ensure that they are rapidly deployed to tackle this crisis,” he added.

Asked about the challenges ahead administratively and academically, the IISc. director said the first priority was ensuring the safety of students, faculty and staff as they start working towards resuming normal teaching and research activities. “The other pressing need is to ensure the mental well-being of our students and to help them navigate through these difficult times. We are currently making plans for the next academic year and are discussing issues related to providing further support for COVID-19 research.”

For the coming academic year, admission interviews were conducted online. “We will also have to do the same for comprehensive exams and thesis defence. Discussions are on about how to hold classes, although they are also likely to be conducted remotely. The same is true for placement interviews,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by K.C.Deepika / Bengaluru – July 26th, 2020

Karnataka’s first plasma bank launched

Records, All, Science & Technology

So far, only 10 donors have come forward to donate plasma, which is given to critical Covid patients.

Ambulance staffers on Covid-19 duty grab a bite as they wait near a testing centre on JC Road, Bengaluru, on Tuesday | Nagaraja Gadekal
Ambulance staffers on Covid-19 duty grab a bite as they wait near a testing centre on JC Road, Bengaluru, on Tuesday | Nagaraja Gadekal

Bengaluru :

To combat the surge in Covid-19 cases, the state government, in association with the Covid India Campaign and HCG Hospital in Bengaluru, on Tuesday launched the state’s first plasma bank, COPE (Covid Plasma Endeavour). It was inaugurated at HCG Hospital by Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan and MP Tejasvi Surya.

So far, only 10 donors have come forward to donate plasma, which is given to critical Covid patients. An online registry too was opened a few days ago to help patients place their requests. Till now, five of the eight patients who were administered plasma have recovered. The three others who died were very critical. The country has only four to five plasma banks, and the first was launched in New Delhi earlier this month.

Dr Vishal Rao, Regional Director, Head & Neck Surgical Oncology, HCG Global, said, “We need to strengthen our fight against the virus. Plasma therapy has shown encouraging results in clinical trial settings, especially in critical Covid patients. We need more people who have recovered from the infection to donate plasma so that we can save innocent lives.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / July 22nd, 2020

Zoom to set up new tech centre in Bengaluru after it sees 6700% growth; hiring across various verticals to begin soon

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Zoom will also expand its existent Mumbai office, to almost triple its size, an official statement said.

A billboard of Zoom app. (Photo| AP)
A billboard of Zoom app. (Photo| AP)

Popular video conferencing app, Zoom which counts tech giants like Google, Microsoft and Jio as its rivals, will soon set up its first tech centre in Bengaluru to aid India and global operations, Velchamy Sankarlingam, President of Product and Engineering for Zoom said.

The video conferencing platform will immediately begin hiring DevOps engineers, IT, Security, and Business Operations for its Bengaluru tech centre the video conferencing service saw a 6700 per cent growth in the country from January to April, 2020 during the COVID pandemic.

“Paid user base has increased by 4 times in India from January-April,” Sankarlingam added.

Zoom will also expand its existent Mumbai office, to almost triple its size, an official statement said. California headquartered firm has also data centres in Mumbai and Hyderabad. Without revealing the current employee strength, Zoom has in India, the company’s top management said that all the employees will continue to work from home.

“India is a strategically important country for Zoom and we expect to see continued growth and investment here. We are proud to provide our services for free to over 2,300 educational institutions in India during the COVID-19 pandemic, and look forward to continuing to work with the people and government of India hand-in-hand,” Eric S. Yuan, CEO of Zoom said.

“We plan to hire key employees for the technology center over the next few years, pulling from India’s highly-educated engineering talent pool. This facility will play a critical role in Zoom’s continued growth,” he added.

Zoom to focus on safety/ privacy issues in India

Delving on the security concerns raised by Indian government and activist groups while using Zoom app, the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Aparna Bawa said that the platform is working to ensure end-to-end encryption for all its users in India  and that following the advisories issued by MHA and cybersecurity regulator, Computer Emergency Response Team of India( CERT_ on May 29, Zoom has enhanced its security features. “ We are providing the ‘control your own data routing’ features wherein all our paid customers have the option to completely safeguard the data.”

CERT had earlier pointed out that meeting apps like Zoom, Microsoft Team, Cisco Webex are vulnerable to cyber attacks which may allow criminals to have an easy acess to sensitive information shared on these platforms.

Zoom’s top executives said that the advisories are a routine feature in a COVID pandemic environment where work from home has become a norm and hence the governments are advising on enhanced security features.

Founded in 2011, in San Jose, California, Zoom has been able to scale up its services to overseas markets besides US. The company’s Q1 revenues for the quarter ended April 30, 2020 saw a growth by 169% at $328.2 million and the number of daily active users jumped to 300 million in April from 10 million in January.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Business / by Bismah Malik / Express News Service / July 21st, 2020