October SPOINDIA 2018

www.spoindia.org Vol. III | Issue 05 | October 2018 | Rs. 50

Is India ready for 5G? |

'Make in India' completes 4 years!

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The Make in India initiative was introduced to boost national economy and has achieved much-deserved global recognition since then. With the economy becoming domestically oriented, the dependency on imports has been scaling down gradually www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 1

2 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

OPEN YOUR EYES | 30 Editor-in-Chief: Deepak Kumar Sahu Executive Editor: S Mohini Ratna Assistant Editor: Samrita Baruah Copy Editor: C. M. Dutta Art Director: Rakesh Kumar Network Administrator: Ashok Kumar Singh Manager-IT: Subhash Mohanta Manager-SEO: Bidyadhar Behera

Modi inaugurates 182-metre long 'Statue of Unity' dedicated to Sardar Patel

BUSINESS: Vice President: Prasanna Rout General Manager: Ashok Ranjan Dash

CORPORATE OFFICE: A-84A/3 Rose Apartment, Paryavaran complex IGNOU Road, New Delhi - 110 030 Tel: 011-41656383, 46061809 Email: edit@spoindia.org

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Mumbai: Bureau office Regional Manager (West): Anil Kumar Anurag Residency, 203 - “B” Wing, Plot No-5, Sector-9, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai - 410 209 Tel: 022-65561292, Mobile: 08108017479

NEWS 6 - 14

Chennai: Bureau office

18 - SPOI ANALYSIS

Branch Manager: Mr.Parthiban K A2, R.C.Residency, Cholambedu Road, Thiruvenkada nagar, Ambathur, Chennai - 600 053 Mobile: 09840055626

Promises of Bitcoin and the Future of Blockchain

Hyderabad: Bureau office Branch Manager: Sunil Kumar 32-161/3, 202 Neha Paradise, Nr. Maissamma Temple, Venketeswara colony, Ramakrishna Puram Hyderabad - 500056, Telangana, Tel: 040-32989844/ Cell No. 08100298033

Kolkata: Bureau office Marketing Officer: Kiran Kumar 67 Sarada Park, Garia, Kolkata - 700 084 Mobile: 09903088480 Printed by Deepak Kumar Sahu and Published by Deepak Kumar Sahu on behalf of Deepak Kumar Sahu and Printed at Pushpak Press Pvt. Ltd. Shed No. 203 - 204, DSIDC Complex, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi-110 020 and Published at A-84A/3 Rose Apartment, Paryavaran complex, IGNOU Road, New Delhi - 110 030 Editor - Deepak Kumar Sahu

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20 - COVER STORY

5G steals the limelight at the India Mobile Congress 2018

26 - LEAD STORY

‘Make in India’ completes 4 glorious years!

28 - CSR CORPORATE

How Dell is transforming the life of people in Tawang 29 - SPOI ANALYSIS

Rehabilitation: helping employees with mental health conditions 30 - OPEN YOUR EYES

Modi inaugurates 182-metre long 'Statue of Unity' dedicated to Sardar Patel 36

ROUND ABOUT A Digital Dream

16 - INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

PM addresses 'Make in India' seminar in Tokyo www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 3

India and Japan strengthens technology and bilateral relationship Signs $75 billion worth of deal Data Science is an automated method to analyse massive amount of data from various source and extracting insights from them.

In today’s era all small and large corporate are sitting on a gold mine of data. However, the biggest challenge they are facing to use these data to get business insights which they can to take effective business decisions. At the same time, the disruptive technology, displaces an established technology and shakes up the industry or a ground-breaking product that creates a completely new industry.

The world around us is transforming rapidly with the evolution of technology and this change stems from continued innovation.

There is no doubt on the technology and innovation capability of japan. In the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at IndiaJapan business leader’s forum in Tokyo, India and Japan have signed a $75 billion bilateral currency swap agreement which will bring progress in ties and deepen strategic dimension of the bilateral relationship. The agreement expected to help bring greater stability to foreign exchange and capital markets in India.

Japan and India ties are deep like the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Technology is getting into deep root in curing various health disorders.to address this important segment, there is stepping up cooperation in traditional medicine as Ayurveda combines with Japanese technology.India and Japan have also decided to cooperate for the first time in the areas of Indian traditional medicinal systems such as Yoga and Ayurveda to provide holistic healthcare and wellness in both the countries.

PM Modi and Japan PM Shinzo Abe hold delegation level talks in Kantei. Modi seen first time as the great World class Futuristic leadersaid thatsome years ago he spoke about making a mini-Japan in India.“It's a matter of great happiness for me that today, you are working in an even larger number in India,” he said.

“You are Like Diwali Lamps Spreading Light", PM Modi said to Indians in Japan while congratulating the Indian community in Japan for taking 'brand India' to new heights by introducing cricket, Indian food and culture to the island nation, which has long worked with India in several sectors such as infrastructure, auto and technology.

Talking about technology innovation and disruption, very soon laptops will replace desktops and cloud computing will become highly disruptive technology to provide as a traditionally hosted service. Mobile phone made us possible for people to call us anywhere and disrupted the telecom industry and smart computing has made a mobile workforce possible and made it possible for people to connect to corporate networks and collaborate from anywhere. At the same time Facebook is losing friends among teens and young adults, and they are moving towards Instagram and Snapchat. Digital transformation brings newer opportunities in India, is opening newer doors for investors to establish and participate in India’s rewarding growth story.

Deepak Kumar Sahu Publisher & Editor-in-Chief 4 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

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17th STAR NITE AWARDS 2018 Friday, 23rd November 2018, Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi

ACCELERATING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Star Nite Awards (SNA) is known as the (DNA of channel), an annual event, is India's premium event. It provides a meaningful and collaborative platform by bringing the key VARs from across the country for accelerating business outcomes in newer technologies where the technology gurus, corporate honchos, CMOs, system integrators and solution partners will attend to understand on how industry, technology, standards and regulatory experts are getting digitally ready for the next wave of digitization.

SNA offers a compelling combination of prescheduled one-on-one meetings, VAR Symposium, awards, technology showcases and various workshop sessions to deliver a comprehensive business development platform for both vendors and channel partners. About 400+ participants from System Integrators, Solution Partners, Distributors, ISPs/ISVs, VARs, industry associations and media are expected to attend the event.

AGENDA : • Exclusive session with VARs • VAR Symposium • Afternoon Session: IT Associations Annual Meet • Recognisation Of 100 Eminent VARS in India • Partners Forum • Evening Session: Keynote Address • Tech talk (5 minutes) | • 60 seconds pitch • Vendors award nite • CMO of the year award

KEY HIGHLIGHTS : • • • •

Industry presentations, Tech Talk and Industry analysis Channel Leadership Awards Ceremony Channel Leadership Survey (CLS) report to unveil Exclusive interaction session among VARs & Vendors

“Technology changes so quickly that it's hard to know what's in, what's out,what works,and what doesn't."

Tech Talk / 60 - Seconds Elevator Pitch CMO’s in the organisation design various B2B and marketing programs to make the customer experience simpler by aligning with the VARs and the partner eco-system. By further aligning with the company’s vision, a CMO inspires the team to raise their goals, and promotes an environment in which employees have a sense of responsibility for the whole organization. It is strongly believed that CMOs are the enablers in setting the goal for the organization. Reason being technology is not only reshaping the business ecosystem, but redening the very nature of business. Will cover the session in 10 different topics.

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For More Information Please visit: https://varindia.com/2018/sna/micro-site/index.html CORPORATE OFFICE:

Kalinga Digital Media Pvt. Ltd. VAR House, A-84A/3 - 6, Rose Apartment, Paryavaran Complex, IGNOU Road, New Delhi – 110030 Tel: 011-41656383,41655458, Fax: 011-46061809, Email: publisher@varindia.com, Mobile: +91 9818928406, 8108017479 Regional offices: Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai & Bhubaneswar

www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 5

NEWS/GOVT.

Clean Air Week from 1st November to control pollution in Delhi

Aids & Assistive Living Devices distributed at Adip-Rvy camp

A Clean Air Week would be organised from 1 to5 November, 2018 in collaboration with the Government of Delhi and the four major NCR cities to control the air pollution. For this, 52 teams have been formedto ensure compliance and safety and take quick action.

The teams will be jointly flagged off byUnion Minister fo r Environment, Forest &Climate Change and the Minister from Government of Delhi.

This decision was taken in a meeting held here today under the Chairmanship of Shri C.K. Mishra, Secretary, EF&CC to discuss the urgent steps for air pollution mitigation and regulating fire crackers in the light of the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s Order.

In the meeting, it was emphasized that all necessary steps should be taken to ensure that air quality levels are not allowed to go into the severe category in the next one week.

An ADIP-RVY Distribution Camp for free of cost distribution of Aids and Assistive Living Devices to Divyangjans and Senior Citizens in BPL category under Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) was organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Department at Satbari, Chattarpur, New Delhi. Krishan Pal Gurjar, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Department was the Chief Guest. The distribution camp function was presided over by Ramesh Bidhuri, the Member of Parliament, South Delhi. Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) organized it in close association with District Administration, South Delhi.

Krishan Pal Gurjar said that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is committed to the welfare of Divyangjans and Senior Citizens.

Kingdom of Netherlands to be the Partner Country at the CII Technology Summit 2019

Maharashtra Coast to be developed as Tourism hotspot Suresh Prabhu

The Kingdom of Netherlands will be the Partner Country 25th DST – CII Technology Summit to be organized in 2019, announced Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, Environment, Forest and Climate Change here, today. Dr. Vardhan was speaking at the Curtain Raiser to announce the Silver Jubilee edition of Technology Summit 2019.

The Minister highlighted the successful bilateral research cooperation between India and Netherlands in sectors such as affordable medical devices, urban water systems, big data and Internet of Things (IoT). He further stressed that there is great scope to explore a closer partnership between the two countries to leverage emerging digital technologies. He also emphasized onenhancing security in digital applications with a view to increase transparency and trust for societal benefits.

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu has written to Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, K.J. Alphons, and Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, for developing Maharashtra coast as atourist hotspot.

He said that the marine leisure sector is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry and growth ofcruise ship industry, seaside destination resorts, marine parks, scuba diving and aquariums.

The Ministry has received a proposal from the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) and Indian Institute of Scuba Diving and Aquatic Sports (IISDA) Malwan, Sindhudurg, for a comprehensive plan to encourage marine tourism along the coast.

6 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

NEWS/GOVT.

Vigilance Awareness Week to be observed by the Health Ministry

Twelve projects worth Rs 929 Crore approved under Namami Gange

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will observe the Vigilance Awareness Week from 29th October to 3rd November, 2018 as per the directions of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Government of India. The theme of the vigilance awareness this year is “Eradicate CorruptionMake a New India.” Smt Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare administered the ‘Integrity Pledge’ to the officers and staff of the Ministry to fight against corruption and commit to highest standards of honesty and integrity.

The CVC aims to promote integrity, transparency and accountability in public life. As part of its efforts to promote probity in public life and to achieve a corruption free society, CVC observes Vigilance Awareness Week every year. The observation of Vigilance Awareness Week creates greater awareness among public and encourages all the stakeholders to collectively participate in prevention of and fight against Corruption.

The Executive Committee (EC) of the National Mission for Clean Ganga approved 12 projects worth Rs. 929 Crore under the Namami Gange programme in its 16th meeting.

Two Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) have been sanctioned for Delhi for creating 340 MLD waste treatment capacity at a cost of Rs 580 Crore.

The first is an STP of 318 MLD capacity at Coronation Pillar. The second is a project in Chattarpur assembly constituency where various sewage pumping stations and 9 STPs of total 22.5 MLD capacity will be constructed. Sewage flow will be collected and pumped to STPs for treatment. The treated water will be used for development/ rejuvenation of eight nearby water bodies and for irrigation purpose.

The Central Government will fund Rs 256 Crore for the project.

Agriculture budget has been enhanced by 74.5% - Radha Mohan Singh

India and Bangladesh to enhance inland and coastal waterways connectivity

Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh has said that with an aim to double farmers’ income, the budget outlay of the agriculture sector has been enhanced by 74.5% to Rs 2,11,694 crore during 2014-2019 as compared to Rs 1,21,082 crore during 2009-2014.

On the occasion of inauguration ceremony of Krishi Kumbh 2018 organised in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, he said that the Government is implementing various schemes to ensure higher gains for farmers.

The Soil Health Card (SHC) ensures judicious use of fertilizer application thus saving money for farmers. Neem-coated urea is being promoted as it enhances availability of nitrogen to the crop and reduces cost of fertilizer application. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is being implemented with a view to promote organic farming in the country. This will improve soil health and organic matter content.

India and Bangladesh signed several milestone agreements today, for enhancing inland and coastal w a t e r w a y s connectivity between the two countries for trade and cruise movements.

Briefing media persons in New Delhi, Shipping Secretary, Gopal Krishna, and his Bangladesh counterpart Md. Abdus Samad informed that the two countries have signed an agreement to use Chattogram and Mongla Ports in Bangladesh for movement of goods to and from India.

An addendum to ‘Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade’ (PIWTT) between India and Bangladesh has been signed for inclusion of Dhubri in India and Pangaon in Bangladesh. www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 7

CSR/CORPORATE

Medicover Fertility organizes free Nessians Run to sensitize people fertility check-up camp about the ill-effects of drugs

With the objective to sensitize people about infertility, Medicover Fertility has organized a free health check-up camp at Baba Ji Bhure Wala, Haibowal Kalan, Ludhiana.

Around 50-60 people were benefited in a day with this initiative.

The consultations were given by pioneer Dr Tanveer Kaur, Infertility Specialist, Medicover Fertility along with her team. Medicover has been organizing camps like these in the past as well by covering the areas of J&K, Punjab and UP. The society is witnessing an increasing number of infertile patients. Because of the seriousness of the issue; Medicover Fertility has taken up this mission to fight the fear of infertility.

Medicover Fertility has launched health check-up camps in many states. The IVF centre already organized series of camps in various places like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Zirakpur, Meerut, Modi Nagar, Bhiwadi, Bahadurgarh, Rewari, Najafghar, Greater Noida, etc. People who visited were also benefited with free ultrasound and free semen analysis coupons.

Close to fifty employees from Ness Digital Engineering, Bangalore took part in a 5K Run-Say No to Drugs, to spread awareness about the negative effects of drug abuse.

The event provided a forum to reinforce the importance of helping people recognize and resist the pressures to engage in illicit drug use. With this 5K run, Ness Digital Engineering is pleased to support the Bangalore City Police in its initiative to curb drug abuse.

Dr. Boralingiah, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South East Division says, “Youngsters seem to fall into the trap of drugs, either out of curiosity or constant pressure from their peers. It’s great that Ness Digital Engineering is supporting this Drug Abuse awareness program. Similarly, we expect a lot more corporate and IT companies to join hands for this useful cause.”

“As an organization, we believe it is important to contribute to and participate in the success of the communities in which we live and work,” said Vinay Rajadhyaksha, President & Global Chief Delivery Officer, Ness Digital Engineering.

IFC and Karo Sambhav prioritize electronic waste as a public interest issue

HGS with Plan India to develop the Comprehensive School Improvement Programme

International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Karo Sambhav have hosted an event, ‘E-waste Management – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’, to prioritize e-waste management as a public interest issue.

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) passed the E-Waste Management Rules in 2016.

They were amended to form the E-Waste (Management) Amendment in 2018. The event highlighted the progress that had been made since the rules were formulated and called for their stronger enforcement.

Last year, the European Association of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum had declared October 13 as International E-Waste Day. Today’s event was also held to mark its first anniversary. India joined more than 20 countries in doing so.

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Honorable Minister, MoEFCC, was the Chief Guest at the event.

8 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) has launched a new CSR initiative – the HGS Comprehensive School Improvement Programme (CSIP), which aims to promote quality and holistic education for underprivileged children in Mumbai and Pune. HGS has tied up with Plan India, a nationally registered not-for-profit organization striving to advance children’s rights and equality for girls to create six “Model Schools” and provide allround development opportunities for the children studying in these government schools.

HGS’ CSIP is a three-year project that is expected to help develop adequate school infrastructure to ensure that 5,000 children have a “joyful learning environment” within the school premises and support at least 1,000 children with learning difficulties to achieve age appropriate learning level through remedial education. The programme also aims to educate and increase awareness amongst 20,000 parents about Right to Education to ensure that they actively engage for development of their children.

CSR/CORPORATE

ZICOM along with JanaJal to offer security for 2,000+ Water ATMs

Nippon Paint with Rotary Club, Madras to conduct medical camp

Zicom Electronic Security Systems has partnered with JanaJal, India’s premier water services company, to offer its specialized security-based solutions to their socially impactful activities for 2,000+ water ATMs to be commissioned across the country in the next two years.

ZICOM Electronic Security Systems pioneered the electronic security industry in the country over two decades ago and has till date been successful in leading this sector through its innovative technologically-advanced security solutions. Since its launch, ZICOM has been committed towards creating a safer and secure environment for Indians through the power of electronic solutions. During the last 24 years, the company has successfully ventured into several sectors, by addressing diverse safety concerns and creating consumer delight through their services in the comfort and convenience domain.

As a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, Nippon Paint (India) has collaborated with Rotary Club of Madras to conduct a free medical camp to provide healthcare support for the painters of Nippon Paint. The medical camp was organized at the Community Hall, Sembakkam, Panchayat Union Office Complex, Chennai. More than 50 people from Sembakkam and nearby localities benefited from this initiative, which is the first of four scheduled camps.

Talking about the effort, S Mahesh Anand, President – Nippon Paint (India) Private Limited (Decorative Division) commented, “Nippon Paint has a constant commitment for the overall wellbeing of all its employees. With the rise in health-related issues and lifestyle changes, regular medical check-ups are crucial for our well-being. We salute the hard work of the volunteer doctors who came forward to support us in our attempt. Having already undertaken a number of community service activities in the areas of health, education, women empowerment and childcare, Nippon Paint will continue to support more such initiatives”.

NITI Aayog, Oracle, Apollo Hospitals, Strides Pharma Sciences rally against fake drug distribution

TAKE Solutions extends its support for Cancer Institute’s Preventive Oncology Department

NITI Aayog, Government of India’s premier policy institute, has teamed with Oracle, India’s premier super specialty hospital Apollo Hospitals, and global pharmaceutical manufacturer Strides Pharma Sciences, to pilot a real drug supply chain using blockchain decentralized ledger and IoT software.

The agreement was signed

by Anna Roy, Advisor (Industry), NITI Aayog and Shailender Kumar, Regional Managing Director, Oracle India, in the presence of Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog; Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals along with senior officials from all partnering companies.

Oracle’s blockchain software permanently registers a drug’s record in the manufacturer’s drug supply chain (serial number, labelling, scanning), leaving no scope for record tampering. From here on, at every point of hand change, it records the drug’s movement – from manufacturer to logistics, from stockist to hospital, or from pharmacy to consumer.

TAKE Solutions has announced its support for Preventive Oncology with Cancer Institute (WIA) in Chennai as part of its CSR initiative. This project is particularly important as this aligns with TAKE’s core expertise in Oncology and is fitting that it is being initiated in the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Navitas Life Sciences, a TAKE Solutions Enterprise has supported over 650 oncology studies with some of the largest players in the therapeutic area.

Cervical cancer and breast cancer are the most common cause of cancer deaths among women in India, but early detection and proper treatment can improve this prognosis and can make cancer curable. A study conducted by E&Y and FICCI has reported that in India, 2,000 women are newly diagnosed with cancer every day.

1,200 of these cases are detected in late stages, which reduces the 5-year survival rate by 3 to 17 times for breast and cervical cancer.

www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 9

CSR/PSU

PSUs should be a role model CVC

NCL creates 2 Lakh Cleanliness Ambassadors

Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are primarily commercial organizations competing with non-government organizations, nevertheless PSUs are expected to work as a model organization, said K V Chowdary, Chief Vigilance Commissioner while addressing NTPC employees at the SCOPE, Complex, New Delhi during his inaugural address of the Vigilance Awareness Week programme. He added that performance in numerical terms is not the only criteria for judging a PSU, the merit lies upholding high standards of integrity while dealing with all its Stakeholders.

Chowdary further outlined how PSUs have an additional responsibility of serving the nation by introducing new initiatives in various spheres like R&D, Vendors Training & Development, Employees motivation besides creating awareness of Systems and Standard Operating Procedures. He praised the PSUs especially NTPC for their contribution to nation building.

CVC also interacted with the employees in an open house on the occasion and answered their queries. Gurdeep Singh, CMD and Rajit Punhani, CVO - NTPC and senior officials of CVC and NTPC were present on the occasion.

Having led ‘Swachhta Hi Sewa’ campaign from the front, Northern Coalfields Limited has left no stone unturned in making ‘Swachhta’ a mass movement. The campaign that lasted for a fortnight starting from 15th September witnessed grand closing ceremony on October 2, 2018 held at Officer’s Club of Jayant Area of the company.

Creating an immersive atmosphere for the message of cleanliness to be grasped and acted with zeal, the company undertook massive cleanliness drive and thematic activities. While the former includes cleaning of office premises, township, worksite, workshops and other locations; the latter included various thematic competitions, painting exhibition and plying of Cleanliness Chariot across the district during the fortnight. Hail to the variegated range of exercises, NCL has potentially reached 2 lakh people looping them in for creating an everlasting impact and making cleanliness an ongoing imperative.

On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the fortnight concluded in NCL with the determination to ensure continuity of the mission. The CMD NCL, P K Sinha graced the occasion as Chief Guest.

MCL Opens ‘Integrity Pledge Kiosk’

Vigilance Awareness Week at RINL-VSP

Gearing up for the Vigilance Awareness Week 2018, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited opened an 'Integrity Pledge Kiosk' at its headquarters.

The kiosk was inaugurated by the lady officers in the presence of Shri R R Mishra, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MCL. JP Singh, Director (Technical/Operations); L N Mishra, D i r e c t o r (Personnel); M u n a w a r Khursheed, IRPF, Chief Vigilance Officer; OP Singh, Director (Technical/ Projects & Planning) and K R Vasudevan, Director (Finance) were prominent among officers and staff gathered to commemorate the occasion.

The 'Integrity pledge kiosk' gave an open access to a specially designed portal of the company linked online to the Central Vigilance Commission for taking integrity pledge.The visitors also took an online pledge at the kiosk, which also displayed activities undertaken to create awareness against the evil of corruption.

MCL, a leading coal-producing subsidiary of Coal India, has planned a series of activities to spread awareness on eradicating corruption.

10 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

As part of the observance of Vigilance Awareness Week from 29th October to 3rd November 2018, several programs are being conducted by RINL-VSP at various colleges in and around Visakhapatnam as a part of the multi-pronged approach to encourage all stakeholders to collectively participate in the fight against corruption.

Elocution competition was organised at Training Centre for school children in three languages with the theme 'Eradicate Corruption-Build a New India.' 70 students from 8 schools participated in this competition.

Quiz and Skit Competitions will be held for school children on 25th and 26th Oct respectively at MP Hall of Ukkunagaram Club. To promote a culture of integrity and high moral value among our future generation, Vigilance department has also planned to start Integrity Clubs at different Schools during the Vigilance Awareness Week.

All the prize winners will be facilitated during the valedictory function to be held on 2nd November.

CSR/PSU

Conclave on Capital Goods for Steel Sector Manufacture

Prime Minister inaugurates NBCC built National Police Memorial

Ministry of Steel and Department of Public Enterprises Government of India along with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and MECON Limited (MECON) organised a conclave on capital goods for steel sector manufacturer in India on 23rd October 2018 Mayfair convention Bhubaneswar, Odisha against the backdrop of enhancing indigenous capacity for manufacturing Steel Plant equipment and spares.

The country aspires to boost its steel producing capacity from the present level of 138 million tonnes per annum to 300 MTPA by 2030-31. To keep the nation on Fastrack of economic development, development of infrastructure at the faster pace is essential where availability from indigenous source is viewed as per primary step.

Chaudhary Birender Singh, Minister of Steel, Government of India; Anant Gangaram Geete, Minister of Heavy Industry and public sector enterprises, Government of India and Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Government of India were present at the conclave.

A 30-feet tall National Police Memorial along with a worldclass interactive digital immersive museum having an area of 17,000 Sq. Ft. built by NBCC (India), was inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on 21 October 2018.

The Memorial was proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as a consecrated place for paying tribute to the soldiers from all Paramilitary forces and State Police who attained martyrdom in the line of duty.

The trapezoidal site for the memorial lies on the visual axis between Rashtrapati Bhavan and Shantipath and is spread over an area of 6.5 acres. The main central structure on wreath podium is a cenotaph and stands testimony to the valour and supreme sacrifice of the police martyrs across the country.

This vertical 30 feet tall granite pillar is surrounded by small sculptures – ‘Jeeva Jyot’, where the soft light emanating from the lamps will be reminiscent of the supreme sacrifice made by the brave sons for the security of our nation; engraved signature of Prime Minister; and a water body symbolizing the fact that these brave men will live in our memories forever.

World’s highest bottling plant in Leh gets a big boost

Piyush Goyal visited Sports Academy, Khelgaon, Ranchi

The world’s highest LPG bottling plant in Leh run by IndianOil has been upgraded through the addition of 6 mounded storage vessels of 300 Metric Tonnes each. IndianOil’s Director (Marketing), Gurmeet Singh inaugurated the augmented facility recently.

With Leh being cut off for six months in a year and demand rising exponentially in the winter season there was a need to augment its storage capacity.

Before augmentation, advance winter stocking had to be done by IndianOil in which 100,000 filled cylinders had to be stored ahead of time. However, with the augmented capacity of Leh BP, the need for storing filled cylinders at the distributor end is minimal.

The bottling plant’s cumulative storage has now increased from 1500 MT to 3300 MT which would prevent any shortfall in supply even during emergencies for the people in Ladakh Region and comfortably meet the high demand for LPG during winters.

It will also cater to any additional demand by the Indian Army as well.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Coal, visited Sports Academy, Khelgaon, Ranchi. He interacted with the sports cadets and inspected their hostel to take stock of the facilities, hygiene, training, and diet provided to the cadets in the academy Addressing the young cadets during his visit at sports academy at Khelgaon, Hotwar, Ranchi Hon'ble Minister Piyush motivated the budding talent to work hard and give their best to win, not one but many gold medals for the country in the 'Olympic Games- 2024'.

Goyal appreciated Gopal Singh, CMD, Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) and his team for making this sports academy a huge success in this short span of time. This sports academy is indeed a significant enterprise of CCL and Jharkhand Govt., to fulfil the dream of our Hon'ble PM and support his flagship programme 'Khelo India', he added.

Acknowledging on the transparent and scientific selection process of the academy, Goyal said that while favouritism should not be accommodated at any cost to ensure that only the best talent should get selected in the academy. He also asked to scale up the infrastructure and develop it into a world class facility to include young kids from other states also. www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 11

NEWS/URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Number of houses sanctioned underPMAY (U) is more than 62, 53,731 The cumulative number of houses sanctioned under PMAY (U) now is 62, 53,731. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has approved the construction of another 2, 15,083 more affordable houses for the benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). The approval was given in the 39th meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee held.

Andhra Pradesh has been sanctioned 41,707 houses while the sanction for Maharashtra is 20,499 affordable houses. The number of houses sanctioned for Uttar Pradesh is 50,271, while West Bengal has been sanctioned a total of 1, 00,704 houses.

A total of 334 projects with a project cost of Rs 8,559 crore with central assistance of Rs 3,226 crore has been approved in the meeting.

Culmination of Swachhata Hi Sewa Pakhwada by CPWD Swachhata Hi Sewa Pakhwada has been conducted by the CPWD in a successful and grand manner across the country.

During Swachhata Hi Sewa Pakhwada from 15th September to 2nd October. CPWD undertook massive cleanliness drive of all assets maintained by it across the country.

CPWD officers and staff actively participated in the shramdans during the fortnight. Entire Drive was undertaken with close coordination, cooperation and support of all RWAs/Residents/ Coordination Committees. CPWD also invited RWAs of Delhi at itsheadquarter and interacted with them. CPWD held "Swachh Office" competition among all Government buildings across the country maintained by it.

Painting competition amongst the children was held on the theme ‘Swachhata hi Sewa’ at Sunder Nursery in the august presence of MoS (I/C) Hardeep Singh Puri and Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Durga Shankar Mishra which gave a boost in creating awareness and encouragement.

12 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

UMTA in Jaipur remains confined just to papers A Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) in Jaipur remains confined to papers despite a desperate need expressed by urban planning experts. These authorities are envisaged to regulate development and manage transport services under notified urban mobility area.

Establishment of the UMTA has been proposed by the government of India to ensure sustainable development at all cities of over 10 lakh population. Jaipur fits in the population criteria and has two major transportation projects under development including the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and metro train.

A bill for the constitution of such authorities at Rajasthan got drafted in 2016, it though could not be tabled at the assembly even as its current session comes to the end of its tenure.

“An umbrella organisation to manage upon transport services and guide upon the development of city remain eminent. The process of its establishment though remains pending for various reasons,” says an officer at urban development.

Behavioural change is key to sustained management of Municipal solid waste: Hardeep Puri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (I/C) of Housing & Urban Affairs has stated that from source of generation to segregation and scientific disposal of waste, modern and innovative approaches are needed which are environmentally sound, socially acceptable, technologically feasible and economically viable. He was speaking at a function organised on “World Habitat Day – 2018 Celebration” with the theme ‘Municipal Solid Waste Management’ (MSWM) here. Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary in the Ministry and officers from the department and its entities were also present on the occasion.

NEWS/DIGITAL INDIA

Employers need to File, Pay Fee for Registrations, Licences through Shram Suvidha Portal The labour ministry said Wednesday it is mandatory for employers to file and pay fees for seeking registration and licences under certain laws on Shram Suvidha Portal, a move to improve efficiency in public service delivery system.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment has begun the process for providing the facilities of registration and licensing mandatorily online on the Shram Suvidha Portal, a ministry statement said.

Employers seeking registrations under The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 (37 of 1970), the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979 (30 of 1979) and the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 (27 of 1996) would have to file their applications online.

India on Way to Becoming 3rd Richest Country: Mukesh Ambani Having missed the first three industrial revolutions, India is now in a position to lead the fourth on the back of its vast tech-savvy young population and is on the way to becoming one of the three richest countries in the world, billionaire Mukesh Ambani said. Speaking at the 24th MobiCom conference here, Ambani, who heads the oil-totelecom conglomerate Reliance Industries, said India's digital transformation is "unmatch and unprecedented" after it took leadership position from being 155th in wireless broadband technology adoption in just 24 months.

Back in the 1990s, when Reliance was building its oil refinery and petrochemical projects, India's gross domestic product (GDP) was around USD 350 billion and had just come out of a severe financial crisis. "Very few in the world thought that our country's prospects were bright. Today our GDP is nearing USD 3 trillion, and India is well on its way to becoming one of the three richest countries in the world," he said.

Technology to be made available India’s digital economy to cross in vernacular languages: Nitin $1 trillion by 2022 Gadkari

Technology should be made available in vernacular languages that will help accelerate growth in areas like education a Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Gadkari also said a consultative approach with stakeholders in this matter will ensure that fundamental rights of people are protected and that technology is not misused.

The Union transport minister said he has urged IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to ensure that regulations are kept up to date.

"Otherwise the thing which we have started for betterment of people, for knowledge, can get misused," he said citing example of spread of fake news.

He further said, "Government should hold talks with stakeholders for this and come out with transparent rules and regulations. This will protect the fundamental rights of the people, and misuse (of technology) will also be checked," he said.

He added that using technology in regional languages will also accelerate growth in areas like education, health, and agriculture.

India's digital economy is likely to cross $1 trillion by the financial year 2022, a KPMG report said. The report launched at the India Mobile Congress 2018 also forecasts that mobile data usage in the country is likely to surge five times by 2023.

"In a sign of the country's ascendancy and as a testimony to the telecom sector's blistering pace of growth, India became the world's second-largest telecom market in 2018 with over a billion subscribers," said the report.

"With the given trends, the digital economy is expected to cross $1 trillion by FY22."

According to the report, the total mobile subscriber base is expected to reach 1.28 billion in FY 2022 and data consumption is expected to reach 7 GB (giga bit) per subscriber per month.

The expansion will "further witness digital diversity in the online audience taking it from the current 225 million in FY18 to 550 million by FY23," the report noted. www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 13

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Roche to offer AI-based digital diabetes coaching solution

Telerad Tech launches AI to detect early stage breast cancer

Roche has announced its partnership with the digital health company Wellthy Therapeutics to offer users of the Accu-Chek Active system an innovative artificial intelligence-based digital diabetes coaching solution. Being a leader in diabetes management solutions worldwide, Roche will expand its integrated diabetes management offering through the collaboration with Wellthy Therapeutics.

Rahul Kedia, Ad-Interim General Manager, Roche Diabetes Care India said, “India is home to the second largest number of people living with diabetes in the world, numbering about 73 million in 2017 as per the International Diabetes Federation.

The figure is expected to almost double to 134 million by 2025.

Moreover, factors such as limited doctor bandwidth to connect with patients outside the clinic, low adherence to care protocols and poor access to blood glucose monitoring makes it crucial to support people with diabetes in their daily therapy management routines to maximize health benefits.”

Telerad Tech has announced the launch of a new AI-Powered product – MammoAssist to detect early-stage breast cancer as a Make in India Initiative. MammoAssist analyzes a mammogram and processes the imaging data to recognize radiologic features of early stage breast cancer and categorizes it for BIRADS Scoring with a full-fledged structured template.

“In breast cancer, early detection is of paramount importance in terms of improving patient outcome and reducing healthcare costs. Today, in India, most breast cancer cases are unfortunately diagnosed at a late stage, in part due to the shortage of radiologists required for interpretation of mammograms for the early detection of breast cancer.

The availability of an Artificial Intelligence solution such as MammoAssist has the potential to be a game changer in terms of assisting radiologists and facilitating early detection of breast cancer,” explains Dr. Arjun Kalyanpur, Founder & Chief Radiologist of Teleradiology Solutions & Telerad Tech.

e-Pharma rules to bring a HPE and the World Economic positive change in the healthcare Forum to solve world hunger ecosystem using technology The Internet and Mobile Association of India [IAMAI] in its submission on the draft rules on e-pharmacy to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said that e-pharmacy models provide tracking and traceability of medicines, abuse prevention, addressing consumption of drugs without prescription, tax loss and valueadded services for consumer empowerment in healthcare, which are very important in national development. According to IAMAI, this model also increases entrepreneurship opportunities and in turn, accelerates innovation in healthcare.

IAMAI has recommended that the definition should be holistic and support innovation and FDI in this important sector.

It should include the word “facilitate the sale” to encompass the business models of the companies which don’t stock and sell the medicines but only facilitate the sale by the sellers (market places).

14 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

At the World Economic Forum Sustainable Development Impact Summit, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the Forum committed to help solve for world hunger by 2030 through the innovative application of technology. HPE and the Forum are calling on public and private organizations to join them in an open collaboration to find solutions that will eliminate food insecurity and sustainably, nutritiously and inclusively feed a growing population.

The mission to solve world hunger by 2030 is the first of several global challenges HPE and the Forum are addressing under Tech Impact 2030, an open collaboration to bring together industry, technology, academia and government leaders to power meaningful societal change by the year 2030.

“HPE believes that technology has the ability to power real societal improvements if applied innovatively and adopted universally,” said Som Satsangi, MD – India, HPE.

Are corporates going to be more accountable with launch of new portal – Main Nahin Hum? Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined the importance of the people’s involvement and their social responsibilities for the success of any government initiative. He said that every effort of the people, however big or small, must be valued. Prime Minister Modi said this while interacting with IT professionals in Delhi.

The Prime Minister has launched a portal and app, Main Nahin Hum, which will enable IT professionals and organisations to bring their efforts towards social causes and service to society on one single platform.

The portal, which works on the theme “Self4Society”, will enable IT professionals and organizations to bring together their efforts towards social causes, and service to society, on one platform. In doing so, the portal is expected to help catalyse greater collaboration towards the service of the weaker sections of society, especially by leveraging the benefits of technology. It is also expected to generate wider participation of interested people who are motivated to work for the benefit of society.

Interacting with a wide cross-section of IT and electronic manufacturing professionals, captains of industry and technocrats on the occasion, the Prime Minister said he is sure that people want to work for others, serve society and make a positive difference.

Among those who interacted with the Prime Minister today were Anand Mahindra; SudhaMurthy, and a number of young professionals, from India’s top IT companies.

Every effort, however big or small, must be valued, the Prime Minister said, adding that Governments may have schemes and budgets but the success of any initiative lies in public involvement. “Let us think about how we can use our strengths to bring a positive difference in the lives of others, the Prime Minister exhorted the gathering,” he said.

inspiration is Bapu and we are fulfilling Bapu's vision.

The Prime Minister said that on many occasions, what the “Sarkar” cannot do, “Sanskar” can do. Let us make cleanliness a part of our value systems, he added.

Speaking on the importance of conserving water, the Prime Minister said that in order to learn about water conservation, people should visit Porbandar in Gujarat, and see the home of Mahatma Gandhi. We need to conserve water and recycle water, he added. I appeal to my hardworking farmers to embrace drip irrigation, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said that through volunteering efforts, a lot can be done in the agriculture sector. Youngsters must venture out and work for the welfare of farmers, he added.

The Prime Minister asserted that more people are paying taxes because they have faith that their money is being used properly and for the welfare of people.

The Prime Minister noted that he observes India's youngsters leveraging the power of technology very well. He said that they are using technology not only for themselves but also for the welfare of others. He described this as a wonderful sign. Noting that there are many start-ups in the social sector, the Prime Minister wished the young social entrepreneurs well.

He said that India is making a mark in the start-up sector due to the talent of its youth.

Responding to questions in a town hall style interaction, the Prime Minister said that it is essential to step out of our comfort zone. There is so much to learn and discover, he added.

The Prime Minister said doing social work should be a matter of great pride for everyone.

IT professionals explained their efforts towards social volunteering, especially in skilling and cleanliness.In response to an observation, the Prime Minister asserted that the symbol of the Swachh Bharat Mission is the spectacles of Bapu, the

Responding to a team that is working to create rural digital entrepreneurs, the Prime Minister said that it is important to create an India where everyone has equal opportunities.

Expressing disagreement with the trend to criticize business and industry, the Prime Minister said that this townhall programme has illustrated how leading corporates are doing excellent social work, and urging their employees to venture out and serve the people. www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 15

INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

PM addresses 'Make in India' seminar in Tokyo The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the ‘Make in India: IndiaJapan partnership in Africa and digital partnership’ seminar in Tokyo.

The Prime Minister explained how the Union Government is focused on improving ease of doing business, and ease of living for the citizens. He expressed happiness at the large presence of Japanese companies in India. Noting that Japan has been a partner in many important industrial projects in India, the Prime Minister explained the strength of India’s economic performance over the last four years. He said India is today the fastest growing major economy and mentioned some major transitions in the Indian economy, including the move from informal to formal economy, digital transactions and GST etc.

The Prime Minister said that India's rising economy, fast growing middle 16 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

class and young demography offer many new opportunities to Japanese investors.

In this context, he mentioned low cost manufacturing, IT industry, and electric mobility, among other sectors.

The Prime Minister also emphasized on the shared values between India and Japan. He said that both countries would look to develop stronger development partnerships in other parts of the world, including the Indo Pacific, South Asia and Africa.

A few important announcements at the Seminar 1. India and Japan committed to working together to promote peace, stability and prosperity, through economic growth and development in the IndoPacific, including Africa, by enhancing connectivity through quality infrastructure and capacity building of our partners.

Both countries are of firm belief that all development cooperation must be carried out in an open, transparent and non-exclusive manner and based on international standards including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, responsible debt financing practices, and in alignment with local economic and development strategies and priorities.

2. By synergizing India’s "Act East Policy” and Prime Minister Modi’s 10 guiding principles for India’s sustained and regular engagement with African countries, with Japan’s "Expanded Partnership for Quality Infrastructure Initiative” and TICAD VI Nairobi declaration, the two countries welcomed and committed to further consultations with host Governments to foster tangible cooperation focusing on development of connectivity and other infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific. India and Japan welcomed

progress in identification of specific cooperation, including but not limited to the following:

2.1 Cooperation in Sri Lanka, such as the development of LNG-related infrastructure 2.2 Cooperation in Myanmar, synergizing development efforts in the Rakhine State by collaborating in housing, education and electrification projects; 2.3 Cooperation in Bangladesh, for enhancing connectivity by way of fourlaning of road and reconstruction of bridges on the Ramgarh to Baraiyarhat stretch, and providing rolling stock and constructing the Jamuna Railway Bridge over the Jamuna River; and 2.4 Cooperation in Africa, such as organising an SME development seminar in Kenya and seeking a possibility of a collaborative project in the area of health service such as developing a cancer hospital in Kenya.

The two countries also acknowledged the importance of expanding cooperation in human resource development, capacity building, healthcare, livelihood, water, sanitation and in the digital space, and of working together to extend access to education, health and other amenities, and assist the people of the IndoPacific, including Africa, to realize their developmental potentials.

Further, the two countries will work towards establishing an India-Japan Business platform to enhance the exchanges between Indian and Japanese businesses toward developing industrial corridors and industrial network in the region. In this context, the two countries welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding between NEXI and ECGC, which is expected to promote development of concrete IndiaJapan business projects in the region.

Both India and Japan believe that their development cooperation in the Indo-Pacific can contribute to unlocking the potential for an equitable, positive and forward-looking change in the region, and contribute to socio-economic development of Africa.

India-Japan Cooperation Act East Forum India’s North East Region is one of the main areas of India’s Act East Policy. The region also shares historical and traditional bonds with ASEAN countries, and has the potential to be India’s springboard to the ASEAN region. Enhancing connectivity within North East Region and with its neighboring countries is essential to tap its potential and presents crystallized examples of the shared vision between Japan and India as expressed in the Vision Statement.

The Act East Forum established last year has served as a driving force to advance India-Japan cooperation in the North-East. Its second meeting was held on 8th October with the following outcomes 2.1 Expediting implementation • Meghalaya North East Connectivity Phase 1: Tura-Dalu (NH-51) Phase 2: Shillong-Dawki (NH-40) • Mizoram North East Coonectivity Phase 1 & 2: Aizawl-Tuipang (NH-54) • Sikkim: Biodiversity Conservation & Forest Management • Nagaland: Forest Conservation Livelihood Improvement 2.2 Japan and India reaffirmed their intentions to proceed with Completion of Gelephu-Dalu Corridor in collaboration with the ADB including Dhubri/Phulbari bridge project, which will be the longest river bridge in India if realized, as Phase 3 of North East Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project.

Consideration of developing Main District Roads (MDRs) and Other District Roads (ODRs), which will have positive socio-economic effect.

ODA loan to the "Project for Renovation and Modernization of Umiam-Umtru Stage-III Hydroelectric Power Station”.

Sustainable Forest Management in

Tripura, and consideration for a similar project in Meghalaya.

2.3 Skill and Vocational Initiatives To launch "Japan-India North East Bamboo Initiative” in view of the significance bamboo plays in the region.

Industrial uses of bamboos and bamboo forest management will be pursued under this initiative, building on the successful first "North East Bamboo Workshop.

To promote Japanese language education in the North East as a part of the commitment made by the two Prime Ministers to establish Japanese language certificate courses at 100 higher educational institutions in India. The Forum welcomed the interest for such courses expressed by Cotton University and Gauhati University in Assam state, EFLU in Meghalaya state as well as NIT-N in Nagaland state, to which Japan is prepared to provide appropriate support through Japanese Language Teachers Training Centre. More proposals from North East States are welcome.

To promote skill training including Japanese language for caregivers from North East who visit Japan for training under TITP (Technical Intern Training Program) ,which contributes to enhancing cooperation between the two countries under the Asia Health and Wellbeing Initiative.

2.4 Disaster Management: Japan’s contribution to resilient infrastructures in North East Region and through Capacity Development Project on Highways in Mountainous Regions • Knowledge sharing through the Japan-India Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction • Pursuit of better utilizing JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program (Group & Region Focus) to provide relevant training opportunities for the officials of North East.

The Forum will review the progress of projects under its initiatives and further consider future cooperation concerning the North East Region of India.

www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 17

SPOI ANALYSIS

Promises of Bitcoin and the Future of Blockchain (Authored by PushpendraBaghel – Head Solutions and Technology Advisory Group, 3i Infotech) Satoshi Nakamoto was said to have become very disillusioned with central banks and governments handling our money and facilitating payments. This was in the backdrop of Lehman Brothers going down and great recession of year 2008 when Bitcoin was born. It’s almost a decade since Bitcoin first came into being.

The idea was to create digital currency and global payment system which is free from any government control.

• Scalability: Hashgraph can achieve 250,000+ transactions/second in current avatar.

• Finality: There is finality of transaction which is not based on probability. It is based on ‘Gossipprotocol’ and virtual voting.

• Fairness: Transactions are not at the mercy of minors to get picked up to be part of ledger. Transactions get picked up as they are executed.

Major Promises 1. Government or any other authority will never know as how much money you hold and your transactions won’t be traced back to you. There will be 100 % privacy.

2. Cross border payments and money transfer will be on real time without any third party involved to facilitate payment.

Well, we still don’t see Bitcoin (or any other crypto currency) being used in mainstream buying and selling.

What went wrong?

1. Transaction time is in minutes and hours compared to seconds in centralized systems (except the cross border payments). Bitcoin can’t scale beyond 7–10 transactions per second.

2. Minors are free to pickup transactions from available pool of transactions while creation of blocks.

Transaction even after being picked up by minor for block may end up back in the pool if part of block which was discarded by the network. There is just no fairness.

3. One has to wait until the time you are sure that your transaction (block) is not going to be discarded. There is off course no guarantee of finality. It’s only the probability which increases with time.

4. Bitcoin minors tend to consolidate to location where electricity is cheap. There is risk of government 18 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

crackdown and takeover of the network.

5. Governments are banning Bitcoin and other crypto currencies.

For example, internet has moved to where it is today with many generations of evolution.

Telecom Networks → Packet Switching Networks → ARPANET → TCP/IP (OSI) → Internet The above is the simplistic view of evolution path of internet. This however was not simplistic, if we go back in time and explore the history of internet.ARPANET is one which succeeded but there were many more networks. But ARPANET was successfully able to solve problems and grow around the open standards. Open standard was very crucial for one single network to be where it is today.

I have listed few problems with Bitcoin technology which has prevented it to become mainstream. It is so encouraging that there are other platforms which have already solved these problems.For example, the hashgraph technology which is essentially a consensus algorithm, seems to have solved many problems.

The only problem I see with hashgraph is that it’s not an open standard but patented technology. This limits everyone to contribute to the growth of hashgraph as universally accepted standard.

I see Hyperledger Fabric as a very favourable ledger technology for enterprise adoption. The most promising part of the Hyperledger Fabric is its architecture. It is modular and ready for further evolution based on open standards. The consensus algorithm for hashgraphcould also be used as consensus algorithm for Hyperledger Fabric.

I believethere are two things that should happen for blockchain to get the maturity of internet.

• Open Standards: There should be investments to evolve open standards, which will allow everyone to contribute and benefit, similar to TCP/IP. • Government involvement: Blockchain will be more impactful with active involvement of the government,as it was for internet.

I am overall very optimistic about blockchain and also about this becoming mainstream in near future.

SPOI NEWS

Prof. Gita Gopinath appointed IMF Chief Economist Indian-origin Harvard University professor Gita Gopinath has been appointed the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the international organisation tweeted. She replaces outgoing chief economist MauryObstfeld, who will retire in December, IMF said.

Gita Gopinath is the Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University. Her research focuses on international finance and macroeconomics. Gita is one of the world’s outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience.

Gopinath is the co-editor of the American Economic Review and codirector of the International Finance and Macroeconomics Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). She has authored some 40 research articles on exchange rates, trade and investment, international financial crises, monetary policy, debt, and emerging market crises.

Gopinath was born and bought up in India. She is a US citizen and an Overseas Citizen of India. She received her Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University in 2001 after earning a B.A. from the University of Delhi and M.A. degrees from both the Delhi School of Economics and University of Washington. She joined the University of Chicago in 2001 as an Assistant Professor before moving to Harvard in 2005. She became a tenured Professor there in 2010.

In 2014, she was named one of the top 25 economists under 45 by the IMF and was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2011.

Smart Poles can now detect air pollution in the capital city In a bid to control the factor of air pollution in India, BSNL has signed an agreement with Nokia to jointly market and deploy smart poles to detect the air pollution levels and alert the offices concerned.

"We have signed an agreement with Nokia to jointly market and deploy smart poles across the country. These smart poles are capable of detecting pollution levels and alert the concerned office for timely action. It will also sense pollution level in air where stubble burning takes place," Anupam Shrivastava, BSNL chairman and managing director told at the India Mobile Congress (IMC).

Air quality in the national capital deteriorated on Friday, gradually inching towards the 'severe' category. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the overall Air quality Index of Delhi as 358, which falls under the 'very poor' category. Air pollution in Delhi is also attributed to stubble burning in neighbouring states.

To address this issue, BSNL has initially purchased 50 smart poles from Nokia for Rs 46 lakh a unit. These smart poles will also work as mobile towers, wi-fi hotspot, street lighting and surveillance, according to Shrivastava. "Both BSNL and Nokia are in talks with municipal bodies for deployment of the smart poles," he said. www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 19

COVER STORY

5G steals the limelight at the India Mobile Congress 2018

IMC 2018 began on a grand scale at Aero City, New Delhi, with over 300 companies fromover 20 countries from the Asia-Pacific regionparticipating in this prestigious event. Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railways, accompanied by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law & Justice; Shri Suresh Prabhu, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation; Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing & Urban Affairs; Smt. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary (T) & Chairperson, Telecom Commission; ministers and dignitaries from Cambodia, European Union, Lao-PDR, Myanmar, Mauritius, Nepal, and South Africa, inaugurated and participated in this second edition of the epoch-marking event. Dr Youngky Kim, President & Head of Samsung Networks; Vivek Badrinath, Regional CEO, Africa Middle East Asia-Pacific, Vodafone Group; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder & 20 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

Chairman, Bharti Enterprises; Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries and Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group were the other luminaries from the telecom industry who were present at the event.

IMC began in 2017 to build a collaboration platform for technologies and services in next- generation mobile communications. The inauguration ceremony has been attended by over 5,000 people from 10 partner countries, which included policy-makers, ambassadors, opinion makers, change agents, bureaucrats and investors.

Hon’ble State Communications Minister Manoj Sinha announced that the Indian telecom industry will roll out one million Wi-Fi hotspots in the country

by December 2019, which is another step towards digital empowerment of the nation. Bharat Wi-Fi, a countrywide common interoperable platform of one million Wi-Fi Hotspots, owned and operated by Telecom Service Providers, Internet Service Providers and Virtual

Network Operators will be rolled out across the country. This initiative allows consumers to access Wi-Fi hotspots of any of the partnering operators.

The National Frequency Allocation Plan 2018 (NFAP) has been unveiled during the inauguration presenting a pioneering roadmap for the Indian digital communications industry. The NFAP has released a quantum of 605 MHz licence exempt spectrum in 5GHz band for Wireless Access Services and Radio Local Area Networks in outdoor, to meet the ever-growing appetite for data (from a current figure of 50 MHz since 2007). The NFAP has also offered over 30 licence-exempt bands for Short Range Devices (SRDs), Ultra-Wideband Devices (UWDs) and additional spectrum for M2M services, creating opportunities for the public to enjoy benefits from technologies and enabling the industry to build domestic manufacturing ecosystem.

India has signalled its spectrum plans for 5G services aspiring to adopt the next-generation technology as a leading

market.

In a major policy initiative, which will give impetus to small and medium entrepreneurship in the telecom sector, DoT decided to deduct payments for resources taken by Virtual Network Operators (VNOs) from telecom service providers, thereby reducing levies payable by VNOs. This avoids double taxation at various stages.

A concrete plan is in the making by the DoT to enable home-grown technologies for trials in the field on a large scale to enable the development and the scaling up of the products and services.

The day 1 witnessed many rousing announcements by the industry and demos of the state-of-the-art 5G applications by global OEMs. Investments of approximately over Rs.2, 000 crore and over 3 lakh jobs are expected to be created.

The telecom industry will install one million Wi-Fi hotspots in the next 12 months. Interoperability across different Wi-Fi networks will enable smooth experience for subscribers, as he or she will be able to use the data plan taken

from any TSP for all the Wi-Fi hotspots deployed across India. Besides offering consumer delight, this industry initiative will create additional 3 lakh jobs.

Day 2 of IMC 2nd day of IMC 2018 started on a high note with the Global CEOs Conclave, which included plenary sessions on subjects such as Networks of Tomorrow, Emerging Technologies, Power of Content, Open Source Technologies etc. Who’s who of the global technology arena came together to deliberate on the future of technology and how it will bring about paradigm shifts in the way we go about our day to day lives.

The conversational sessions were attended by global speakers like Durga Malladi, Senior Vice President,

Engineering, Qualcomm; Sanjay Kaul, President, Asia Pacific and Japan, Service Provider Business, Cisco; Dr. Jay Kim, VP, Samsung Electronics;Jay Chen, CEO, Huawei India; Dr. Anand Agarwal, Group CEO and Wholetime Director, Sterlite Technologies Limited;and Nunzio Mirtillo, Senior Vice President &Head of Market Area, South East Asia, Oceania & India, Ericsson. The session was moderated by Balesh Sharma, CEO, Vodafone India Limited. They talked about how 5G would be the key drivers for new technologies and innovations.

5G is not just about speed but more about adaptability and flexibility. 5G will enable us to connect many new devices and this will be supported by AI. The next generation networks will be very complex for humans to handle and therefore AI and machines will be needed to manage.

Panelists included Pardeep Kohli, President and CEO, Mavenir; Jim Jefferies, President and CEO, IEEE; Phil Twist, VP, Networks Marketing and Communications, Nokia;NivrutiRai, VP, Data Center Group, Country Head, Intel India; and Jimmy Mizrahi, GM Global Portfolio, ECI Telecom.

“Power of Content” was the session which focused on how technology is driving exponential data creation and consumption and how content delivery is going to be paramount in the future.

The speakers highlighted the growth in user generated content, even from Tier 2 & 3 cities, where the content is both produced and consumed by consumers themselves.

The panelists for the session included Matteo Maga, Managing Director, CMT, Accenture; Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited and Sameer Batra, CEO, Wynk.

IEEE-TSDSI 5G Technology and Standards Workshop The IEEE-TSDSI 5G workshop www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 21

COVER STORY brought together technology experts and stakeholders from the Government, Industry, Research and Development Organizations, Academia to discuss emerging trends in 5G technologies, the opportunities and challenges that these pose for a broad spectrum of verticals including tactical and first responder missions, and infrastructure and ecosystem preparedness. The workshop is expected to serve as a catalyst to help define various use cases, drive standards, and investigate deployment issues suitable for 5G networks.

Jim Jefferies, President, IEEE mentioned, "Given the complexity of 5G technology, a successful implementation of this technology would require deep expertise ranging from semiconductor physics, Massive MIMO, Software Defined Networks, Shared Spectrum Access, Wireless Backhaul, Security and Applications to name a few."

Jim further added, "IEEE through its research and technical depth across its societies and through the IEEE Future Networks along with strong expertise in standards development through IEEE Standards Association will play a key role in driving this next generation technology globally. IEEE is also focusing on the region specific use cases and applications, including specific requirements for success of 5G deployments in India."

Attendees learnt about and discussed emerging trends in 5G technologies, and the opportunities and challenges that these pose for a broad spectrum of verticals including tactical and first responder missions, and infrastructure and ecosystem preparedness. Ultimately, this workshop will serve as a catalyst to help define various use cases, drive standards and investigate deployment issues suitable for 5G networks.

Innovation sessions Similarly, there were sessions on proinnovation regulation and privacy, The Emerging World of Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, E-tail - The need of the Future, HealthTech - Age of Cyborgs, Industry 4.0: Building Factories of the 22 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

Future, M-Education, Value Creation through Digital Marketing, Future of Enterprise, Aadhaar etc.

Other sessions of Day 2 included discussions around The Emerging World of Analytics: Creating Business Solutions, HealthTech - Age of Cyborgs, Value Creation through Digital Marketing, Artificial Intelligence: Innovation, Investments, Ethics and Responsibilities, Industry 4:0: Building Factories of the Future, Future of Enterprise - Serving the Millennials, Next Generation Devices. Panelists for these sessions included Sandeep Bhushan, Director and Head Global Marketing Solutions, Facebook; Dr. Praveen Chandra, Chairman of Interventional Cardiology, Medanta, Gurgaon; Sumili Chatterjee, VP and Head Brand, BCCL; Santanu Bhattacharya, Chief Data Scientist, Bharti Airtel Limited among others.

The 2nd day of IMC concluded with the IMC Digital Communications awards.

UTStarcom was the award partner for the IMC Digital Communications Awards.

The awards were given to the companies, for their exemplary contribution to the sector. The highlight of the night was Indus Towers who won the IMC Digital Communications award for “Best Green Technology Adoption for Telecom Networks”. This was part of

total five IMC Digital Communications award categories. Other winners included Huawei Communications India for “Innovative Network Solution of the Year for Connectivity”; Hotstar for the “Best OTT Content Platform”; State of Jharkhand for the “State with the Best Digital Infra Policies” and Surat Smart City for “Smart Cities Project with Most Innovative Technology Adoption”.

All the winners were felicitated by the Shri Manoj Sinha, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railways.

As part of this year’s award ceremony, three winners of the 9th Aegis Graham Bell awards, in the Telecom and Mobile categories, were also felicitated at this year’s IMC. The winners included Mahindra Comviva for “Innovative Telecom Product or Solutions”; eKincare for “Innovative Mobile App for Enterprise”; and Accenture for “Bringing the fortune to the bottom of the pyramid” category.

Day 3 of IMC IMC 2018 ended with participants and organisers promising to be back next year. Addressing members of the press and media on the last day of IMC 2018, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications, Shri Manoj Sinha said, “Having participated in the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona earlier this year, I can assure

you that IMC 2018 was no less – in terms of substance, scale, and style. The IMC is just a two-year old baby, and it has already acquired a personality of its’ own. It will now be an important annual event on everyone’s calendar.”

An extremely relevant addition at this edition of the IMC was the presence of high-level ministerial delegations from several BIMSTEC and ASEAN countries. Hon’ble Ministers from the European Commission, Cambodia,

Myanmar, Nepal, and Lao PDR led their respective delegations, and participated in plenary sessions which were focused on the specific needs, challenges, and opportunities applicable to member countries of these regional forums. The presence of the high-level delegations also offered them an opportunity for bilateral meetings with their Indian counterparts, where topics of mutual interest were discussed, and possibilities of strengthening cooperation were explored.

This year’s event, with its’ theme of “New Digital Horizons – Connect.

Create. Innovate.” established the IMC as a regular platform for global and local stakeholders in the sector to collaborate in the cause of exploring opportunities and leveraging possibilities, with specific focus on South and South-East Asia.The Programme is being jointly organized by the Ministry of Communications (Department of Telecommunications) and CoAI.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad

Hon’ble Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law & Justice “Mobile technology is transforming India. In a country with a population of 1.3 billion, smartphone penetration has been 450 million and internet penetration has been 500 million. We have 250 million social media users and 177 million ecommerce users in the country. The biggest asset of India’s transformation is today an ordinary Indian is having a smartphone in his hand. I would like to thank all the telecom companies for doing a commendable job in making this happen and contributing to the success of the Digital India story.”

Shri Manoj Sinha

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railways “The Government would leave no stone unturned in extending its support to India’s ICT and TMT sectors. The country is at the cusp of a digital revolution, with disruptions happening in each and every sector and industry. With growing smartphone and internet penetration and with the finalization of National Digital Communication Policy 2018, these are exciting times for the telecom sector, and the society. We are elated to have the support of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to such enthusiastic participation from who’s who of the industry.”

Shri Hardeep Singh Puri

Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing & Urban Affairs “Whatever initiatives we are taking up in order to build the new India, it all requires technology. And I must say, the whole list of actions that are required to be taken, one area is the location of towers. This is a challenge we have confronted ever since there has been an exponential growth in the telecom sector. We have received frequent complaints from citizens regarding placement of these towers around their premises which is a hazard to health. We are looking at a permanent solution that will be a win-win for both the service providers and the consumers.”

www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 23

COVER STORY Smt. Aruna Sundararajan

Secretary (T) & Chairperson, Telecom Commission “India has moved into a new digital era. IMC comes forward in a joint commitment with the telecom industry to build a better future. India’s relation with the ASEAN and the BIMSTEC countries extends back to several thousands of years. The maritime routes with many of these countries are present even today. Today these linkages extend to the digital domain as well. India is working closely with these countries to develop digital villages which would provide connectivity and access to services such as telemedicine, education, e-Governance and e-commerce.”

Mukesh Ambani

Chairman - Reliance Industries “India is among the fastest growing large economies in the world. This has happened due to a combination of force-multiplying factors. Most notable among these is the visionary leadership of our PM Shri Narendra Modiji. During the past five years, he has galvanized India. He has launched more number of transformative initiatives… than in a comparable period anywhere in the world. An equally important factor is the contribution of Indian entrepreneurs, especially those in the telecom, IT and digital space. India has moved from 155th rank in mobile broadband penetration to being the number 1 nation in mobile data consumption in the world."

Sunil Bharti Mittal

Founder & Chairman, Bharti Enterprises “A lot has happened in the country in the last one year as India braces the digital revolution. India today stands among the top countries across the globe in terms of adopting the latest technologies. The current telecom industry structure of three large private operators and a government-owned operator is the “right structure”, even though many operators had to go through significant amount of pain and job losses with nearly $50 billion being written off to achieve this.

The National Digital Communications Policy will however capture critical issues like doing away with dual taxation, accelerating mergers and acquisitions and reducing litigation.”

Kumar Mangalam Birla

Chairman - Aditya Birla Group “The merger of Vodafone Idea has been envisaged to create a strong identity that will participate in the next phase of Indian telecom revolution by building worldclass broadband infrastructure. Vodafone Idea has made huge commitments to set up the voice and data backbone of the country with an existing gross block of $40 billion. Our immediate focus of the merger is to consolidate these networks into one strong global scale network, not only to handle current traffic but also to prepare for the future.”

24 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

SPOI NEWS

SBI to put an end to four customer services in two months State Bank of India is shutting down four services for customers by the end of the year. SBI is imposing restrictions on cash withdrawals, and making changes to its online banking services and rules.

To prevent ATM fraud and promote digital transactions, SBI is reducing withdrawal for Classic and Maestro ATM-cum-debit card holders to withdraw not more than Rs. 20,000 per day from October 31. The withdrawal limit for these cards was Rs. 40,000. However, customers can switch to other cards offered by SBI if they want a higher withdrawal limit.

SBI is also shutting down its mobile wallet, SBI Buddy, from November 1. The bank has confirmed that SBI Buddy wallets with nil balance are already being shut down. The app had over 12 million users by the end of last year. It is not yet clear as to what will happen to Buddy accounts with balance.

SBI has further notified that customers who want to continue using internet banking services have to link their mobile numbers with the bank by December 1. Customers who have not already registered their mobile numbers with SBI can do so by visiting their nearest branch. People who do not link their numbers by the time will be blocked from using internet banking services.

In accordance with an RBI order, State Bank of India (SBI) has asked customers to replace ATM-cum-debit cards with magnetic stripe with the one with EMV chip before December 31. The Reserve Bank of India had asked banks to issue only chip-based and PIN-enabled debit and credit cards with an aim to protect customers from frauds. EMV chip card protects against counterfeit (skimming) card fraud.

SBI is providing free replacements of their previous ATM-cum-debit cards. However, most SBI customers are already using EMV chip cards.

Yahoo to pay $50 million to victims of data breach Yahoo has agreed to pay $50 million to victims of the security breach of 2013 and 2014 , the mega data breach case that has affected up to 200 million US consumers and three billion accounts worldwide, according to a court filing.

In addition to this, the company will cover up to $35 million on lawyer fees related to the case and provide affected users in the US with credit monitoring services for two years.

This was the largest attack in 2013. of users' encrypted password as well 500 million credentials next year. This alternate options like Gmail, Outlook any mail providers.

Hackers were able to get the credentials as of the 3 billion users followed by incident has forced users to find out etc. This was the worst attack ever on

Small business can also claim back costs for losses that happened due to the hack including identity theft, delayed tax refunds and any other issues related to data loss at the hands of the breaches. Any individual who has paid for premium Yahoo email services can claim for a 25 percent refund.

Yahoo suffered huge damage when a security breach in 2013 affected 3 billion accounts and another breach in 2014 that affected 500 million accounts. The parent company, Verizon will pay half the settlement cost while Altaba, the remaining part of Yahoo will pay the other half.

Password-sharing has become so common that databases of login information are often used by hackers to test for email-andpassword combinations on retailer websites like Walmart or Amazon. After this incident, Yahoo is notifying all the affected users to change their passwords. www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 25

LEAD STORY

‘Make in India’ completes 4 glorious years!

Thanks to the Make in India initiative, besides becoming the world’s fastest growing economy this fiscal, India has also added another feather to its cap. The Make in India initiative was introduced to boost national economy and has achieved much-deserved global recognition since then. With the economy becoming domestically oriented, the dependency on imports has been scaling down gradually Make in India is a supreme initiative taken up by the Indian government to accelerate the country’s economy.

Successfully completing the 4 year mark from its launch, it has made an accountable growth in the GDP. With its effective campaigns, the campaign has encouraged both multi-national and domestic industrialists across the globe to invest in India and manufacture their products here. This move resulted in an exponential raise in the home production/ local manufacturing hubs.

The primary objective of this initiative is to strengthen India’s IT & manufacturing sector. With the launch of the Make in India initiative in the year 2014, the government realized specially to boost the Electronics and IT Hardware manufacturing (ESDM) sector to achieve the goal of zero imports by 2020. Of course, since its inception, there have been fundamental changes

observed in the landscape and the business models of ESDM industry in India. Major steps like digital revolution and the dedicated commitment of using technology, along with this initiative, have opened-up the huge avenues for ESDM industry to manufacture innovative products and offer solutions across the country. In order to see a large shift to high value added product-based model in the ESDM sector, we think that fabless ecosystem requires the maximum support from both the government and the other industry bodies by focusing on design and intellectual property ownership in terms of boosting and scaling up the sector within the country.

This call from Indian government has also encouraged various global/foreign investors operating in different verticals to make investments in India and boost their business by building the products

Rajarshi Bhattacharyya Country Head - SUSE

“Make in India has given an enormous boost in the domestic manufacturing sector that has slowly resulted in the sustainable growth of GDP. With the increased domestic business growth the consumption of the IT OEM Software has increased drastically. SUSE in India has been growing phenomenally for the last 4 years and that growth is primarily powered by the growth in the Manufacturing Sector. Our Business in the BFSI market has also tripled in the last 4 years. Other Industry segments are also growing at equally significant rate. Make in India is the much required initiative that the business required to ensure sustainable growth in the country.”

26 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

here. It has identified and facilitated the leading sectors of the country which are responsible for rapid economic growth and employment in the states.

There has also been a paradigmatic shift observed in the Government policies and bureaucratic processes. Elimination of unnecessary laws helped to carry-out regulatory clearances faster. By cutting down the taxes for start-ups, India has positioned as the 3rd IT start-up hub in promoting various technologies. This step has played an integral role in facilitating jobs and nurturing innovative skills among the youth of India.

Thanks to the Make in India initiative, besides becoming the world’s fastest growing economy this fiscal, India has also added another feather to its cap. The Make in India initiative was introduced to boost national economy and has achieved much-deserved global recognition since then. With the economy becoming domestically oriented, the dependency on imports has been scaling down gradually.

In fact, the initiative has received its share of international support with global giants like Apple, who embrace it wholeheartedly.

Make in India has totally changed the perspective of the Indian market. Today, we see a lot of demand for Indian products as it has built confidence in customers across the globe to use Indian products.

Indeed, it has become the largest and fast growing government initiative ever.

Ravi Raj

Brand Head Director, Sales & Support - NetRack “Make in India initiative has also surged up the development of Smart cities across the country which sequentially demanded for more IT and manufacturing hubs locally. This was surely a need for additional work force which led to increase in employment in the country.

The Make in India initiative is one of the golden opportunities, helping to put India on the globe of becoming the design-led electronics manufacturing hub and attract investments and create skilful jobs in the country. Moreover, it also adds value to push the trade policies to the robust Indian economy.”

Manish Krishnan

Founder & CEO - ATCS Inc. (Advanced Technology Consulting Service Inc.) “With its presence in all three leading economies, Advanced Technology Consulting Services (ATCS) has been focused on contributing to India’s domestic growth. Aligned with the vision of Make in India, ATCS nurtures national talent and creates innovative solutions “from the groundup”, rather than relying on already established time-tested models.

ATCS has focused on the emerging city, Jaipur, to create employment opportunities, foster innovation, harness skills and attract upcoming talent. This has also been a strategic move of the company to lower attrition rates that are prevalent in highly competitive tier 1 cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru.As Make in India expands manifold, so do ATCS’ goals to focus towards domestic businesses that will help create an impact at the domestic level. The company is continuously driven towards maintaining a healthy business environment and delivering highquality business technology solutions.”

Gaurav Ahluwalia

Managing Director - R&M India “Manufacturing industry is one among the 25 focused sectors of the initiative. In-line to the initiative, R&M, a Switzerland based company has recently made a significant investment in India and successfully opened an expansive state-of-art production facility in Bangalore. Through this step, we at R&M are utilizing the skillset of Indian workforce and are able to manufacture innovative Structured Cabling, Data Center and Telecommunication products & solutions with Swiss standards for numerous verticals across the globe. It has also helped in manufacturing customized products.

Make in India initiative has soared the position of India in the context of ease of doing business on its land. The program has more potential to take Indian economy at much better ranking and soon brand India as a developed country.”

Satish Kumar V

Co-Founder & CEO -EverestIMS Technologies “As EverestIMS, being an Indian based software company, specialized in providing software offerings for Unified IT Infra Management and ITSM, we feel proud/honoured to work on the lines of Make in India initiative. It has boosted up our business by tackling the SMB segment of India and also assisted in making our foot prints into the government sector. With the government’s recommendation on Make in India products, EverestIMS has become a primary vendor of Infrastructure Management Solutions for industry giants in Telco, PSU & BFSI sectors.

Establishment of local R&D centers has increased the utilization of Indian software engineering skills, resulting in the raise of youth employment. The initiative also provided a platform to enhance the skillset of the workforce with regards to the technology trends/market trends. www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 27

CSR CORPORATE

How Dell is transforming the life of people in Tawang Dell is committed to putting technology and expertise to work, where it can do the best for people and the planet. Empowering youth and helping them scale greater heights has always been an important facet of the company’s work culture. The organisation continues to leverage technology to make a positive impact on people and communities around us. As part of the Give Back Project, Dell collaborated with awardwinning National Geographic explorer, Mike Libecki to work in the remote village of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

The initiative aims at providing better education, enhance the quality of lives and create hope for future with the possibilities that technology and internet can provide.

Mike has completed over 75 major expeditions around the world, and this was Lilliana’s 6th expedition.

This is their fourth and biggest humanitarian project partnering with Dell. In the past they have installed solar panels, generators, and laptops in Peru, Nepal; Tanzania (schools, orphanages and monasteries). The team along with Dell employees have installed 20 new laptop computers, new printers, internet access and are imparting computer education to the kids and the teachers in Tawang.

They have also installed new solar power, solar panels and solar generators for the computer center and 14 additional buildings in the community. They trained the teachers and students how to use computers to help advance their education and ultimately create opportunity and a better quality of life now and in the future.

Tawang did not have access to some of the latest technologies that could help them in their day to day lives and enhance the education of their children. Mike Libecki along with Dell team helped setting up solar power, internet, and Dell computers

to serve a need and give back to the world that they have explored and shared with so many. Mike worked with the locals and his personal non-profit organization Every day, Dell pairs technology with innovation to make a positive social and environmental impact - building a legacy of Good. They are committed to putting our technology and expertise to work, where it can do the best for people and the planet, making possible today what was impossible yesterday.

Dell partners with Chakr Innovation to address air pollution Rise in the number of vehicles and emissions created from diesel generators are top contributors to air pollution, a recent WHO study confirms. With 14 cities ranked among the world’s top 20 most polluted cities, it’s a state of air pollution emergency across India. Dell has partnered with the Chakr Innovation which converts diesel soot into ink (POINK) through their retro-fit emission control device for diesel generators.

Dell believes that technology plays a key role in driving human progress. The company encourages sustainable innovations which helps reduce environmental impact. To share the larger sustainable innovation story and create awareness about the rising levels of air pollution, they organized a creative experiential showcase in Bangalore, India. The idea of the event was to reach out to a diverse set of audiences and drive the message of sustainability.

In an effort to create a larger appeal, they invited popular cartoonist N. Ponnappa to be a part of the event. Taking the message of sustainability forward, he sketched live caricatures depicting the harmful impact of air pollution on our health and the need to resort an environment-friendly lifestyle. While budding designer, Tahera Peeran showcased her stunning collection made with organic fabric and hand painted with diesel ink (POINK) to encourage the use of recycled products. Senior leaders from Dell like Rajeev Kapoor, India Vice President, and CSR champion highlighted efforts to reduce environmental impact.

28 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

SPOI ANALYSIS

Rehabilitation: helping employees with mental health conditions

By Simon White, Head of UK Casualty–Retail, AXA XL Employers and employees alike in the UK are becoming aware of the need to talk about mental health at work. The UK Government last year commissioned a review on the subject as part of an effort to transform the way mental health is dealt with at work, in schools and in the community.

The gradual breaking down of taboos about mental health and a move away from the fabled British “stiff upper lip” mentality are to be welcomed, not only because of the benefits to individuals affected but also to society and the economy as a whole.

Employers have a duty of care to their employees; there are benefits of properly managing mental health for the wider workplace, and there are financial benefits too.

The toll of poor mental health Poor mental health costs employers between £33 billion and £42 billion each year, according to a recent report

by Deloitte. That estimate includes costs associated both with absences and with presenteeism – employees showing up to work while unwell.

Presenteeism, Deloitte estimates, can actually cost employers up to three times more than mental health-related absence.

As with physical health conditions, mental health can vary by individual and change over time, and can affect a person’s ability to thrive and work effectively, the Deloitte report noted.

In 2017, UK Prime Minister Theresa May commissioned a review on mental health at work. The review was carried out by cross-bench peer Lord Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer, CEO of mental health charity Mind and chair of the National Health Service’s Mental Health Taskforce.

The report, Thriving at Work, found that some 300,000 people with a longterm mental health condition in the UK

fall out of work every year. It sets out a series of mental health core standards, a framework of actions which, the authors say, all organisations should be able to achieve.

Those actions include: • Producing, implementing and communicating a mental health at work plan; • Developing mental health awareness among employees; • Encouraging open conversations about mental health and the support available when people are struggling; • Providing employees with good working conditions and ensuring they have a healthy work-life balance and opportunities for development; • Providing effective people management through line managers and supervisors; and • Routinely monitoring employee mental health and well-being.

The report, which drew heavily upon Deloitte’s findings, recommended that employers should risk-assess and manage work-related mental health the same way that they would work-related physical illhealth.

And Deloitte’s report argues that employers should invest more in mental

health interventions to support individuals with mental health conditions.

Interventions can produce good returns on investment, according to Deloitte, which said an overview of research on the topic suggested that the return-on-investment for workplace mental health interventions averages 4.2:1.

Having a set of procedures in place to manage mental health, making it possible for employees to feel comfortable talking about mental health, and intervening and enabling rehabilitation are all ways that employers can help to reduce the human and economic costs associated with mental ill-health.

How insurance can help Insurers have a part to play too.

The role of the insurer in getting ill or injured employees back to work can go beyond writing a cheque in the event of a claim, for example working with independent clinical specialists on both pre- and post-claim solutions to improve outcomes for all and ultimately improve the claims experience.

Insurance plans can give employers access to expertise in rehabilitation, which ultimately benefits both employees and employers.

Workplace rehabilitation is aimed at finding ways to enable employees to retain their valuable work skills and return to the jobs they had before their illness or injury – or to a suitable job that uses their expertise.

As well as ensuring that valuable skills and personnel are not lost, rehabilitation can help to keep claims costs down by enabling a speedy and safe return to work.

Rehabilitation providers can provide employees with access to online and digital services that enable them to access therapy without the perceived stigma attached to attending a clinic or speaking to someone in person, if they wish. www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 29

OPEN YOUR EYES

Modi inaugurates 182-metre long 'Statue of Unity' dedicated to Sardar Patel PM Modi has inaugurated the world's tallest statue - Statue of Unity, on the occassion of the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The monument is located on the river island called Sadhu Bet facing the Narmada Dam near Rajpipla in Gujarat.

Built at a cost of Rs. 2,989 crore, eight years after proposing the ambitious project, the statue depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Home Minister, wearing a traditional dhoti and shawl. Iron was collected from all over the country for the statue of Sardar Patel, also known as the Iron Man of India. At 182-metre, the statue is touted as the world's tallest - it is 177 feet higher than China's Spring Temple Buddha, currently the world's tallest statue.

exhibition, and the viewers’ gallery.

“I congratulate all those who have worked day and night to ensure that this grand statue in tribute of Sardar Patel becomes a reality. My mind goes back to 31st October 2013, when we laid the foundation stone for this ambitious

Sardar Patel was a veteran administrator. His own experience in governance, particularly in the 1920s, when he served the Ahmedabad municipality, was extremely handy when he worked towards strengthening independent India’s administrative framework. While in Ahmedabad, he did commendable work in furthering cleanliness in the city. He ensured clean and functioning drainage systems across the city. He also focussed on other aspects of urban infrastructure such as roads, electricity and education.

The statue has been designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor Ram V Sutar and has been built by Larsen and Toubro and the state-run Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam. It took about 250 engineers and 3,400 labourers to construct the statue in 33 months.

The statue has a viewing gallery at the height of 193 metres from the sea level which can accommodate 200 visitors at a time. This gallery, at 153 metres height, will offer a view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, its reservoir, and the Satpura and Vindhya mountain ranges.

PM Modi had done a virtual “abhishek” of the statue with the help of a lever. Also present at the venue are BJP chief Amit Shah; Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani; and Deputy CM Nitinbhai Patel. The guests were also presented with mementoes that were made of the same metal that was used to clad the statue.

The prime minister has performed a special prayer at the feet of the Statue of Unity and visited the museum and 30 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

speed to dismantle the history of imperialism and create the geography of unity with the spirit of nationalism.

He saved India from Balkanization and integrated even the weakest of limbs into the national framework. Today, we, the 130 crore Indians are working shoulder to shoulder to build a New India that is strong, prosperous and inclusive.

Every decision is being taken to ensure that the fruits of development reach the most vulnerable, without any corruption or favouritism, just as Sardar Patel would have wanted it,” PM Modi further said.

project. In record time, a project of such scale has become ready and this should make every Indian proud. I urge you all to visit the ‘Statue of Unity’ in the times to come,” the PM remarked while unveiling the statue. “The ‘Statue of Unity’ is a symbol of both the unity of hearts and the geographical integrity of our motherland.

It is a reminder that divided, we may not be even able to face ourselves. United, we can face the world and scale new heights of growth and glory.”

“Sardar Patel worked with astonishing

Today, if India is known for a vibrant cooperative sector, a large part of the credit goes to Sardar Patel.

The roots of Amul can be traced back to his vision for empowering local communities, particularly women. It was Sardar Patel who also popularized the idea of cooperative housing societies, thus ensuring dignity and shelter for many.

Two traits synonymous with Sardar Patel are trust and integrity. The farmers of India had unparalleled faith in him. The working class saw him as a ray of hope, a leader who would speak up for them.

Traders and industrialists preferred to work with Sardar Patel because they felt here was a stalwart who had a vision for India’s economic and industrial growth.

SPOI NEWS

India jumps 23 places to 77th rank in World Bank survey in ease of doing business The World Bank has said that India has improved on six of the 10 parameters on starting and doing business in the country. It is a complement to the efforts of PM Narendra Modi, efforts towards reform measures taken in last 4 years of dedicated service to the nation by making the efforts to ease processes, project a businessfriendly environment, and draw in foreign investment.

India is the only nation to have made it to the list of top 10 improvers for the second consecutive year in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business 2019 survey. It climbed 23 places to 77 among 190 countries surveyed, making it the only country to rank among the top 10 improvers for the second consecutive year.

“The key reforms in India included streamlining the process of obtaining a building permit and improved building quality controls,” the World Bank said. “Starting a business was made easier through consolidation of multiple application forms and introduction of a goods and services tax (GST), while getting electricity was made faster and cheaper. Other reforms in India included strengthening access to credit as well as making it easier and faster to pay taxes and trade across borders.”

Industry secretary Ramesh Abhishek said that earlier, breaking into the top 50 in the World Bank rankings looked difficult. “At 77, we are within striking distance of top 50. Momentum of reforms will continue. ‘Team India’ will work harder, together, build more & more trust with users & deliver on the promise,” he tweeted.

It is all possible, because of the policy of “implementing the single-window clearance system in Delhi and the online building permit approval system in Mumbai during the second half of 2017. India also continued to streamline and centralize its construction permitting process. This improvement was further made possible by reducing the time and cost to export and import through various initiatives, including the implementation of electronic sealing of containers, upgrading of port infrastructure and allowing electronic submission of supporting documents with digital signatures under its National Trade Facilitation Action Plan 2017-2020.

In its annual 'Doing Business' 2019 report, the World Bank said India has improved on 6 of the 10 parameters on starting and doing business in a country. The checklist includes ease of starting a business, construction permits, getting electricity, getting credit, paying taxes, trade across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.

Ashok Pamidi takes over as NASSCOM Foundation CEO NASSCOM Foundation, social arm of the IT industry body, NASSCOM has announced that Ashok Pamidi, Senior Director, NASSCOM has taken over as the CEO of NASSCOM Foundation.

Pamidi comes with a diverse experience of 29+ years in the IT industry and is also leading the NASSCOM’s Diversity and Inclusion initiatives.

He is responsible for membership development and also leads the SME initiatives for NASSCOM. Arun Seth, Chairman, NASSCOM Foundation said, “We are delighted to welcome Ashok Pamidi as the CEO of NASSCOM Foundation. The social sector today has realized the potential of technology as a platform for change. Ashok will bring in the right mix of technological and social expertise in taking forward key Foundation’s initiatives in Skills for the underserved, digital literacy, empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, encouraging social innovation and industry volunteering.”

www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 31

Venture capital investments have picked up pace in India. As per KPMG, the start-up ecosystem saw over $2.5 billion investment in the third quarter of 2018, which was almost double from over $1 billion invested in the second quarter. Despite the increase, this is half of the $5 billion invested in the third quarter of 2017. Start-up comes with disruptive innovations, which develops confidence to take risks and explore by advocating and later on rewarding opportunity.

The report says that India saw a quarter on quarter increase in VC investment buoyed by $1 billion raised by hotel booking company Oyo Rooms to finance its expansion into China. Oyo became India's second most valuable technology start-up after Paytm and leapt into unicorn status with a $5 billion valuation. India also saw several $100 million plus megadeals this quarter, including $225 million by Udaan, $120 million by Curefit and $100 million by BookMyShow," the report said.

It has also seen that online marketplaces continue to gain a lot of traction in India during the quarter, with the second-hand car company Cars24 raising $50 million. India is witnessing a rapid rise in the B2B tech startup landscape, focused on verticals like healthtech, fintech, and ecommerce/aggregators.

According to a report, the investment in startups across segments such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Fintech, Logistics and Software as a Service (SaaS) touched $6.1 billion, with investment in 575 firms since 2016. Till now fintech topped the chart in terms of funding with $4.4 billion, followed by logistics at $838 million. There are certain interesting start-ups present in Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangaluru and Chennai, of which we present you the leading 5 start-ups from each of these cities -

32 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

COMPANY

PROMOTER

SOLUTION OFFERINGS

BANGALORE

Altigreen Propulsion Labs

Amitabh Saran (Founder & CEO), Shalendra Gupta (Co-Founder & CFO), Lasse Moklegaard (CTO and Co-Founder) & John Bangura (Co-founder & VP Engineering)

Electric Motors & Generators, Battery Management Systems, Power Electronics, Advanced Telematics, Engineering Design & Software Algorithms

InstaSafe Technologies

Sandip Kumar Panda, CEO

Identity based granular access control solution based on the principles of Software Defined Perimeter & InstaSafe Cloud Access

ShieldSquare

Pavan Kumar Thatha, CEO & Co-Founder

Bot Mitigation for Web, Bot Mitigation for API, Bot Mitigation for Mobile, Bot Intelligence Feed

Squadcast

Amiya Adwitiya, Co-founder & CEO

Escalation Policies, On-Call Schedules, Squad Management, Mobile Incident Management, API

Quantta

Ritesh Bawri ( Founder), Malvika Bawri (Co-Founder) and Vinay Bari (Co-Founder)

Quantta Connect, Quantta Convert, Quantta Communicate, Quantta Custom

DELHI

Pavan Kushwaha, Founder & CEO

Complete suite of manual and automated security testing services like- Managed Security, Compliance Security, ThreatCop

Bizom

Lalit Bhise, Chief Executive Officer

Order Management, Distributor Management, Van Sales Automation, Field Force Tracking, Claims Management System, Retail Execution & Merchandising, Task/Lead Management, Service Rep Management, Attendance & Leave Management, Business Intelligence and Analytics, Asset Management System

HeyMojo

Jagdish Repaswal, Founder and CEO

Build Chatbots, Dash buttons and website widgets for direct bookings, online ordering and guest experience management

Notify Visitors

Siddharth Gupta Co-Founder & CEO

Customer Engagement Software, Conversion Rate Optimisation Software, Analytics

Lucideus Technologies

Saket Modi, Co-Founder & CEO

ITS Maturity Assessment, Governance Policy Formation, Security Technology Trainings, Application Security, IT Infra Security, Emergency Response, Cyber Forensics, Fraud Investigation

Kratikal Tech.

Pvt. Ltd

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COMPANY

PROMOTER

SOLUTION OFFERINGS

MUMBAI

Sequretek

Anand Naik, Co-Founder & CEO

Manage Detection & Response(MDR), Security Strategy & Roadmap, Secure Infrastructure Services, Vulnerability & Threat Management, Malware Analysis, Governance Risk & Compliance, Endpoint Security Solutions

Smokescreen Technologies

Sahir Hidayatullah, CEO

Targeted Threats, Lateral Movement, Detection, Web-Application Attacks, Malware-Less Attacks, Social Engineering, Threat Intelligence, Ransomware

Droni Tech

Onkar Bhosle, Co-founder / Product Head

Drone Management Software, I based Agriculture Drone, AI Based Medical Drone, AI Based Disaster Box drone and Fixed Wing Aerial Day, Night Surveillance UAV

AlgoSurg Products Pvt Ltd

Dr Vikas Karade (CEO & Founder) & Amit Maurya (CTO & Founder)

Web-based software Tabplan3D for surgeons to simulate bone surgeries in 3D and to get 3D printable surgical-tool design

Jubi AI

Subhadeep Bhattacharyya, Co-Founder and CEO

Iterative Turing Optimization, Omni channel and Voice-Capable, Performance-based to solve toughest challenges, Personalized re-engagement, Multi-lingual and behaviour-first

CHENNAI

Inthree Access

Ramachandran Ramanathan, Co-Founder & CEO

E-Commerce products like Mobiles, Electronics, Large Appliances, Small Appliances, Electrical, Personal Care, apparels etc

TicketNew

Ramkumar Nammalvar, Founder & CEO

Online-movie ticketing website that provides ticket sales, ticket resale services, marketing and distribution

Tradly

JK Baseer, Co-Founder & Product Manager

Online platform for buying and selling second hand products, to create a platform with safe and friendly local community to discover, connect and trade Online platform for buying and selling second hand products, to create a platform with safe and friendly local community to discover, connect and trade

Mad Street Den

Ashwini Asokan, CEO & founder

Vue.ai, data classification/ catalog data management, AI and Image Recognition platform for apparel retailers

Planys Technologies

Prabhu Rajagopal, Co Founder & Strategist

Under-water inspection and survey solutions using custom-built submersible drones

34 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

www.spoindia.org October 2018 | 35

ROUND ABOUT

Nobel Prize and Computing: Who will get first India or China?

I often wonder why there is no Nobel Prize for computer science, where innovations and disruptions are taking place at regular intervals, forcing range of technologies to move from one generation to the other at rapid speed and pace. I did take only a click to the Google to realize how ill-informed I am about the Nobel Prizes. My knowledge did not travel with time and got stuck somewhere.

Alfred Nobel’s last will, dating back to 1895 included only five prizes, to recognize the outstanding achievements in disciplines like chemistry, physics, literature, peace and physiology or medicine. Understandably, these were the core disciplines of his time, which bought about or had the potential to bring about transformation to confer greatest benefit on mankind. Theprizes in Chemistry, Literature, Peace and Medicine were first awarded in 1901. In 1968, Sweden's central bank SverigesRiksbank established the SverigesRiksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, which, although not being a Nobel Prize,] has become informally known as the "Nobel Prize in Economics.” The Nobel Prize is widely regarded as the most prestigious award available in the fields of literature, medicine, physics, chemistry, economics and activism for peace.

Sixty-threeyears after his demise, several prizes were instituted by various entities at different points of time. None of these are sponsored by the Nobel Foundation but has been referred as Nobel Prize of that particular subject.

They gradually gained wider recognition and popularity. These include Wolf Prize in Agriculture (1978), Huxley Memorial Medal and Lecture (1900) for Anthropology, Pritzker Prize (1979) in Architecture and Turning Award (1966) for Computer Science. The list will expand as new horizons of innovations and thought leaders emerge.

Coming to Turning Award for 36 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

computer science, this prize is given by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) to an individual for the contributions of lasting and major technical importance to the computer field and is generally recognized as the highest award in computer science and the Nobel Prize of Computing. The award is named after Alan Turning, a British mathematician and reader in mathematics at the University of Manchester and is often credited as the key founder of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.

Between 2007 and 2013, the award had an additional prize of US $250,000, with financial support provided by Intel and Google. Since 2014, the award has been accompanied by a prize of US $1million, with financial support provided by Google.The first recipient- in 1966was Alan Perils of Carnegie Mellon University. The recent recipients are John L Hennessy and David A Patterson for pioneering systematic, quantitative approach to the design and evaluation of computer architectures with enduring impact on microprocessor industry.

Another thought that haunts me is whether we have enough institutional mechanisms to recognize contributions in the IT, apart from the coveted Nobel prize. I do not think that we have many. My feeling is that we should have many more awards and other type of recognitions for promoting innovations in the IT space. Why not have an award for person/s who innovate a technology that can reduce the drudgery of masses.

A related field is stem cells and organ donations. We have been told that breakthrough innovations are taking place in medical space for treatment of chronic non-communicable disease like diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer etc. by using stem cell technology. These expensive categories of treatments are still in the precinct of the developed world and that too within the reach of the rich and privileged.

Does it suggest that there is scope for

introducing Nobel prizes for different categories of computer sciences, such as one connected with pure discoveries and innovations, such as artificial intelligence, algorithms and programs that can facilitate cutting edge concepts and technologies in medical science, engineering or any subject that unravels human mysteries such as astronomy, anthropology, geology etc.

Let us have a look at what China is up to in artificial intelligence to gauge that country’s levity and commitment to be the first in the technology front. AIoptimized chips have become central to the future of the technology industry leading to re-imagining products of all hues and sizes.

Undoubtedly, China leads the pack. Their Cambricon-1A chip, developed is widely debated among the scientific community. Everyone thought that was possible only in the West, particularly in the Silicon Valley.

Chinaproved them wrong. The country is investing massively in the entire field of AI, from chips to algorithms.

Let me end with a personal note.

Days are numbered when a Chinese name props up for awarding the Nobel Prize. It could be matter of time when they would join that select league. Could that be told about India or any other emerging economies? At least not in the near future! That is what I feel. I wish that I am wrong. n

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MOVEMENT Tushar Mehta appointed as the new Solicitor General of India

Vishwesh Chaube appointed Member (engineering) of Railway Board

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was on Wednesday appointed the new Solicitor General of India, months ahead of the general elections in 2019.

He will hold office till June 30, 2020. Mehta, who was Gujarat advocate general when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state, will replace Ranjit Kumar, who had stepped down sometime back. The post was lying vacant since then. Mehta has handled several contentious cases, including justice BH Loya’s death and the arrest of the five activists by the Maharashtra police, in the recent past.

Vishwesh Chaube, a 1980 batch IRSE officer and General Manager of the Northern Railway has been appointed as Member (Engineering) in the Railway Board in place of MK Gupta, also an IRSE officer who is retiring.

Chaube is a B.Tech (civil) from IIT-BHU and M.Tech (structures) from IIT-Delhi. Before being elevated as the GM of Northern Railways, he served at various positions including GM of Kolkata Metro Railway, principal chief engineer of the South Eastern Railway and director of Indian Railways Institute of Civil Engineering (IRICEN), Pune.

IRS-IT officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra becomes interim ED chief

CBI’s DSP transferred to Port Blair

Indian Revenue Service (IRS-IT) officer, Sanjay Kumar Mishra was made in-charge of Enforcement Directorate, a financial investigation agency that comes under the department of revenue. The ED, which came into existence way back in 1956 -- first as an “enforcement unit” -- was always headed by an IAS till 2016 when IPS Karnal Singh was made its director.

Now Sanjay Kumar Mishra will be the first Income-Tax officer to head the agency though technically, he will be an interim chief for three months while holding the permanent post as ED’s principal special director.

Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), AK Bassi, has been transferred to the anticorruption bureau in Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. Bassi, who was the investigative officer of the CBI special director, Rakesh Asthana, in a bribery case, was asked to join his new post immediately in “public interest”, according to an order issued by the administrative section of the investigative agency. The other officers who were also transferred included deputy inspectors general Manish Kumar Sinha, Tarun Gauba, Jasbir Singh. Bassi is reportedly a close aide of the agency’s director Alok Verma who was at loggerhead with Asthana.

Tenure of home ministry joint secretary Vivek Bhardwaj extended

Andhra Pradesh’s new chief secretary Anil Chandra Punetha

The central deputation tenure of Vivek Bhardwaj, 1990 batch IAS officer and joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs (MHA), has been extended for a period of three months beyond October 23, 2018. Meanwhile, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has also approved the proposal for extension in central deputation tenure of NC Jhinta, DIG, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) as secretary to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for a period of three months from the date of demise of former PM, i.e. up to November 15, 2018, “in relaxation of extend guidelines”.

The Andhra Pradesh government has announced that the state’s new chief secretary -- Anil Chandra Punetha, a 1984 batch IAS. He was serving as the chief commissioner of land administration (CCLA) in the state. Punetha is a 1984 batch IAS officer belonging to Andhra Pradesh cadre. Originally hailing from Uttarakhand, he was allotted Andhra cadre after getting selected as an IAS. In the cadre, he has worked in various departments including agriculture, health and family welfare, horticulture, rural development, education, to name a few.

2 officers appointed in National Gallery of Modern Art

J K Goel takes charge as ED-HR, AAI

Two women officers, one belonging to Income-Tax and the other a defence service engineer, have been appointed in the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA).

Anita Rupavataram, 2003 batch Indian Revenue Service (Income-Tax) officer, has been appointed as director in National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai.2001 batch Indian Defence Service of Engineers (IDSE) officer, Nazneen Banu was appointed as director in NGMA, Bengaluru. Both the orders were also issued on Friday.

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J K Goel took over the charge as Executive Director (HR), Airport authority of India (AAI). Prior to his appointment as ED (HR), he has served as General Manager (HR) at Corporate Headquarters (CHQ), Delhi and at Regional Headquarters (RHQ), Eastern Region, Kolkata - AAI. He has a rich experience of handling different responsibilities at various airports like Indira Gandhi international Airport, Delhi; Chennai airport and NSCBI airport, Kolkata. Industrial Relations, Employee Management, Labour Management, Talent Management are some of his strong HR traits, besides having excellent inter-personal relation skills.

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RNI No.: DELENG/2016/69058 Printing Date 27 & 28

40 | October 2018 www.spoindia.org

Reg. No.: DL-SW-1/4197/17-19

40 pages including cover

Date of Posting Date 29 & 30 Every Month