Eight out of 20 semiconductor chips designed by students: Ashwini Vaishnaw
Addressing graduating students at the 14th convocation of Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Sangareddy, on Saturday, he spoke about advancements under the IndianAI Mission, telecom self-reliance — developing own 4G stack that is upgradable to 5G in three-and-a-half years, railway modernisation and indigenous innovation, particularly automatic train protection system Kavach, developed in Hyderabad and being implemented across the rail network.
'Today's graduates are entering a world of great uncertainty, but also immense opportunity, supported by a strong foundation built over the past decade,' he said, stressing the country's technological transformation such as in electronics manufacturing and India Semiconductor Mission.
Mr. Vaishnaw invoked the country's economic leadership before colonial rule and called upon today's youth to lead the country back to being among the top two global economies by 2047.
A total of 1,273 degrees, including 460 B.Tech, 511M.Tech, 134 PhD and other courses, were awarded at the ceremony. Rahul Ramachandran of the Department of Computer Science won the President of India Gold Medal. Institute's gold medals were presented to Harmanpreet Singh, Ajith BS and Rishitha Mudunuri.
Director, IITH, BS Murty presented the institute's report. He said the ceremony marks the graduation of the first cohorts of several new interdisciplinary programmes, including B.Tech in Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, Computational Engineering, and Industrial Chemistry; M.Tech in Quantum & Solid-State Devices and Sustainable Engineering; MSc in Medical Physics; and the first PhD in Artificial Intelligence.
IITH was granted the 'Institute of National Eminence' status and recorded the highest-ever annual R&D funding in 2024–25, he informed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
CM says Karnataka will take up issue of GST notices to small traders with Centre
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the State government will take up with the Centre the issue of small traders getting GST notices from the Commercial Taxes Department for transactions through UPI. He also made it clear that the issue would be discussed with the State Commercial Taxes Department before making a decision in this regard. 'The Goods and Sales Tax (GST) Council comes under the purview of the Centre. However, the State government will take up the matter with the Union government and discuss it with the State's Commercial Taxes Department, and take a decision,' Mr. Siddaramaiah told presspersons in Mysuru. It may be noted that a section of the small and micro traders in the State have taken exception to getting notices with respect to taxes based on their transactions via UPI. Meanwhile, asking the small traders not to worry about the GST-related notices, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar accused the Union government of creating trouble for small traders and street vendors by introducing GST. 'Notices are being issued to those who are conducting business of over ₹40 lakh,' he said in Hoskote, near here, where an event was organised to distribute government benefits. He said: 'This is the achievement of the Union government. The traders do not have to worry. We will take necessary actions to protect their interests.' The Deputy Chief Minister said though the State had appealed to the Centre several times seeking funds over the last two years, the BJP MPs are not speaking. 'They are not concerned about the poor in the State.' Accusing the BJP of not doing enough, he said that the Congress government was committed to getting Yettinahole waters to Bengaluru North district before 2027 and the government had decided to prepare a DPR to bring metro to Hoskote. 'We will ensure it is approved during our term.' Mr. Shivakumar also pointed out that the government had taken steps to regularise B-khata properties in Bengaluru, and that over a crore patta khatas are being given to Scheduled Tribes.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Explained: Biostimulants that aid plant growth, now under the Centre's scrutiny
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan last week wrote to Chief Ministers of all states to immediately stop the 'forced tagging' of nano-fertilisers or biostimulants along with conventional fertilisers. Chouhan highlighted complaints that retailers are not selling subsidised fertilisers like urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP) to farmers unless they purchase biostimulants. He also said that many farmers had recently raised complaints about the inefficacy of biostimulants. 'It is necessary to review biostimulants thoroughly to see how much benefit the farmers are getting from it; if not, then permission to sell it cannot be given,' he said. The substances stimulate physiological processes in plants and help enhance the yield from a harvest. Plant-derived waste materials and seaweed extracts are at times used in their production. Officially, the Fertiliser (Inorganic, Organic or Mixed) (Control) Order, 1985, which regulates the manufacturing and sale of biostimulants, defines it as 'a substance or microorganism or a combination of both whose primary function when applied to plants, seeds or rhizosphere is to stimulate physiological processes in plants and to enhance its nutrient uptake, growth, yield, nutrition efficiency, crop quality and tolerance to stress… but does not include pesticides or plant growth regulators which are regulated under the Insecticide Act, 1968.' Market research firm Fortune Business Insights noted, 'The India biostimulants market size was valued at USD 355.53 million in 2024. The market is projected to grow from USD 410.78 million in 2025 to USD 1,135.96 million by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 15.64% during the forecast period.' Chouhan said that around 30,000 biostimulant products had been sold unchecked for several years, and even in the last four years, around 8,000 products remained in circulation. 'After I enforced stricter checks, the number has now come down to approximately 650,' he said in a statement on July 15. As biostimulants did not fall under the existing fertiliser or pesticide categories, they were sold in the open market without government approval for a long time. In India, fertilisers and pesticides are governed by the 1985 Fertiliser Control Order and the Insecticides Act of 1968, respectively. The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare issues the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and makes changes to it from time to time. However, in 2011, the Punjab and Haryana High Court made an observation. Any manufacturer producing a bioproduct claiming to be a substitute for insecticides or fertiliser, but not covered under the rules, was to apply to the respective Director General of Agriculture, in the case of Haryana and Punjab. This paved the way for states to take samples of these products and check them before allowing their sale to farmers. As the sale of biostimulants increased over the years, it caught the Centre's attention. In 2017, NITI Aayog, the government's premier think tank, and the Agriculture Ministry started working on a framework for biostimulants. Finally, in February 2021, the ministry amended the 1985 FCO and included biostimulants, paving the way for their regulated manufacturing, sale and import. The inclusion of biostimulants empowered the Central government to fix specifications. The FCO classified biostimulants specified in Schedule VI of the FCO in eight categories, including botanical extracts (as well as seaweed extracts), bio-chemicals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Every manufacturer or importer of a biostimulant shall make an application to the Controller of Fertilisers along with the requisite product information. The product's chemistry, source (natural extracts of plant/microbe/animal/synthetic), shelf-life, reports of bio-efficacy trials, and toxicity must be submitted, along with other data. The five basic acute toxicity tests are: (i) Acute oral (Rat) (ii) Acute dermal (Rat) (iii) Acute Inhalation (Rat) (iv) Primary skin Irritation (Rabbit) (v) Eye irritation (Rabbit) The four eco-toxicity tests are: (i) Toxicity to birds (ii) Toxicity to Fish (Freshwater) (iii) Toxicity to honeybees (iv) Toxicity to earthworm The FCO clearly states that no biostimulant shall contain any pesticide beyond the permissible limit of 0.01ppm. Further, agronomic bio-efficiency trials shall be conducted under the National Agricultural Research System, including the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and state agricultural universities. 'Bio-efficacy trials shall be conducted at minimum three different doses for one season at three agro-ecological locations,' it states. Additionally, on April 9, 2021, the agriculture ministry constituted the Central Biostimulant Committee for five years, with the Agriculture Commissioner as its Chairperson and seven other members. Under the FCO, it shall advise the Centre on: (i) inclusion of a new biostimulant; (ii) specifications of various biostimulants; (iii) methods of drawing of samples and its analysis; (iv) minimum requirements of laboratory; (v) method of testing of biostimulants; (vi) any other matter referred to it by the central government. According to the FCO order, amended in 2021, manufacturers could make and sell biostimulants for two years if they made an application for provisional registration. Sources say that the Agriculture Ministry kept extending the two-year deadline, which allowed most of the manufacturers as of 2021 to continue making and selling biostimulants based on provisional registration. Whereas, under the regular registration, companies have to submit testing protocols to the government. On March 17, in the latest extension of the provisional certificate facility, the ministry allowed biostimulants' sale for three months until June 16. It applied to all companies manufacturing or importing a biostimulant as of March 17, for which no standards were specified. With the March 17 notification having expired, the companies having provisional certificates and stocks of biostimulants cannot sell their products in the market now, said a source. In addition to this, the Agriculture Ministry notified 'Specifications of Biostimulants' on May 26 for several crops, including tomato, chilli, cucumber, paddy, brinjal, cotton, potato, green gram, grape, hot pepper, soybean, maize, and onion. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More
News18
3 hours ago
- News18
Mumbai Gets India's 1st Institute of Creative Technologies: Courses To Jobs, All You Need To Know
Last Updated: The first batch of 300 students will begin classes in September on the campus on National Film Development Corporation's premises on Mumbai's Pedder Road News18 In a major boost to India's digital and creative economy sector, the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) will open admissions for its first batch starting this August. The first batch of 300 students will begin classes in September on National Film Development Corporation's premises on Mumbai's Pedder Road. What will students learn? The institute will offer industry-driven courses in the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) sector. The institute, which was announced by Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, at World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in May 2025, is backed by prestigious global partnerships and industry leaders, a Ministry of Information and Broadcasting release said. The inaugural academic offering includes six specialised courses in gaming, four courses in Post Production and eight courses in Animation, Comics and XR. Collaboration with foreign universities, global companies IICT recently signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of York, United Kingdom, paving the way for collaborative research, faculty exchange and global certification pathways. Leading global companies such as Google, YouTube, Adobe, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and JioStar have committed to long-term collaborations with IICT. Their support encompasses curriculum development, scholarships, internships, startup incubation and placement opportunities. IICT, Chief Executive Officer, Dr Vishwas Deoskar stated that the vision is to make India a global powerhouse in the AVGC-XR sector by nurturing world-class talent. The courses are designed to meet global standards while being rooted in India's dynamic creative potential. The detailed curriculum is expected to be announced later this month. With the global AVGC-XR industry projected to grow exponentially, IICT's comprehensive course offerings aim to build a future-ready talent pool that will contribute significantly to India's creative economy and position the country as a leader in immersive and digital content technologies, the release said. view comments First Published: July 20, 2025, 19:53 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
