
Uzbekistan Offers Fully-Funded Scholarships To Indians For Master's Courses
The Republic of Uzbekistan has announced five fully-funded scholarships for Indian students to pursue Master's degree programmes at the Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Samarkand, for the academic year 2025-26.
These scholarships are open to Indian graduates interested in fields such as Tourism and Hospitality, Archaeology, Museum Studies, Restoration, and Management. The courses are conducted in English. Interested and eligible students can submit their applications by August 1, 2025, via the university's admission portal - admissions.univ-silkroad.uz.
Scholarship Coverage And Facilities
The scholarships will cover:
Round-trip economy airfare once a year
A monthly stipend equivalent to USD 500
Accommodation support up to USD 100 per month
Two annual cultural visits within Uzbekistan, with a travel allowance of USD 100 per trip
Eligibility and Required Documents
To apply, candidates must provide:
A valid passport or ID
A Bachelor's degree certificate
A CV and a recent photo
An English proficiency certificate (IELTS 6.0 / TOEFL iBT 72 / CEFR B2), unless the medium of undergraduate instruction was English
A 1-1.5 page essay titled "Contributing to the development of tourism of the SCO countries"
The university features a smart campus equipped with modern learning facilities, including a bar-restaurant, hotel rooms, a gym, a pool, and a digital library. Education is conducted entirely in English, and the institution collaborates with leading global universities.
The Ministry of Education, Government of India, has clarified that it is not involved in the nomination or selection process. The final selection will be made by the Government of Uzbekistan.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India.com
18 minutes ago
- India.com
Have 4 wives, owns 38 private jets, 300 cars, 52 golden boats and..., he is world's richest king, his name is..., not richer than Mukesh Ambani, Adani
Have 4 wives, owns 38 private jets, 300 cars, 52 golden boats and..., this is world's richest king, his name is..., not richer than Mukesh Ambani, Adani There are many billionaires across the world, but very few live as richly and royally as King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, also known as King Rama X. According to The Business Standard , he is believed to be the richest king in the world, with an estimated wealth of around Rs 3.7 lakh crore (which is about 43 billion US dollars). Where does his wealth come from King Vajiralongkorn didn't make his money like most businesspeople. His wealth comes from centuries of royal inheritance, and it grew even more after his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, passed away in 2016. Since then, he has made major investments in some of Thailand's biggest companies and owns a lot of valuable land and buildings. In fact he owns more than 17,000 properties in Bangkok alone which makes him one of the largest landowners in Thailand. These include hotels, old palaces, and commercial buildings, many of which earn large amounts of rent. A life of extreme luxury King Vajiralongkorn lives a life of true royal luxury. His collection includes: Over 300 luxury cars 38 private jets A fleet of 52 golden boats used for special royal events These boats are not for travel, but part of grand traditional ceremonies, showing the rich culture of Thailand's royal family. A royal with military training Born in 1952, he is the only son of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. Raised from an early age to take over the throne, he was given elite military training abroad, where he studied in the United Kingdom and then at the University of New South Wales in Australia, graduating in military studies. He also had pilot training and served with the Royal Thai Army, where he saw action in counter-insurgency campaigns during the politically charged 1970s. A controversial figure Even though his personal life has been full of headlines, he has been married four times and often attracts media attention. Out of the four, three of them ended in divorce and have been the subject of tabloid headlines. He also remains an important and powerful figure in Thailand. He represents both the rich royal tradition and the modern face of the monarchy. Meanwhile, in India… India's richest people are well-known business tycoons. As of May 2025, Mukesh Ambani is the richest Indian, with a net worth of about 92.5 billion dollars. Gautam Adani is second with 56.3 billion dollars, with businesses in ports, energy, and infrastructure. But even compared to these corporate giants, King Vajiralongkorn stands out—not just for his huge fortune, but for a lifestyle filled with palaces, private jets, golden boats, and royal ceremonies that few others in the world can match.


Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
India Inc's AI reality check: Why 92% still struggle to scale AI
Only BFSI (71%) and ITES (80%) show signs of AI maturity — but even they face integration and governance and retail sectors have >60% AI experimentation, but governance, ethics, and backend integration stall AI being a boardroom buzzword, only 8% of enterprises have realized business-scale AI value. AI might be the star of corporate town halls and keynote speeches, but behind the curtains of glossy brochures and tech summits lies an inconvenient truth: the vast majority of Indian enterprises are nowhere close to AI maturity. According to the ETCIO Intelligence Report AI Playbook – GPUs, Strategies & Readiness Index 2025, a staggering 92% of organizations remain stuck in pilot or exploratory phases. Only a slim 8% have fully implemented AI initiatives. This discrepancy reveals a telling reality—while boardrooms are bullish about AI's potential, operationalizing it at scale remains an uphill task. For a quarter of surveyed firms, AI remains an abstract concept—a buzzword to explore rather than a tool to deploy. Pilot paralysis: From proof of concept to proof of value What's keeping India Inc from achieving AI lift-off? At the heart of the issue lies an ROI dilemma. AI pilots, often built around automation or chatbots, fail to deliver tangible business impact. 'Boards demand measurable business value,' the report notes, 'but most AI efforts focus on narrow use cases with limited bottom-line value.' In response, many CIOs are shifting their KPIs from 'proof of concept' to 'proof of value,' with a sharper focus on metrics like Return on Employee (RoE). 'AI has moved beyond proof of concept - it's now about proof of value. With data at its core, the true success metric is ROE: Return on Employee, where enhanced productivity and smarter efficiency reveals AI's real impact,' says Rakesh Bhardwaj, Group Chief Information Officer, Lupin. The infrastructure conundrum: Legacy systems as a bottleneck India's digital backbone—comprising legacy ERP, SCADA, MES, and siloed data systems—is not AI-ready. In manufacturing, for instance, only 57% of firms report any form of AI adoption. Even among these, most remain confined to pilot projects, thanks to fragmented operational technology and poor data standardization. The BFSI sector leads India's AI journey in terms of adoption maturity. Banks and insurers are embedding AI into fraud detection, underwriting, and customer service. But deeper integration is still constrained by legacy systems and high implementation costs. 'AI adoption in BFSI is not just about improving efficiency. It is redefining resilience, security, compliance and customer experience at scale,' says Sampath Manickam , Chief Technology Officer, National Stock Exchange of India. 'As we integrate AI-driven solutions, the emphasis must remain on ethical innovation, regulatory compliance and long-term value creation.' In retail and consumer goods, the maturity is mixed. While digital-native firms and FMCG giants leverage AI for personalization and supply chain visibility, traditional retailers are still stuck on basic digital transformation journeys. Data privacy and ERP integration issues loom large. In healthcare and pharma, AI use cases are growing—from diagnostics and imaging to drug discovery. However, full-scale adoption is rare, and ethical concerns around bias and explainability are front and center. ITES players show relative maturity. Roughly 60% have implemented AI for customer service automation, IT ops, or HR analytics. But only 8% have embedded AI into core functions. The rest remain tactical, often boxed into non-core deployments due to legacy constraints and unclear ROI. Talent deficit vs tool overload Another major hurdle? – People. Despite the explosion of AI platforms and APIs, there is a severe shortage of skilled professionals—particularly AI engineers, data scientists, and MLOps experts. 'There is a huge shortage of skilled talent because modern education is unable to keep up with the speed of change,' says Priya Dar, CIO, Valvoline Cummins . 'We are not experimenting enough and limitations of industry-specific tools lead to customizations that need skills, time, and money. What we are doing is simple—upskilling, leaning on open source, and outsourcing some innovation to smaller partners working on specific use cases.' Organizations are responding with hybrid strategies: reskilling programs, partnerships with academic institutions, and tapping global talent pools via remote work. 'Our leadership emphasizes innovation, operational excellence, and customer-centricity as core pillars of our growth strategy,' adds Kavita Bijlani, Head of IT & RAD, Bausch + Lomb. 'We are up-skilling and re-skilling our employees by rolling out training programs on AI/ML through virtual platforms. To overcome local shortages, we are tapping into global and regional talent pools.' Integration complexity: The silent killer Even when talent and tools are available, most AI projects flounder during integration. ETCIO Intelligence survey revealed that poor post-deployment support and a lack of plug-and-play capabilities remain key friction points—particularly in sectors like BFSI and healthcare, where compliance demands are non-negotiable. As Anand Sinha, CIO, Birlasoft, explains: 'Organizations address the shortage by upskilling existing staff, recruiting from diverse backgrounds, and using global remote talent… Automation and low-code AI tools are adopted to reduce reliance on specialists.' Who's Winning and Who's Lagging? A Sectoral Snapshot ITES (80%) and BFSI (71%) lead due to digital maturity and strong risk/compliance needs. Healthcare (70%) is gaining traction in diagnostics and drug discovery, but lags in AI governance. Retail (61%) shines in front-end CX but falters on backend integrations. Manufacturing (57%) struggles with data quality and fragmented tech environments. From projects to platforms: Global lessons for India Inc The report emphasizes that successful AI transformation isn't about isolated pilots—it's about 'platformization'. Giants like JPMorgan (COIN platform) and Siemens (AI-augmented digital twins) show the way. Indian firms must follow suit by institutionalizing AI Centers of Excellence, building explainable AI systems, and investing in scalable data infrastructure. To paraphrase Rucha Nanavati of Mahindra & Mahindra: 'AI has moved from curiosity to boardroom mandate. The challenge now is not in adopting AI—but in delivering on its promise.' The next 24 months represent a defining window. For India Inc., this is the moment to evolve from pilot purgatory to platform-powered performance. The age of AI has begun—now it's time to make it real. The AI Playbook | ET CIO


Hindustan Times
24 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Couple seen in intimate act through Jaipur 5-star hotel window, causing traffic chaos outside
A video shot from a public road outside a five-star hotel in Jaipur has gone viral, sparking concerns about privacy violations and voyeurism. The footage, captured from a flyover near the Holiday Inn hotel in the 22 Godown area, shows a couple in an intimate moment inside their hotel room, visibly through large uncovered windows. According to multiple media reports, the incident occurred around 10 pm on Tuesday, June 17. Passersby allegedly noticed the couple from the road and began recording, with one video later circulating widely on social media platforms. In the background of the video, some onlookers can be heard shouting and using offensive language. The situation drew a crowd and caused a traffic jam in front of the hotel. The viral nature of the video and the manner in which it was recorded have raised serious questions about privacy, public decency, and the legality of filming people through private property without consent. While the couple's identity remains unknown, users on social media have pointed out that regardless of who they are, whether a married couple or not, filming them without permission constitutes a violation of privacy and may be punishable under Indian cyber and privacy laws. (Also Read: Viral video shows violent clash on Kedarnath Yatra route, men attack each other with sticks) One X user wrote, 'At this rate, someone could peek into a corner of someone's home, record it, and make it viral. This is a crime, not content.' Another noted, 'The attempt to weigh this on moral grounds rather than legal ones is deeply flawed. Privacy is not conditional.' Some users also questioned the hotel's room design. 'Why was the bed placed right next to a large window without any curtain? That's a lapse in guest privacy,' one comment read. There has been no official response yet from the hotel or local police. has reached out to the hotel for a statement and will update the story when a response is received. (Also Read: Sydney transport urges tall commuters to mind their armpits: 'This should be printed inside every train')