
GITAM-NIT-Warangal launch programme in AI to train educators
The FDP, held under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), aims to equip faculty, researchers, and industry professionals with a deep understanding of both foundational and advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.
The programme is designed to cover emerging domains such as Generative AI, Explainable AI, and AI applications, in Computer Vision, with emphasis on real-world use-cases and interdisciplinary applications.
The inaugural session featured Prof. J. Ravi Kumar from NIT Warangal, a renowned expert in Machine Learning Algorithms, Control Systems, and Digital Signal Processing, as the chief guest.
In his address, Prof. Kumar emphasised the urgent need for academia to integrate AI and Machine Learning (AIML) into mainstream curricula, to promote cross-disciplinary research, and prepare students for a data-driven and AI-powered future. He also highlighted the transformative impact of AI, ML across industries, the growing demand for skilled professionals, and the responsibility of academia in shaping ethical and impactful AI innovations.

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The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Faculty development programme held at polytechnic college
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Economic Times
19 hours ago
- Economic Times
Eyeing leadership quick commerce and other formats: Samir Kumar, Amazon India chief
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ET had reported that Amazon Now aims to set up 300 dark stores across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru by 2025-end. In comparison, market leader Blinkit operated 1,544 dark stores as of June 30, while Swiggy's Instamart and Zepto each had more than 1,000. The fast-paced growth of quick commerce across metros has hit Amazon the most, say industry said Amazon will not hold back on investing in quick commerce, a segment which requires high burn to gain market share. 'We will be very bold in terms of our investment to get to that scale. If we are getting into Now, at scale, we believe we can make money doing it,' he said. 'We will not target very small towns for quick commerce yet, since demand there may not justify it. But wherever the model works, we are confident we can build a sustainable business.' The entry of Amazon and Flipkart has ratcheted up competition in a segment that has grown sharply over the last three years. Flipkart launched its Minutes service in 2024 and has said it will have 800 dark stores operational across India by this year-end. Also Read: Flipkart may limit its quick commerce expansion to top cities to reduce burn Brokerage firm Jefferies said Flipkart and Amazon's entry into quick commerce was 'more out of force' than choice, with users and their share of wallet rapidly shifting to quick commerce platforms. 'Quick commerce has become mainstream and the entry of horizontal platforms like Flipkart and Amazon is more out of force, as users have been rapidly moving to these platforms,' Jefferies said in a June founder and group CEO Sriharsha Majety also flagged the rising intensity of competition last month, saying that rivalry is strong both from pure-play firms and larger ecommerce platforms. While the former are recalibrating spends on their networks, the latter are weighing whether to go fully 'quick' or simply 'quick enough.'Amazon, for its part, is positioning itself for the long term. Kumar said the company's goal is to reach scale and from there build a leadership position across multiple delivery speeds. 'A customer should be able to use the same app to buy fresh fruit in 15 minutes, a smartphone in a day, and furniture in a week,' he year 2024 saw ecommerce growth moderate to 10-12%, from the 20-30% annual growth recorded just a few years ago, as consumers cut back on discretionary spending. Horizontal players like Flipkart and Amazon also saw gross merchandise value growth slow down, prompting both to sharpen focus on FY24, Amazon Seller Services, the India marketplace arm of Amazon, reported a 14% rise in operating revenue, while narrowing its net loss by 28%. Revenue growth was higher than the 3% recorded in FY23 but still trailed the pandemic years when growth had surged 32% in FY22 and 49% in FY21. The company has yet to disclose its FY25 pointed out that there is still plenty of headroom for the sector. 'Ecommerce is still scratching the surface. It is early days. We are far from full penetration,' he said. Festive sales strong He highlighted Amazon's recent sales events as evidence that demand remains strong when triggered. Prime Day this year was the company's biggest yet in India, with 18,000 orders per minute at peak, 50% higher than last year. Around 70% of new Prime sign-ups during the sale came from smaller towns, and 60-70% of small and medium-sized sellers on Amazon saw most of their orders originate from tier-II and tier-III push to lead both ecommerce and quick commerce is anchored in its large customer base and nationwide logistics said with more than 100 million customers in India, a growing Prime subscriber base, and a far-reaching logistics chain, the company is positioned to win regardless of delivery format or speed. The differentiation, he argued, will come from the selection on offer, the value proposition, and the depth of Amazon's supply chain.'Continuing to focus beyond the top cities is important for the next 200 million customers, which is a key area for me,' he said, stressing this as one of Amazon India's main priorities for investment in both financial and human resources. For now, festive demand is providing momentum. The shopping season, once spread across three months, has condensed into specific events such as Raksha Bandhan, Independence Day and Janmashtami. ET has reported how both ecommerce and quick commerce platforms are stretching festive calendars to juice demand. Amazon, too, is leaning on Prime as a flywheel, offering tiered memberships like Prime Lite and Prime Shopping Edition to boost adoption. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. IndiGo's GIFT City unit: Simple expansion or is there more to it than meets the eye? GST cut to benefit; but who gains the most? Good, bad, ugly: How will higher ethanol in petrol play out for you? Why are mid-cap stocks fizzling out? It's not just about Trump tariffs. Stock Radar: This hotel stock is showing signs of bottoming out; time to buy? 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Mint
a day ago
- Mint
Big believer in law of land, customer-centricity: Amazon India head on regulatory gaze over online platforms
New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Amid a growing regulatory scrutiny on online platforms, Amazon India head Samir Kumar has asserted that the e-commerce company is a "big believer" in customer-centricity and adherence to local laws, and is fully prepared to address any findings and ensure consumers remain well supported. The comment comes at a time when there is rising regulatory glare on online companies. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) had issued an advisory to e-commerce platforms to conduct self-audits to detect 'dark patterns' and ensure they are swiftly eliminated. The self-declarations by the platforms will enable fair digital ecosystem along with building trust between consumers and e-commerce platforms, CCPA had said in June. On how the company views and responds to the regulatory scrutiny in the market, Kumar told PTI that Amazon has always prioritised customer focus. "So we have always believed that first of all, whatever we do, we should make sure that the customers love it. So that's my take on there will always be some of these things that will come our way in terms of making sure here are things that you should be doing, and we'll go and audit our systems and make sure we are doing all the right things," he said. Kumar added: "We always have believed that we put customers front-and-centre of everything, and when we see issues with our customer experience, we go and spend all our energy in fixing that, and we'll continue to do that in future." Asked if the company believes that the regulatory lens from authorities such as CCPA or CCI signal a vibrant, expanding market, Kumar emphasised that Amazon is firmly committed to abiding by the country's laws. "We are a big believer in complying with the law of the land, we have always made sure that wherever we operate, we operate in a compliant way. "So that way, whether it's Competition Commission or CCPA, all those bodies are making sure that Indian consumers are not hurt, and we are a big believer in making sure that we take care of our customers," he said. He emphasised that Amazon is fully prepared to address any findings and ensure customers remain well supported. "So I am more than happy to make sure that whatever the finding is, we address them and we take care of our customers," Kumar said. India is expected to be one of the biggest contributors to Amazon's growth in the long run, with the e-commerce giant doubling down on its focus in this market where it is pouring in billions of dollars in long-term investments. India is still not as deeply penetrated in terms of online consumption and therefore presents a "very large opportunity" for Amazon, according to Kumar - who is now helming operations here as Country Manager of Amazon India. Amazon has committed to significant investment in its India infrastructure, about ₹ 2,000 crore for 2025 alone. It had previously outlined a broader investment pledge of USD 26 billion by 2030, close to about USD 15 billion of it between 2023 and 2030. Kumar said India is among the fastest growing markets for the company. "And we are a big believer that in the long run, India will be one of the biggest contributors to our growth," Kumar said but did not give a timeframe. India is still not deeply penetrated in terms of consumption, he said, adding while users are online, buying products and watching videos there is a huge headroom for growth when it comes to online shoppers. "...not everyone is shopping online. If you look at just mobile phone penetration, maybe it's in close to a billion people who have mobile phones, but only 100 million plus of them are shopping online. So the next 200 million (that the company is aspiring to reach) are going to be part of that," he said. Kumar believes that as the economy grows, and so does consumption, and as GDP per capita rises, India is poised to have "many more consumers who will value the convenience of shopping online". "We have seen this phenomenon around the world. So we have a very large opportunity still remaining in India... We have 1.4 billion people," he said. The company has set its sights on what Kumar describes as a broader 'Bharat' living in tier 2, 3 cities and beyond.