Latest news with #IIT-Delhi
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Beyond Likes & Shares: How Probo is Turning Opinions Into Valuable Predictions
In the rapidly evolving era of interactive social media, where virality can distort notions of truth and platforms are often driven by engagement over accuracy, a quiet revolution is unfolding in India. Opinion trading has begun to emerge as a powerful new tool in participatory technology, combining gamification, financial literacy, and civic engagement into a single, user-centric format. Rather than merely being a game of chance, recent research from IIT-Delhi and Evam Law & Policy affirms that opinion trading predominantly requires skill. Users are rewarded not for gut instincts, but for sharp judgment, real-time analysis, and their ability to stay informed. This, combined with the community-driven nature of these platforms, makes opinion trading a compelling case for being recognized as civic tech innovation. Gamification Meets Civic Participation Platforms like Probo are bringing in a new age of engagement, where users don't passively consume the news but participate in it. By predicting the outcomes of real-world events, from sports to the economic landscape, users interact with current affairs in a gamified environment, rewarding accuracy. Unlike social media, which amplifies virality, these platforms incentivize truth. Misinformation is naturally penalized, and incorrect predictions result in financial loss, creating a built-in deterrent against unverified speculation. This structure turns opinion trading into a 'truth market,' where civic participation is not only encouraged but also rewarded. It's no longer about likes or shares; it's about understanding, analyzing and predicting the real-world affairs based on knowledge. Skill vs. Speculation: A Question Answered Critics of opinion trading often conflate it with gambling, overlooking one key distinction: opinion trading is a peer-to-peer market, not a player-versus-house setup. There's no inherent conflict of interest, and no manipulation of outcomes by the platform. Users compete based on their ability to synthesize news, trends, and data, much like fantasy sports, rummy, or even day trading. Research from IIT-Delhi tracked user behavior over time and found that those who remained engaged and informed consistently outperformed others. These weren't lucky guesses. They were informed predictions backed by data consumption and strategic decision-making. The Evam study backed this up with evidence that active users employing strategies like early exits achieved up to a 70% win rate, compared to 42% for passive players. Voluntary Self-Regulation and Consumer Safety Leading platforms like Probo have proactively adopted safety features and guardrails. These include cool-off periods, limits on recharge amounts, prohibitions on credit-based trading, and transparent product design—all intended to promote responsible participation. Moreover, the very structure of opinion trading encourages moderation. Without credit or 'house' incentives, users have limited exposure, and the system naturally filters out unsustainable trading behavior. A Civic-Tech Innovation Waiting to Be Recognized Opinion trading platforms don't just reflect public sentiment—they shape it. As crowds aggregate and assess probabilities, they collectively produce insights that could aid researchers, policymakers, and even journalists. During the pandemic, such platforms often reflected real-time sentiment on vaccine approvals, lockdown extensions, and recovery timelines, frequently ahead of mainstream media. Given the demonstrated civic value and potential for public forecasting, India has an opportunity to lead the world in regulating and nurturing this emerging sector. In the U.S. and U.K., prediction markets are already used to anticipate election outcomes and policy shifts. For India, clear regulation could unlock economic potential, tax revenue, and democratic data tools, while ensuring user protection and platform accountability. Conclusion Opinion trading isn't a digital gamble. It's a modern arena where skill, awareness, and community-driven data converge. As platforms continue to innovate and self-regulate, and as academic research validates their utility, the question is no longer if opinion trading should be recognized as a civic-tech innovation, but how soon. Disclaimer: This article is sponsored content curated by HT Syndication. The inputs and details accounted for in the article do not necessarily reflect those of HT, and HT does not endorse or assume any responsibility for the information provided. Want to get your story featured as above? click here! First Published Date: 03 Jun, 16:34 IST
News18
8 hours ago
- Climate
- News18
Not The Usual Summer: What's Driving The Unpredictable Shifts In Weather Across India?
Last Updated: Temperatures are settling around 35-36℃ in Delhi, a sharp contrast to last year, when they soared to 42℃ for most of June, reaching a peak of 45.2℃ Frequent thunderstorms, dust storms and powerful gusts of winds causing a sudden fall in temperatures have made the summer of 2025 a stark contrast to the typical searing, brutal heat that India typically experiences every year. The MeT has now forecasted a milder June ahead with more rains, offering a welcome respite for Northwest India, which endured its warmest-ever June in 123 years last summer. Unlike last year's unrelenting heatwaves, this summer has seen fewer and shorter heatwave spells. While heatwaves have swept Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir from May 16-24, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana on May 20 and 21, their impacts have been limited compared to last summer, when temperatures touched 50℃ in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and hovered around 44 to 48℃ for days in Delhi-NCR. 'The rainfall has been very good across India this May, except for some parts of Jammu and Kashmir and north-eastern states. Overall, India saw above-normal rains. So, the maximum temperatures also dropped. Though the night temperatures were above-normal largely due to cloudy weather, and there were warm nights," said Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra, Director-General of Meteorology, IMD. Not just May, India saw above-normal rains during the entire summer season. The rainfall from March 1 to May 27 was nearly 28 per cent above-normal, with all sub-divisions reporting above-normal rains, except for Jammu and Kashmir, and north-eastern states. So, even though the temperatures shot up to 40-45℃, they also plummeted quickly following thunderstorms and gusty winds. Meteorologists explain that thunderstorms are a common occurrence during the peak of summer, especially May, when intense heat makes the atmosphere unstable. Normally, Delhi experiences 5-6 thunderstorms during May and June. However, this year, they brought more rains, in interaction with other local systems. The weather was also influenced by movements of intense western disturbances, two of which hit around May 2-3, bringing thunderstorms and heavy rains. The first also received intense moisture from Arabian Sea, resulting in over 77mm rain in Delhi on May 2, while the second was slow-moving and intense, keeping temperature from rising. Scientists term these changes inter-annual variations, which are not usually part of a long-term trend. Additionally, neutral conditions prevail over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, so there is absence of El-Nino—an ocean phenomenon linked to extreme summer. So, while the summer this year was milder, the ongoing climate change and rising temperatures worldwide are sure to make the heat more unbearable in coming years, due to increased intensity, frequency and duration of heatwaves. Dr Krishna Achutarao, Dean (Faculty), IIT-Delhi, said even typically humid monsoon months—usually free of heatwaves—may experience extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 40℃. 'It is particularly worrisome because by then, if the monsoon has settled, it is going to be humid, so those are dangerous heat conditions that we hope do not unfold," he said at the recently held India Heat Summit 2025 organised by Climate Trends. This year, too, heatwaves hit early this year, starting around March 10, with the first spell lasting five days across Gujarat and Rajasthan. The second wave, from March 15-18, affected east-central India. Earlier in April, intense heat persisted from the 1-10 in Gujarat, and from 6-10 across Northwest India and central India. Rajasthan faced heatwaves from April 15-19, while the period between April 22 and 25 saw heatwaves in Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, East Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, and parts of Southwest Rajasthan on April 29 and 30.
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘I want to go to IISc Bangalore… feel like IIT would not be the right fit for me': AIR 5 Ujjwal Kesari
Every few hours, in the middle of his study marathons, 17-year-old Ujjwal Kesari from South Delhi allowed himself a reward — one short episode of Doraemon. 'I love watching animated films. I love watching Doraemon,' he said. 'But since I couldn't get distracted, I used to skip watching it so that I could study and focus on my goal. But when I took short breaks in between, I used to watch it.' That clarity and self-control helped Kesari secure the fifth position in the JEE Advanced 2025 Common Rank List released Monday, placing him among the top 10 in one of India's most competitive entrance exams. His score — 324 marks out of 360 — opens doors to the most coveted courses in the country: Computer Science at both IIT-Bombay and IIT-Delhi, he said. But Kesari has chosen to walk a different path. 'I want to go to IISc Bangalore,' he said. 'I made this decision because I want to go forward and pursue research, and I feel like IIT would not be the right fit for me. It is known for the best packages, but that is not what I am looking for.' Kesari's decision didn't come on a whim. He had made up his mind years ago. 'Since Class 8, I had decided that I would take the science stream in Class 11,' he said. 'My love for physics and maths made me passionate about giving the JEE examination.' What excites him most now is quantum physics, a field he hopes to pursue seriously in the coming years. 'I aim to pursue research in the quantum physics area as I think it is very fascinating and has a promising future,' he said. Kesari's preparation strategy was marked by balance and consistency. 'I always used to give equal time to all my main subjects. Even my weaknesses and strengths,' he said. 'I would not focus on taking too many breaks. I would keep the flow and consistency when I sat down to study.' The youngest of two siblings, Kesari lives with his family. 'My sister is pursuing the arts stream, and I have moved towards sciences,' he said. His father works in a private job, and his mother is a homemaker. For future aspirants, Kesari offered one practical piece of advice, a habit he strictly followed through his years of preparation: 'Stay away from the phone. Screen time is the biggest distraction these days, and it is very important to minimise it.'
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
JEE Advanced 2025: Kaushik Jibhakate probable Vidarbha topper with AIR 139
Nagpur: Results for JEE Advanced, the sole gateway for admissions to the prestigious IITs, were announced on Monday with Kaushik Jibhakate (AIR 139) emerging as the probable Vidarbha topper. Since city-wise rankings are not provided officially, the probable toppers are determined solely based on information received from coaching institutes and parents. Following closely, Nishit Jha achieved AIR 253, earning the position of probable second topper in Vidarbha, while Ramanshu Padole secured AIR 286, placing him as Vidarbha's probable third topper. Kaushik aspires to secure admission in IIT-Bombay. "I used to study for seven hours on average daily, though it varied from time-to-time depending on tests and revisions," he said. Playing football with friends helped refresh his mind and renew his focus on studies. Nishit followed 8am to 8pm daily schedule, starting with intense lectures in Physics, Chemistry, and Maths until early afternoon. "We made it a point to complete all homework during class hours, which allowed us to unwind and engage in leisure activities later. This balance was refreshing and helped maintain our motivation." Coming from a family rooted in engineering — his father is an electrical engineer and vice-president of a steel plant — Nishit is determined to pursue Computer Science at IIT-Kanpur or Maths at IIT-Delhi. The dream of securing admission to Computer Science course at IIT Bombay inspired Ramanshu Padole throughout this journey. "Right from Class 11, I put in around six hours daily for studies and this consistency helped me," Ramanshu said. Across the country, the JEE (Advanced) 2025 exam, conducted by IIT-Kanpur on May 18, 2025, saw 1,80,422 candidates appearing for both Paper 1 and Paper 2, out of which 54,378 qualified. Among them, 9,404 were female candidates, showcasing a growing participation of women in this competitive exam. Out of the 1,87,223 candidates who had registered, 1,39,085 males and 41,337 females appeared for the exam. The qualification criteria required a minimum aggregate of 74 marks out of 360 for the Common Rank List (CRL), with at least seven marks in each subject — Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. For SC and ST categories, the threshold was 37 aggregate marks and three marks per subject. IIT-Hyderabad and IIT-Delhi led the zone-wise distribution, contributing 139 and 111 candidates respectively to the top 500 qualifiers. This year's results mark a significant milestone for aspirants aiming for seats in India's premier engineering institutes, with the next phase involving counselling and seat allocation.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
‘Want to take admission in IIT-Delhi in computer science and engineering'
Gyan Prakash from Danapur achieved the second-highest rank in the IIT-Guwahati zone in JEE (Advanced) 2025 by securing an All India Rank of 471. He expressed his elation at this remarkable achievement, which he attributes to the unwavering support of his family and teachers. Talking to TOI's Faryal Rumi, he shared about his challenges and preparation for the engineering exam. Excerpts: Now that results are out which IIT and branch are you targetting? I want to take admission in IIT-Delhi in computer science and engineering. After finishing my studies, I want to start a technology start-up. How many hours every day did you dedicate to the preparation? I studied for eight to 10 hours every day, which was quite sufficient for revisions and solving sample papers. Which subject was the most challenging for you? The most challenging subject was inorganic chemistry because it required memorising a lot of things. So, I made short notes and revised them daily. What helped you to focus before the examination and how did you overcome your anxieties? I took breaks after revisions and played chess, or sometimes watched comedy shows. Tell us about your family. My mother Rani Kumari is a homemaker and father Arvind Kumar Ranjan works in LIC. My younger brother Aditya Raj is in Class V. Any advice for those who are preparing for engineering? Keep revising your syllabus and take tests regularly. Gyan Prakash from Danapur achieved the second-highest rank in the IIT-Guwahati zone in JEE (Advanced) 2025 by securing an All India Rank of 471. He expressed his elation at this remarkable achievement, which he attributes to the unwavering support of his family and teachers. Talking to TOI's Faryal Rumi, he shared about his challenges and preparation for the engineering exam. Excerpts: Now that results are out which IIT and branch are you targetting? I want to take admission in IIT-Delhi in computer science and engineering. After finishing my studies, I want to start a technology start-up. How many hours every day did you dedicate to the preparation? I studied for eight to 10 hours every day, which was quite sufficient for revisions and solving sample papers. Which subject was the most challenging for you? The most challenging subject was inorganic chemistry because it required memorising a lot of things. So, I made short notes and revised them daily. What helped you to focus before the examination and how did you overcome your anxieties? I took breaks after revisions and played chess, or sometimes watched comedy shows. Tell us about your family. My mother Rani Kumari is a homemaker and father Arvind Kumar Ranjan works in LIC. My younger brother Aditya Raj is in Class V. Any advice for those who are preparing for engineering? Keep revising your syllabus and take tests regularly.
