Latest news with #IITMadrasPravartakTechnologiesFoundation
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Lok Sabha goes multilingual: Interpretation in all 22 scheduled languages; Kashmiri, Konkani, Santhali added
NEW DELHI: Simultaneous interpretation of parliamentary proceedings in all 22 languages listed in the eighth schedule of the constitution is now available, lok sabha speaker OM Birla announced on Tuesday during the monsson session of the parlianment. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Until now, the service covered 18 languages – Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kannada, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. The addition of Kashmiri, Konkani and Santhali has completed the list. After the announcementm, BJP MP Dr Sanjay Jaiswal urged the government to add Bhojpuri to the constitution. In November, it was reported that the Centre for Human-Centric Artificial Intelligence at IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation was developing technology to translate parliament debates into 22 Indian languages in real time. The eighth schedule of the constitution initially listed 14 languages when the constitution came into effect. Amendments over the years have raised the number to 22. These languages are entitled to representation on the official languages commission, and their promotion is supported by the government. The parliament of India reflects India's linguistic diversity, with members coming from different states and speaking in their mother tongues. Many parliamentarians prefer to use their regional languages during debates, making interpretation services essential for smooth communication in the house.
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Education Ministry launches 5 free artificial intelligence courses on Swayam
The Ministry of Education has announced five free courses in Artificial Intelligence for students across different streams. These courses have been made available on the SWAYAM portal, aiming to equip learners with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in a rapidly advancing technological Intelligence has witnessed a significant surge in popularity as it provides opportunities for innovation, career growth, and problem-solving across various AI expertise becoming one of the most sought-after skills, these courses are designed to guide students in understanding the fundamentals and applying them to real-world OF COURSES OFFERED The first course, AI/ML using Python, introduces participants to artificial intelligence and machine learning concepts. It covers Python programming, data visualisation, statistics, linear algebra, and optimisation techniques. Students with a basic background in high school mathematics and programming can course, Cricket Analytics with AI, explores sports analytics through Python programming and core data science principles. It is provided by IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation and is ideal for those interested in combining technology with FOR SCIENCE STUDENTSFor science students, the Ministry has introduced AI in Physics and AI in Chemistry. The physics course demonstrates how tools like machine learning and neural networks can help solve real-world physics problems. It includes hands-on lab sessions, interactive lectures, and practical chemistry course focusses on applying AI to predict molecular properties, design drugs, and model reactions. It encourages undergraduate students to use datasets and Python-based tools to bring AI into their field of FOR COMMERCE AND MANAGEMENT STUDENTSThe fifth course, AI in Accounting, targets commerce and management students. It explains how artificial intelligence can be applied to accounting principles and course offers a blend of theoretical learning and practical lab activities, allowing students in their first year of graduation and above to said that these free courses will help undergraduate students across various disciplines to gain exposure to AI and improve their a strong focus on practical knowledge, the Ministry of Education expects these courses to empower students to engage with cutting-edge technology while preparing for diverse career paths.- Ends
India Today
24-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
30,000 school, college teachers to be skilled as career mentors by IIT Madras Pravartak
In a push to improve career guidance in Indian schools considered as major, IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation has launched a free online training programme that is for 30,000 teachers and educators. The goal of providing the training is to help teachers offer better career advice to training is being run in partnership with BodhBridge Education, a company founded by IIT Madras alumni. The programme aims to reach teachers from 10,000 schools and colleges in all parts of the BATCH FROM JULY 4The next batch of training will start on July 4, 2025. Teachers, principals, college faculty, and counsellors can register online until July 2 at The course is completely online and open to teachers from any subject or background. It includes basic training in career counselling, tools for self-assessment, and information on the top 100 in-demand RESPONSE SO FARIn the last six months, 4,215 teachers from 22 states and Union Territories have signed up for the far, 976 teachers have completed it and earned training is free. However, teachers who want a certificate from IIT Madras Pravartak can take an optional exam by paying a small AS CAREER GUIDESMany schools, especially in rural areas, don't have trained career counsellors. But teachers are often the first mentors students turn child needs proper guidance. With this programme, teachers can offer that inside the classroom,' said Balamurali Shankar, Chief Knowledge Officer at IITM say the training will help teachers spot a student's interests and strengths early and guide them to the right career FEEDBACK FROM TEACHERSTeachers who completed the course say it has helped them work better with students. 'It gave me tools I can use to guide students in real-life situations,' said Indrani Mandal, principal of a school in Andhra programme is part of a larger plan to build career awareness in schools. BodhBridge has worked on student guidance programmes for over a decade and has teamed up with IIT Madras on similar projects in the this training, schools will be better prepared to support students as they plan for their future, organisers said.- Ends
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
IIT-M Pravartak keen on recasting R&D playbook
IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation is building market-facing technologies for the benefit of the public. From mentoring startups and collaborating with corporations to supporting cybersecurity systems for government agencies and making rural children curious about mathematics, its work spans a gamut of disciplines. In an interview with TOI, Dr M J Shankar Raman, CEO of Pravartak, spoke about the challenge of translating academic research into real-world applications and what it means to be a non-profit housed at India's top patent-filing academic institution. Excerpts: What does Pravartak Technologies Foundation do? Funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems, our aim is to take academic research from lab to field. We support entrepreneurship by funding and incubating startups, forging corporate and international R&D partnerships, and bridging the skill gap. Our focus areas include sensors, networking, actuators, big data, machine learning, cybersecurity, and databases. What's your approach to tech development? While IIT-Madras focuses on fundamental research, our goal is to create market-facing solutions. We support startups developing cutting-edge technologies with our subject matter expertise in certain areas. For instance, we assisted Mindgrove (fabless chip startup) in building IoT chips using IIT-M's Shakti microprocessor. Folium, which works on optical fibre-based sensing and SecurWeave, which develops hardware-based platforms to protect critical software. Moreover, we can take up any area with IIT-M's expertise. The idea is to push IIT's research into the mainstream so that it is useful for society. What do you think is your USP? Our incubation extends beyond technological support. We train entrepreneurs in areas such as finance, marketing, help them get customers, connect with venture capitalists (VCs) and handhold them throughout the process. We provide up to Rs 50 lakh funding for our startups. The venture capitalists usually do not fund deep-tech efforts due to the associated risks. This is where organisations like Pravartak can help. We can shoulder some of the risk and help build the customer base, and guide entrepreneurs to pivot based on market realities. In some cases, we hand them to IITMRP for incubation and hope to complement the ecosystem. We also co-develop technologies with companies like Accenture and Samsung, and help firms find domain-specific talent. What are some of your flagship projects? Pravartak Technologies has contributed to real-time translation of parliamentary proceedings into 22 Indian languages, and legal document translation for the Supreme Court, through the Bhashini platform. We work closely with ministries including Defence, Finance, Electronics & IT, and Telecom, giving us experience in translating IP into scalable solutions. I think we have done a commendable job in this. What's your role in skilling? We provide technical skills for both students and working professionals in areas like AI, data analytics, embedded applications, networking. We aim to kindle curiosity in fundamental research among young students by introducing 'Out of the box' programmes focusing on critical thinking in maths. For India to emerge as a key player in innovation, we need to encourage students to understand maths and sciences, not memorise theoretical concepts. We are taking a small step in that. What next? We have raised Rs 300 crore so far, including Rs 170 crore in DST grants. We became self-sufficient as a tech hub well before the mandated five-year window. When you look at R&D in India, there is a lack of private participation and we want to improve this by collaborating more with private institutions. We mentor 40-odd startups out of which six are graduated. We have taken some bold bets from backing efforts to build commercial hyperloop transportation and secure IoT chips and hope to continue this.
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
IIT Madras Pravartak to offer online courses on AR/VR and Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud
IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, IIT Madras' technology and innovation hub, will offer two online courses on Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) and Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud (SFCC) aimed at skilling students and professionals for the industry. The AR/VR programme, offered in partnership with VyVoxel, an international AR/VR/MR company, is a 60-hour online course that will start from June 14. Candidates can register for the course till June 13 at For the 8-week SFCC course, Pravartak has partnered with Codenatives, a US-based IT company. It will offer 70 hours of instructor-led training and 130 hours of hands-on practice. The course will start on June 21 and professionals can register till June 20 at
