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Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
PGI's telemedicine dept operates without dedicated faculty for years
Chandigarh: Despite spearheading critical digital health initiatives and running academic programmes, the telemedicine department at the PGI has been operating without any dedicated faculty for years. This unique situation within the institution raises concerns about the long-term sustainability and quality of its educational programmes. Currently, the department relies heavily on a single project-based staff member from the Union ministry for teaching responsibilities, including vital fellowship and postdoctoral courses. This individual also bears the significant task of designing online MBBS modules for the entire country, a testament to the department's national importance despite its faculty void. Academically, the department is already actively offering and developing courses. A postdoctoral fellowship in digital health and telemedicine received institutional approval. However, the absence of an assistant professor with specialised expertise in the technological and analytical dimensions of digital health raises serious questions about providing high-quality education and training. Similarly, MSc (audiology) students require instruction on telemedicine's integral role, and medical residents need training in integrating digital tools and telemedicine technologies into clinical practice. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo The department also designed an MSc course for digital health and telemedicine, which awaits institutional approval. Sources within PGI reveal that detailed proposals and justifications for the creation of these essential non-medical faculty posts have been repeatedly sent to the Ministry of Health, but approvals have yet to materialise. This delay not only impedes the department's progress but also jeopardises the effective implementation of crucial digital health strategies that could significantly enhance healthcare delivery across the nation. The proposal was most recently discussed last month with the Union ministry of health and family welfare's standing finance committee (SFC). On March 12, 2024, the SFC noted that Telemedicine primarily functions as an IT platform facilitating consultations by faculty from various medical and super-specialty departments, rather than being a distinct medical department itself. Last month, PGI was advised to re-evaluate its initial proposal for faculty positions. Prof R K Singh, who heads the telemedicine department at SGPGI, Lucknow, said, "We cannot have data entry operators who are not proficient for being faculty, either IT-based or medical faculty. We are about to advertise eight posts for our telemedicine department. We are planning for the next 25 years, doing mobile health, national medical college network, tele ICU projects from the govt and shall need faculty for many such projects/courses. We are pioneers of telemedicine and now created a standalone department of telemedicine and digital health." PGI's telemedicine department was approved by the Union ministry of health in 2015. Presently, the department is headed by a faculty member who also holds the headship for the immunopathology department. TIMELINE 2015 - Governing body headed by the Union minister of health approved the setup of the department of telemedicine and the National Institute of Telemedicine in PGI 2019 - PGI's education committee refused intake of faculty for the department 2020 - PGI's staff council and academic committee approved two posts for non-medical faculty, five adjunct faculty, and three computer technicians 2024 - PGI took this to the SFC 2025 - SFC again directs PGI to review its proposal
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First Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
How India tricked Pakistan into believing it shot down a Rafale during Operation Sindoor
India, during Operation Sindoor, reportedly tricked Pakistan into believing it shot down a Rafale aircraft. It did so by using Rafale Advanced Defense System's X-Guard – an AI-powered decoy system. But what do we know about the X-Guard? How does it work? How did India bamboozle Pakistan and rewrite the rules of electronic warfare? read more During Operation Sindoor, India tricked Pakistan into believing it show down a Rafale aircraft. India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India did so by using the Rafale Advanced Defense System's X-Guard – an AI-powered decoy system. The news comes on the same day that Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier revealed that India lost one of its fighter jets due to a technical failure and not at the hands of the enemy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It also comes as Defence Secretary RK Singh in an interview said it is incorrect to claim that Pakistan shot down of India's Rafale fighter jets. This also comes a day after a report quoted French military and intelligence officials as saying that China used its embassies to tarnish the performance of French-made Rafale fighter jets during Operation Sindoor. But what is the Rafale's X-Guard? How did India trick Pakistan? What did Dassault and the defence secretary say? Let's take a closer look: Rafale's X-Guard The Rafale's X-Guard is a fibre-optic towed decoy. It is part of the craft's electronic warfare (EW) suite. It guards the aircraft against radar-guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. It can also deceive the most sophisticated of radars including Monopulse and Lobe-On-Receive-Only (LORO) trackers. Rafale's website describes it as 'cutting-edge, lightweight and reusable'. The X-Guard, which is kept inside a pod in the aircraft, is retractable. It does so using an advanced reel-out/reel-in mechanism. It is deployed when the aircraft comes into a danger area of if the pilot detects a threat. The X-Guard weighs around 30 kilos. It is deployed using a 100-metre fibre optic capable. It uses AI to create a 500-watt, 360-degree jamming signal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The fibre-optics capable gives the pilot allows real-time updates on missile activity and system status, without being affected by jamming efforts. It mimics radar signals and Doppler effect of an actual Rafale jet. This makes it harder for the enemy to find the real craft. It also gives any incoming missile an inaccurate location for the craft. Rafale's website describes it the X-Guard as 'cutting-edge, lightweight and reusable'. Image courtesy: Rafale Advanced Defense Syste It can deploy in less than two seconds and is used as a 'decoy wingman' to fool the enemy. It was designed mainly to be carried by fighters. After the mission is finished, it retracts into the aircraft pod. Rafale Advanced Defense Systems in May announced a new version of the X-Guard – the X-Guard RT. A Rafale executive told Jane's Defence Weekly this is a standalone system. 'The independence of the system is certainly an outstanding quality,' the source said. 'This opens up the ability to integrate it with new aircraft, such as cargo, which usually are not equipped with active advanced EW systems.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How India tricked Pakistan Ryan Bodenheimer, an US Air Force pilot, in an interview wit_h explained how India bamboozled Pakistan using the Rafale X-Guard. Bodenheimer hailed the Indian Air Force's mission as 'the best spoofing and deception we've ever seen.' He said India's tactics completely fooled Pakistan's Chinese-made PL-15E air-to-air missiles and J-10C fighters. The PL-15E missile, which is a version of China's PL-15, could not resist the spoofing. The X-Guard also misled the KLJ-7A AESA radar on Pakistan's J-10C fighters into thinking they had hit the Rafale jets. Bodenheimer said the mission may have 'redefined the rules of electronic warfare'. Jane's Defence Weekly said some Pakistani claims of shooting down Rafale jets may actually have been hits on these X-Guard decoys. What Dassault and defence secretary said Trappier, the Dassault CEO, in an interview with a defence website said India had lost one of their Rafale jets. However, he added that this was due to a technical glitch at a high altitude and not as a result of any enemy operation. The French defence website Avion De Chasse quoted Trapper as saying that the incident occurred 'at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission'. Singh, the defence secretary, denied any claims that Pakistan had shot down India's Rafale jets during Operation Sindoor. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD (File) Operation Sindoor displayed on the screen during a press briefing by the Indian armed forces, in New Delhi on May 11, 2025. PTI 'You have used the term Rafales in the plural, I can assure you that is absolutely not correct. Pakistan suffered losses many times over India in both human and material terms and more than 100 terrorists,' Singh told CNBC-TV18. 'No political constraints on our armed forces and they have full operational freedom in conflict', Singh added. Neither the Indian government nor the Indian Air Force (IAF) have confirmed the loss of a Rafale aircraft during Operation Sindoor. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan last month called Pakistan's claims of downing six Indian aircraft 'absolutely incorrect'. General Chauhan in an interview said Indian forces re-entered Pakistani airspace on multiple occasions and 'penetrated all their air defences with impunity,' executing precision strikes deep within enemy territory. With inputs from agencies
News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
'Rafales, Plural?': Top Defence Official Rejects Pakistan's Op Sindoor Loss Claims
Last Updated: Defence secretary RK Singh's statement comes after the Indian defence attache in Indonesia suggested that the India lost fighter jets in the initial phase of Operation Sindoor Refusing to answer questions on losses suffered during Operation Sindoor, defence secretary RK Singh has said it is incorrect to say India's Rafale fighter jets were shot down by Pakistan. Singh stressed that Pakistan suffered far more losses than India, particularly '100 terrorists", when the armed forces carried out strikes on terror targets. 'You have used the term Rafales in the plural, I can assure you that is absolutely not correct. Pakistan suffered losses many times over India in both human and material terms and more than 100 terrorists," Singh told CNBC-TV18. Singh's statement comes after the Indian defence attache in Indonesia suggested that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets in the initial phase of Operation Sindoor. He further clarified that the armed forces have full operational freedom in conflict. 'No political constraints on our armed forces and they have full operational freedom in conflict," he was quoted. Media reports had quoted Captain (Indian Navy) Shiv Kumar, who recently spoke at a seminar in Indonesia, that the air force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on May 7 night while targeting terror-linked sites in Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. The Indian embassy in Indonesia issued a statement saying Kumar's remarks were taken out of context and are a 'misrepresentation" of his presentation. It said the defence attache's presentation conveyed that the IAF serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan using long-range weapons in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10. Four days of the military standoff were the most serious confrontation in years between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, and included air combat that involved dozens of aircraft from both sides. Military officials and researchers have since been digging for details of how Pakistan's Chinese-made military hardware – particularly warplanes and air-combat missiles – fared against weaponry that India used in airstrikes on Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale fighters. view comments 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.
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First Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
‘Rafales, in the plural…absolutely not correct': India's defence secretary dismisses Pakistan claim
Indian Defence Secretary RK Singh has denied Pakistan's claim on shooting down Indian fighter planes. He said that it was 'absolutely not correct' that Pakistan shot down more than one Indian fighter planes in Operation Sindoor. read more Rafale fighter jet is seen parked on the tarmac during its induction ceremony at an air force station in Ambala, India, September 10, 2020. File Image/Reuters Indian Defence Secretary RK Singh said on Monday that Pakistan's claim of shooting down multiple Rafale fighter planes is incorrect. In the four-day India-Pakistan conflict in May, Pakistan has claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter planes, including three Rafales. While refusing to go into the specifics, Singh told CNBC-TV18, 'You have used the term Rafales in the plural, I can assure you that is absolutely not correct. Pakistan suffered losses many times over India in both human and material terms and more than 100 terrorists.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Singh's remarks appear to confirm a previous statement by Eric Trappier, the CEO of Rafale-manufacturer Dassault Aviation, that India lost one Rafale fighter plane — Singh said that Indian loss of Rafales was not 'plural' (more than one). In remarks published in French outlet Avion De Chasse on June 25, Trappier said that India lost one Rafale aircraft 'at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission with no enemy involvement or hostile radar contact'. What all India has said about losses in Operation Sindoor Singh further said that no political constraints were imposed on the armed forces during the conflict with Pakistan on May 7-10. 'No political constraints on our armed forces and they have full operational freedom in conflict,' said Singh. The remarks were an apparent reaction to a statement by Captain Shiv Kumar, India's Defence Attache to Indonesia, last month at a seminar that said India lost fighter planes because of the rules of engagement set by the political leadership in the beginning of the conflict. 'We did lose some aircraft, and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishments and their air defences,' said Kumar. In the first round of strikes under Operation Sindoor on the night of May 6-7, India struck only terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). India began striking Pakistani military facilities only after Pakistani military attacked India after Indian airstrikes on terrorist sites. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While India has confirmed that it lost fighter planes formally, it has not confirmed the numbers and has consistently downplayed the numbers presented by Pakistan. Last month, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said that Pakistan's claim of shooting down six Indian fighter planes was 'absolutely incorrect'. Singh told Bloomberg that the numbers were not important but the fact that India figured out and corrected its mistake to achieve superiority was important. 'The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range,' said Chauhan.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Airport brings many takers for YXP industry plots, but few taking next step
1 2 3 Noida: Yamuna Expressway may have been the place no investor would want to miss as Noida International Airport began getting built in Jewar, but for all the bullish sentiment in the air, there's little to show on the ground. Despite the promise brought by the airport – which incidentally has missed its launch deadline and does not look like taking off before year-end, at least – industrialisation along Yamuna Expressway has largely remained on paper even though hundreds of plots have been allotted to domestic and foreign companies. Govt sees the Yamuna Expressway region (YXP) as a major investment hub, one of its headline projects being the proposed HCL-Foxconn semiconductor unit. Only a handful of units like Vivo, Avery Dennison, Surya Global Flexi Films and Bikanervala have completed construction and begun production. A few others have begun construction but vast stretches of the planned industrial zones, as of now, remain barren. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida With a new CEO at the helm now, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) is trying to inject urgency into the process even as caution seems to be the watch word among early investors. CEO RK Singh has directed officials to seek construction plans from more than 1,200 companies that have executed lease deeds for industrial units and have got possession of land but are yet to start work. "It is not about confrontation but about dialogue," Singh said, adding his focus is to understand what is holding companies back and to address issues through improved infrastructure, so the planned projects materialise. Singh recently reviewed the Medical Devices Park in Sector 28, where infrastructure is ready, but only six companies have begun construction despite 89 plots being allotted and 46 lease deeds executed. Similarly, special focus will be given to the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster in Sector 10 and dedicated parks for toys, apparel, IT, data centres and semiconductors. YEIDA has allotted 3,041 industrial plots so far, issued lease plans to 2,297 allottees, signed lease deeds with 1,836, and handed over possession to 1,235. Over the past two years, more than 1,600 registries were executed — compared to just 30–35 annually before 2022 — spurred by the airport project. In Sector 29's Apparel Park, 81 plots have been allotted to date, 65 checklists issued, and lease deeds executed for 63. Of these, 47 allottees have taken possession. While construction is under way at 18 sites, officials noted that 14 maps have been approved, eight applications are pending and 15 are in process. In Sector 33's Toy Park, 139 plots have been allotted with over 74 registries completed. But most plots remain undeveloped. According to YEIDA, the registry process — slow until 2022 — has gained pace. However, industrial associations argue the sluggishness stems from land disputes with farmers, poor road connectivity, and gaps in infrastructure like power, sewer, and water supply. Rishabh Nigam, president of Yamuna Expressway Entrepreneurs Association, said, "Over 800 industrial plots were allotted in 2013, but even today, about 30% of the land is not under the authority's possession. The authority only started issuing checklists in 2022, nine years after allotment. The fault lies with the authority, not with entrepreneurs." So, while flagship projects like Vivo's 169-acre plant in Sector 24A have started production and brought belief about the potential of the region, broader industrialisation needs more groundwork. Singh stressed that the authority's focus will be on ensuring timely construction, job creation, and turning the Yamuna Expressway region into a vibrant industrial corridor. Fresh notices, the CEO added, will soon be issued urging companies to complete pending registries and start construction, with the aim of bringing momentum to the area. YEIDA norms stipulate a timeframe for initiating construction after the sublease, generally allowing four years for companies to complete construction and obtain functional certificates. With things picking up pace in recent months, officials said industrialisation should become visible in the next couple of years. HCL-Foxconn will set up a semiconductor unit on 48 acres in Sector 28, while TI Medical — a Murugappa Group-Premji Invest joint venture — has taken 11 acres in Medical Devices Park. Minda Corporation, in partnership with Korea's Daesung and India's Loconav, has secured 22 acres in Sector 24 for auto component manufacturing. Fuji Silvertech Concrete, an Indo-Japanese joint venture, will build a precast concrete unit in Sector 32, the first allotment under Uttar Pradesh's new FDI policy. Escorts and Kubota are also set to receive land for a major tractor manufacturing plant on 200 acres in Sector 10.
