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Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
‘Target is to stop spread': Screening camps at Delhi's urban slums strengthen fight against TB
Sheela Devi (48), a resident of Indira Kalyan Vihar, a jhuggi jhopri cluster in Southeast Delhi's Okhla Industrial Area Phase-1, stepped out to buy vegetables when Subhash, the village head or pradhan as they call him, asked her to visit the TB screening camp operating from his office. The screening was long overdue, she thought to herself. She has been suffering from fever for the last few months and coughs excessively. 'There is a persistent cough and fever which doesn't fade away,' she added. Her X-ray showed abnormalities and cavities in her lungs. 'Now, we will send her to the Nehru Nagar centre where her sputum samples will be collected for further evaluation,' explained District TB officer Dr Umesh Kumar. The village head has lent his office space for a screening camp under the Delhi government's TB programme for free for a month. A team of doctors, under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), are screening patients with the help of a handheld X-Ray machine and AI software, which identifies abnormalities in the lungs and is said to have minimal radiation exposure. According to the 2019-2021 National TB Prevalence Survey, Delhi was identified as having the highest TB prevalence in India, with 747 cases per lakh population. Under the NTEP, Delhi has been conducting screening drives in urban slums and has started the first phase of the programme targeting six high-burden areas — Nehru Nagar, Narela, Karawal Nagar, Moti Nagar, Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital's chest clinic and Shastri Nagar. In Nehru Nagar, five areas have been targeted — Indira Kalyan Vihar, Jaitpur, Pul Prahladpur, Nizamuddin and Batla House. To drive engagement, doctors and volunteers also conduct door-to-door drives, and announcements are made on loudspeakers as well. Five X-ray machines have been set up in each camp in the slums of South Delhi. 'The programme has been functioning since last December, and we started again in June this year. Our target is to stop the spread of TB, and we need to do catchment at the mass level. Except pregnant women and children below 15 years, everyone else is being screened,' Dr Umesh explained. Since June, more than 10,000 people have been screened, and around 40 people have been identified as TB affected at such camps across the city, said sources. Along with the mass-level screening, these camps provide prevention therapy to people who are at high risk — they collect the medicines from the nearby DOT centre, a healthcare facility focused on tuberculosis. 'Before prescribing medicines under TB prevention therapy, we confirm about latent TB infection by the Cy-Tb test, a modern skin test for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, a bacterium that causes tuberculosis. If it is positive in TB contact persons, we give them the preventive therapy,' underlined Dr Umesh Kumar. For this, the doctors deployed are particularly targeting the high-risk group, which includes patients with diabetes, those with alcohol or cigarette addiction, those who are not gaining weight and those who are living in families where someone had TB in the last five years. The camp at Indira Kalyan Vihar Jhuggi has been conducting 150-200 X-rays daily at the centre. Even as 5-10% of X-rays highlight abnormalities on average every day, not all of these patients test positive for TB. 'The X-rays highlight if there is fluid in the lungs, signs of pneumonia, old or new pneumonia and cavities in the lungs. If these abnormalities are found, we send the patient for further tests,' said Dr Umesh. With the X-ray machines, screening takes just 5-10 minutes, and the visitors can get details added to the system, which is convenient for many. One doctor, one technician and one patient mobiliser and a volunteer for registration of people have been deployed at each camp. Meanwhile, more women than men are visiting the camp at Indira Kalyan Vihar, according to the team. 'This may be because most of the women are at home, and the men of the house go to work. Which is why we are taking this till 4 pm to target the men as well,' said Himansh Parewa, junior field officer who has been mobilising people from the jhuggi cluster. 'We mobilise the community with the help of ANM and ASHA workers and TB health workers from the Dot centres,' he added. However, this does not mean more women are testing positive. 'Diabetics, malnourished smokers, those with a family history of TB have the highest prevalence, along with those who are living in poorly ventilated areas, which makes slum areas more at risk,' explained Dr Umesh. A majority of men in the area, according to Himansh, are factory workers who have to leave for work early morning, due to which it remains a challenge to screen them.
NDTV
02-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Bengaluru-Based CEO Says India Has "Talent Problem", Sparks Online Debate
Umesh Kumar, a Bengaluru-based CEO, sparked online debate after he said that India has a "big fu**ing talent problem" and there is artificial intelligence-generated crap everywhere. Mr Kumar expressed his anger as he struggled to find qualified candidates for a backend engineering role, for which he received around 1,000 applications in 2-3 days, and didn't find any decent resumes. India seriously has a big f***ing talent problem. We got around 1000 applications for a backend engineering role in just the last 2-3 days, and guess how many were actually decent? < 5. We asked for a basic, simple coding task. The submissions? Mostly absolute trash.… — Umesh Kumar (@itsumeshk) June 30, 2025 "India seriously has a big fu**ing talent problem," Mr Kumar, who is co-founder of Runable, a platform where anyone can build AI agents, said in a post on X. "We got around 1,000 applications for a backend engineering role in just the last two to three days, and guess how many were actually decent? [Less than five]." Mr Kumar said that most of the submissions for a basic and simple coding task were "absolute trash". "AI-generated crap everywhere. But that's ok. Code that doesn't even run. F**k Running Code, libraries needed for the code to work are even missing," he pinpointed. The Indian tech job market is booming, with a 22% growth forecast and over 2 million cloud professionals needed by FY25, a report said. Despite the high demand, there's a shortage of skilled candidates, particularly those with practical skills in emerging technologies. Mr Kumar also weighed in on the hiring process, he said, "We pay a damn good Rs50 Lakh base salary plus relocation, food, and the chance to work with some of the best talent out there. So yes, at this pay scale, expecting code that actually runs is justified." Such issues have forced companies to become more selective and focus on practical skills over formal education. "I am confused, Am I the only one facing all this or this is becoming the new normal in hiring nowadays?" Kumar said. His post grabbed massive traction, with one user saying, "I totally get you, Umesh. I've manually reviewed 300 resumes in the last 2 months, 15 were decent, 2 got the offer." "Its gonna get a lot harder to find great talent with students using AI in college," another said. A third suggested, "There are good talent out there. When you post a role, LinkedIn without a proper corporate Recruiter account is already limiting who can view, hence what you need is Discovery of Talent who haven't seen it (Recruiters reaching out). Second, think of the role to be remote with travel as needed. Your budget is not a constraint here at all."
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘AI-generated crap everywhere': Bengaluru CEO brutal post says India has a ‘talent problem', sparks debate online
A Bengaluru-based CEO has kicked off a fiery online debate over the state of tech talent in India, and his blunt assessment is getting a lot of attention. Umesh Kumar, an alumnus of IIT Roorkee and head of a growing tech company, recently vented his frustration on X after sifting through a mountain of applications for a backend engineering role. 'We got around 1,000 applications in just 2-3 days,' he wrote, 'and guess how many were actually decent? We asked for a basic, simple coding task. The submissions? Mostly absolute trash. AI-generated crap everywhere.' What sparked even more discussion was Kumar's blunt disbelief that candidates failed to meet even the most basic expectations. 'Code that doesn't even run. Running code, libraries needed for the code to work are even missing. Honestly, forget high standards; is it too much to ask for code that actually compiles?' he wrote. Kumar also contrasted his company's hiring process with the drawn-out gauntlet often seen at big tech firms. 'Here's our process straightforward: 1. Simple coding task 2. CEO call (15 mins) 3. CTO call (45 mins) 4. Paid one-day trial with the team. Offer. Done.' He also said that the role pays well – a Rs 50 lakh base salary, plus perks like relocation and food – and that, at that level, 'expecting code that actually runs is justified.' India seriously has a big f***ing talent problem. We got around 1000 applications for a backend engineering role in just the last 2-3 days, and guess how many were actually decent? < 5. We asked for a basic, simple coding task. The submissions? Mostly absolute trash.… — Umesh Kumar (@itsumeshk) June 30, 2025 The post quickly gained traction on X, crossing over three lakh views and sparking a flood of responses, many from fellow recruiters who echoed Kumar's experience. One user said, 'I totally get you, Umesh. I've manually reviewed 300 resumes in the last 2 months, 15 were decent, 2 got the offer.' Another user commented, 'Its gonna get a lot harder to find great talent with students using AI in college.' A third person wrote, 'Been happening since 2002. I remember interviewing dudes who'd remembered every axiom and design pattern off by heart but couldn't actually code anything.' 'There are good talent out there. When you post a role, LinkedIn without a proper corporate Recruiter account is already limiting who can view, hence what you need is Discovery of Talent who haven't seen it (Recruiters reaching out). Second, think of the role to be remote with travel as needed. Your budget is not a constraint here at all,' a fourth user wrote.
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru CEO offering ₹50 LPA laments talent crisis as 1000 applicants fail basic coding task: ‘Big f***ing problem'
A Bengaluru-based CEO and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee alumnus recently sparked an online conversation about the quality of tech talent in India. Umesh Kumar, the CEO in question, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his frustration after reviewing a flood of job applications for a backend engineering position. A Bengaluru CEO shared frustration after receiving mostly unusable, AI-generated code for a backend role.(X/@itsumeshk) (Also read: 'Porn dekh rahi ho?' Bengaluru CEO's shocking remark to intern sparks outrage) 'India seriously has a big talent problem,' Kumar wrote in his post. 'We got around 1,000 applications for a backend engineering role in just the last 2-3 days, and guess how many were actually decent? We asked for a basic, simple coding task. The submissions? Mostly absolute trash. AI-generated crap everywhere. But that's ok. Code that doesn't even run. Running code, libraries needed for the code to work are even missing. Honestly, forget high standards; is it too much to ask for code that actually compiles?' Fast-track hiring process and ₹ 50 lakh salary Kumar explained that his company's hiring process is simple and efficient, contrasting it with the often prolonged procedures of larger tech firms. 'Here's our process straightforward: Simple coding task CEO call (15 mins) CTO call (45 mins) Paid one-day trial with the team Offer. Done.' He added, 'We aren't Big Tech, dragging you through months of interview hell just to reject you. Our hiring is quick, simple, and respects your time. And let's get real, we pay a damn good ₹ 50 Lakh base salary plus relocation, food, and the chance to work with some of the best talent out there. So yes, at this pay scale, expecting code that actually runs is justified.' Check out the post here: Mixed reactions from tech community The post, which has garnered over 280k views, drew a wide range of responses from users. One user remarked, 'It's gonna get a lot harder to find great talent with students using AI in college.' Another echoed the sentiment, saying, 'Same god damn AI-gen sloppy codes. Can't even make an Insta basic feed frontend without AI.' Another user commented, 'I noticed this trend while working as an interviewer at Google,' while someone else added, 'This has been happening since as far back as 2002. I remember interviewing candidates who had memorised every axiom and design pattern by heart, yet couldn't write a single working line of code.' (Also read: 'Complete breakdown during video call': Bengaluru man hospitalised after CEO's brutal outburst) Some criticised the pre-interview screening itself. 'By requiring a coding task before speaking to the person, you filter out ALL good talent, and end up with whoever is desperate,' one said. Others suggested, 'You should mention the range of CTC or LPA for the job position—it can lead to some serious submissions.' One quirky take advised, 'Hire people with anime PFP or indie hackers from X. You're not gonna get disappointed.'
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Time of India
Chatra village yet to get paved road to Kunda block
Chatra: The 4,000 residents of Banasham village, located three km from the Kunda block headquarters, in Chatra district are unable to avail the basic amenities of a human life as the rural area is yet to be linked with a paved road till date. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The road leading to Banasham has detoriorated after the recent heavy downpour, villagers said. A four-wheeler belonging to a resident of the Kunda block headquarters, which was booked to transport a sick Saroj Kumar (48) to the hospital on Saturday, got stuck in the damaged kachcha road. It took 8-10 hours to pull it out. The family members of the sick person took him to the hospital on a motorcycle in rain. Driver Umesh Kumar said, "We were passing through a kachcha road to reach the village when the vehicle got stuck in the slush. Many parts of the vehicle got damaged. I will never come to this village again in spite of the money offered." Villager Manoj Kumar said, "Elections have been organised and people's representatives elected for years since Independence and even after the state was formed. But we are yet to get a road. Driving on the katchha road during monsoon poses a risk to our safety. Bikes have met with accidents due to the dilapidated kachcha road several times." In another case in Pratappur block, a road leading to the Gome bridge on Pratappur Huntergunj main road has caved in. The soil under the road has been washed away due to due to the continuous heavy rain. Pratappur police demarcated the area for the safety of the commuters. Speaking to TOI, deputy development commissioner Amrendra Sinha said, "The district administration is taking all steps to ensure basic facilities in rural areas. We will take steps to ensure that Banasham village is linked to Kunda block with a paved road. As for the road leading to the Gome bridge, we are assessing the damages and funds will be allotted for the repair."
