Monthly Coverage Dossier March 2019

Prepared by

IIT Madras is a campus of choice for high ranking JEE students Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Pune/Ahmedabad/Kolkata Page No: 8 Journalist: Rica Bhattacharyya Professor: Prof. Ashok Mishra Headline: IITs see surge in number of doctoral degrees URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/iits-see- surge-in-number-of-doctoral-degrees/articleshow/68261406.cms

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: India Education Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras win Chennai regional finals of Tata Crucible Campus Quiz 2019 URL: http://indiaeducationdiary.in/iit-madras-win-chennai-regional-finals-tata- crucible-campus-quiz-2019/

IIT Madras win Chennai regional finals of Tata Crucible Campus Quiz 2019

Pranav Hari G. and Rahul Humayun from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras decimated their opponents to win the Chennai edition of Tata Crucible Campus Quiz 2019.

A record number of 1179 teams battled it out in the city level finale for the top honours, held at Madras Music Academy. Pranav Hari G. and Rahul Humayun took home a cash prize of Rs. 75,000* and will compete in the zonal round to qualify for the national finale. Sree Ganesh Balaji and Kapil Agarwal from D.G. Vaishnav College were declared runners-up, winning a cash prize of Rs. 35,000*. Ms. S. Sukanya, Vice President & Global Head – Delivery Excellence and Governance, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. was the Chief Guest at the finale.

This year, the theme of the quiz has been designed in a T-20 cricket format to celebrate the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Noted quizmaster ‘Pickbrain’ Giri Balasubramaniam hosted the quiz in his masterful, unique and witty style.

The fifteenth edition of India’s biggest campus quiz will run for a little over two months, traversing 40 cities, with five zonal rounds leading to the grand national finale in Mumbai. The winners of the National Finals will receive a Grand Prize of Rs. 5,00,000/-* along with the coveted Tata Crucible trophy.

Date: 12th March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: 20 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-M team emerges champion in Tata quiz

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: Patrika Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: अंतरराष्ट्र ीय हाइपरलूप पोड प्रततयोतिता मᴂ IIT Madras ki team URL: https://www.patrika.com/chennai-news/team-of-iit-madras-in-international- hyperloop-pod-competition-4267556/

अंतरराष्ट्र ीय हाइपरलूप पोड प्रततयोतिता मᴂ IIT Madras ki team

Date: 20th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Pune Page No: 18 Journalist: Sindhu Hariharan Student: Sudharshan R Headline: As data science picks pace, cos seek math & stats specialists URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/as-data-science- picks-pace-cos-seek-math-stats-specialists/articleshow/68488749.cms

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-M invites applications for M. Tech courses URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/iit-m-invites-applications-for-m- tech-courses/article26668515.ece

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: The Times Of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-M calls for MTech applications IIT-Madras has invited applications for admission to MTech programmes for the July 2019 batch.

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: NDTV Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju Headline: IIT Madras Invites Applications For M.Tech. Programmes URL: https://www.ndtv.com/education/iit-madras-invites-applications-for-m-tech- programmes-2014320

IIT Madras Invites Applications For M.Tech. Programmes

Indian Institute of Technology Madras or IIT Madras has invited applications for admission to M.Tech. programmes in various departments for July 2019 batch. The IIT Madras M.Tech admission portal will remain open till April 10, 2019. The registration process will be held on the portal: mtechadm.iitm.ac.in.

"There are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Meritorious M.Tech. Students are eligible for conversion to PhD. programme after one year," the statement said. IIT Madras has also said there are also opportunities for M.Tech including students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organizations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Speaking about the M.Tech programmes at IIT Madras, Prof. Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju, Department of Mathematics and Chairman, M.Tech. Admission Committee 2019, said, "Rigorous fundamental courses and flexible electives followed by a year-long industrial or in house project work are the strengths of the IIT-M M.Tech. courses." IIT Madras M.Tech. admission 2019: Important Dates

Opening of Website for ONLINE 06.03.2019 (Wednesday) 11:00 applications

Closing of Website for ONLINE 10.04.2019 (Wednesday) 23:59 applications

Suitability Test/ Interview for relevant candidates (Refer Table 27.04.2019 (Saturday) 3)

Date of Reporting for Admission 22.07.2019 (Monday)

Date for Additional Round(s) of 23.07.2019 (Tuesday) / 24.07.2019 (Wednesday) offers (only for unfilled seats)

Photo session and Workflow 25.07.2019 (Thursday) enrolment Orientation Programme 26.07.2019 (Friday)

Commencement of Classes 29.07.2019 (Monday)

Candidates can obtain further information and apply through the online portal - http://mtechadm.iitm.ac.in

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: The Indian Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju Headline: IIT-Madras M.Tech admission begins, check list of courses URL: https://indianexpress.com/article/education/iit-madras-m-tech-admission- begins-check-list-of-courses-5646963/

IIT-Madras M.Tech admission begins, check list of courses

Indian Institute of Technology Madras has invited applications for admission to M.Tech programmes in various departments for July 2019 batch. The M.Tech admission portal will remain open till April 10, 2019. The candidates with the relevant GATE score can apply for the M.Tech program.

The interview of the candidates will be conducted on April 27. The admission process will commence from July 22, and the first class will be held on July 29, 2019.

There are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Meritorious M.Tech students are eligible for conversion to PhD programme after one year. There are also opportunities for M.Tech students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organizations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: NDTV -Tamil Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: ஐ.ஐ.羿. மெட்ரால் எெ் . மடக் ப羿ப்ꯁக쿁க்கான ힿண்ணப்பங்கள் ힿநிய ாகெ் !!(IIT Madras Invites Applications For M.Tech. Programmes) URL: https://www.ndtv.com/tamil/education-iit-madras-invites-applications-for-m- tech-programmes-2014394

ஐ.ஐ.羿. மெட்ரால் எெ் . மடக் ப羿ப்ꯁக쿁க்கான ힿண்ணப்பங்கள் ힿநிய ாகெ் !!(IIT Madras Invites Applications For M.Tech. Programmes)

சென்னன ஐ.ஐ.羿. செட்ராஸ் கல்ힿ நி쟁வனத்鎿ல் எெ்.சடக். ப羿ப்ꯁக쿁க்கான ힿண்ணப்பங்கள் ힿநிய ா垿க்கப்ப翁垿ன்றன. எெ்.சடக் ப羿க்க ힿ쏁ெ்ꯁயவார் அதற்கான ힿண்ணப்பத்னத ꯂர்த்鎿 செ ்鏁 அꟁப்ꮿ னவக்埁ொ쟁 யகட்翁க் சகாள்ளப்பட்翁ள்ளனர். பல ꮿரிퟁக쿁க்கான எெ்.சடக். ப羿ப்ꯁகள் வ쏁ெ் ஜூனல ொதெ் சதாடங்埁垿ன்றன. இ鏁சதாடர்பாக mtechadm.iitm.ac.in. என்ற இனண தளத்鎿ல் ஏப்ரல் 10-ெ்யத鎿 வனர 쮿ங்க் ஆன்னலனில் இ쏁க்埁ெ். இந்த இனண தளத்鎿ல் ힿண்ணப்பங்கனள ப鎿ퟁ செ ்鏁 சகாள்ளலாெ்

எெ்.சடக் ப羿க்க ힿ쏁ெ்ꯁயவா쏁க்埁 நி鎿뿁தힿ சப쟁ெ் வா ்ப்ꯁக쿁ெ் உள்ளன. எெ்.சடக்垿ல் 殿றந்鏁 ힿளங்埁ெ் ொணவர்கள் அ翁த்ததாக ꮿ.எெ்羿 ப羿ப்பதற்埁 யதர்வா埁வார்கள் என ஐஐ羿 செட்ராஸ் சவளி뾿ட்翁ள்ள அ잿க்னக뾿ல் 埂றப்பட்翁ள்ள鏁.

ஐ.ஐ.羿. செட்ரால் எெ்.சடக் ப羿ப்யபார் தங்கள鏁 ப்ராசஜக்ட் ஒர்க்埁கனள சஜர்ெனி உள்ளிட்ட சவளிநா翁களி쯁ெ் செ ்鏁சகாள்ளலாெ் என்쟁ெ் நி쟁வனெ் தரப்ꮿல் சதரிힿக்கப்பட்羿쏁க்垿ற鏁.

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: Hindustan Times Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju Headline: IIT Madras invites applications for M Tech programmes URL: https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/iit-madras-invites-applications-for- m-tech-programmes/story-xLvxzfaQqJwAACYMu9DywL.html

IIT Madras invites applications for M Tech programmes

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has invited applications for admission to MTech Programmes in various departments for July 2019 batch. The M Tech admission portal will remain open till April 10, 2019. Candidates can obtain further information and apply through the online portal http://mtechadm.iitm.ac.in

There are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Meritorious M.Tech. Students are eligible for conversion to PhD. programme after one year. There are also opportunities for M.Tech. students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organisations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Speaking about the M.Tech programmes at IIT Madras, Prof Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju, Department of Mathematics, IIT Madras, and Chairman, M Tech. Admission Committee 2019, said, “Rigorous fundamental courses and flexible electives followed by a year-long industrial or in house project work are the strengths of the IIT-M M. Tech. courses.”

Applications are being invited for M.Tech Programmes in the following Departments

1) Aerospace Engineering

2) Applied Mechanics a) Computational and Experimental Mechanics b) Biomedical Engineering

3) Biotechnology a) Bioprocess Engineering

4) Chemical Engineering

5) Civil Engineering a) Building Technology and Construction Management b) Environmental Engineering c) Geotechnical Engineering d) Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering e) Structural Engineering f) Transportation Engineering

6) Computer Science and Engineering

7) Electrical Engineering a) Communications and Signal Processing b) Power systems and Power electronics c) Micro Electronics and VLSI Design d) Control and Instrumentation e) Microelectronics and Photonics f) Integrated circuits and systems

8) Mathematics a) Industrial Mathematics and Scientific Computing

9) Mechanical Engineering a) Thermal Engineering b) Mechanical Design c) Manufacturing Engineering

10) Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

11) Ocean Engineering a) Ocean Engineering b) Ocean Technology

12) Physics a) Functional Materials and Nanotechnology

13) Interdisciplinary programmes a) Catalysis Technology b) Clinical Engineering c) Petroleum Engineering

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: India Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras invites applications for MTech Programmes: Here is all you need to know URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/notification/story/iit-madras-invites- applications-for-mtech-programmes-here-is-all-you-need-to-know-1488622-2019-03- 28

IIT Madras invites applications for MTech Programmes: Here is all you need to know

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras has invited applications for admission to MTech Programmes in various departments for July 2019 batch. The MTech Admission Portal will remain open till April 10, 2019. Candidates can obtain further information and apply through the online portal - http://mtechadm.iitm.ac.in.

There are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Students are eligible for conversion to PhD programme after one year. There are also opportunities for MTech Students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organizations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Speaking about the MTech programmes at IIT Madras, Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju, Department of Mathematics, IIT Madras, and Chairman, MTech Admission Committee 2019, said, "Rigorous fundamental courses and flexible electives followed by a year- long industrial or in house project work are the strengths of the IIT-M MTech courses." Applications are being invited for MTech Programmes in the following departments: 1) Aerospace Engineering

2) Applied Mechanics

Computational and Experimental Mechanics

Biomedical Engineering

3) Biotechnology

Bioprocess Engineering 4) Chemical Engineering

5) Civil Engineering

Building Technology and Construction Management

Environmental Engineering

Geotechnical Engineering

Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering

Structural Engineering

Transportation Engineering

6) Computer Science and Engineering

7) Electrical Engineering

Communications and Signal Processing

Power systems and Power electronics

Micro Electronics and VLSI Design

Control and Instrumentation

Microelectronics and Photonics

Integrated circuits and systems

8) Mathematics

Industrial Mathematics and Scientific Computing

9) Mechanical Engineering

Thermal Engineering

Mechanical Design

Manufacturing Engineering

10) Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

11) Ocean Engineering

Ocean Engineering

Ocean Technology

12) Physics

Functional Materials and Nanotechnology 13) Interdisciplinary programmes

Catalysis Technology

Clinical Engineering

Petroleum Engineering Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: Dinamalar Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: ஐ.ஐ.羿.,뾿ல் எெ் .மடக்., 'அட்뮿ஷன் ' அ잿ힿப்ꯁ( Admissions Announcement of M.Tech in IIT) URL: https://www.dinamalar.com/news_detail.asp?id=2243653

ஐ.ஐ.羿.,뾿ல் எெ் .மடக்., 'அட்뮿ஷன் ' அ잿ힿப்ꯁ( Admissions Announcement of M.Tech in IIT)

சென்னன, சென்னன ஐ.ஐ.羿.뾿ல் எெ்.சடக். ப羿ப்ꮿல் 32 பாட ꮿரிퟁக쿁க்கான ொணவர் யெர்க்னக அ잿ힿக்கப்பட்翁ள்ள鏁.யத殿 உ ர்கல்ힿ சதா펿ல்ꏁட்ப நி쟁வனொன சென்னன ஐ.ஐ.羿.뾿ல் எெ்.சடக். ப羿ப்ꮿல் 13 鏁னறகளில் 32 பாட ꮿரிퟁகள் நடத்தப்ப翁垿ன்றன. இதற்கான ொணவர் யெர்க்னக யநற்쟁 அ잿ힿக்கப்பட்ட鏁.ஐ.ஐ.羿.뾿ன் http://mtechadm.iitm.ac.in என்ற இனண தளத்鎿ல் வ쏁ெ் 10ெ் யத鎿 வனர ஆன்னலன் ힿண்ணப்ப ப鎿ퟁ யெற்சகாள்ளலாெ். ஜூனல 22ல் ொணவர் யெர்க்னக இ쟁鎿 செ ் ப்ப翁ெ்.எெ்.சடக். ப羿ப்ꮿல் யெ쏁ெ் ொணவர்க쿁க்埁 உ ர்தரொன ஆ ்வகெ் ெற்쟁ெ் சதா펿ல்ꏁட்ப வெ鎿கள் சென்னன ஐ.ஐ.羿.뾿ல் உள்ளன. யெ쯁ெ் அ鎿க ெ鎿ப்சபண் எ翁க்埁ெ் ொணவர்க쿁க்埁 ꮿஎெ்.羿. ஆரா ்ெ்殿 ப羿ப்ꮿல் யெர்வதற்埁ெ் கல்ힿ உதힿ சதானகக்埁ெ் வா ்ப்ꯁள்ள鏁 என சென்னன ஐ.ஐ.羿. அ잿ힿத்鏁ள்ள鏁. எெ்.சடக். ப羿ப்ꮿல் யெர அதற்கான த埁鎿 யதர்ힿல் யதர்ெ்殿 சபற்잿쏁க்க யவண்翁ெ்.

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: News Heads Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-Madras M.Tech admission 2019: Last date to apply at iitm.ac URL: https://www.newsheads.in/education/news/iit-madras-mtech-admission-2019- last-date-to-apply-at-iitmac-article-57376

IIT-Madras M.Tech admission 2019: Last date to apply at iitm.ac

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras invites applications for admission to M.Tech programmes in various departments for July 2019 batch. The M.Tech admission portal will remain open till April 10, 2019. Candidates with valid GATE score can apply for the M.Tech program 2019.

For admission purpose, the board will conduct interview on April 27. The admission process will commence from July 22, and the first class will be held on July 29, 2019.

It must be noted that Meritorious M.Tech students will also get financial assistance and opportunities, if required. Students are also eligible for conversion to PhD programme after one year. There are also opportunities for M.Tech students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organizations and foreign countries such as Germany.

List of M.Tech programs/courses offered by IIT-Madras

Aerospace Engineering Applied Mechanics Computational and Experimental Mechanics Biomedical Engineering Biotechnology Bioprocess Engineering Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Building Technology and Construction Management Environmental Engineering Geotechnical Engineering Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering Structural Engineering Transportation Engineering Computer Science and Engineering Electrical Engineering Communications and Signal Processing Power systems and Power electronics Micro Electronics and VLSI Design Control and Instrumentation Microelectronics and Photonics Integrated circuits and systems Mathematics Industrial Mathematics and Scientific Computing Mechanical Engineering Thermal Engineering Mechanical Design Manufacturing Engineering Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Ocean Engineering Ocean Technology Physics Functional Materials and Nanotechnology Interdisciplinary programmes Catalysis Technology Clinical Engineering Petroleum Engineering

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: Amar Ujala Edition: Delhi Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-Madras M.Tech admission 2019: Last date to apply at iitm.ac

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Tamil Edition: Chennai Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras Invites Applications For M.Tech. Programmes

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: BW Education Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju Headline: IIT Madras Invites Applications For M.Tech. Programmes URL: http://bweducation.businessworld.in/article/IIT-Madras-Invites-Applications-For- M-Tech-Programmes/28-03-2019-168563/

IIT Madras Invites Applications For M.Tech. Programmes

Indian Institute of Technology Madras has invited applications for admission to M.Tech. Programmes in various departments for July 2019 batch. The M.Tech Admission Portal will remain open till 10th April 2019. Candidates can obtain further information and apply through the online portal - http://mtechadm.iitm.ac.in

There are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Meritorious M.Tech. Students are eligible for conversion to PhD. programme after one year. There are also opportunities for M.Tech. Students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organizations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Speaking about the M.Tech programmes at IIT Madras, Prof. Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju, Department of Mathematics, IIT Madras, and Chairman, M.Tech. Admission Committee 2019, said, “Rigorous fundamental courses and flexible electives followed by a year-long industrial or in house project work are the strengths of the IIT-M M.Tech. courses.”

Applications are being invited for M.Tech Programmes in the following Departments:

Aerospace Engineering

Applied Mechanics a) Computational and Experimental Mechanics b) Biomedical Engineering

Biotechnology a) Bioprocess Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering a) Building Technology and Construction Management b) Environmental Engineering c) Geotechnical Engineering d) Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering e) Structural Engineering f) Transportation Engineering

Computer Science and Engineering

Electrical Engineering a) Communications and Signal Processing b) Power systems and Power electronics c) Micro Electronics and VLSI Design d) Control and Instrumentation e) Microelectronics and Photonics f) Integrated circuits and systems

Mathematics a) Industrial Mathematics and Scientific Computing

Mechanical Engineering a) Thermal Engineering b) Mechanical Design c) Manufacturing Engineering

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Ocean Engineering a) Ocean Engineering b) Ocean Technology

Physics a) Functional Materials and Nanotechnology

Interdisciplinary programmes a) Catalysis Technology b) Clinical Engineering c) Petroleum Engineering

Important Dates

Opening of Website for ONLINE applications

06.03.2019 (Wednesday) 11:00

Closing of Website for ONLINE applications

10.04.2019 (Wednesday) 23:59

Suitability Test/ Interview for relevant candidates (Refer Table 3)

27.04.2019 (Saturday)

Date of Reporting for Admission

22.07.2019 (Monday)

Date for Additional Round(s) of offers (only for unfilled seats)

23.07.2019 (Tuesday) / 24.07.2019 (Wednesday)

Photo session and Workflow enrolment

25.07.2019 (Thursday)

Orientation Programme

26.07.2019 (Friday)

Commencement of Classes

29.07.2019 (Monday)

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: Trending 360 Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju Headline: IIT-Madras M.Tech Admission Begins, Check List Of Courses URL: https://trending360.in/2019/03/28/iit-madras-m-tech-admission-begins-check- list-of-courses/

IIT-Madras M.Tech Admission Begins, Check List Of Courses

IIT-Madras M.Tech admission 2019: Indian Institute of Technology Madras has invited applications for admission to M.Tech programmes in various departments for July 2019 batch. The M.Tech admission portal will remain open till April 10, 2019. The candidates with the relevant GATE score can apply for the M.Tech program. The interview of the candidates will be conducted on April 27. The admission process will commence from July 22, and the first class will be held on July 29, 2019.

IIT-Madras M.Tech admission begins: List of courses – Aerospace Engineering

– Applied Mechanics

Computational and Experimental Mechanics

Biomedical Engineering

– Biotechnology

Bioprocess Engineering

– Chemical Engineering

– Civil Engineering

Building Technology and Construction Management

Environmental Engineering

Geotechnical Engineering

Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering

Structural Engineering

Transportation Engineering

– Computer Science and Engineering

– Electrical Engineering

Communications and Signal Processing

Power systems and Power electronics

Micro Electronics and VLSI Design

Control and Instrumentation

Microelectronics and Photonics

Integrated circuits and systems

– Mathematics

Industrial Mathematics and Scientific Computing

– Mechanical Engineering

Thermal Engineering

Mechanical Design

Manufacturing Engineering

– Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

– Ocean Engineering

Ocean Engineering

Ocean Technology

– Physics

Functional Materials and Nanotechnology

– Interdisciplinary programmes

Catalysis Technology

Clinical Engineering

Petroleum Engineering.

IIT-Madras M.Tech admission 2019: Important dates

Commencement of online application- March 6

Closure of online application: April 10

Interview session: April 27

Reporting for admission: July 22

Commencement of classes: July 29, 2019. Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Rmamurthi Headline: IITs to improve hostel facilities

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Rmamurthi Headline: IITs to establish an active network between all stakeholders on hostel management URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/iits-to-establish-an-active- network-between-all-stakeholders-on-hostel- management/articleshow/68629407.cms

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: Ram Sundaram Professor: Prof Bhaskar Rmamurthi Headline: IITs to establish an active network on hostel management URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/iits-to-establish-an- active-network-on-hostel-management/articleshow/68635114.cms

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: Daily Hunt Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Rmamurthi Headline: IITs to establish an Active Network between all Stakeholders on Hostel Management URL: https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/skill+outlook-epaper- skillout/iits+to+establish+an+active+network+between+all+stakeholders+on+hostel+ management-newsid-112342815

IITs to establish an Active Network between all Stakeholders on Hostel Management

The Indian Institutes of Technology are going to establish an active network between all the stake holder representatives in Hostel Management as well as a common platform to share the best practices in hostel management among them. The decision was taken during a PAN IIT Workshop on Hostel Management conducted at Indian Institute of Technology Madras on 23rd and 24th March 2019.

The key objectives of the workshop were:

To create awareness among wardens and hostel management officials across all IITs about the importance of various responsibilities that each one is carrying out, To bring out challenges faced in terms of hostel accommodation, management of Mess halls and general facilities, manpower recruitment and training, maintenance of accounts and auditing, and dealing with students behaviour and health, and To build a healthy relationship and understanding through networking among the hostel management offices of all IITs While inaugurating the workshop, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, "The autonomy of shaping our practices should be optimised to suit the unique situations local conditions of each institution. Each IIT has grown to cater to a few thousand students to more than ten thousand with age profiles between 18 years and 27 years."

Representatives from various IITs across the country including Bhilai, Dharwad, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Mandi, Palakkad, Roorkee, Ropar, Tirupati and IIITDM Kancheepuram attended the workshop.

While speaking during the workshop, Prof. Sathyanarayana N. Gummadi, Chairman, Wardens Council, IIT Madras, said, "PAN IIT workshop is being organized in a manner that enabled standardization and uniform application across all IITs with minor corrections to suit local conditions."

The workshop discussed topics such as accommodation, dining facilities, medical insurance, infrastructure and general facilities, accounts and auditing, behavioural aspects of students, hostel manpower recruitment and training.

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: Chennai Patrika Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju Headline: IIT Madras invites Applications for M.Tech. Programmes URL: http://chennaipatrika.com/post/IIT-Madras-invites-Applications-for-MTech- Programmes

IIT Madras invites Applications for M.Tech. Programmes

There are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Meritorious M.Tech. Students are eligible for conversion to PhD. programme after one year. There are also opportunities for M.Tech. Students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organizations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Speaking about the M.Tech programmes at IIT Madras, Prof. Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju, Department of Mathematics, IITMadras, and Chairman, M.Tech. Admission Committee 2019, said, “Rigorous fundamental courses and flexible electives followed by a year-long industrial or in house project work are the strengths of the IIT-M M.Tech. courses.”

Applications are being invited for M.Tech Programmes in the following Departments

1) Aerospace Engineering

2) Applied Mechanics a) Computational and Experimental Mechanics b) Biomedical Engineering

3) Biotechnology a) Bioprocess Engineering

4) Chemical Engineering

6) Computer Science and Engineering

8) Mathematics a) Industrial Mathematics and Scientific Computing

9) Mechanical Engineering a) Thermal Engineering b) Mechanical Design c) Manufacturing Engineering

10) Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

11) Ocean Engineering a) Ocean Engineering b) Ocean Technology

12) Physics a) Functional Materials and Nanotechnology

13) Interdisciplinary programmes a) Catalysis Technology b) Clinical Engineering c) Petroleum Engineering

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: Brainbuxa Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju Headline: IIT Madras opens the registration process for M.Tech 2019 admissions URL: https://www.brainbuxa.com/education-news/iit-madras-opens-the-registration- process-for-mtech-2019-admissions-9259

IIT Madras opens the registration process for M.Tech 2019 admissions

IIT Madras is inviting the applications for admission to various M.Tech courses for July 2019 batch that are offered by the institute. The admission portal for the M.Tech courses will remain open until April 10, 2019. The official address of the portal is mtechadm.iitm.ac.in.

"There are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Meritorious M.Tech. Students are eligible for conversion to PhD. programme after one year," the statement said. IIT Madras is also providing a unique opportunity to the students where they can carry their M.Tech projects in industries, approved organizations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: Prediction Junction Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Yedida VSS Sanyasiraju Headline: IIT Madras Invites Applications For M.Tech. Programmes URL: https://predictionjunction.com/iit-madras-invites-applications-for-m-tech- programmes/

IIT Madras Invites Applications For M.Tech. Programmes

Indian Institute of Technology Madras or IIT Madras has invited applications for admission to M.Tech. programmes in various departments for July 2019 batch.

IIT Madras : Important Dates Start date for availability of application form – 06.03.2019 (Wednesday) 11:00

End date for filling of the online application form – 10.04.2019 (Wednesday) 23:59

Suitability Test/ Interview for relevant candidates – 27.04.2019 (Saturday)

Date of Reporting for Admission – 22.07.2019 (Monday)

Date for Additional Round(s) of offers (only for unfilled seats) – 23.07.2019 (Tuesday) / 24.07.2019 (Wednesday)

Photo session and Workflow enrolment – 25.07.2019 (Thursday)

Orientation Programme – 26.07.2019 (Friday)

Commencement of Classes – 29.07.2019 (Monday)

IIT Madras : Applications are being invited for M.Tech Programmes in the following Departments 1) Aerospace Engineering

2) Applied Mechanics

Computational and Experimental Mechanics

Biomedical Engineering

3) Biotechnology a) Bioprocess Engineering 4) Chemical Engineering

5) Civil Engineering

Building Technology and Construction Management, Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering ,Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering, Structural Engineering

Transportation Engineering

6) Computer Science and Engineering

7) Electrical Engineering

Communications and Signal Processing

Power systems and Power electronics

Micro Electronics and VLSI Design

Control and Instrumentation

Microelectronics and Photonics

Integrated circuits and systems

8) Mathematics a) Industrial Mathematics and Scientific Computing 9) Mechanical Engineering

Thermal Engineering, Mechanical Design, Manufacturing Engineering

10) Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

11) Ocean Engineering

Ocean Engineering

Ocean Technology

12) Physics a) Functional Materials and Nanotechnology 13) Interdisciplinary programmes

Catalysis Technology

Clinical Engineering

Petroleum Engineering

Note : Candidates can obtain further information and apply through the online portal – http://mtechadm.iitm.ac.in Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: Your Story Edition: Online Journalist: Debolina Biswas Professor: Prof Balaraman Ravindran Headline: These IITs will enable India to understand and use artificial intelligence more effectively URL: https://yourstory.com/2019/03/iit-artificial-intelligence-india-machine-learning-17qjyup038

These IITs will enable India to understand and use artificial intelligence more effectively

During his Interim Budget speech, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said that the government is launching a national programme for artificial intelligence (AI). As a part of the programme, nine Centres of Excellence to leverage AI will be built.

According to NITI Ayog's National Strategy for AI Discussion Paper, AI has the potential to drive growth through enabling intelligent automation, labour, and capital augmentation, and innovation diffusion.

AI in healthcare can address and bridge the gaps related to access of facilities beyond the metro cities. Similarly, it can also solve quality and accessibility issues in the education sector. In logistics, AI can solve traffic management.

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: Edu Advice Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras invites Applications for M.Tech. Programmes URL: http://eduadvice.in/home/NewsDetail?pid=15915

IIT Madras invites Applications for M.Tech. Programmes

There are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Meritorious M.Tech. Students are eligible for conversion to PhD. programme after one year. There are also opportunities for M.Tech. Students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organizations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Applications are being invited for M.Tech Programmes in the following Departments

Aerospace Engineering Applied Mechanics Computational and Experimental Mechanics Biomedical Engineering Biotechnology Bioprocess Engineering Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Building Technology and Construction Management Environmental Engineering Geotechnical Engineering Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering Structural Engineering Transportation Engineering Computer Science and Engineering Electrical Engineering Communications and Signal Processing Power systems and Power electronics Micro Electronics and VLSI Design Control and Instrumentation Microelectronics and Photonics Integrated circuits and systems Mathematics Industrial Mathematics and Scientific Computing Mechanical Engineering Thermal Engineering Mechanical Design Manufacturing Engineering Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Ocean Engineering Ocean Engineering Ocean Technology Physics Functional Materials and Nanotechnology Interdisciplinary programmes Catalysis Technology Clinical Engineering Petroleum Engineering Important Dates

Opening of Website for ONLINE applications 06.03.2019 (Wednesday) 11:00 Closing of Website for ONLINE applications 10.04.2019 (Wednesday) 23:59 Suitability Test/ Interview for relevant candidates (Refer Table 3) 27.04.2019 (Saturday) Date of Reporting for Admission 22.07.2019 (Monday) Date for Additional Round(s) of offers (only for unfilled seats) 23.07.2019 (Tuesday) / 24.07.2019 (Wednesday) Photo session and Workflow enrolment 25.07.2019 (Thursday) Orientation Programme 26.07.2019 (Friday) Commencement of Classes 29.07.2019 (Monday) Candidates can obtain further information and apply through the online portal

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: English Matrubhumi Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras invites Applications for M.Tech. Programmes URL: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/education/news/news-updates/-iit-madras- invites-applications-for-m-tech-programmes-1.3689566

IIT Madras invites Applications for M.Tech. Programmes

There are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Meritorious M.Tech. Students are eligible for conversion to PhD. programme after one year. There are also opportunities for M.Tech. Students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organizations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Applications are being invited for M.Tech Programmes in the following Departments

Aerospace Engineering Applied Mechanics Computational and Experimental Mechanics Biomedical Engineering Biotechnology Bioprocess Engineering Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Building Technology and Construction Management Environmental Engineering Geotechnical Engineering Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering Structural Engineering Transportation Engineering Computer Science and Engineering Electrical Engineering Communications and Signal Processing Power systems and Power electronics Micro Electronics and VLSI Design Control and Instrumentation Microelectronics and Photonics Integrated circuits and systems Mathematics Industrial Mathematics and Scientific Computing Mechanical Engineering Thermal Engineering Mechanical Design Manufacturing Engineering Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Ocean Engineering Ocean Engineering Ocean Technology Physics Functional Materials and Nanotechnology Interdisciplinary programmes Catalysis Technology Clinical Engineering Petroleum Engineering Important Dates

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: Matrubhumi- Tamil Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: മ饍രാസ് ഐ.ഐ.ടി.യില്‍ എം.ടടക്.; അപേക്ഷ ഏ饍േില്‍ േത്ത് വടെ (IIT Madras invites Applications for M.Tech. Programmes) URL: https://www.mathrubhumi.com/education-malayalam/announcements/m- tech-at-iit-madras-apply-before-10-april-1.3691065

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: News Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-M invites applications for M.Tech programmes URL: https://newstodaynet.com/index.php/2019/03/30/iit-m-invites-applications-for- m-tech-programmes/

IIT-M invites applications for M.Tech programmes

Indian Institute of Technology Madras has invited applications for admission to M.Tech programmes in various departments for the July 2019 batch.

The M.Tech admission portal will remain open till 10 April. Candidates can obtain further information and apply through the online portal http://mtechadm.iitm.ac.in

According to a press release, there are several financial assistance and opportunities available for candidates. Meritorious M.Tech students are eligible for conversion to Ph.D programme after a year.

There are also opportunities for students to carry out their projects in industries, approved organisations and foreign countries such as Germany.

Applications are being invited for M.Tech programmes in the following departments – Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mechanics, Computational and Experimental Mechanics, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Ocean Engineering and Physics.

IIT Madras is an industry friendly Institute

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: Patrika Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: कृ �णन ने आईआईटी मद्रास मᴂ ककया 啍यबू का उ饍घाटन(CUBE inaugurated at IIT Madras) URL: https://www.patrika.com/chennai-news/krishnan-inaugurated-the-cube-at-iit- madras-4206035/

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: Statesman Edition: Delhi/Kolkata Page No: 14 Journalist: NA Headline: Exchanging ideas

Date: 4th March 2019 Publication: Telangana Today -Education Today Edition: Hyderabad Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-M THSTI tie up in health research

Date:8th March 2019 Publication: DD Podhigai Edition: Electronic Journalist: NA Headline: Export - led Growth Model, which flourished earlier, is at disadvantage Post - Global Financial Crisis of 2008 : Dr. Arvind Virmani, Former IMF Executive URL: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/8aba9116f904ed22a478a8c103a60d1a2019 0308035118/f8336b5eae183f56725fcfc57aaff80820190308035118/63df20

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Delhi / Bangalore / Chandigarh/Hyderabad/Kochi/Chennai Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ravindra Gettu and Prof Maiya Headline: IIT-Madras to develop this device to produce water from air URL: https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/iit-madras-to-develop-this-device- to-produce-water-from-air/1510189/

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ravindra Gettu and Prof Maiya Headline: IIT-M signs MoU for device to make water from air URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/mar/09/iit-m-signs- mou-for-device-to-make-water-from-air-1948673.html

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Mumbai/Pune/Bangalore/Chennai//Kolkata/Ahemdabad Page No: Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ravindra Gettu Headline: IIT-Madras, Teertha sign pact URL: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/iit-madras-teertha-sign- pact/article26474474.ece

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: U Tejonmayam Professor: Prof Ravindra Gettu Headline: Drink water from air: This initiative by IIT-Madras, Teertha might enhance lives of millions URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/drink-water-from-air-this- initiative-by-iit-madras-teertha-might-enhance-lives-of- millions/articleshow/68323399.cms

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India -Tamil Edition: online Journalist: NA Headline: இனி தண்ணீர் பாட்羿ல் யதவை뾿ல்வல! காற்வற 埁羿நீராக ொற்쟁ெ் நீயரா! மென்வன ஐஐ羿 ொதவன(No longer need water bottle! Nero! Chennai IIT record) URL:https://tamil.samayam.com/latest-news/technology-news/nero-by-iit-madras- and-teertha-might-enhance-lives-of-millions/articleshow/68327862.cms

இனி தண்ணீர் பாட்羿ல் யதவை뾿ல்வல! காற்வற 埁羿நீராக ொற்쟁ெ் நீயரா! மென்வன ஐஐ羿 ொதவன

சென்னன ஐஐ羿뿁ெ் தனி ார் சதா펿ல்ꏁட்ப நி쟁வன믁ெ் இனணந்鏁 காற்ற쮿쏁ந்鏁毂ரி ெக்鎿 믂லெ் காற்잿쮿쏁ந்鏁 தண்ணீனர ꮿரித்சத翁க்埁ெ் கண்翁ꮿ羿ப்னப நிகழ்த்鎿뿁ள்ளன.

சென்னன ஐஐ羿 சென்னனன ெ் யெர்ந்த 鏀ர்த்தா (Teertha) என்ற தனி ார் சதா펿ல்ꏁட்ப நி쟁வனத்鏁டன் இனணந்鏁 காற்잿쮿쏁ந்鏁 தண்ணீர் எ翁க்埁ெ் ஆரா ்ெ்殿ன யெற்சகாண்ட鏁. இதன் 믂லெ் Nero (நீயரா) என்ற க쏁ힿன க் கண்翁ꮿ羿த்鏁ள்ள鏁.

இந்த க쏁ힿ뾿ன் 믂லெ் 鎿ன믁ெ் 4 믁தல் 5 쮿ட்டர் தண்ணீனர உ쏁வாக்கலாெ். அளힿல் 殿잿 தாக இ쏁க்埁ெ் இந்த க쏁ힿன எ翁த்鏁ெ்செல்வ鏁ெ் எளிதான鏁. இந்த க쏁ힿக்கான ꯁரிந்鏁ணர்ퟁ ஒப்பந்த鎿ல் ꯁதன்垿ழனெ இ쏁 தரப்ꯁக쿁ெ் னகச ாப்பெ் இட்翁ள்ளன. சென்னன ஐஐ羿뾿ன் செக்கானிக்கல் 鏁னற இந்தத் 鎿ட்டத்னத ஒ쏁ங்垿னணக்垿ற鏁.

埁னறவான செலힿல் த ாரிக்கப்பட்翁ள்ள இ鏁毂ரி 뮿ன் ெக்鎿뾿ல் இ ங்埁வதால் இனத ப ன்ப翁த்鏁ெ்யபா鏁ெ் அ鎿க செலퟁக்埁 வா ்ப்ꯁ இல்னல. 埁னறவான பராெரிப்ꯁ செலퟁ ெட்翁யெ இ쏁க்埁ெ். அனெ뿁ெ் பாகெ் ஏ鏁ெ் இந்த க쏁ힿ뾿ல் இல்னல என்பதால் இதன் அனெப்ꯁ யெ쯁ெ் பா鏁காப்பாக இ쏁க்垿ற鏁.

கடந்த 14 ஆண்翁க쿁க்埁 믁ன்யப சென்னன ஐஐ羿 காற்잿ன் ஈரப்பதத்னத ப ன்ப翁த்鎿 தண்ணீனர எ翁க்埁ெ் 믁னற뾿ல் (Atmospheric Moisture Extraction) ஒ쏁 க쏁ힿன வ羿வனெத்鏁 காப்ꯁரினெ뿁ெ் ப鎿ퟁ செ ்鏁ள்ள鏁. இப்யபா鏁 뮿ன்ொர வெ鎿 அவ殿 ெ் இல்லாத 毂ரி 뮿ன் ெக்鎿뾿ல் இ ங்埁ெ் க쏁ힿன உ쏁வாக்垿뿁ள்ள鏁.

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: Devdicourse Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ravindra Gettu Headline: IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa, a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air-to-Water Generators for Last 14 Years, to Develop ‘NERO’ URL: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/437526-iit-madras-to- collaborate-with-teerthaa-a-sustainable-technology-company-producing-air-to- water-generators-for-last-14-year

IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa, a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air-to-Water Generators for Last 14 Years, to Develop ‘NERO’

An Optimized Desiccant Solar Still Device, ‘NERO’ will extract Potable Drinking Water from Atmospheric Air using Solar Thermal Energy

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India – Business Wire India

Indian Institute of Technology Madras is going to collaborate with Teerthaa, a sustainable technology company, to develop a device that can generate potable water from atmospheric air. Called ‘NERO,’ the optimized desiccant solar still device will produce 4 to 5 litres of potable water per day.

The developed product will:

• Be cost efficient as it is intended to reach the mass market at affordable prices, • Have negligible operating costs as its power source will be Solar Thermal Energy, and

• Have minimal maintenance cost as there are no moving parts involved in the equipment.

Teerthaa is a Sustainable Technology company that has been in the business of manufacture of atmospheric water generators and is focused on Research, Development and Commercialization of equipment that extracts atmospheric moisture for consumption.

The MoU was signed on 06th March 2019 by Prof. Ravindra Gettu, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT Madras, and Ms. Durga Das, Chief Executive Officer of Teerthaa in the presence of Dr. M.P. Maiya, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, who will be coordinating the project and Dr S.S. Sivakumar, Mr. Jayakar Rao and Mr. Iftekhar Pathan, cofounders of Teerthaa.

Highlighting the importance of this development, Prof. Ravindra Gettu said, “The collaboration is expected to have a major impact on remote areas and persons who are isolated from conventional water sources.”

Speaking about this collaboration, Ms. Durga Das said, “We are interested in exploring and perfecting different technologies of Atmospheric Moisture Extraction (AME) as a part of our major national mission of availability of potable water for the masses. At present, we are producing AMEs based on vapor compression refrigeration technology in several output configurations. With NERO we will bring to light and enhance the lives of millions of homes in the villages where water is scarce. Creating impact that reaches the masses is a mission very close to our hearts. We brought the 1st Indian built atmospheric water generator in India 14 years ago and hold a patent for the same. Now we will bring the first solution that will generate 4-5 litres of water without any electricity and maintenance free.”

Sharing more information about this collaboration, Prof M.P. Maiya said, “Atmospheric air is not only a major source of fresh water but also universally available. However, it is in the form of vapor, and the challenge is to collect it as liquid. The proposed solar still based on desiccant technology traps water molecules from the atmospheric air during the night and yields water during the day by utilizing solar energy. It would be a boon to places where even the brackish water is not available. M/s Theerthaa, formerly known as Akash Ganga, has pioneered the technology of extracting water from thin air and delivered systems to 2800 customers in the past 14 years saving six lacs litres of water every day. It is great that they are diversifying their activity by venturing to this new technology to serve society better with pure drinking water.”

About Teerthaa

Teerthaa is a 14-year-old sustainable technology company engaged in the business of atmospheric water generators. Exploring and perfecting different technologies for atmospheric water extraction, Teerthaa is among the global pioneers in the field and has been focused end to end on research, development and commercialization of atmospheric water extraction equipment.

Teerthaa, formerly known as Akash Ganga holds the patent for the first Indian built atmospheric water generator and has also submitted 2 more applications for patents. Teerthaa has over 2800 installations across homes, offices, schools, colleges, Industries, Army and Railways.

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The Week Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air-to-Water Generators for Last 14 Years to Develop ‘NERO’ URL: https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/business/2019/03/08/pwr21-- iit%20madras.html

IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air-to-Water Generators for Last 14 Years to Develop ‘NERO’

The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.) An Optimized Desiccant Solar Still Device, ‘NERO’ will extract Potable Drinking Water from Atmospheric Air using Solar Thermal Energy

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India – Business Wire India

The developed product will: • Be cost efficient as it is intended to reach the mass market at affordable prices, • Have negligible operating costs as its power source will be Solar Thermal Energy, and • Have minimal maintenance cost as there are no moving parts involved in the equipment.

About Teerthaa

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication:The Times of India Edition: Kochi/Chennai Page No: 8 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-Madras ties up with private firm to make water from air URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/iit-m-ties-up-with-pvt-firm-to- make-water-from-air/articleshow/68326826.cms

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: Outlook India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ravindra Gettu Headline: IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa, a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air-to-Water Generators for Last 14 Years, to Develop ‘NERO’ URL: https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/iit-madras-to-collaborate-with- teerthaa-a-sustainable-technology-company-producing-airtowater-generators-for- last-14-years-to-develop-nero/1492485

IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa, a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air-to-Water Generators for Last 14 Years, to Develop ‘NERO’

Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. takes no editorial responsibility for the same.) An Optimized Desiccant Solar Still Device, ‘NERO’ will extract Potable Drinking Water from Atmospheric Air using Solar Thermal Energy Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India – Business Wire India Indian Institute of Technology Madras is going to collaborate with Teerthaa, a sustainable technology company, to develop a device that can generate potable water from atmospheric air. Called ‘NERO,’ the optimized desiccant solar still device will produce 4 to 5 litres of potable water per day. The developed product will: •

Be cost efficient as it is intended to reach the mass market at affordable prices, •

Have negligible operating costs as its power source will be Solar Thermal Energy, and •

Have minimal maintenance cost as there are no moving parts involved in the equipment. Teerthaa is a Sustainable Technology company that has been in the business of manufacture of atmospheric water generators and is focused on Research, Development and Commercialization of equipment that extracts atmospheric moisture for consumption. The MoU was signed on 06th March 2019 by Prof. Ravindra Gettu, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT Madras, and Ms. Durga Das, Chief Executive Officer of Teerthaa in the presence of Dr. M.P. Maiya, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, who will be coordinating the project and Dr S.S. Sivakumar, Mr. Jayakar Rao and Mr. Iftekhar Pathan, cofounders of Teerthaa. Highlighting the importance of this development, Prof. Ravindra Gettu said, “The collaboration is expected to have a major impact on remote areas and persons who are isolated from conventional water sources.” Speaking about this collaboration, Ms. Durga Das said, “We are interested in exploring and perfecting different technologies of Atmospheric Moisture Extraction (AME) as a part of our major national mission of availability of potable water for the masses. At present, we are producing AMEs based on vapor compression refrigeration technology in several output configurations. With NERO we will bring to light and enhance the lives of millions of homes in the villages where water is scarce. Creating impact that reaches the masses is a mission very close to our hearts. We brought the 1st Indian built atmospheric water generator in India 14 years ago and hold a patent for the same. Now we will bring the first solution that will generate 4-5 litres of water without any electricity and maintenance free.” Sharing more information about this collaboration, Prof M.P. Maiya said, “Atmospheric air is not only a major source of fresh water but also universally available. However, it is in the form of vapor, and the challenge is to collect it as liquid. The proposed solar still based on desiccant technology traps water molecules from the atmospheric air during the night and yields water during the day by utilizing solar energy. It would be a boon to places where even the brackish water is not available. M/s Theerthaa, formerly known as Akash Ganga, has pioneered the technology of extracting water from thin air and delivered systems to 2800 customers in the past 14 years saving six lacs litres of water every day. It is great that they are diversifying their activity by venturing to this new technology to serve society better with pure drinking water.” About Teerthaa Teerthaa is a 14-year-old sustainable technology company engaged in the business of atmospheric water generators. Exploring and perfecting different technologies for atmospheric water extraction, Teerthaa is among the global pioneers in the field and has been focused end to end on research, development and commercialization of atmospheric water extraction equipment. Teerthaa, formerly known as Akash Ganga holds the patent for the first Indian built atmospheric water generator and has also submitted 2 more applications for patents. Teerthaa has over 2800 installations across homes, offices, schools, colleges, Industries, Army and Railways. Learn more: www.teerthaa.com About IITM Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an institute of national importance. The activities of the Institute in various fields of Technology and Science are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary Research Academic Centres. The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to the B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations. IITM is a residential institute with more than 580 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell (www.incubation.iitm.ac.in). IITM has been ranked No.1 among Engineering Institutions in the India Rankings for three consecutive years – 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Institute was also ranked as the No.2 in the category of Overall Institutions in 2017 and 2018 Rankings, released by the National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India- https://www.nirfindia.org Learn more: www.iitm.ac.in Join IIT Madras on Facebook: ReachIITM Join IIT Madras on Twitter: @iitmadras To View the Image Click on the Link Below: Prof. Ravindra Gettu(3rd LEFT), Dean (ICSR), IIT Madras, Ms. Durga Das (4th LEFT), CEO of Teerthaa, Displaying the MoU on collaboration PWR PWR

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: Study Buzz Edition: Online Journalist: Ashok Professor: Prof Ravindra Gettu Headline: IIT Madras to collaborate with Teerthaa to develop ‘NERO’ URL: https://www.studybuzz.in/education/iit-madras-to-collaborate-with-teerthaa-to- develop-nero

IIT Madras to collaborate with Teerthaa to develop ‘NERO’

Advantages of the developed product Be cost efficient as it is intended to reach the mass market at affordable prices, Have negligible operating costs as its power source will be Solar Thermal Energy, and Have minimal maintenance cost as there are no moving parts involved in the equipment. Signing of the the MoU The MoU was signed on 06th March 2019 by Prof. Ravindra Gettu, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT Madras, and Durga Das, Chief Executive Officer of Teerthaa in the presence of Dr. M.P. Maiya, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, who will be coordinating the project and Dr S.S. Sivakumar, Mr. Jayakar Rao and Iftekhar Pathan, co-founders of Teerthaa

Significance of the collaboration Highlighting the importance of this development, Prof. Ravindra Gettu said, “The collaboration is expected to have a major impact on remote areas and persons who are isolated from conventional water sources.”

Speaking about this collaboration, Durga Das said, “We are interested in exploring and perfecting different technologies of Atmospheric Moisture Extraction (AME) as a part of our major national mission of availability of potable water for the masses. At present, we are producing AMEs based on vapor compression refrigeration technology in several output configurations. With NERO we will bring to light and enhance the lives of millions of homes in the villages where water is scarce. Creating impact that reaches the masses is a mission very close to our hearts. We brought the 1st Indian built atmospheric water generator in India 14 years ago and hold a patent for the same. Now we will bring the first solution that will generate 4-5 litres of water without any electricity and maintenance free.”

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: News Barons Edition: Online Journalist: Latika Bhargava Professor: Prof Ravindra Gettu Headline: IIT Madras to collaborate with Teerthaa URL: https://www.newsbarons.com/business/iit-madras-to-collaborate-with- teerthaa/

IIT Madras to collaborate with Teerthaa

The developed product will:

Be cost efficient as it is intended to reach the mass market at affordable prices, Have negligible operating costs as its power source will be Solar Thermal Energy, and Have minimal maintenance cost as there are no moving parts involved in the equipment. Teerthaa is a Sustainable Technology company that has been in the business of manufacture of atmospheric water generators and is focused on Research, Development and Commercialization of equipment that extracts atmospheric moisture for consumption.

About Teerthaa

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: India Education Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras to collaborate with Teerthaa, a sustainable technology company producing Air-to-Water Generators for last 14 yrs, to develop ‘NERO’ URL: http://indiaeducationdiary.in/iit-madras-collaborate-teerthaa-sustainable- technology-company-producing-air-water-generators-last-14-yrs-develop-nero/

IIT Madras to collaborate with Teerthaa, a sustainable technology company producing Air-to-Water Generators for last 14 yrs, to develop ‘NERO’

The developed product will:

Ø Be cost efficient as it is intended to reach the mass market at affordable prices,

Ø Have negligible operating costs as its power source will be Solar Thermal Energy, and

Ø Have minimal maintenance cost as there are no moving parts involved in the equipment.

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: Business Wire Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa, a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air-to-Water Generators for Last 14 Years, to Develop ‘NERO’ URL: https://businesswireindia.com/iit-madras-to-collaborate-with- 20190308153600.html

IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa, a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air-to-Water Generators for Last 14 Years, to Develop ‘NERO’

The developed product will:

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: PTI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air to Water Generators for Last 14 Years to Develop NERO- URL: http://www.ptinews.com/pressrelease/34189_press-subIIT-Madras-to- Collaborate-With-Teerthaa--a-Sustainable-Technology-Company-Producing-Air-to- Water-Generators-for-Last-14-Years--to-Develop--NERO-

IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air to Water Generators for Last 14 Years to Develop NERO-

About Teerthaa

Learn more: www.teerthaa.com

About IITM

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an institute of national importance. The activities of the Institute in various fields of Technology and Science are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary Research Academic Centres. The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to the B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations. IITM is a residential institute with more than 580 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell (www.incubation.iitm.ac.in).

IITM has been ranked No.1 among Engineering Institutions in the India Rankings for three consecutive years – 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Institute was also ranked as the No.2 in the category of Overall Institutions in 2017 and 2018 Rankings, released by the National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India- https://www.nirfindia.org

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: UNI Edition:Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras to Collaborate With Teerthaa a Sustainable Technology Company Producing Air to Water Generators for Last 14 Years to Develop NERO- URL: http://www.uniindia.com/iit-madras-to-collaborate-with-teerthaa-a- sustainable-technology-company-producing-air-to-water-generators-for-last-14- years-to-develop-nero/press-releases/news/1522177.html

Date: 10th March 2019 Publication:The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: Purnima Sah Professor: Prof Ravindra Gettu and Prof Maiya Headline: An optimised desiccant solar still device to extract potable drinking water from atmospheric air URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/an-optimised-desiccant-solar- still-device-to-extract-potable-drinking-water-from-atmospheric- air/articleshow/68342221.cms

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: Infodea -Hindi Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: अब हवा से पानी बनाकर पीना स륍भव(Now it is possible to drink water by making water) URL: https://goo.gl/EeCgw2

अब हवा से पानी बनाकर पीना स륍भव वातावरण मᴂ बहती वाय ु से पानी ननकालने की अगर कभी आपने क쥍पना भी की होगी तो उस क쥍पना को सच करने का आईआईटी मद्रास प्रयास कर रहा है। तीर्ाा नामक कंपनी के सार् ममलकर आईआईटी मद्रास एक ऐसी डिवाइस का ववकास कर रहा है जो वातावरण मᴂ मौजूद हवा से पीने का पानी ननकाल देगी।

नेरो नाम की यह डिवाइस एक ददन मᴂ 4-5 लीटर पीने का पानी वातावरण मᴂ मौजूद हवा से ननकाल देगी। इस डिवाइस से आमजन को फायदा हो और यह सस्ती दरⴂ पर उपलब्ध हो इसके मलए आईआईटी मद्रास और तीर्ाा कंपनी के बीच शक्रु वार को एक समझौता ककया गया। आईआईटी मद्रास के िीन प्रोफेसर रववंद्र गे絍टु और तीर्ाा कंपनी के मख्ु य कायाकारी अधधकारी दगु ाा दास ने इस समझौता पत्र पर हस्ताक्षर ककया।

इस मौके पर आईआईटी मद्रास के मैकेननकल इंजीननयररंग ववभाग के िा. एम.पी. मैया, तीर्ाा के सह संस्र्ापक िा. एसएस मशवकु मार, जयकु मार राव, इफ्तेखर पठान समेत कई अन्य लोग मौजूद र्े।

प्रोफेसर रववंद्र गे絍टु ने कहा कक इस समझौते का मख्ु य उ饍देश्य उन इलाके के लोगⴂ को पीने का पानी मुहैया कराना है जो पारंपररक जलस्रोत से वंधचत हℂ। आईआईटी अगले छह महीने से सालभर के अंदर इस डिवाइस को ववकमसत कर बाजार मᴂ उतार देने के प्रयास मᴂ है।

इस मौके पर दगु ाा दास ने कहा हम ऐसे ममशन पर काम कर रहे हℂ जो कक देश के उन लोगⴂ की मदद कर सके जो अभी भी पानी के स्रोत से वंधचत हℂ या कफर पानी के मलए उन्हᴂ काफी दरू जाना प蔼ता है।

इस तकनीक को प्रयोग मᴂ लाने के मलए न तो हमᴂ बबजली की ज셂रत होगी और न ही मर륍मत की की। यह डिवाइस रात के समय वातावरण से पानी अवशोवित करेगी और ददन मᴂ सौर ऊजाा को व्यवहार मᴂ लाकर पानी देगी।

Date: 12th March 2019 Publication: Dinamalar Edition:Chennai Page No: 18 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-Madras to engage with TN e-Governance Agency

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Mumbai/Bangalore/Chennai/kochi Page No: 18 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-M to help Afghanistan develop online courses URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/iit-m-to-help-afghanistan-develop- online-courses/article26548161.ece

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 14 Journalist: Ram Sundaram Headline: Indo-Afghan Collaboration on digital learning initiative: IIT-Madras to extend support URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/indo-afghan- collaboration-on-digital-learning-initiative-iit-madras-to-extend- support/articleshow/68429928.cms

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Online Journalist: Anandi Chandrashekar Headline: India, Afghanistan collaborate on digital education initiatives, rope in IITs to design programs URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/india- afghanistan-collaborate-on-digital-education-initiatives-rope-in-iits-to-design- programs/articleshow/68428129.cms

India, Afghanistan collaborate on digital education initiatives, rope in IITs to design programs

The Ministry of Human Resource Development signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Higher Education, Afghanistan to work on Digital Education Initiatives that will include many programs developed by Indian Institutes of Technology. IIT Madras will also be a part of the collaborations.

The Fields of Cooperation include: Sharing of Online Education Platform, named ‘Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds' (SWAYAM) developed by Government of India, facilitating use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) available in SWAYAM Platform by students and faculty of the educational institutions in Afghanistan, I mparting training to the faculty and students in the educational institutions in Afghanistan for using the SWAYAM Platform and Capacity building of Afghanistan faculties and related staff in e-learning, assisting in uploading and publishing of existing courses developed by educational Institutions in Afghanistan on the SWAYAM Platform, assisting Ministry of Higher Education, Afghanistan to develop/set up Afghanistan’s own MOOC platform.

Talking about the collaboration, Ministry of Human Resource Development secretary R Subrahmanyam said, “The historic ties between India and Afghanistan would grow further with this collaboration. This would enrich the lives of young people achieve their aspirations.”

One of the main objectives of the MOU is to facilitate students and faculty from Afghanistan to enroll and learn from the courses offered on SWAYAM, which will expose them to latest technology courses and also upskill them in areas of their interest, a note from IIT Madras said.

Among the other initiatives is the sharing and access with the Higher Educational Institutions of Afghanistan of various Indian facilities such as the National Digital Library of India (NDLI), VIRTUAL LABS, Spoken tutorials for Higher Educational Institutions of Afghanistan and sharing of experience and participation of higher educational institutions of Afghanistan on robotic projects and symposiums held under e-Yantra.

Further, establishment of joint educational programmes between higher educational institutions of Government of India and higher educational institutions of Afghanistan are also on the anvil, the note added. The MoU will facilitate assisting the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to carry out the curriculum development process including sharing of curriculum developed by MHRD, it said.

Other features include, promoting mobility of students between the two countries, facilitating Afghan students to study in reputed higher educational Institutions of India, under the Study in India Programme, assisting MoHE in Quality Assurance and Accreditation Processes,

Journal Establishment, Joint Research Program with Indian Institutes, document attestation, sharing experience on Control and Monitoring of Private Institutes and other academic programs.

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: MoU to boost Indo-Afghan digital education initiative URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2019/mar/16/mou-to-boost-indo- afghan-digital-education-initiative-1951679.html

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: Infodea Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras, SWAYAM-NPTEL part of Indo-Afghan Collaboration on Digital learning initiatives URL: http://www.infodea.in/iit-madras-swayam-nptel-part-of-indo-afghan- collaboration-on-digital-learning-initiatives/

IIT Madras, SWAYAM-NPTEL part of Indo-Afghan Collaboration on Digital learning initiatives

Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Government of India signs MoU with Ministry of Higher Education, Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Digital Education Initiatives

The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, is going to work with the Afghanistan Government on Digital Education Initiatives, which include many prominent programs developed by Indian Institutes of Technology. This collaboration will contribute to develop bilateral relations and beget mutual benefits for the two countries. The MoU was signed today (15th March 2019) at IIT Madras.

Speaking during the occasion, Mr. R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, speaking on the occasion said, “The historic ties between India and Afghanistan would grow further with this collaboration. This would enrich the lives of young people achieve their aspirations.”

Prof M. Homayoun Qayoumi, Hon’ble Senior Advisor to the President of Afghanistan and Acting Minister of Finance, highlighted the impact of education in the progress of every country and this collaboration would help in providing better education facilities.

The Fields of Cooperation include:

Sharing of Online Education Platform, named ‘Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds’ (SWAYAM) developed by Government of India, Facilitate use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) available in SWAYAM Platform by students and faculty of the Educational Institutions in Afghanistan, Imparting training to the faculty and students in the Educational Institutions in Afghanistan for using the SWAYAM Platform and Capacity building of Afghanistan faculties and related staff in e-learning, Assisting in Uploading and Publishing of existing courses developed by Educational Institutions in Afghanistan on the SWAYAM Platform, Assisting Ministry of Higher Education, Afghanistan to develop/set up Afghanistan’s own MOOC platform. (L_R)Prof M. Homayoun Qayoumi, Senior Advisor to President of Afghanistan & Shri R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary (Higher Education), MHRD, exchanging the MoU

SWAYAM is the National MOOCs platform, which has multiple National Coordinators offering courses at various academic levels. The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), a project of the MHRD, is one of the biggest National Coordinators offering a large bouquet of courses as part of SWAYAM. IIT Madras has been the fore-runner starting the MOOCs initiative as early as 2014, developing and strengthening the MOOCs portal being used for delivery of the courses, with release of an open source version of this in the works.

Among the other initiatives envisaged by this MoU is the sharing and access with the Higher Educational Institutions of Afghanistan of various Indian facilities such as the National Digital Library of India (NDLI), VIRTUAL LABS, Spoken tutorials for Higher Educational Institutions of Afghanistan and sharing of experience and participation of Higher Educational Institutions of Afghanistan on Robotic projects and symposiums held under e-Yantra,

Further, Establishment of Joint Educational Programmes between Higher Educational Institutions of Government of India and Higher Educational Institutions of Afghanistan is also on the anvil. The MoU will facilitate assisting the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to carry out the curriculum development process including sharing of curriculum developed by MHRD.

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Headline : Indian allows afghan students to use Swayam portal URL: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/160319/india-allows- afghanistan-students-to-use-swayam-portal.html

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: U Tejonmayam Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Headline: IIT-Madras to set up Trimble Tech lab for architecture, engineering and construction URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/iit-madras-to-set- up-trimble-tech-lab-for-architecture-engineering-and- construction/articleshow/68467735.cms

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: UNI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-M gets AEC lab from Trimble URL: http://www.uniindia.com/iit-m-gets-aec-lab-from- trimble/south/news/1532820.html

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Delhi/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi Page No: 17 Journalist: NA Headline: US’ Trimble gifts IIT-M a civil engineering tech lab URL: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/education/us-trimble-gifts-iit-m-a- civil-engineering-tech-lab/article26571375.ece

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: Business standard Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Trimble to set up technology lab at IIT Madras URL: https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/trimble-to-set-up- technology-lab-at-iit-madras-119031800687_1.html

Trimble to set up technology lab at IIT Madras

Nasdaq listed Trimble will set up a technology lab at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, to serve architecture, engineering and construction students.

The lab would expand the IIT Madras leadership in training and research in 3D building design, digital fabrication and sustainable built environment.

"The Trimble Technology Lab will benefit students enrolled in the Institute's department of civil engineering, who will be able to experience Trimble solutions", a press release said.

Applications of these solutions range from scanning of historic buildings for preservation, design and 3D printing of architectural building models, among others.

"Partnering with one of the leading engineering institutes in India is exciting. It will be rewarding to see the next generation of architecture, engineering, construction", Trimble Vice-President Roz Buick said.

"We also look forward to support and learn from these new professionals as they use our solutions for real-world applications", he said.

The lab would include a broad range of Trimble's industry leading software solutions such as RealWorks scanning software, Trimble Business Centre, Vico Office Suite and GCEstimator Suite, among others.

"We are very pleased to announce this state-of-the-art technology lab through a gift from Trimble", IIT Madras, professor in the Civil Engineering department, Ashwin Mahalingam said.

Trimble's software solutions are valuable throughout the construction lifecycle, from conceptual design to construction to operations and maintenance and students will benefit greatly, he said. Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: Times Now Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Trimble to set up technology lab at IIT Madras to serve architecture, engineering and construction students URL: https://www.timesnownews.com/education/article/trimble-to-set-up- technology-lab-at-iit-madras-to-serve-architecture-engineering-and-construction- students/384879

Trimble to set up technology lab at IIT Madras to serve architecture, engineering and construction students

Nasdaq listed Trimble will set up a technology lab at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, to serve architecture, engineering and construction students. The lab would expand the IIT Madras leadership in training and research in 3D building design, digital fabrication and sustainable built environment. "The Trimble Technology Lab will benefit students enrolled in the Institute's department of civil engineering, who will be able to experience Trimble solutions", a press release said. Applications of these solutions range from the scanning of historic buildings for preservation, design and 3D printing of architectural building models, among others. Partnering with one of the leading engineering institutes in India is exciting. It will be rewarding to see the next generation of architecture, engineering, construction", Trimble Vice-President Roz Buick said.

"We also look forward to support and learn from these new professionals as they use our solutions for real-world applications", he said. The lab would include a broad range of Trimble's industry-leading software solutions such as RealWorks scanning software, Trimble Business Centre, Vico Office Suite and GCEstimator Suite, among others.

"We are very pleased to announce this state-of-the-art technology lab through a gift from Trimble", IIT Madras, professor in the Civil Engineering department, Ashwin Mahalingam said.

Trimble's software solutions are valuable throughout the construction lifecycle, from conceptual design to construction to operations and maintenance and students will benefit greatly, he said.

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Delhi / Mumbai / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kolkata / Kochi / Ahmedabad / Chandigarh Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Headline: Trimble to set up tech lab at IIT-Madras

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Bangalore/Kolkata/Kochi/Chennai Page No: 13 Journalist: NA Headline: Trimble to Set up Tech Lab at lIT Madras

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Sakshi Edition: Hyderabad Page No: 15 Journalist: NA Headline: మద్రా ఐఐ簿 졋 ద్రిమ끁졍 籆క్నా లి灀 ల్యా 끍 (Trimble technology lab in Madras IIT)

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Hans India Edition: Hyderabad Page No:8 Journalist: NA Headline: Trimble to set up technology lab at IIT Madras

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Dinamalar Edition: Chennai Page No: 18 Journalist: NA Headline: Trimble to set up technology lab at IIT Madras

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi Page No: 14 Journalist: NA Headline: Trimble, IIT-M in pact for 3D research and training URL: https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/trimble-iit-m-in-pact-for-3d- research-and-training/article26583769.ece

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: Daily Thanthi Edition: Chennai Page No: 14 Journalist: NA Headline: Tamil Article- Trimble to set up technology lab at IIT Madras

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: India Today Aspire Edition: Magazine Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras, IIITD M Kancheepuram partners on research

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Bangalore Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras to establish new lab

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 17 Journalist: Sindhu Hariharan Headline: Liberal arts, humanities shine in the age of AI URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/liberal-arts- humanities-shine-in-the-age-of-ai/articleshow/68604955.cms

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: India Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Avishek Parui and Dr. Merin Simi Raj Headline: IIT Madras organises session on 'Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective' URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/-iit-madras-organises- session-on-extended-reality-and-empathy-an-interdisciplinary-perspective-1490064- 2019-03-30

IIT Madras organises session on 'Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective'

Indian Institute of Technology Madras in a collaborative initiative with Tata Consultancy Services towards forming a Memory Studies research cluster, with an academia-industry interface organised a session on 'Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective' on March 26, 2019 at IIT Madras campus. The session was delivered by Guest Speakers, Dr. Ashok Maharaj, Head, XR Lab, TCS, and Dr. Jae Grant, XR Consultant, Netherlands.

Content of the session: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality are the emerging mediums that are altering accepted ways of consuming and navigating with knowledge, information, and memory. The complex cognitive experiences generated out of these entanglements attract new avenues for interdisciplinary research. The session was a primer on what comprises Extended Reality and how it shapes society, cognition and culture.

Speaking during the session, Dr. Ashok Maharaj, Head, XR Lab, TCS, said, "This is the first of the many events that we would do together, while also exploring funding possibilities for collaborative research across disciplines in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences."

Speaking during the session, Dr. Jae Grant, XR Consultant, Netherlands, said, "The entire challenge is to arrive at a common reference point which will enable productive dialogue between technology studies and research in humanities."

Aim of the session: The aim of the session was to highlight the possibilities of the academia-industry interface in the emergent field of Memory Studies. It will lead towards more formalised and institutionalised collaborations with industry as well as academia from different parts of the world. The collaboration will help accentuate the possibilities for internships and placements for students.

Dr. Avishek Parui and Dr. Merin Simi Raj, Event Coordinators and Assistant Professors, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, said, "We are very excited at the collaboration between academia and industry in this emerging field of Memory Studies. We are hopeful to acquire significant research input and funding to facilitate truly interdisciplinary research that will benefit the industry and academia alike. We believe that the research prospects from this academia-industry interface are significant and potentially pathbreaking."

The objective was to explore the possibilities of Digital Humanities and Extended Reality in engaging with literary studies. Currently, there are Research Scholars in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, working in the area of Memory Studies. Dr. Avishek Parui's extensive research on Memory Studies in Literary narratives has been attracting academic attention. An advanced level new course meant for research scholars entitled 'Memory, History and Literature' will be conducted by Dr. Parui. Besides, Dr. Avishek Parui along with Dr. Merin Simi Raj has also been working towards digitally archiving the remembered history of the Anglo-Indian community in India and the diaspora.

About IITM Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an institute of national importance. The activities of the Institute in various fields of Technology and Science are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary Research Academic Centres. The Institute offers undergraduate and post - graduate programmes leading to the BTech., MSc., MBA., MTech, MS, and PhD., degrees in a variety of specialisations. IITM is a residential institute with more than 580 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell (www.incubation.iitm.ac.in).

IITM has been ranked No.1 among Engineering Institutions in the India Rankings for three consecutive years - 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Institute was also ranked as the No.2 in the category of Overall Institutions in 2017 and 2018 Rankings, released by the National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India.

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: News Today Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Avishek Parui and Dr. Merin Simi Raj Headline: IIT Madras and Tata Consultancy Services organise session on ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective’ URL: https://newztoday.blogspot.com/2019/03/iit-madras-and-tata-consultancy.html

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: Mumbai Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Avishek Parui and Dr. Merin Simi Raj Headline: IIT Madras and Tata Consultancy Services organise session on ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective’ URL: http://mumbainewsexpress.com/iit-madras-and-tata-consultancy-services- organise-session-on-extended-reality-and-empathy-an-interdisciplinary-perspective/

IIT Madras and Tata Consultancy Services organise session on ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective’

Indian Institute of Technology Madras in a collaborative initiative with Tata Consultancy Services towards forming a Memory Studies research cluster, with an academia-industry interface organised a session on ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective’ on 26th March 2019 at IIT Madras campus. The session was delivered by Guest Speakers, Dr. Ashok Maharaj, Head, XR Lab, TCS, and Dr. Jae Grant, XR Consultant, Netherlands.

Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality are the emerging mediums that are altering accepted ways of consuming and navigating with knowledge, information, and memory. The complex cognitive experiences generated out of these entanglements attract new avenues for interdisciplinary research. The session was a primer on what comprises Extended Reality and how it shapes society, cognition and culture.

Speaking during the session, Dr. Ashok Maharaj, Head, XR Lab, TCS, said, “This is the first of the many events that we would do together, while also exploring funding possibilities for collaborative research across disciplines in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.”

Speaking during the session, Dr. Jae Grant, XR Consultant, Netherlands, said, “The entire challenge is to arrive at a common reference point which will enable productive dialogue between technology studies and research in humanities.”

The aim of the session was to highlight the possibilities of the academia-industry interface in the emergent field of Memory Studies. It will lead towards more formalised and institutionalised collaborations with industry as well as academia from different parts of the world. The collaboration will help accentuate the possibilities for internships and placements for students.

Dr. Avishek Parui and Dr. Merin Simi Raj, Event Coordinators and Assistant Professors, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, said, “We are very excited at the collaboration between academia and industry in this emerging field of Memory Studies. We are hopeful to acquire significant research input and funding to facilitate truly interdisciplinary research that will benefit the industry and academia alike. We believe that the research prospects from this academia-industry interface are significant and potentially pathbreaking.”

The objective was to explore the possibilities of Digital Humanities and Extended Reality in engaging with literary studies. Currently, there are Research Scholars in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, working in the area of Memory Studies. Dr. Avishek Parui’s extensive research on Memory Studies in Literary narratives has been attracting academic attention. An advanced level new course meant for research scholars entitled ‘Memory, History and Literature’ will be conducted by Dr. Parui. Besides, Dr. Avishek Parui along with Dr. Merin Simi Raj has also been working towards digitally archiving the remembered history of the Anglo-Indian community in India and the diaspora.

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: Edu Advice Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Avishek Parui and Dr. Merin Simi Raj Headline: IITM & TCS organise session on ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An URL: http://eduadvice.in/home/NewsDetail?pid=15914

IITM & TCS organise session on ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An

It was first of its kind collaboration where the aspects of Extended Reality, Digital Humanities and Literary Studies were brought together on a single platform CHENNAI, 30th March 2019: Indian Institute of Technology Madras in a collaborative initiative with Tata Consultancy Services towards forming a Memory Studies research cluster, with an academia-industry interface organised a session on ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective’ on 26th March 2019 at IIT Madras campus. The session was delivered by Guest Speakers, Dr. Ashok Maharaj, Head, XR Lab, TCS, and Dr. Jae Grant, XR Consultant, Netherlands. Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality are the emerging mediums that are altering accepted ways of consuming and navigating with knowledge, information, and memory. The complex cognitive experiences generated out of these entanglements attract new avenues for interdisciplinary research. The session was a primer on what comprises Extended Reality and how it shapes society, cognition and culture. Speaking during the session, Dr. Ashok Maharaj, Head, XR Lab, TCS, said, “This is the first of the many events that we would do together, while also exploring funding possibilities for collaborative research across disciplines in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.” Speaking during the session, Dr. Jae Grant, XR Consultant, Netherlands, said, “The entire challenge is to arrive at a common reference point which will enable productive dialogue between technology studies and research in humanities.” The aim of the session was to highlight the possibilities of the academia-industry interface in the emergent field of Memory Studies. It will lead towards more formalised and institutionalised collaborations with industry as well as academia from different parts of the world. The collaboration will help accentuate the possibilities for internships and placements for students. Dr. Avishek Parui and Dr. Merin Simi Raj, Event Coordinators and Assistant Professors, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, said, “We are very excited at the collaboration between academia and industry in this emerging field of Memory Studies. We are hopeful to acquire significant research input and funding to facilitate truly interdisciplinary research that will benefit the industry and academia alike. We believe that the research prospects from this academia-industry interface are significant and potentially pathbreaking.” The objective was to explore the possibilities of Digital Humanities and Extended Reality in engaging with literary studies. Currently, there are Research Scholars in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, working in the area of Memory Studies. Dr. Avishek Parui’s extensive research on Memory Studies in Literary narratives has been attracting academic attention. An advanced level new course meant for research scholars entitled ‘Memory, History and Literature’ will be conducted by Dr. Parui. Besides, Dr. Avishek Parui along with Dr. Merin Simi Raj has also been working towards digitally archiving the remembered history of the Anglo-Indian community in India and the diaspora.

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: Chennai Patrika Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Avishek Parui and Dr. Merin Simi Raj Headline: IIT Madras and Tata Consultancy Services ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective’ URL: http://chennaipatrika.com/post/IIT-Madras-and-Tata-Consultancy-Services- Extended-Reality-and-Empathy-An-Interdisciplinary-Perspective

IIT Madras and Tata Consultancy Services ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective’

Indian Institute of Technology Madras in a collaborative initiative with Tata Consultancy Services towards forming a Memory Studies research cluster, with an academia-industry interface organised a session on ‘Extended Reality and Empathy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective’ on 26th March 2019 at IIT Madras campus. The session was delivered by Guest Speakers, Dr. Ashok Maharaj, Head, XR Lab, TCS, and Dr. Jae Grant, XR Consultant, Netherlands.

The objective was to explore the possibilities of Digital Humanities and Extended Reality in engaging with literary studies. Currently, there are Research Scholars in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, working in the area of Memory Studies. Dr. Avishek Parui’s extensive research on Memory Studies in Literary narratives has been attracting academic attention. An advanced level new course meant for research scholars entitled ‘Memory, History and Literature’ will be conducted by Dr. Parui. Besides, Dr. Avishek Parui along with Dr. Merin Simi Raj has also been working towards digitally archiving the remembered history of the Anglo-Indian community in India and the diaspora.

IIT Madras is an innovation and entrepreneurship hub Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 4 Journalist: Purnima Sah Professor: Prof Guhan Jayaraman and Dr M Anantha Barathi Students: Mousami Shinde and BP Kailash Headline: They've got A one-shot solution for 'issues', Know what? URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/theyve-got-a-one-shot- solution-for-issues-know-what/articleshow/68204698.cms

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: News Today Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: IIT-M research park gets new facility URL: https://newstodaynet.com/index.php/2019/02/28/iit-m-research-park-gets-new- facility/

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: Your Story Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: How these IIT Madras alumni found a way around speed bumps to ‘Get (my) Parking’ across the world URL: https://yourstory.com/2019/02/iit-madras-alumni-get-parking-startup- fpz3xp98tm

How these IIT Madras alumni found a way around speed bumps to ‘Get (my) Parking’ across the world

Parking woes are universal, no matter which city you're in the world over. So, when IIT Madras alumni Chirag Jain and Rasik Pansare an MBA from FMS, Delhi, met 2012 at Jagriti Yatra. They came together to make it easy to find a parking spot, they believed they would be able solve this pain point forever and started Get My Parking in 2015. Their solution, Get My Parking, is a mobile app that allows users to search and navigate to the nearest parking lot. It provides advanced parking analytics solutions that can help organise the largely unorganised industry. It also offers solutions for parking contractors (enterprise solutions), governments (smart city), infrastructure partners (platform integration), and consumers (mobile apps).

Four years since starting up, and despite having a strong market, the going was anything but great. And this after three rounds of funding - Angel funding of Rs 2.5 crore (January 2016), pre-Series A funding of Rs 7.35 crore (January 2017) and Series A Funding of Rs 19.2 crore (October 2017). Get My Parking Chirag and Rasi No room for startups? “While the problem (of parking) is big, policymakers are not taking steps to introduce technology, and policies and regulations are slow to catch up,” says Chirag.

He adds that while there are multiple benefits the company can avail of as a startup, the main problem is working with different state governments and civic bodies. “Convincing government authorities about our expertise as a vendor has been difficult, as they don’t typically allow young companies to participate.” While startups are willing to work with governments, says Chirag, his experience has been that government bodies are not yet very open to working with startups.

So, while governments pondered over the next steps, Get My Parking decided to look for greener pastures - overseas. Chirag and Rashik entered into a strategic partnership with Germany-based APCOA Parking, a leading parking operator with operations in 13 countries, to deploy their IoT platform. Ge My Parking is now helping APCOA digitise and manage parking tickets. This in turn will help the operator control and analyse the usage of parking space. The app easily integrates with any access control hardware for an end-to-end mobile-based parking management system with very little upfront investment. With APCOA, the startup now plans to scale its digital platform to touch over 1.4 million parking slots across more than 9,000 locations. Get My Parking’s solution also allows a user to reserve a parking slot and offers ticketless automated access and cashless exit. Philippe Op de Beeck, CEO of APCOA Parking Group, says the partnership enables them to develop a digital platform and new products quickly and effectively.

“Get My Parking technology works with existing barrier technologies in older car parks, eliminating the need to purchase a new parking system. And the digital platform’s enhanced compatibility means that we can launch many new services and partnerships in the near future.” Local push Back in India, the parking process remains painfully manual, says Chirag, and when the founders showed local contractors their solution, many called it “magic"! Despite the amazement it evoked, the founders still had to convince contractors – more so as it is a paid service for them, and the contractors simply didn’t trust a young startup. “Initially, we faced hurdles in terms of gaining trust of parking operators and then proving the value of digitisation. The clients we worked with had never interfaced with modern technology applied for their use cases, which created a bias in their perception. But through persistence and ingenuity, our team made them ardent advocates of the impact of our technology,” says Chirag. While the Get My Parking app is free for individuals, the company charges a licence fee from contractors for its usage and also for hardware installation. The founders declined to share details about the fee they charge. For a consumer, Get My Parking can offer real-time availability of slots and even reserve one if the parking lot permits it. For infrastructure partners, it offers citywide macro-level data on where, when, and how many vehicles are being parked. It also offers real-time analytics to help policy-making, and government agencies can get access to digital tools for policy enforcement and tracking violations. Smart cities can have end-to-end parking technology integrated with the city's dashboard, integrated with sensors, smart cards, and m-wallets.

The market and future The market opportunity for parking is estimated to be over $100 billion globally, and $5 billion in India alone. Get My Parking competes with Indian players like Pparke, Parking4Sure and Parkwheels, among others. Globally, the brand is locking horns with brands like Parkopedia, SpotHero, Appyparking, Parker, JustPark, and Easypark.

Speaking on their investment in the space, Sudhir Rao, Managing Partner of IndusAge Partners, said, “The opportunity to provide everyday value to an automobile owner with friction-free parking is being delivered by Get My Parking. The team has demonstrated its deep focus in scaling up to over two million tickets a month. Their technology platform, which triangulates digitisation, integration, and automation at the parking lot with the consumer to manage demand and payments has a global market.” The solution has so far only been implemented in malls or shopping centres in India, and the company claims to process about 80,000 transactions daily and over 2 million transactions per month. On the international front, it claims to serve more than 300 parking lots in Germany and has pilots running in Taiwan, the Middle East, and Indonesia.

“Our vision is to make parking a subconscious experience. We are doing that by digitising parking, globally. And yes, we are on track to achieve it. It’s not even been three years, so we are just getting started," says Chirag.

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/ Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Kochi / Ahmedabad Page No: 9 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-Madras to host E-Summit 2019 URL: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/iit-madras-to-host-e-summit- 2019/article26439748.ece

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: Sindhu Hariharan Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Headline: IIT-Madras Entrepreneurship Cell kicks off fourth edition of E-Summit URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/iit-madras- entrepreneurship-cell-kicks-off-fourth-edition-of-e-summit/articleshow/68274910.cms

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M to host E-Summit to connect start-ups and investors

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: India Education Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Student:Mr. Harshit Singh Headline: IIT Madras Entrepreneurship Cell to host the 4th edition of ‘E-Summit 2019’ from 8-10 March 2019 URL: http://indiaeducationdiary.in/iit-madras-entrepreneurship-cell-host-4th-edition- e-summit-2019-8-10-march-2019/

IIT Madras Entrepreneurship Cell to host the 4th edition of ‘E-Summit 2019’ from 8-10 March 2019

Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ Entrepreneurship Cell will be conducting the fourth edition of E-Summit 2019 from 8th to 10th March 2019. One of the biggest student run entrepreneurial conferences in the country, ‘E-summit 2019’ is a platform connecting start-ups, investors and students and will help take entrepreneurship in India to greater heights.

The summit will witness potential investment opportunities to the tune of Rs. 5 crore with events such as ‘Elevate,’ which is co-sponsored by NetApp Excellerator.

The Highlights of E-Summit 2019 include:

➢ The Entrepreneurship Marketing Conclave: Being introduced this year to help startups enhance their marketing skills to help them withstand competition in the market

➢ E-21: Promoting 21st Century skills such as creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship among school students. This ongoing initiative has helped raise awareness about entrepreneurship among 5,000+ school students across India. Four school teams from Chennai will be displaying their prototypes during E-Summit. ➢ Entrepreneurship Insider: A start-up magazine by students and for students, Entrepreneurship Insider is aimed at inspiring and motivating young entrepreneurs to pursue entrepreneurship. Through this magazine, E-Cell hopes to create awareness among the institute student fraternity regarding entrepreneurship

➢ Startup Bootcamp is a specially curated event for student startups with a basic aim towards fostering competition among startups and providing mentorship support that can help these startups navigate real world challenges.

Addressing the Press Conference, Prof Ashwin Mahalingam, Faculty Advisor, E-Cell, said, “The E-summit has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and now reaches out and inspires a large number of young budding entrepreneurs in colleges all over the country.”

Some of the other events include Inspirit, a speaker series that attempts to inspire young entrepreneurs through insights provided by experts in the field such as Mr. Mekin Maheshwari (Founder, Udhyam Learning Foundation), Mr. Amod Malviya(Co- Founder, Udaan), Mr. Rajan Singh (Co-Founder, ConceptOwl) and the Leadership Team of Byju’s.

Speaking later, Mr. Srinivasan Viswanathan, Executive Director, IIT Madras Entrepreneurship forum, said, “The E-Summit initiative (started as ”e-week” about a decade ago) at IITM, has been a hugely successful student-run initiative in the last several years. The participants of this conference gain inspiration, knowledge and connections that are sure to power their entrepreneurial journeys. The IITM Entrepreneurship forum, a voluntary group of IIT alumni, is proud to be part of the IITM Eco-system and support this E-Summit initiative.”

Mrs. Latha Venkitachalam, Executive Director, IIT Madras Alumni Association, said, “IIT Madras EcoSystem has been very encouraging for the students to explore entrepreneurship right from its inception. Right from the first batch Every batch has produced very successful entrepreneurs. The rate has been from 2% to 20% currently. The alumni play a very significant role in mentoring both students and fellow alumni. The ratio is 2:1 , start up is to Alumni. The IIT Madras Alumni Association facilitates mentoring sessions. IITMAA is glad to be associated with E Awards as it is a great platform to connect the students with wonderful ideas to Alumni with enriching experience.”

The motto of the 2019 edition of E-summit is ‘Bold Moves’, felicitating and recognizing real change makers, who have stepped out their comfort zone and transcended their limits, bringing about a positive change in society.

Mr. Harshit Singh Students’ Head, E-Cell IIT Madras, said, “We believe that E-Summit can imbibe an entrepreneurial mind-set among participants which can help them to stand out in this fast growing 21st century. Entrepreneurs aren’t born, they are made!”

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: Mefan. com Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Student:Mr. Harshit Singh Headline: IIT Madras Entrepreneurship Cell to Host the 4th Edition of 'E-Summit 2019' from 8-10 March 2019 URL: https://menafn.com/1098209573/IIT-Madras-Entrepreneurship-Cell-to-Host-the- 4th-Edition-of-ESummit-2019-from-810-March-2019

IIT Madras Entrepreneurship Cell to Host the 4th Edition of 'E-Summit 2019' from 8-10 March 2019

Indian Institute of Technology Madras' Entrepreneurship Cell will be conducting the fourth edition of E-Summit 2019 from 8th to 10th March 2019. One of the biggest student run entrepreneurial conferences in the country, ‘ E-summit 2019 ' is a platform connecting start-ups, investors and students and will help take entrepreneurship in India to greater heights.

IITM - E-summit 2019 The summit will witness potential investment opportunities to the tune of Rs. 5 crore with events such as ‘Elevate', which is co-sponsored by NetApp Excellerator.

The Highlights of E-Summit 2019 include:

The Entrepreneurship Marketing Conclave: Being introduced this year to help start-ups enhance their marketing skills to help them withstand competition in the market

E-21: Promoting 21st Century skills such as creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship among school students. This ongoing initiative has helped raise awareness about entrepreneurship among 5,000+ school students across India. Four school teams from Chennai will be displaying their prototypes during E-Summit.

Entrepreneurship Insider:A start-up magazine by students and for students, Entrepreneurship Insider is aimed at inspiring and motivating young entrepreneurs to pursue entrepreneurship. Through this magazine, E-Cell hopes to create awareness among the institute student fraternity regarding entrepreneurship

Startup Bootcamp is a specially curated event for student startups with a basic aim towards fostering competition among startups and providing mentorship support that can help these startups navigate real world challenges.

Addressing the Press Conference, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Faculty Advisor, E-Cell, said, 'The E-summit has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and now reaches out and inspires a large number of young budding entrepreneurs in colleges all over the country.

Some of the other events include Inspirit, a speaker series that attempts to inspire young entrepreneurs through insights provided by experts in the field such as Mr. Mekin Maheshwari (Founder, Udhyam Learning Foundation), Mr. Amod Malviya (Co- founder, Udaan), Mr. Rajan Singh (Co-founder, ConceptOwl) and the Leadership Team of Byju's.

Speaking later, Mr. Srinivasan Viswanathan, Executive Director, IIT Madras Entrepreneurship forum, said, 'The E-Summit initiative (started as 'e-week' about a decade ago) at IITM, has been a hugely successful student-run initiative in the last several years. The participants of this conference gain inspiration, knowledge and connections that are sure to power their entrepreneurial journeys. The IITM Entrepreneurship forum, a voluntary group of IIT alumni, is proud to be part of the IITM Eco-system and support this E-Summit initiative.

Mrs. Latha Venkitachalam, Executive Director, IIT Madras Alumni Association, said, 'IIT Madras EcoSystem has been very encouraging for the students to explore entrepreneurship right from its inception. Right from the first batch Every batch has produced very successful entrepreneurs. The rate has been from 2% to 20% currently.The alumni play a very significant role in mentoring both students and fellow alumni. The ratio is 2:1, start up is to Alumni. The IIT Madras Alumni Association facilitates mentoring sessions.IITMAA is glad to be associated with E Awards as it is a great platform to connect the students with wonderful ideas to Alumni with enriching experience.

The motto of the 2019 edition of E-summit is ‘Bold Moves', felicitating and recognizing real change makers, who have stepped out their comfort zone and transcended their limits, bringing about a positive change in society.

Mr. Harshit Singh Students' Head, E-Cell IIT Madras, said, 'We believe that E-Summit can imbibe an entrepreneurial mind-set among participants which can help them to stand out in this fast growing 21st century. Entrepreneurs aren't born, they are made!

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India -Tamil Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: இளெ் மதா펿ல் 믁வனயைாவர ஊக்埁ힿக்埁ெ் ஐஐ羿 ொநா翁(IIT Conference to encourage young entrepreneurs) URL: https://tamil.samayam.com/latest-news/chennai-news/iit-e-summit- encourages-budding-entrepreneurs/articleshow/68278467.cms

இளெ் மதா펿ல் 믁வனயைாவர ஊக்埁ힿக்埁ெ் ஐஐ羿 ொநா翁

சென்னன ஐஐ羿 ொணவர்கள் சதா펿ல鎿பர்கள் ꮿரிퟁ நடத்鏁ெ் 4வ鏁 எ羿ஷன் ஆன்னலன் ொநா翁 ொர்ெ் 8 믁தல் ொர்ெ் 10 வனர 믂ன்쟁 நாட்கள் நனடசபற உள்ள鏁.

믁தலாெ் ஆண்羿ல் ஐந்鏁யகா羿வனர 믁த쯀翁 செ ் ப்பட்ட鏁. இதற்埁 சநட் ஆஃப் எக்செலயரட்டர் ஸ்பான்ெர் செ ்த鏁. ொணவர்கள் நடத்鏁ெ் சதா펿ல鎿பர்கள் ொநாட்羿ல் இந்த ஆன்னலன் ொநா翁 ꯁ鎿தாக சதா펿ல் சதாடங்埁யவார், 믁த쯀ட்டாளர்கள் ெற்쟁ெ் ொணவர்கள் ஆ垿ய ானர இனணக்垿ற鏁. சதா펿ல் 鏁வங்க ힿ쏁ெ்ꯁபவர்கனள ஊக்垿ힿக்垿ற鏁. இெ்믁னற இந்த ொநாட்羿ல் சபா쏁ட்கனள ொர்சகட்羿ங் செ ்வ鏁埁잿த்鏁 சதா펿ல் 믁னனயவா쏁க்埁 ힿளக்கப்ப翁垿ற鏁.

ஐஐ羿-뾿ன் ஈ செல் ꮿரிퟁ இந்鎿 ா 믁폁வ鏁ெ் உள்ள 5000 பள்ளி ொணவர்க쿁க்埁 இ鏁埁잿த்鏁 ힿளக்கெ் அளித்த鏁. யதர்ퟁ செ ் ப்பட்ட 4 ொணவர் 埁폁 இெ்ொநாட்羿ல் தங்கள் செ ல்பாட்னட இங்埁 ப垿ர்垿ன்றனர். ஐஐ羿 믁ன்னாள் ொணힿ லதா சவங்கடாெலெ் 믁ன்னாள் ொணவர் அனெப்ꯁத் தனலவராக உள்ளார். அவர் 埂쟁னக뾿ல் இந்த ொநா翁 பல இளெ் சதா펿ல鎿பர்கள் உ쏁வாக உ쟁鏁னண ாக இ쏁க்埁ெ் என்றார்.

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: News Voir Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Student:Mr. Harshit Singh Headline: IIT Madras Entrepreneurship Cell to Host the 4th Edition of 'E-Summit 2019' from 8-10 March 2019 URL: https://www.newsvoir.com/release/iit-madras-entrepreneurship-cell-to-host-the- 4th-edition-of-e-summit-2019-from-8-10-march-2019-11460.html

IIT Madras Entrepreneurship Cell to Host the 4th Edition of 'E-Summit 2019' from 8-10 March 2019

IITM - E-summit 2019

The summit will witness potential investment opportunities to the tune of Rs. 5 crore with events such as ‘Elevate’, which is co-sponsored by NetApp Excellerator.

The Highlights of E-Summit 2019 include:

The Entrepreneurship Marketing Conclave: Being introduced this year to help start-ups enhance their marketing skills to help them withstand competition in the market

Entrepreneurship Insider: A start-up magazine by students and for students, Entrepreneurship Insider is aimed at inspiring and motivating young entrepreneurs to pursue entrepreneurship. Through this magazine, E-Cell hopes to create awareness among the institute student fraternity regarding entrepreneurship

Addressing the Press Conference, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Faculty Advisor, E-Cell, said, “The E-summit has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and now reaches out and inspires a large number of young budding entrepreneurs in colleges all over the country.”

Some of the other events include Inspirit, a speaker series that attempts to inspire young entrepreneurs through insights provided by experts in the field such as Mr. Mekin Maheshwari (Founder, Udhyam Learning Foundation), Mr. Amod Malviya (Co- founder, Udaan), Mr. Rajan Singh (Co-founder, ConceptOwl) and the Leadership Team of Byju's.

Speaking later, Mr. Srinivasan Viswanathan, Executive Director, IIT Madras Entrepreneurship forum, said, “The E-Summit initiative (started as ''e-week'' about a decade ago) at IITM, has been a hugely successful student-run initiative in the last several years. The participants of this conference gain inspiration, knowledge and connections that are sure to power their entrepreneurial journeys. The IITM Entrepreneurship forum, a voluntary group of IIT alumni, is proud to be part of the IITM Eco-system and support this E-Summit initiative.”

Mrs. Latha Venkitachalam, Executive Director, IIT Madras Alumni Association, said, “IIT Madras EcoSystem has been very encouraging for the students to explore entrepreneurship right from its inception. Right from the first batch Every batch has produced very successful entrepreneurs. The rate has been from 2% to 20% currently. The alumni play a very significant role in mentoring both students and fellow alumni. The ratio is 2:1, start up is to Alumni. The IIT Madras Alumni Association facilitates mentoring sessions. IITMAA is glad to be associated with E Awards as it is a great platform to connect the students with wonderful ideas to Alumni with enriching experience.”

Mr. Harshit Singh Students' Head, E-Cell IIT Madras, said, “We believe that E-Summit can imbibe an entrepreneurial mind-set among participants which can help them to stand out in this fast growing 21st century. Entrepreneurs aren't born, they are made!”

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: Hindustan Times Edition: Mumbai Page No: 15 Journalist: Dipanjan Shah Professor: Prof Umanakanth Dash Headline: Engineering a change

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: Journalist: NA Student: Avishkar Hyperloop Headline: IIT Madras builds prototype for next gen transport URL: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/060319/iit-madras- builds-prototype-for-next-gen-transport.html

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: Goa Chronicle Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Headline: IIT Madras Entrepreneurship Cell to Host the 4th Edition of ‘E-Summit 2019’ from 8-10 March 2019 URL: https://goachronicle.com/iit-madras-entrepreneurship-cell-to-host-the-4th- edition-of-e-summit-2019-from-8-10-march-2019/

IIT Madras Entrepreneurship Cell to Host the 4th Edition of ‘E-Summit 2019’ from 8-10 March 2019

IITM – E-summit 2019

The summit will witness potential investment opportunities to the tune of Rs. 5 crore with events such as ‘Elevate’, which is co-sponsored by NetApp Excellerator.

The Highlights of E-Summit 2019 include:

The Entrepreneurship Marketing Conclave: Being introduced this year to help start-ups enhance their marketing skills to help them withstand competition in the market E-21: Promoting 21st Century skills such as creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship among school students. This ongoing initiative has helped raise awareness about entrepreneurship among 5,000+ school students across India. Four school teams from Chennai will be displaying their prototypes during E-Summit. Entrepreneurship Insider: A start-up magazine by students and for students, Entrepreneurship Insider is aimed at inspiring and motivating young entrepreneurs to pursue entrepreneurship. Through this magazine, E-Cell hopes to create awareness among the institute student fraternity regarding entrepreneurship Startup Bootcamp is a specially curated event for student startups with a basic aim towards fostering competition among startups and providing mentorship support that can help these startups navigate real world challenges. Addressing the Press Conference, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Faculty Advisor, E-Cell, said, “The E-summit has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and now reaches out and inspires a large number of young budding entrepreneurs in colleges all over the country.”

Some of the other events include Inspirit, a speaker series that attempts to inspire young entrepreneurs through insights provided by experts in the field such as Mr. Mekin Maheshwari (Founder, Udhyam Learning Foundation), Mr. Amod Malviya (Co- founder, Udaan), Mr. Rajan Singh (Co-founder, ConceptOwl) and the Leadership Team of Byju’s.

Mrs. Latha Venkitachalam, Executive Director, IIT Madras Alumni Association, said, “IIT Madras EcoSystem has been very encouraging for the students to explore entrepreneurship right from its inception. Right from the first batch Every batch has produced very successful entrepreneurs. The rate has been from 2% to 20% currently. The alumni play a very significant role in mentoring both students and fellow alumni. The ratio is 2:1, start up is to Alumni. The IIT Madras Alumni Association facilitates mentoring sessions. IITMAA is glad to be associated with E Awards as it is a great platform to connect the students with wonderful ideas to Alumni with enriching experience.”

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Celebrating Innovation and Empowering Entrepreneurship: E summit 2k19, IIT Madras URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/entrepreneurship/celebrating- innovation-and-empowering-entrepreneurship-e-summit-2k19-iit- madras/articleshow/68298232.cms

Celebrating Innovation and Empowering Entrepreneurship: E summit 2k19, IIT Madras

It is said that for good ideas and true innovation, you need to have human interaction, thought exchange and debate. Consequently, these ideas only come to life with the help of proper investment and funding. That is precisely what the E-summit at IIT madras has got to offer!

E-summit 2019, co-sponsored by Kotak Mahindra and partnered by Google Cloud is one of India’s biggest platforms connecting Start-ups, Investors and students who gather to share their entrepreneurial endeavours and pledge to take entrepreneurship in India to larger scales.

The summit will be witnessing prominent business magnates with the likes of Mekim Maheshwari, Founder of Udhyam and ex CPO at Flipkart, Amod Malviya, cofounder of Udaan and former CTO at Flipkart along with core team members and executive heads from Byju’s including Prakash Ramachandran, CTO and Arjun Mohan, Vice president, marketing and sales

The motto of the 2019 edition of esummit is Bold Moves, envisioning to felicitate and recognize the real change makers, who dared to step out their comfort zone and transcended their limits, bringing a positive change towards betterment of mankind.

The event will witness a plethora of fun filled activities and dynamic competitions with the likes of Elevate co-sponsored by NetAppExcellerator which offers a total investment opportunity upto 5 crores as per due diligence! Another exciting event, Bootcamp is a b-planning competition where 8 shortlisted start-ups out of the 100+ applicants across the country pitch their products to win a prize money of 1 lakh.

Events Galore: The three daylong event is going to be a gala fest, packed with exciting events for young innovators to learn and be inspired from To solve the pressing issues in the society, E-Summit brings into picture, a case study competition Unconference, where student innovators get together to solve problems dealing which are plundering the planet, envisioning towards a green earth.

Inspirit is a series of thought-provoking lectures by distinguished speakers and business tycoons intended to appeal to a diverse audience.Koffee Konnect and Share a cab are two whopping networking opportunities providing a chance to accompany well renowned CEO’s and founders to the airport and share a coffee table with them. The start-up expo will feature 20+startups featuring their products. The event Conclave targets at enhancing marketing skills of participants which would help them withstand the neck to neck competition in the market. Intern fair is a platform where one could apply as an intern to a start-up which matches their profile.

There will also be the screening of a movie and a comedy show which would help evoke the entrepreneurial spirit among the general audience in a much light-hearted manner.

If you dream about high-tech meets and the best minds brainstorming together, E- summit 2018 is the destination for you. The delegate pass fee costs Rs1500. Also look forward for the release of the third edition of “Entrepreneurship Insider”, the institute’s annual entrepreneurial magazine filled full of intriguing articles themed on unconventional entrepreneurship.

Date: 8th March 2019 Publication: DD Podhigai Edition: Electronic Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Headline: IIT Madras Entrepreneurship Cell to Host The 4th Edition of ‘E-Summit 2019 URL: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/5ef63337fb22fecadc4e23af01251de020190 308035200/b603e51c9a726116e7de70ef13fcb77f20190308035200/f26b93

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Online Journalist: Anandi Chandrashekar Headline: IITM incubated Planys launches new version of underwater bot for Oil & Gas, Process Industries URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/iitm- incubated-planys-launches-new-version-of-underwater-bot-for-oil-gas-process- industries/articleshow/68427415.cms

IITM incubated Planys launches new version of underwater bot for Oil & Gas, Process Industries

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prabhu Rajagopal Headline: Chennai start-up Planys eyes global market with customised ROVs URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/mar/16/chennai-startup-planys-eyes-global-market-with-customised-rovs-1951682.html

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Dinamani Edition: Chennai Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-Madras Entrepreneurship conference

IIT Madras is a research-focused Institute Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Karthik Raman Headline: Pathways of eye cancer identified

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-Madras and Sankara Nethralaya bring out path-breaking treatment for retinoblastoma URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2019/mar/01/iit-m-and- sankara-nethralaya-bring-out-path-breaking-treatment-for-retinoblastoma- 1945073.html

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Swagatika Sahoo,Dr. Karthik Raman Headline: IIT-M, Sankara Nethralaya study finds new cancer drugs URL: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/010319/iit-m-sankara- nethralaya-study-finds-new-cancer-drugs.html

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: India Education Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Swagatika Sahoo,Dr. Karthik Raman Headline: IIT Madras and Sankara Nethralaya Researchers unravel Biochemical Principles of Eye Cancer through Computer Simulations URL: http://indiaeducationdiary.in/iit-madras-sankara-nethralaya-researchers- unravel-biochemical-principles-eye-cancer-computer-simulations/

IIT Madras and Sankara Nethralaya Researchers unravel Biochemical Principles of Eye Cancer through Computer Simulations

Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Sankara Nethralaya Researchers have modelled the biochemical principles of Retinoblastoma and identified pathways by which diseased cells obtain energy for survival and proliferation in a cross- departmental study. This Research lead to identifying five more new drug targets, which offer the potential for developing new and more effective drugs with minimal side-effects.

The published work is the first study to use Constraint-Based Modeling (CBM) to predict metabolic biomarkers for diagnosis of Retinoblastoma in Indian patients and to suggest novel drug targets for its treatment. Their work has recently been published in the Journal FEBS Letters, a platform for the four journals owned by the not-for-profit Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS). Leading medical and genomics research organizations in India and the U.S. contributed to this Research.

Retinoblastoma is a rare form of cancer that affects one in every 1,500 children across the world. In India alone, 1,500 new cases of Paediatric Retinoblastoma are reported every day, adding tremendously to the socio-economic burden of cancer care. The most common symptoms of this disease are the appearance of a white dot in the retina and squint. As with most forms of cancer, the key to retinoblastoma management is early detection and treatment.

The Research Team comprised Dr. Swagatika Sahoo, DST-INSPIRE Faculty, Department of Chemical Engineering, and Initiative for Biological Systems Engineering (IBSE), IIT Madras, Dr. Sailaja V. Elchuri, Associate Professor, Department of Nanotechnology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Dr. Karthik Raman, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology and Coordinator, IBSE, IIT Madras, besides Mr. Ranjith Kumar Ravi Kumar, Masters Student, Department of Nanotechnology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya.

Speaking on the need for intensive drug development in oncology, Dr. Swagatika Sahoo said, “The consequences of cancer treatment are often grave due to their serious and often dilapidating side effects. Hence, it is important to develop safer drugs. The Anti-Cancer drug must selectively target malignant cells with high specificity, without affecting healthy cells, thereby avoiding serious side effects. The discovery of such drugs depends on understanding of differences in the mechanisms by which cancer cells grow and spread as opposed to normal cells. Using genome- scale mathematical modelling approaches, like the one described in this Research, as well as, it’s validation/support from experimental experts can pave newer and safer diagnostic options.”

Eminent Physicians who treated Retinoblastoma patients from whom tumours for the research work were obtained include Dr. Vikas Khetan and Dr. Pukhraj Rishi. Dr Krishnakumar S. is a distinguished Pathologist and Retinoblastoma expert who lead the COE grant along with Dr. Sailaja Elchuri to perform this work.

The identified novel targets have potential to be tested in preclinical models of RB, such as RB cells grown on three dimensional scaffolds, which can mimic a mouse xenograft grown tumour. At present, there are no targeted therapies for RB treatment. The present research should enable a step closer to achieve this goal. Studies are underway.

The research team used a technique called Constraint-Based Modelling (CBM), in which physicochemical, environmental, and topological constraints of the biological system – in this case, the retinoblastoma cells – are combined and subjected to computer-driven mathematical analyses to unravel the genomics and biochemistry of the system.

Elaborating on their research, Dr. Karthik Raman said, “Computational modelling can enhance our understanding of the ways in which cells work. In-silico models with data from real biological systems can accurately simulate cellular biology, which can help in the identification of routes to impede them.” An interesting finding was that cancer cells use amino acids for their cellular energy, rather than carbohydrates and fatty acids as used by normal cells. Retinoblastoma cells also preferentially synthesize long chain fatty acid for signalling and membrane formation. Different types of cancer cells were seen to produce different long chain fatty acids, making them ideal biomarkers for the detection of cancer sub-types. Yet another useful observation was that cholesterol is under-synthesized in cancer cells, to prevent changes in redox potential, which are recognized by the body as ‘stressors’, and thereby the cancer cell can prevent the body from taking steps to rectify the situation.

These observations lead to identification of synthetic lethals, i.e., reaction (s) that can stop cancer growth; transport proteins were seen to be potential targets for drugs. Eight of these targets are already known and there are drugs available in the market to treat them. Five more new drug targets were identified in this work, which offers the potential for development of new and more effective drugs with minimal side-effects.

“To date, no study exists that uses mathematical modelling to analyze the major functions of retina and their derangement in RB, from the biochemical pathways/metabolism standpoint”, the authors write in their research paper. Their models were then used to identify the differences between healthy and retinoblastoma cells, as well as, between the cancer types.

This Initiative was funded through the DST-INSPIRE Faculty Award (DST/INSPIRE/04/2015/000036), Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and India Programme support for Research on Retinoblastoma of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, besides DST-SERB.

The Partnering agencies for this Research include:

Ø Department of Molecular Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Ø Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Ø Medgenome labs, Bangalore

Ø Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Vitreoretinal Services and Ocular Oncology Services, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai,

Ø Dept of Histopathology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya

Ø Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: UNI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Researchers unravel biochemical principles of eye cancer through Computer Simulations URL: http://www.uniindia.com/researchers-unravel-biochemical-principles-of-eye- cancer-through-computer-simulations/south/news/1514025.html

Date: 3rd March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times (clip attached) Edition: Mumbai / Delhi / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kolkata / Kochi / Ahmedabad / Chandigarh Page No: 20 Journalist: Hari Pulakkat Professor: Prof Sujith Headline: Decoding flame behaviour and how it helps jet engine design URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/decoding-flame- behaviour-and-how-it-helps-jet-engine-design/articleshow/68235904.cms

Date: 4th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Swagatika Sahoo Headline: IIT-M Sankara Nethralaya to conduct major research on ‘retinoblastoma

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: Edex Live Edition: Online Journalist: Prajanma Das Alumni: Avishkar Hyperloop Headline: IIT-Madras's Hyperloop pod only Indian to race against the best at SpaceX URL: https://www.edexlive.com/campus/2019/mar/04/iit-madrass-hyperloop-pod- only-indian-to-race-against-the-best-at-spacex-5440.html

IIT-Madras's Hyperloop pod only Indian to race against the best at SpaceX

Avishkar Hyperloop, a student team of IIT Madras, is building the first ever self- propelled, completely autonomous hyperloop pod of India and is the only Indian finalist for the International Hyperloop Pod Competition organised by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Their pod can take you from Mumbai to Chennai in an hour at more than 800 km/h.

The team, started in September 2017, had participated in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition 2018 and were one of the top 47 teams to be selected for the Final Design Round. "We are now participating in the 2019 edition and have successfully cleared the Final Design Round and are one of the 22 teams to be selected globally to compete in the finals at SpaceX headquarters in Los Angeles, California where they have a mile long vacuum tube or Hyperloop track. The fastest pod with successful deceleration wins the competition," said the team.

The project is to develop a Hyperloop Pod which can compete at the global level with pods developed by other university teams. "We are implementing new technologies in our pod like a Dual-Sided Linear Induction Motor and Levitation which can enable the pod to reach speeds in excess of 800 km/h," said Aditya Ranade, a part of the 30-member team lead by Suyash Singh and Ankit Kukadia. "This is like a new 'fifth' mode of transportation which can reduce travel time between major destinations like Mumbai and Chennai from about two hours to less than an hour," added Ranade, a fourth-year dual degree student of Bachelor in Civil And Masters in Structural Engineering.

Raids and random fines: Are students of IIT Madras being moral policed? The students worked on the indigenous design and development of the project at Centre for Innovation (CFI), IIT Madras. They are integrating innovative technologies to reduce the time spent by people to travel across cities and thus, open up new avenues of development, for the Indian economy.

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication:The Times of India Edition: Chennai page No: 4 Journalist: U Tejonmayam Students: Pranit Mehta and Ankit Kukadia Headline: IIT-Madras’s hyperloop pod to represent country in SpaceX contest this July URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/iit-madrass-hyperloop-pod-to- represent-country-in-spacex-contest-this-july/articleshow/68296678.cms

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: India Glitz Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Water to be produced from air – An IIT Madras initiative URL: https://www.indiaglitz.com/iit-madras-to-develop-device-generate-potable- water-from-air-teerthaa-pact-tamil-news-231317

Water to be produced from air – An IIT Madras initiative

The Indian Institute of Technology – Madras will be collaborating with a sustainable technology company called Teerthaa to generate a low-cost device that will produce potable water from atmospheric air using solar power.

As the device is intended to reach the mass market at affordable prices, its power source will be solar thermal energy, making the product cost-efficient. The dean of the institute stated that the initiative was launched in an attempt to help people living in remote areas, who are isolated from conventional/easily accessible water sources. Called “Nero,” the device will reportedly produce 4 to 5 litres of water per day without any electricity or maintenance cost.

Working of the device (as said by the project coordinator in a press release) - Atmospheric air is not only a source of fresh water but is universally available. However, the challenge is to collect the vapour molecules in their liquid form. The proposed technology traps water molecules from the atmospheric air during the night and yields water during the day by utilizing solar energy.

Date: 12th March 2019 Publication: Hindustan Times Edition: Delhi Page No: 5 Journalist: Snehal Fernandes Professor: Prof Sachin Gunthe Headline: Study Pollution destroys 21 wheat 6 rice crop every yr URL: https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/pollution-destroys-21-wheat-6- rice-crop-every-year-iit-m-study/story-FfsjiUstkx62FL7ALe5uxI.html

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication:Construction World Edition: Magazine Page No: 106 Journalist: Seraphina D'souza Professor: Prof Meher Prasad Headline: Fast -Tech- Affordable Housing

Date: 14th March 2019 Publication: Sky Met Weather Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras Study, Pollution destroying rice, wheat crops every year URL: https://www.skymetweather.com/content/agriculture-and-economy/iit- madras-study-pollution-destroying-rice-wheat-crops-every-year/

IIT Madras Study, Pollution destroying rice, wheat crops every year A study led by (IIT-Madras has revealed that about 22 million tonnes (21 percent of India’s yield) of wheat and 6.5 million tonnes of rice (6 percent of India’s yield) are being destroyed each year due to surface ozone. Moreover, the states of Punjab and Haryana have borne losses pf 16% wheat and 11% rice.

The plant damaging pollutant has caused an economic loss of 1.5 billion US dollars for rice while 5 billion USD for wheat.

Chemical reactions between primary pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight result in the generation of surface ozone. Sources include power plants, biomass burning, vehicles, as well as industries.

Specialists said the discoveries of the examination are vital in perspective on the anticipated ascent in artificial contamination, including surface ozone, with huge effect on the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) which is an essential farming area. A lessening in harvest yield in India, likewise the second-most populous nation – consequently will seriously affect its food security and economic development.

A past report evaluated losses of 15% and 6% for wheat and rice yield, dependent on estimations of surface ozone levels recorded generally in urban, rural and high altitude regions, consequently not enough accounting for ozone over rural agricultural areas which can be compensated by utilizing chemistry transport meteorological models.

The new examination ascribed the expansion in both harvest yield and monetary losses in the new study to the regional chemistry transport model WRF-Chem simulations, which calculated in varying ozone chemistry in country rural fields from urban and semi-urban observing stations.

The examination gives spatial dispersion of yield loss, which could bear some significance with established researchers not restricted to environmentalists, botanists and plant physiologists.

Wheat is a Rabi crop, which is cultivated between November and April, while rice is developed amid the Kharif season from June to October and in the Rabi season. Contrasted with wheat, crop loss for rice is less on the grounds that surface ozone levels are lower as the main harvesting period is not long after Monsoon and furthermore on the grounds that rice is generally less delicate to ozone contrasted with wheat.

In spite of the fact that there is a passable human exposure level for surface ozone set by the Central Pollution Control Board, there are no sheltered dimensions endorsed for plants.

For the investigation, the five-part group utilized WRF-Chem model to reenact blending proportions for surface ozone consistently to determine gathered ozone levels that surpass 40 sections for each billion by volume (ppbv) – additionally alluded to AOT40 – amid the Kharif and Rabi seasons crosswise over different states.

Discoveries demonstrated that a blend of higher crop production and incidental exposure to raised surface ozone levels brought about IGP area, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar and West Bengal, to endure the most extreme brunt of losses in wheat and rice yields. Among the main wheat delivering states, the most elevated harvest loss of evaluated 5.5 million tons (23%) is recorded in MP, trailed by 5 million tons (21%) in UP each year. Both these states bring about an economic loss of more than USD 1 billion each consistently.

Of the significant states – Punjab, UP, Bihar and West Bengal in the IGP region, and Orissa and Andhra Pradesh (AP) – that develop rice, Punjab brings about a most extreme loss of around 1.5 million tons (11.5%) trailed by 1 million tons (9%) in UP every year. These two states endure a yearly monetary loss of around USD 0.3 billion each.

"There is a dire need to direct key ozone perceptions, particularly over farming fields, and the improvement of yearly territorial emanation database to help approach making in India," said Gufran Beig, co-author, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. "There is likewise a requirement for forceful participation between agricultural scientists and scientists involved in studies on air pollution to complete research to create ozone-safe cultivars."

Date: 14th March 2019 Publication: India Education Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Support IIT-M Students to develop a Hyperloop Pod URL:https://indiaeducationdiary.in/support-iit-m-students-develop-hyperloop-pod/

Support IIT-M Students to develop a Hyperloop Pod

U.S. Special Operations Forces conduct training with the Indian National Security Guard in Hyderabad

United States military forces from the 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) stationed out of Okinawa, Japan are currently in the Hyderabad area conducting a joint-exercise with the Indian National Security Guard.

The Hyderabad exercise will help build interoperability and comradeship between the two forces and is designed to enhance the capabilities of both Indian and U.S. armed forces. The training focuses on mutual defense operations, so both nations can more effectively employ forces and assist in the event of crises that may endanger public health and safety. The exercise will be overseen from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and U.S. Special Operations Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith in Hawaii.

“The U.S.-India security partnership is strong, and growing stronger,” said U.S. Consul General Katherine Hadda. “This Special Forces exercise in Hyderabad further advances our two countries’ operational coordination, and it will clearly benefit both our nations.”

This exercise is an example of the breadth and depth of the U.S.-India security partnership. Planning for future training in furtherance of the U.S.-India military partnership is ongoing. These training events are part of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Theater Security Cooperation Program, conducted by the U.S. military with a select group of nations in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance coordination and capabilities

The U.S. military works alongside India to increase interoperability, build partner capacity, prevent conflict, and promote regional strength and peace throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Training like the Hyderabad exercise is critical to U.S. Special Operations Forces, as soldiers learn how to effectively work with Indian partners in new environments, experience that will be valuable should a crisis occur. The overall aim of the program is to enhance professionalism and the ability to operate together during times of crisis.

The United States has recognized India as a Major Defense Partner, and military collaboration between the two countries is a result of high-level trust and also consistent efforts to broaden the ways in which the United States and India can work together. Hyderabad has become a hub of U.S.-Indian defense manufacturing including joint-venture facilities, technology centers, and skills-development capacity.

Date: 15th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: U Tejonmayam Headline : IIT-Madras hyperloop team launches campaign to raise funds URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/iit-madras-hyperloop-team- launches-campaign-to-raise-funds/articleshow/68413239.cms

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: Sun News TV Edition: Electronic Journalist: Mr. Prabhakar Faculty: Prof Prakash Maiya Headline: காற்잿쮿쏁ந்鏁埁羿நீர் | மென்வன ஐ ஐ 羿 ꯁ鎿 மதா펿ல்ꏁட்பெ் (Drinking Water from Air! IIT Madras technology) URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4fdadhkbLw

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Online Journalist: Dinesh C Sharma Professor: Prof Pramoda Kumar Nayak Headline: New discovery paves way for ‘silicon of the future’ URL: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/new-discovery-paves- way-for-silicon-of-the-future/article26578543.ece

New discovery paves way for ‘silicon of the future’

Just imagine taking two extremely ultra-thin materials with different properties and placing one on top of the other, and obtaining a new a material with hybrid properties.

This is what an international group of researchers have done with two atomic level semiconductor materials and have got a new material whose properties are not only hybrid but also tunable. The materials are nothing but crystalline sheets of atoms – measuring one millionth of a human hair in thickness. Scientists call such atomic materials two-dimensional (2D).

The two atomic layers are held together not by any physical or chemical reaction but due to a force known as ‘van der Waals interaction’. The materials used in the study are monolayers of molybdenum diselenide and tungsten disulfide.

Since the two layers used in experiments are semiconducting, the new material too has semiconducting properties like that of silicon-based materials used in miniature electronics. The new material could be the silicon of future because it is semiconducting as well as transparent, light weight, flexible and stretchable. Silicon- based materials are three dimensional (3D).

The discovery has been announced in journal Nature by in a paper by scientists from the UK, Korea, India, Poland, Japan and Mexico. Among authors of the research paper is Sir Kostya S. Novoselov, who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 2010 for his work on graphene. He is professor at the University of Manchester.

“When two atomically thin semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides are combined in a single structure their properties hybridize. The materials influence each other and change each other's properties. They could be considered a whole new 'meta'-material with unique properties,” explained Pramoda Kumar Nayak, DST Ramanujan Fellow at Department of Physics, IIT Madras and a member of the research team, while speaking to India Science Wire.

It has also been observed that properties of the new hybrid material cold be controlled by twisting the two stacked atomic layers. “This opens the way for design of new materials and electronic devices for future technologies with a range of applications in photo detectors, biosensors, supercapacitors, solar cells and wearable devices,” he added.

The idea of stacking layers of different materials to make heterostructures is pretty old and is behind most semiconductor devices. Now similar heterostructures are being developed using atomic layers. This could give rise to a new class of devices, according to Nayak. Along with other colleagues at IIT Madras, Nayak is engaged in developing such 2D materials and their heterostructures for use in high efficient optoelectronic and nanoelectronic devices.

“This is a groundbreaking work, opening up an entirely new set of possibilities in material science. It is extremely interesting that not only can one hybridize properties of two different nanosheets by elegantly placing them over each other, one can also tune the degree of hybridization simply by twisting how one nanosheet layer is arranged over the other,” commented Kabeer Jasuja, a nanotechnologist at IIT Gandhinagar, who is not connected with this study, while speaking to India Science Wire.

The study, Jasuja, “is a significant step towards development of novel heterostructures wherein different 2D materials are assembled together to obtain metamaterials, which bring to reality properties not found in naturally occurring materials. This is an exciting phase in the science of 2D materials beyond graphene."

Date: 20th March 2019 Publication: Down to Earth Edition: Online Journalist: Dinesh C Sharma Professor: Prof Pramoda Kumar Nayak Headline: New discovery paves way for ‘silicon of the future’ URL: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/science-technology/new-discovery- paves-way-for-silicon-of-the-future--63655

New discovery paves way for ‘silicon of the future’

Just imagine taking two extremely ultra-thin materials with different properties and placing one on top of the other, and obtaining a new a material with hybrid properties.

This is what an international group of researchers have done with two atomic-level semiconductor materials and have got a new material whose properties are not only hybrid but also tunable. The materials are nothing but crystalline sheets of atoms — measuring one-millionth of a human hair in thickness. Scientists call such atomic materials two-dimensional (2D).

The discovery has been announced in journal Nature by in a paper by scientists from the UK, Korea, India, Poland, Japan and Mexico. Among authors of the research paper is Kostya S Novoselov, who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 2010 for his work on graphene. He is professor at the University of Manchester.

“When two atomically thin semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides are combined in a single structure their properties hybridize. The materials influence each other and change each other's properties. They could be considered a whole new 'meta'-material with unique properties,” Pramoda Kumar Nayak, DST Ramanujan Fellow at Department of Physics, IIT Madras and a member of the research team, told India Science Wire.

“This is a groundbreaking work, opening up an entirely new set of possibilities in material science. It is extremely interesting that not only can one hybridize properties of two different nanosheets by elegantly placing them over each other, one can also tune the degree of hybridisation simply by twisting how one nanosheet layer is arranged over the other,” said Kabeer Jasuja, a nanotechnologist at IIT Gandhinagar, who is not connected with this study.

The study, Jasuja said, “is a significant step towards development of novel heterostructures wherein different 2D materials are assembled together to obtain metamaterials, which bring to reality properties not found in naturally occurring materials. This is an exciting phase in the science of 2D materials beyond graphene.

Date: 20th March 2019 Publication: Vigyan Prasar Edition: Online Journalist: Dinesh C Sharma Professor: Prof Pramoda Kumar Nayak Headline: New discovery paves way for ‘silicon of the future’ URL: https://vigyanprasar.gov.in/isw/New-discovery-paves-way-for-silicon-of-the- future.html

New discovery paves way for ‘silicon of the future’

Just imagine taking two extremely ultra-thin materials with different properties and placing one on top of the other, and obtaining a new a material with hybrid properties.

“When two atomically thin semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides are combined in a single structure their properties hybridize. The materials influence each other and change each other's properties. They could be considered a whole new 'meta'-material with unique properties,” Pramoda Kumar Nayak, DST Ramanujan Fellow at Department of Physics, IIT Madras and a member of the research team, told India Science Wire.

“This is a groundbreaking work, opening up an entirely new set of possibilities in material science. It is extremely interesting that not only can one hybridize properties of two different nanosheets by elegantly placing them over each other, one can also tune the degree of hybridisation simply by twisting how one nanosheet layer is arranged over the other,” said Kabeer Jasuja, a nanotechnologist at IIT Gandhinagar, who is not connected with this study.

Date: 20th March 2019 Publication: Research stash Edition: Online Journalist: Dinesh C Sharma Professor: Prof Pramoda Kumar Nayak Headline: New Discovery Paves Way for ‘Silicon of The Future’ URL: https://www.researchstash.com/2019/03/19/two-dimensional-material/

New Discovery Paves Way for ‘Silicon of The Future’

Just imagine taking two extremely ultra-thin materials with different properties and placing one on top of the other, and obtaining a new a material with hybrid properties.

“When two atomically thin semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides are combined in a single structure their properties hybridize. The materials influence each other and change each other's properties. They could be considered a whole new 'meta'-material with unique properties,” Pramoda Kumar Nayak, DST Ramanujan Fellow at Department of Physics, IIT Madras and a member of the research team, told India Science Wire.

“This is a groundbreaking work, opening up an entirely new set of possibilities in material science. It is extremely interesting that not only can one hybridize properties of two different nanosheets by elegantly placing them over each other, one can also tune the degree of hybridisation simply by twisting how one nanosheet layer is arranged over the other,” said Kabeer Jasuja, a nanotechnologist at IIT Gandhinagar, who is not connected with this study.

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Delhi/Chennai/Hyderabad/Bangalore/Kochi/Kolkata Page No: 15 Journalist: NA Faculty: Dr. Raghunathan Rengaswamy Headline: India has to play the World Cup very, very well: Rahul Dravid URL: https://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/india-has-to-play-the-world-cup-very- very-well-rahul-dravid/article26593705.ece

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: U Tejonmayam Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo, IIT-Madras launch Superstats AI tool to analyse cricket statistics URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/espncricinfo-iit- madras-launch-superstats-ai-tool-to-analyse-cricket- statistics/articleshow/68502437.cms

ESPNcricinfo, IIT-Madras launch Superstats AI tool to analyse cricket statistics

The algorithms use forecasting methods that train on past data to reveal trends and patterns during different periods of play and adapt based on actual match data resulting in predictive models, according to IIT Madras.

Researchers from the institute and an IIT-M incubated company Gyan Data have worked with cricket experts from ESPNcricinfo to design the tool from the website's ball-by-ball database with over ten years of data and with the help of algorithms based on machine learning.

The algorithms process data and are able to quantify the impact of luck and analyze the real value of a player’s performance in the game in real time, said the institute. The work is being led by Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Mahesh Panchagnula, Professor, Department of Applied Mechanics of IIT Madras along with the ESPN team.

Speaking on the data analytics efforts behind the project, Raghunathan Rengaswamy said, “While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalize and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion.” He further added, “The AI work at IIT Madras is targeted towards several verticals such as fintech, manufacturing, smart city, biological systems and healthcare. Through this project, we have now forayed into sports analytics as well.” Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia, said, “The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances…We have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better.”

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Online Journalist: Anandi Chandrashekhar Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo and IIT Madras collaborate on data science tool that analyses the game of cricket URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/espncricinfo-and-iit- madras-collaborate-on-data-science-tool-that-analyses-the-game-of- cricket/articleshow/68497423.cms

ESPNcricinfo and IIT Madras collaborate on data science tool that analyses the game of cricket

Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia, said, “The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances…We have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better.”

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: ESPN CricInfo Edition: Online Journalist: NA Faculty: Dr Raghunathan Rengaswamy Headline: ESPNcricinfo Superstats launched, will add 'layer of quality and value' to traditional numbers URL: http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/26312903/espncricinfo-superstats- launched-add-layer-quality-value-traditional-numbers

ESPNcricinfo Superstats launched, will add 'layer of quality and value' to traditional numbers

A slice of luck - a dropped catch to be exact - could well have saved, and extended, Rahul Dravid's career, the man himself reckoned at the launch of ESPNcricinfo's Superstats, a set of new-age metrics for a more nuanced understanding of the modern game. Dravid spoke about how a top-edge off Stuart Broad fell in no-man's land in the Mohali Test of England's tour of India in 2008, and allowed him to score a career-saving hundred, leading to a "couple of good years (in international cricket)" thereafter. Dravid was on 1 when the chance was missed, and went on to make 136. ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball commentary wondered if "that's a bit of luck for Dravid", something Luck Index - one of three elements that make up Superstats, Smart Stats and Forecaster being the others - attempts to quantify for T20 cricket.

Dravid was part of a panel that also featured Sanjay Manjrekar and ESPNcricinfo's editor-in-chief Sambit Bal, along with Dr Raghunathan Rengaswamy of IIT Madras, whose team collaborated with ESPNcricinfo's team of statisticians to develop Superstats. The new stats language, available for T20 cricket to start with, has been derived by putting our rich ball-by-ball data through complex algorithms developed by Gyan Data, an IIT-M incubated company founded by Raghunathan. In the words of ESPN India head Ramesh Kumar, these Superstats "offer a final point of view to settle water-cooler debates and discussions on cricket" and "will validate cricketing wisdom".

Bal said that while traditional numbers would continue to be around, Superstats added a "layer of quality and value to them", and explained how it would mean "batsmen and bowlers are equalised" and measurable on a common metric that gauges their impact in a match.

Manjrekar, a well-travelled broadcaster, spoke about how such enhanced statistics would benefit commentators and fans watching live telecasts, especially in T20 tournaments like the IPL, which is followed by scores of data-savvy fans who are "fascinated by numbers", than those who have grown up watching the longer formats.

Should these metrics have been available during his playing career, Manjrekar argued that "an Ajay Jadeja might have won Man of the Match in the 1996 World Cup quarterfinal" against Pakistan in Bengaluru, for the impact his innings had on the game's result, and not Navjot Singh Sidhu, who ended up getting the award.

When asked if insights of the sort had helped him make informed decisions in his playing and coaching career, Dravid mentioned acquiring the services of Brad Hodge for Rajasthan Royals in the 2012 auction despite his middling returns in past editions of the tournament with other teams.

Royals, "pretty much a budget team at that stage", went with Hodge to fill a middle- order spot despite the fact that on pitches such as in Jaipur - the Royals' home ground - his "averages weren't good, numbers weren't great". Dravid and Co picked Hodge as a death-overs finisher based on his compelling past record against pace bowling. His past failures were attributed to "playing in spin-friendly tracks in Kolkata and Kochi, falling often to left-arm spinners".

Hodge, who put in a few match-winning performances in that role, had reportedly insisted that he bat at No. 3, only to be told by Dravid that "I don't want your 450 runs at three, give me 200 runs at strike rate 160 facing the Mitchell Johnsons and Dale Steyns".

Dravid spoke about how the conversation around T20 cricket based on conventional metrics "sometimes frustrated me as a player and a coach", and how it was "fantastic to see people have finally recognised over the past few years" that the T20 game was a different beast.

Dravid and Manjrekar agreed that, with Superstats and other new-age metrics around, the critical thing was to "make the best use of these numbers" and arrive at meaningful conclusions.

The two former India batsmen did, however, debate at length about whether "geeks and nerds are taking over the game", observing that while the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli would no doubt be better captains with such insights, there was "an emotional element to cricket, a human element to it", which can never fully be explained by numbers.

Dravid argued that cricket would "never fully be taken over by the geeks, because while the numbers might tell you 'bowl X on that day', the captain knows better if he's up for it, because numbers can't quantify whether he's carrying a niggle. As a coach, sometimes if captains take a gut call on the field, you tend to back them, as long as you know he's not doing it blindly. I think a guy like Dhoni gets the feel of that (the game), better than most captains"

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Mint Edition: Online Journalist: Abhijit Ahaskar Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPN Cricinfo leverages IIT-Madras AI algorithm for deeper insights on cricket URL: https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/espn-cricinfo-leverages-iit- madras-ai-algorithm-for-deeper-insights-on-cricket-1553090659084.html

ESPN Cricinfo leverages IIT-Madras AI algorithm for deeper insights on cricket

Cricket portal ESPN Cricinfo plans to use an artificial intelligence (AI)-based metric system called Superstats to provide new insights on players, performances and matches that were not available earlier.

Developed by IIT Madras researchers and an IIT-Madras incubator company Gyan Data Pvt. Ltd, Superstats uses algorithms that have been trained on 10 years of cricket- related data on ESPN Cricinfo, according to a press statement issued on Wednesday.

These insights will be available to users in three formats—Smart stats, Luck index and Forecaster. Smart stats will provide fans with a more realistic view of players’ performance by factoring in those aspects that were often overlooked such as pitch conditions, quality of opposition and the pressure on the team at that point in the game.

So a batsman’s performance will not only be measured by the runs he scores, but also by the quality of bowling attack and the position of the team when he came out to bat. This will allow ESPN Cricinfo to provide new metrics like most effective batsman/bowler in a match and best batsman/bowler in different phases of the match.

The Luck Index will give fans a more accurate view of players’ performance in match by taking into account factors such as toss, umpiring errors, dismissal of a no-ball, dropped catches that are often overlooked during the assessment of a player’s performance. For instance, Sachin Tendulkar’s performance in the semi finals of 2011 World Cup will not be assessed on the basis of the 85 runs he scored in the game, but will also take into account the fact that he was dropped 4 times by the Pakistani fielders.

Forecaster is more of prediction tool that will provide fans a more data driven projection of team’s chances of winning a game while batting second, how many runs a team batting first will put up and when the next wicket may fall.

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Mumbai/Pune/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kochi Journalist: Peerzada Abrar Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: And now, AI to predict Cricket matches, assess the luck of the players URL: https://www.business-standard.com/article/technology/and-now-ai-to-predict- cricket-matches-assess-the-luck-of-the-players-119032000799_1.html

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Techie Expert Edition: Online Journalist: Srikanth Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo launches Superstats ,uses Data Science to analyze Cricket URL: https://www.techiexpert.com/espncricinfo-launches-superstats-uses-data- science-to-analyze-cricket/

ESPNcricinfo launches Superstats ,uses Data Science to analyze Cricket

Mr. Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia, said, “The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances. ESPNcricinfo has always been a pioneer in cricket data analysis and we have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better.”

Speaking about the data analytics behind this initiative, Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalize and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion.” He further added, “The AI work at IIT Madras is targeted towards several verticals such as fintech, manufacturing, smart city, biological systems engineering, and healthcare. Through this project, we have now forayed into sports analytics as well.”

Rahul Dravid, former Indian captain and head coach for the Under-19, on the role of luck in cricket, said, “Luck played a huge role in my career in 2009. I was on the verge of being dropped and was given an extra opportunity in Mohali against England. I was batting at number 3 and Stuart Broad bounces me. It was a top edge and as soon as I hit it, I was “oh god, I’m out again”. It just falls (short) of Matt Prior and the fine-leg fielder running in. I get a hundred in that game and go on to have a couple of good years, including three hundreds in England”. Commenting on Smart Stats, adding the most important thing going forward, he said, “The critical thing for me are the people who are going to make the best use of these numbers- how you read those numbers, what you get out of these numbers is the key.”

These data science algorithms use forecasting methods that train on past data to uncover trends and patterns during different periods of play and adapt based on actual match data resulting in highly accurate predictive models.

Smart Stats, launched at first as a standalone tool in 2018, is a suite of metrics that help fans judge performances in limited-overs cricket, especially the T20s, in a far more nuanced manner than conventional metrics do. It takes into account the context to every performance, batting and bowling. Context includes pitch conditions, quality of opposition, and match situation – in terms of the pressure on the player. In its new avatar, Smart Stats has added metrics such as Smart Wickets, Player Quality Index and Pressure Indices, to cover all facets of the game.

These metrics have led to sharper story-telling, with some of the strands being:

Most impactful batsman/bowler in a match, in terms of runs scored/saved above par (a cameo of 30 in 10 balls maybe more impactful than 70 off 50 balls) An alternative scorecard based entirely on smart stats numbers Best batsman/bowler in each phase (powerplay/death overs), based entirely on smart stats Difference between the conventional numbers and smart stats numbers (the true- value players) The Luck Index – So far, the impact of luck on match results have only been spoken about in qualitative terms; a bowler can beat the batsman numerous times but still have zero wickets or an edge from the bat can still concede a boundary. There is no way to assess how lucky a team/player has been. ESPNcricinfo fills this gap with Luck Index, a metrics that measure the quantum of luck by factoring the occurrence of several events including toss, umpiring errors (both DRS and non-DRS decisions), dismissal of a no-ball, dropped catches and more.

The core of the algorithm is in scoring various luck events that occur in a match. Data science algorithms play out different scenarios to evaluate the impact of the luck events. Generalization of the impact of the luck events through an equivalent “runs potential” brings all these events to a common baseline. This makes it possible to answer questions related to luckiest team, luckiest player, alternate points table, head-to-head luck impact and so on in the context of an entire tournament.

Forecaster functions as a prediction tool which provides win probability for the chasing team, likely score for the team that bats first, runs and wicket probability in the following over, for each bowler and so forth.

ESPNcricinfo has always been at the forefront of stats and analyses, but with the amount of data now available at its disposal, ESPNcricinfo takes cricket analytics to the next level, to tell fascinating numbers-driven stories that bring the fans to the heart of the action. Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Edex live Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Ahead of IPL and World Cup, IIT Madras' new cricket algorithm can tell you how lucky a batsman has been URL: https://www.edexlive.com/news/2019/mar/20/ahead-of-ipl-and-world-cup-iit- madras-new-cricket-algorithm-can-tell-you-how-lucky-a-batsman-has-b-5561.html

Ahead of IPL and World Cup, IIT Madras' new cricket algorithm can tell you how lucky a batsman has been

In the era of multiple formats and leagues, cricket too needs to move beyond the conventional measurement of economy rate, average and strike rate. Indian Institute of Technology Madras in partnership with ESPNcricinfo has launched Superstats — state-of-the-art metrics to analyse the game of cricket. Superstats is a combination of stats metrics — Luck Index, Forecaster and Smart Stats that uses data science for the first time to give a context to every event in a game and also venture into new territories such as luck and forecasting.

IIT Madras Researchers and an IIT-M incubated company, Gyan Data Pvt. Ltd, working with cricket experts from ESPNcricinfo derived Superstats from ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by- ball database which has more than ten years of detailed data, and scientific methods, processes and complex algorithms based on machine learning. The algorithm's process accurate, fast data, quantify the impact of luck and analyse the real value of a player’s performance in real time. The research was led by Dr Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Dr Mahesh Panchagnula of IIT Madras along with the ESPN team.

Rahul Dravid, former Indian captain and head coach for the Under-19, said, “Luck played a huge role in my career in 2009. I was on the verge of being dropped and was given an extra opportunity in Mohali against England. I was batting at number 3 and Stuart Broad bounces me. It was a top edge and as soon as I hit it, I was “oh god, I’m out again”. It just falls (short) of Matt Prior and the fine-leg fielder running in. I get a hundred in that game and go on to have a couple of good years, including three centuries in England”. Commenting on Smart Stats, adding that it will be the most important thing going forward, he said, “The critical thing for me is the people who are going to make the best use of these numbers — how you read those numbers, what you get out of these numbers is the key.”

Speaking about the data analytics behind this initiative, Dr Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalise and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion.” He further added, “The AI work at IIT Madras is targeted towards several verticals such as fintech, manufacturing, smart city, biological systems engineering, and healthcare. Through this project, we have now forayed into sports analytics as well.”

These metrics have led to sharper story-telling, with some of the strands being:

Ø Most impactful batsman/bowler in a match, in terms of runs scored/saved above par (a cameo of 30 in 10 balls maybe more impactful than 70 off 50 balls)

Ø An alternative scorecard based entirely on smart stats numbers

Ø Best batsman/bowler in each phase (powerplay/death overs), based entirely on smart stats

Ø Difference between the conventional numbers and smart stats numbers (the true- value players)

Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia, said, “The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances. ESPNcricinfo has always been a pioneer in cricket data analysis and we have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better.”

So far, the impact of luck on match results have only been spoken about in qualitative terms; a bowler can beat the batsman numerous times but still have zero wickets or an edge from the bat can still concede a boundary. There is no way to assess how lucky a team/player has been. Luck Index, a metrics that measure the quantum of luck by factoring the occurrence of several events including toss, umpiring errors (both DRS and non-DRS decisions), dismissal of a no-ball, dropped catches and more fills this gap.

The core of the algorithm is in scoring various luck events that occur in a match. Data science algorithms play out different scenarios to evaluate the impact of luck events. Generalisation of the impact of the luck events through an equivalent "runs potential” brings all these events to a common baseline. This makes it possible to answer questions related to luckiest team, luckiest player, alternate points table, head-to- head luck impact and so on in the context of an entire tournament.

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Sports Star Edition: Online Journalist: G. Viswanath Headline: Manjrekar: BCCI should not control player workload in IPL URL: https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cricket/world-cup-player-fitness-ipl-work-load- management-dravid-manjrekar-kohli-bumrah-cummins/article26590777.ece

Manjrekar: BCCI should not control player workload in IPL

The popular opinion before the start of the IPL season 12 is that the eight franchises need to manage the workload of the World Cup-bound India cricketers. But former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels that the IPL should be untouched and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should not control things. India 'A' and Under-19 coach and mentor Rahul Dravid said that the players know how to deal with their body and one has to trust them. During a panel discussion at ESPNCricinfo’s launch of Superstats in partnership with IIT Madras, Manjrekar was quite candid in his observation on the workload of the World Cup-bound Indians. "My views won’t be appreciated. IPL is a free enterprise. I think it’s capitalism at its best. I don’t think there should be any outside control from the cricket board (BCCI). It’s up to the franchises, if they feel patriotic and rest a Bumah and all, that’s fine. "But I don’t think there should be any pressure from the BCCI to rest certain players. Somebody made a valid point recently; Virat (Kohli) has said players know how much rest they need. How can one quantify it? If Bumrah is feeling the pressure, fine so be it. I would like to keep IPL untouched. "I think three or four weeks rest after the IPL is enough before India’s first match. I don’t like any interference. IPL is a true reflection of today’s society and capitalism. So just leave it the way it is. There are other formats to control (the workload).’’ Dravid had a different take on the subject saying that the players are the best judge of the condition of their bodies. "Most players are smart about these things, they know how to handle their body. I don’t think the players would put their body on the line," he said. I was reading Patrick Cummins saying that he feels better bowling when he is constantly playing, rather than having rested and coming back. So to each player, it’s different. There cannot be a blanket case that all should be rested. We have to just trust the players. They know what needs to be done.’’

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: UNI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: ESPNcricinfo launches Superstats, new metrics that uses Data Science to analyze the game of cricket URL: http://www.uniindia.com/espncricinfo-launches-superstats-new-metrics-that- uses-data-science-to-analyze-the-game-of-cricket/sports/news/1535205.html

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Daily Hunt Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo launches Superstats, new metrics that uses Data Science to analyze the game of cricket URL: https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/skill+outlook-epaper- skillout/espncricinfo+launches+superstats+new+metrics+that+uses+data+science+to +analyze+the+game+of+cricket-newsid-111621517

ESPNcricinfo launches Superstats, new metrics that uses Data Science to analyze the game of cricket

IIT Madras Researchers and an IIT-M incubated company Gyan Data Pvt. Ltd. working with cricket experts from ESPNcricinfo derived Superstats from ESPNcricinfo's rich ball- by-ball database which has more than ten years of detailed data, and scientific methods, processes and complex algorithms based on machine learning. The algorithms process accurate, fast data, quantify the impact of luck and analyze the real value of a player's performance in the game of cricket in real time. This work was led by Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula of IIT Madras along with the ESPN team.

Mr. Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia, said, "The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances. ESPNcricinfo has always been a pioneer in cricket data analysis and we have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better."

Speaking about the data analytics behind this initiative, Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras, said, "While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalize and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an 'apples-to-apples' fashion." He further added, "The AI work at IIT Madras is targeted towards several verticals such as fintech, manufacturing, smart city, biological systems engineering, and healthcare. Through this project, we have now forayed into sports analytics as well."

Rahul Dravid, former Indian captain and head coach for the Under-19, on the role of luck in cricket, said, "Luck played a huge role in my career in 2009. I was on the verge of being dropped and was given an extra opportunity in Mohali against England. I was batting at number 3 and Stuart Broad bounces me. It was a top edge and as soon as I hit it, I was "oh god, I'm out again". It just falls (short) of Matt Prior and the fine- leg fielder running in. I get a hundred in that game and go on to have a couple of good years, including three hundreds in England". Commenting on Smart Stats, adding the most important thing going forward, he said, "The critical thing for me are the people who are going to make the best use of these numbers- how you read those numbers, what you get out of these numbers is the key."

Smart Stats, launched at first as a standalone tool in 2018, is a suite of metrics that help fans judge performances in limited-overs cricket, especially the T20s, in a far more nuanced manner than conventional metrics do. It takes into account the context to every performance, batting and bowling. Context includes pitch conditions, quality of opposition, and match situation - in terms of the pressure on the player. In its new avatar, Smart Stats has added metrics such as Smart Wickets, Player Quality Index and Pressure Indices, to cover all facets of the game.

These metrics have led to sharper story-telling, with some of the strands being:

Most impactful batsman/bowler in a match, in terms of runs scored/saved above par (a cameo of 30 in 10 balls maybe more impactful than 70 off 50 balls)

An alternative scorecard based entirely on smart stats numbers

Best batsman/bowler in each phase (powerplay/death overs), based entirely on smart stats

Difference between the conventional numbers and smart stats numbers (the true- value players)

The Luck Index - So far, the impact of luck on match results have only been spoken about in qualitative terms; a bowler can beat the batsman numerous times but still have zero wickets or an edge from the bat can still concede a boundary. There is no way to assess how lucky a team/player has been. ESPNcricinfo fills this gap with Luck Index, a metrics that measure the quantum of luck by factoring the occurrence of several events including toss, umpiring errors (both DRS and non-DRS decisions), dismissal of a no-ball, dropped catches and more.

The core of the algorithm is in scoring various luck events that occur in a match. Data science algorithms play out different scenarios to evaluate the impact of the luck events. Generalization of the impact of the luck events through an equivalent "runs potential" brings all these events to a common baseline. This makes it possible to answer questions related to luckiest team, luckiest player, alternate points table, head-to-head luck impact and so on in the context of an entire tournament.

ESPNcricinfo has always been at the forefront of stats and analyses, but with the amount of data now available at its disposal, ESPNcricinfo takes cricket analytics to the next level, to tell fascinating numbers-driven stories that bring the fans to the heart of the action. Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Penn News Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo launches ‘Superstats’, to unearth new depths in cricket URL: https://www.pennews.net/sports/2019/03/20/espncricinfo-launches-superstats- to-unearth-new-depths-in-cricket

ESPNcricinfo launches ‘Superstats’, to unearth new depths in cricket

In the era of multiple formats and leagues, game of cricket needs to move beyond conventional measurement system such as economy rate, average and strike rate.

Keeping this in mind, ESPNcricinfo in partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Madras launches Superstats, next level metrics to analyze the game of cricket. Superstats is a combination of stats metrics - Luck Index, Forecaster and Smart Stats that uses Data Science for the first time to give a context to every event in a game and also venture into new territories such as luck and forecasting, a spokesperson of ESPNcricinfo here today said.

Former cricketing legends Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Manjrekar graced the occasion and shared their views on the need for next level statistics in the constantly evolving game of cricket. IIT Madras Researchers and an IIT-M incubated company Gyan Data Pvt. Ltd. working with cricket experts from ESPNcricinfo derived Superstats from ESPNcricinfo’s rich ball-by-ball database which has more than ten years of detailed data, and scientific methods, processes and complex algorithms based on machine learning.

The algorithms process accurate, fast data, quantify the impact of luck and analyze the real value of a player’s performance in the game of cricket in real time. This work was led by Profs. Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Mahesh Panchagnula of IIT Madras along with the ESPNcricinfo team.

Speaking about the data analytics behind this initiative, Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, IIT Madras, said, “While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalize and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion.”

He further added, “The AI work at IIT Madras is targeted towards several verticals such as fintech, manufacturing, smart city, biological systems engineering, and healthcare. Through this project, we have now forayed into sports analytics as well.”

Commenting on Smart Stats, adding the most important thing going forward, he said, “The critical thing for me are the people who are going to make the best use of these numbers- how you read those numbers, what you get out of these numbers is the key.”

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Sport Breaking News Edition: Online Journalist: Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo, IIT-Madras launch Superstats AI tool to analyse cricket statistics URL: https://www.sportbreakingnews.com/2019/03/espncricinfo-iit-madras-launch- superstats-ai-tool-to-analyse-cricket-statistics/

ESPNcricinfo, IIT-Madras launch Superstats AI tool to analyse cricket statistics

With the cricket World Cup 2019 around the corner, ESPNcricinfo has partnered with Indian Institute of Technology – Madras to launch ‘Superstats’, a next level artificial intelligence tool that can analyse cricket statistics through machine learning and forecast, if and how a player’s or a team’s performance can turn around a game, on real time. Superstats will analyse the game of cricket on a combination of stats metrics- Luck index, forecaster and smart stats using data science for the first time to give a context to every event in a game and also venture into new territories such as luck and forecasting. According to IIT researchers, the algorithms process data to quantify the impact of luck and analyse the real value of a player’s performance in the game of cricket on real time. Apart from forecasting, it also reveals trends and patterns during a game as the actual match data is fed on real time. For this, Superstats uses the vast ball-by-ball database of ESPNcricinfo, which has more than a decade of detailed data, and scientific methods, processes and complex algorithms based machine learning. This work was led by Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Mahesh Panchagnula of IIT-Madras along with the ESPN team. Sambit Bal, editor-in- chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia, said, “The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances. ESPNcricinfo has always been a pioneer in cricket data analysis and we have combine.

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: India Finance News Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo and IIT Madras collaborate on data science tool that analyses the game of cricket URL: https://www.indiafinancenews.com/espncricinfo-and-iit-madras-collaborate- on-data-science-tool-that-analyses-the-game-of-cricket/

ESPNcricinfo and IIT Madras collaborate on data science tool that analyses the game of cricket

In an effort to analyse cricket statistics with data science, sports news website ESPNcricinfo in a partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras launched a tool called ‘Superstats,’on Wednesday. According to IIT Madras Superstats is a combination of stats metrics that use data science to give a context to every event in a game, for forecasting and to explore the idea of assessing luck . The algorithms use forecasting methods that train on past data to reveal trends and patterns during different periods of play and adapt based on actual match data resulting in predictive models, according to IIT Madras. Researchers from the institute and an IIT-M incubated company Gyan Data have worked with cricket experts from ESPNcricinfo to design the tool from the website’s ball-by-ball database with over ten years of data and with the help of algorithms based on machine learning. The algorithms process data and are able to quantify the impact of luck and analyze the real value of a player’s performance in the game in real time, said the institute. The work is being led by Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Mahesh Panchagnula, Professor, Department of Applied Mechanics of IIT Madras along with the ESPN team. Speaking on the data analytics efforts behind the project, Raghunathan Rengaswamy said, “While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalize and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion.” He further added, “The AI work at IIT Madras is targeted towards several verticals such as fintech, manufacturing, smart city, biological systems engineering, and healthcare. Through this project, we have now forayed into sports analytics as well.” Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia, said, “The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances…We have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better.”

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Tech Trail Edition: Online Journalist: Shriram Shinde Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: Data Science used to analyse the game of cricket URL: https://techtrail.in/tech-tools/data-science-used-to-analyse-the-game-of- cricket/

Data Science used to analyse the game of cricket

IN the era of multiple formats and leagues, the game of cricket needs to move beyond conventional measurement systems such as economy rate, average and strike rate. Keeping this in mind, ESPNcricinfo in partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Madras launches Superstats, next level metrics to analyse the game of cricket.

Superstats is a combination of stats metrics – Luck Index, Forecaster and Smart Stats that uses Data Science for the first time to give a context to every event in a game and also venture into new territories such as luck and forecasting. Former cricketing legends Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Manjrekar graced the occasion and shared their views on the need for next level statistics in the constantly evolving game of cricket.

Sambit Bal, editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo, and ESPN South Asia, said, “The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances. ESPNcricinfo has always been a pioneer in cricket data analysis and we have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better.”

Speaking about the data analytics behind this initiative, Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy, IIT Madras, said, “While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalise and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion.” He further added, “The AI work at IIT Madras is targeted towards several verticals such as fintech, manufacturing, smart city, biological systems engineering, and healthcare. Through this project, we have now forayed into sports analytics as well.”

Rahul Dravid, former Indian captain and head coach for the Under-19, on the role of luck in cricket, said, “Luck played a huge role in my career in 2009. I was on the verge of being dropped and was given an extra opportunity in Mohali against England. I was batting at number 3 and Stuart Broad bounces me. It was a top edge and as soon as I hit it, I was “oh god, I’m out again”. It just falls (short) of Matt Prior and the fine-leg fielder running in. I get a hundred in that game and go on to have a couple of good years, including three hundred in England”. Commenting on Smart Stats, adding the most important thing going forward, he said, “The critical thing for me is the people who are going to make the best use of these numbers- how you read those numbers, what you get out of these numbers is the key.”

Smart Stats, launched at first as a standalone tool in 2018, is a suite of metrics that help fans judge performances in limited-overs cricket, especially the T20s, in a far more nuanced manner than conventional metrics do. It takes into account the context to every performance, batting, and bowling. Context includes pitch conditions, quality of opposition, and match situation – in terms of the pressure on the player. In its new avatar, Smart Stats has added metrics such as Smart Wickets, Player Quality Index and Pressure Indices, to cover all facets of the game.

These metrics have led to sharper story-telling, with some of the strands being:

Most impactful batsman/bowler in a match, in terms of runs scored/saved above par (a cameo of 30 in 10 balls may be more impactful than 70 off 50 balls) An alternative scorecard based entirely on smart stats numbers Best batsman/bowler in each phase (powerplay/death overs), based entirely on smart stats Difference between the conventional numbers and smart stats numbers (the true- value players) The Luck Index – So far, the impact of luck on match results have only been spoken about in qualitative terms; a bowler can beat the batsman numerous times but still have zero wickets or an edge from the bat can still concede a boundary. There is no way to assess how lucky a team/player has been. ESPNcricinfo fills this gap with Luck Index, a metrics that measure the quantum of luck by factoring the occurrence of several events including toss, umpiring errors (both DRS and non-DRS decisions), dismissal of a no-ball, dropped catches and more.

The core of the algorithm is in scoring various luck events that occur in a match. Data science algorithms play out different scenarios to evaluate the impact of luck events. A generalisation of the impact of the luck events through an equivalent “runs potential” brings all these events to a common baseline. This makes it possible to answer questions related to luckiest team, luckiest player, alternate points table, head-to-head luck impact and so on in the context of an entire tournament.

ESPNcricinfo has always been at the forefront of stats and analyses, but with the amount of data now available at its disposal, ESPNcricinfo takes cricket analytics to the next level, to tell fascinating numbers-driven stories that bring the fans to the heart of the action. Date:21st March 2019 Publication: AllYuva Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo, IIT-Madras launch Superstats AI tool to analyse cricket statistics URL: http://www.allyuva.org/blog/2019/03/20/espncricinfo-iit-madras-launch- superstats-ai-tool-to-analyse-cricket-statistics/

ESPNcricinfo, IIT-Madras launch Superstats AI tool to analyse cricket statistics

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Indian News & Times Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: Future of Statistics in Cricket through Artificial Intelligence engine URL: http://www.indiannewsandtimes.com/2019/03/20/72649rahul-dravid-and- sanjay-manjrekar-lead-the-conversation-to-discuss-the-future-of-statistics-in-cricket- through-artificial-intelligence-engine/

Future of Statistics in Cricket through Artificial Intelligence engine

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 5 Journalist: U Tejonmayam Professor: Prof A. Mani Headline: IIT-M sets up India’s 1st solar-powered desal plant URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/iit-m-sets-up-indias-1st-solar- powered-desal-plant/articleshow/68505168.cms

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: Dainik Yashobhumi Edition: Mumbai Page No: 9 Journalist: NA Headline: New metrics that uses Data Science to analyze the game of cricket

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: Dopahar Ka Samna Edition: Mumbai Page No: 15 Journalist: NA Headline: Data Science to analyze the game of cricket

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: Mumbai Lakshadeep -Marathi Edition: Mumbai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: New metrics that uses Data Science to analyze the game of cricket

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Delhi / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kolkata / Kochi / Ahmedabad / Chandigarh Page No:6 Journalist: NA Headline: ESPN-IIT-M ‘Superstats to analyse cricket

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: Business Standard -Hindi Edition: Delhi Page No: 12 Journalist: Peerzada Abrar Headline: And now, AI to predict Cricket matches, assess the luck of the players

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: 14 Journalist: NA Headline: ESPNcricinfo IIT-M launch superstats

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: Swarajya Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor:Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: Cricket Just Became Geekier: ESPNcricinfo Collaborates With IIT Madras To Launch AI Tool For Stats Analysis URL: https://swarajyamag.com/insta/cricket-just-became-geekier-espncricinfo- collaborates-with-iit-madras-to-launch-ai-tool-for-stats-analysis

Cricket Just Became Geekier: ESPNcricinfo Collaborates With IIT Madras To Launch AI Tool For Stats Analysis

ESPNcricinfo has collaborated with IIT Madras to launch “Superstats”, which has been described as a next generation artificial intelligence (AI) tool to analyse cricket statistics, Times of India has reported.

The AI tool powered by machine learning and forecasts can determine in real-time if a player’s performance can turnaround a game. Some of the factors involved in the analysis are stats metrics like luck index, forecaster and small stats, these work with the help of data science to provide a context to each and every game.

Apart from forecasting a players performance in real time, the app also reveals trends and patterns during the game based on the match data being fed to the tool.

The development has been spearheaded by IIT Madras research scholars Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Mahesh Panchagnula along with the ESPN team.

Rengaswamy was quoted was quoted as saying that, “While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalise and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion”.

IIT Madras has also been applying AI in other verticals like manufacturing, smart city, fintech, health care and biotech systems engineering.

Date: 21st March 2019 Publication: Polimer News TV Edition: Electronic Journalist: NA Professor: Prof A. Mani Headline: 毂ரி ஆற்றவல ப ன்ப翁த்鎿 கடல்நீவர 埁羿நீராக்埁ெ் 믁தல் ஆவல (Using solar power to convert sea water to drinking water) URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPILXuN3_UI

Date: 23rd March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Online Journalist: Jyoti Singh Professor: Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy Headline: Watch this season of IPL with a dash of data science from IIT URL: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/watch-this-season-of-ipl- with-a-dash-of-data-science-from-iit/article26609363.ece

Watch this season of IPL with a dash of data science from IIT

The performance of players and match analysis of the upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) will be based on new metrics that uses data science to analyze cricket. As cricket is evolving in different formats, methods of evaluating the game are also changing.

Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), Gyan Data (an IIT-M incubated company) and experts from ESPNcricinfo have launched Superstats - a new metrics to analyse the game of cricket. It is a combination of stats metrics - Luck Index, Forecaster and Smart Stats – based on data science to give a context to every event in a game and also venture into new territories such as luck and forecasting.

The new tools take into account score-cards, meaning ball by ball database of all IPL matches played in India in the last ten years. This helped researchers to develop an algorithm-based on machine learning system. The algorithms process accurate, fast data, quantify impact of luck and analyze the real value of a player’s performance in real-time. For viewers, this would be new experience to watch cricket where match information, analysis and projection are backed with data science.

The data-based metrics goes beyond conventional measurement systems like economy rate, strike rate and average. “We have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better,” said Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia.

“The quantification of matches has happened for the first time ever. This will impact the game and give much clearer picture of the ongoing game. With various other factors we have included luck index too which earlier was spoken only in qualitative terms,” S Rajesh, Senior Editor Stats, ESPNcricinfo said while speaking to India Science Wire. He explained that luck index has an impact on the tournament and this way it would be easy to answer who is the luckiest player, luckiest team, head-to-head luck impact and so on.

Speaking at the launch of Superstats, Rahul Dravid, former Indian captain, said, “luck played a huge role in my career in 2009. I was on the verge of being dropped and was given an extra opportunity in Mohali against England. I was batting at number 3 and Stuart Broad bounces me. It was a top edge and as soon as I hit it, I thought ‘oh god, I’m out again’. It just fell short of Matt Prior and the fine-leg fielder running in. I got a hundred in that game and went on to have a couple of good years, including three hundreds in England.”

Raghunathan Rengaswamy of IIT Madras, said, “the problem approaching mechanism was same as we do in science. Here also we applied standard scientific principles. Based on the algorithms the strategies can be formulated for the matches to be played.” He added, “It was fascinating to see how we may apply abstract of some general scientific principles to solve the problems of different domains.” Date: 23rd March 2019 Publication: Inside Sport Edition: Online Journalist: Kunal Dhayani Headline: ESPNCricinfo launches new tool to calculate probabilities in cricket URL: https://www.insidesport.co/espncricinfo-launches-new-tool-to-calculate- probabilities-in-cricket/

Date: 23rd March 2019 Publication: IndiaEducation Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo launches Superstats, new metrics that uses Data Science to analyze the game of cricket URL: http://indiaeducationdiary.in/espncricinfo-launches-superstats-new-metrics- uses-data-science-analyze-game-cricket/

ESPNcricinfo launches Superstats, new metrics that uses Data Science to analyze the game of cricket

These metrics have led to sharper story-telling, with some of the strands being:

Ø Most impactful batsman/bowler in a match, in terms of runs scored/saved above par (a cameo of 30 in 10 balls maybe more impactful than 70 off 50 balls)

Ø An alternative scorecard based entirely on smart stats numbers

Ø Best batsman/bowler in each phase (powerplay/death overs), based entirely on smart stats

Ø Difference between the conventional numbers and smart stats numbers (the true- value players)

The Luck Index – So far, the impact of luck on match results have only been spoken about in qualitative terms; a bowler can beat the batsman numerous times but still have zero wickets or an edge from the bat can still concede a boundary. There is no way to assess how lucky a team/player has been. ESPNcricinfo fills this gap with Luck Index, a metrics that measure the quantum of luck by factoring the occurrence of several events including toss, umpiring errors (both DRS and non-DRS decisions), dismissal of a no-ball, dropped catches and more.

Date: 23rd March 2019 Publication: Swarajya Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof A. Mani Headline: IIT Madras Team Builds India’s First Solar-Powered Desalination Plant With Daily Capacity Of 10,000 Litres URL: https://swarajyamag.com/insta/iit-madras-team-builds-indias-first-solar- powered-desalination-plant-with-daily-capacity-of-10000-litres

IIT Madras Team Builds India’s First Solar-Powered Desalination Plant With Daily Capacity Of 10,000 Litres

A team of Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has set up the country’s first solar powered desalination plant in Tamil Nadu, reports Times of India.

The plant, situated on a 120 square meter (sqm) area near Vivekanada Memorial at Kanyakumari, has a capacity to generate 10,000 litres of freshwater a day.

According to the report, the Rs 1.22 crore experimental project is funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and will be soon inaugurated.

Professor A Mani of refrigeration and air-conditioning lab at IIT Madras’s mechanical engineering department informed that at the plant, the surface seawater is pumped in a collector that traps sun’s radiation and converts it into heat. The sun’s energy is used to heat seawater, which is at 37 degree Celsius, to 70 degree Celsius and above.

The hot water is then pushed into a flash chamber under vacuum and around one percent turned into vapour, which is sent to a condenser and cooled with sea surface water to generate freshwater.

The plant uses solar energy to heat water and generate power through photo-voltaic panels. The power generated is converted from direct current to alternating current using an inverter, and stored in 14 batteries to provide 30 minute of power backup. However, since the plant is only using the solar power, it can only be operated during the day.

The freshwater generated by the plant has only 2 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved salts. “For drinking, WHO recommends water with 500 ppm. So, we mix this water with local municipal water,” Professor Mani was quoted in the report as saying.

Date: 23rd March 2019 Publication: Patrakai Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: இந்鎿 ாힿல் 믁தல் 毂ரி ஒளி அ羿ப்பவட뾿லான கடல்நீர் 毁த்鎿கரிப்ꯁ வெ ெ் ! ஐஐ羿 மென்வன ொதவன URL: https://patrikai.com/first-solar-based-sea-water-desalination-plant-in-india-at- kanyakumari-iit-chennai-achievement/

இந்鎿 ாힿல் 믁தல் 毂ரி ஒளி அ羿ப்பவட뾿லான கடல்நீர் 毁த்鎿கரிப்ꯁ வெ ெ் ! ஐஐ羿 மென்வன ொதவன

Date: 24th March 2019 Publication: The Print Edition: Online Journalist: Sandhya Ramesh Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy Headline: A new era begins for cricket stats, where quality of opposition & pressure will count URL: https://theprint.in/sport/a-new-era-begins-for-cricket-stats-where-quality-of- opposition-pressure-will-count/210428/

A new era begins for cricket stats, where quality of opposition & pressure will count

Numbers are essential to any sport, and cricket fans especially like to throw them around to make their point, show off their knowledge and acknowledge the greatness of legends — from Sir Donald Bradman’s average of 99.94 to Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 international centuries and Muttiah Muralitharan’s 800 Test wickets.

Given cricket’s multiple formats and mushrooming national leagues, there have been increasing discussions to move beyond the traditional measurement systems. And now, ESPNCricinfo and IIT-Madras have got together to launch a new kind of scoring metric called Superstats, which uses data science for analysis.

The idea is to take into consideration factors that the traditional metrics like economy rate, average and strike rate don’t take into account — context, game situation, etc. For example, these new stats will give different weightage to a century under pressure against high-quality opponents than one while batting first against an associate nation. They will also, for the first time, take into account the element of luck, such as dropped catches or incorrect umpiring decisions.

“The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances,” said Sambit Bal, editor-in-chief of ESPNCricinfo. “We have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better.”

At the launch of Superstats, India’s legendary batsman and current Under-19 and India ‘A’ coach Rahul Dravid said: “The critical thing for me are the people who are going to make the best use of these numbers — how you read those numbers, what you get out of these numbers is the key.”

What is Superstats? Superstats was originally launched in 2018 as a standalone tool for fans to judge performances in T20s, but is now utilised for number-driven metrics.

The AI-powered algorithm combs meticulously through over 10 years of ball-by-ball data, and takes into consideration three new parameters: Luck index, forecaster, and smart stats. It also utilises new metrics like smart wickets, player quality index, and pressure indices.

The algorithm processes fast incoming data, quantifies the impact of luck, and analyses the real value of a player’s performance in the game of cricket in real time. It was developed by researchers from IIT-Madras and Gyan Data Pvt Ltd, a company incubated by the institution, in partnership with cricket experts from ESPNCricinfo.

Under this umbrella come three sets of metrics — Luck Index, Forecaster and Smart Stats.

Luck Index The most interesting new aspect to Superstats is the Luck Index which, for the first time, quantifies the element of chance in a game.

“While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalise and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion,” said Raghunathan Rengaswamy of the department of chemical engineering who, along with Mahesh Panchagnula of IIT-Madras, led the project.

Luck Index identifies events that are considered to be ‘lucky’. These are of two types — dismissal-related, and non-dismissal related. Some dismissal-related events that fall under the luck quantifier are events like a dropped catch, a batsman wrongly given out by the umpire, a missed stumping, etc. Non-dismissal events are where the batsman getting out is not in the picture, like overthrows, no-balls, injuries, etc.

To quantify the luck, the Luck Index model of the algorithm performs a simulation where the lucky event is replaced with the opposite of it and the game continues. Depending on the extent to which it alters the match, the events are weighted. Dismissal events are weighted higher, and if that event caused the match to have a completely different outcome, it is weighted even higher.

Speaking on the element of luck, Dravid recalled: “Luck played a huge role in my career in 2009. I was on the verge of being dropped and was given an extra opportunity in Mohali against England. I was batting at number 3 and Stuart Broad bounced me. It was a top edge and as soon as I hit it, I was ‘oh god, I’m out again’.

“It just fell (short) of Matt Prior and the fine-leg fielder running in. I got a hundred in that game and went on to have a couple of good years, including three hundreds in England.”

Date: 24th March 2019 Publication: Mumbai News Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy Headline: ESPNcricinfo Launches Superstats, new metrics that uses Data Science to analyze the game of Cricket URL: http://mumbainewsexpress.com/espncricinfo-launches-superstats-new-metrics- that-uses-data-science-to-analyze-the-game-of-cricket/

ESPNcricinfo Launches Superstats, new metrics that uses Data Science to analyze the game of Cricket

IIT Madras Researchers and an IIT-M incubated company Gyan Data Pvt. Ltd. working with cricket experts from ESPNcricinfo derived Superstats from ESPNcricinfo’s rich ball- by-ball database which has more than ten years of detailed data, and scientific methods, processes and complex algorithms based on machine learning. The algorithms process accurate, fast data, quantify the impact of luck and analyze the real value of a player’s performance in the game of cricket in real time. This work was led by Profs. Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Mahesh Panchagnula of IIT Madras along with the ESPNcricinfo team. Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia, said, “The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances. ESPNcricinfo has always been a pioneer in cricket data analysis and we have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better.” Speaking about the data analytics behind this initiative, Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, IIT Madras, said, “While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalize and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion.” He further added, “The AI work at IIT Madras is targeted towards several verticals such as fintech, manufacturing, smart city, biological systems engineering, and healthcare. Through this project, we have now forayed into sports analytics as well.” Rahul Dravid, former Indian captain and head coach for the Under-19, on the role of luck in cricket, said, “Luck played a huge role in my career in 2009. I was on the verge of being dropped and was given an extra opportunity in Mohali against England. I was batting at number 3 and Stuart Broad bounces me. It was a top edge and as soon as I hit it, I was “oh god, I’m out again”. It just falls (short) of Matt Prior and the fine-leg fielder running in. I get a hundred in that game and go on to have a couple of good years, including three hundreds in England”. Commenting on Smart Stats, adding the most important thing going forward, he said, “The critical thing for me are the people who are going to make the best use of these numbers- how you read those numbers, what you get out of these numbers is the key.” These data science algorithms use forecasting methods that train on past data to uncover trends and patterns during different periods of play and adapt based on actual match data resulting in highly accurate predictive models. Smart Stats, launched at first as a standalone tool in 2018, is a suite of metrics that help fans judge performances in limited-overs cricket, especially the T20s, in a far more nuanced manner than conventional metrics do. It takes into account the context to every performance, batting and bowling. Context includes pitch conditions, quality of opposition, and match situation – in terms of the pressure on the player. In its new avatar, Smart Stats has added metrics such as Smart Wickets, Player Quality Index and Pressure Indices, to cover all facets of the game. These metrics have led to sharper story-telling, with some of the strands being: Most impactful batsman/bowler in a match, in terms of runs scored/saved above par (a cameo of 30 in 10 balls maybe more impactful than 70 off 50 balls) An alternative scorecard based entirely on smart stats numbers Best batsman/bowler in each phase (powerplay/death overs), based entirely on smart stats Difference between the conventional numbers and smart stats numbers (the true- value players) The Luck Index – So far, the impact of luck on match results have only been spoken about in qualitative terms; a bowler can beat the batsman numerous times but still have zero wickets or an edge from the bat can still concede a boundary. There is no way to assess how lucky a team/player has been. ESPNcricinfo fills this gap with Luck Index, a metrics that measure the quantum of luck by factoring the occurrence of several events including toss, umpiring errors (both DRS and non-DRS decisions), dismissal of a no-ball, dropped catches and more. The core of the algorithm is in scoring various luck events that occur in a match. Data science algorithms play out different scenarios to evaluate the impact of the luck events. Generalization of the impact of the luck events through an equivalent “runs potential” brings all these events to a common baseline. This makes it possible to answer questions related to luckiest team, luckiest player, alternate points table, head-to-head luck impact and so on in the context of an entire tournament. Forecaster functions as a prediction tool which provides win probability for the chasing team, likely score for the team that bats first, runs and wicket probability in the following over, for each bowler and so forth. ESPNcricinfo has always been at the forefront of stats and analyses, but with the amount of data now available at its disposal, ESPNcricinfo takes cricket analytics to the next level, to tell fascinating numbers-driven stories that bring the fans to the heart of the action. ESPN in India: India is a key part of ESPN’s growth – in the Asia-Pacific region and globally – and its presence in the country is powered by the potent combination of ESPN’s leadership in digital sports and its long-term collaboration with Sony Pictures Networks India. Serving the massive and vibrant sports fan community with entertaining, insightful and high-quality products and content, across digital devices and television, is at the core of ESPN’s strategy in India and the subcontinent. With offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, it boasts a world-class team that powers ESPN.in and ESPNcricinfo, including technologists, developers, editors, journalists and more who constitute the largest technology and digital editorial teams outside the United States. Date: 24th March 2019 Publication: Newstm.in Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: இந்鎿 ாힿல் 믁தல் 毂ரி ஒளி அ羿ப்பவட뾿லான கடல்நீர் 毁த்鎿கரிப்ꯁ வெ ெ் ... ஐஐ羿 மென்வன ொதவன URL: https://www.newstm.in/news/tamilnadu/general/58864-iit-madras-team-builds- india-s-first-solar-powered-desalination-plant.html

இந்鎿 ாힿல் 믁தல் 毂ரி ஒளி அ羿ப்பவட뾿லான கடல்நீர் 毁த்鎿கரிப்ꯁ வெ ெ் ... ஐஐ羿 மென்வன ொதவன

இந்鎿 ாힿன் 믁தல் 毂ரி ஒளி அ羿ப்பனட뾿லான கடல்நீர் 毁த்鎿கரிப்ꯁ னெ த்னத ஏற்ப翁த்鎿 சென்னன ஐஐ羿 ொதனன பனடத்鏁ள்ள鏁.

நெ் ொநிலத்鎿ல் ஏற்கனயவ கடல் நீர் 毁த்鎿கரிப்ꯁ னெ ெ் செ ல்பட்டா쯁ெ் கடல் நீரில் உள்ள தண்ணீனர 毁த்鎿கரிப்ப鎿ல் 殿ல 殿க்கல்கள் உள்ளன. அயதா翁 இப்யபா鏁ள்ள 毁த்鎿கரிப்ꯁ 믁னறகளில் 毁ற்쟁ெ்毂ழனல ொ毁ப்ப翁த்鏁ெ் டாக்殿க் யபான்ற சநா鎿க쿁ெ் உள்ளதால் இதற்埁 ொற்றாக பல்யவ쟁 ஆ ்ퟁகள் யெற்சகாள்ளப்பட்翁 வந்த鏁.

ஏசனனில் நாட்羿ன் தண்ணீர் ꮿரெ்殿னன 뮿க அ鎿கரிக்埁ெ் யபா鏁 கடல்நீர் தான் 뮿கப்சபரி நீர் ஆதரொக இ쏁க்埁ெ். இந்நினல뾿ல் நாட்羿ன் 믁தல் 毂ரி ஒளி அ羿ப்பனட뾿லான கடல்நீர் 毁த்鎿கரிப்ꯁ னெ ெ் கன்னி ா埁ெரி뾿ல் உள்ள ힿயவகானந்தர் நினனퟁ ெண்டபத்鎿ல் அனெக்கப்பட உள்ள鏁.

இெ்னெ த்鎿ல் நாசளான்쟁க்埁 10 ஆ뾿ரெ் 쮿ட்டர் கடல் நீனர 埁羿நீராக ொற்ற 믁羿뿁ெ். இந்鎿 ꯁힿ뾿 ல் அ잿ힿ ல் னெ த்鎿ன் 1,22 யகா羿 நி鎿 உதힿய ா翁 சென்னன ஐஐ羿 믂லெ் இத்鎿ட்டெ் ힿனரힿல் ஆரெ்ꮿக்கப்பட உள்ள鏁.

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: National Herald News Edition: Online Journalist: Prashant Kapadia Professor: Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Prof Mahesh Panchagnula Headline: ESPNcricinfo Launches Superstats, New Metrics that Uses Data Science to Analyze the game of Cricket URL: http://nationalheraldnews.com/espncricinfo-launches-superstats-new-metrics- that-uses-data-science-to-analyze-the-game-of-cricket/

ESPNcricinfo Launches Superstats, New Metrics that Uses Data Science to Analyze the game of Cricket

In the era of multiple formats and leagues, game of cricket needs to move beyond conventional measurement system such as economy rate, average and strike rate. Keeping this in mind, ESPNcricinfo in partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Madras launches Superstats, next level metrics to analyze the game of cricket. Superstats is a combination of stats metrics – Luck Index, Forecaster and Smart Stats that uses Data Science for the first time to give a context to every event in a game and also venture into new territories such as luck and forecasting. Former cricketing legends Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Manjrekar graced the occasion and shared their views on the need for next level statistics in the constantly evolving game of cricket. IIT Madras Researchers and an IIT-M incubated company Gyan Data Pvt. Ltd. working with cricket experts from ESPNcricinfo derived Superstats from ESPNcricinfo’s rich ball- by-ball database which has more than ten years of detailed data, and scientific methods, processes and complex algorithms based on machine learning. The algorithms process accurate, fast data, quantify the impact of luck and analyze the real value of a player’s performance in the game of cricket in real time. This work was led by Profs. Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Mahesh Panchagnula of IIT Madras along with the ESPNcricinfo team. Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo and ESPN South Asia, said, “The development of these new metrics filled a long-felt gap in evaluating cricket performances. ESPNcricinfo has always been a pioneer in cricket data analysis and we have combined big data, cricket intelligence, and also data science to produce a set of numbers that will help fans understand and appreciate the game better.” Speaking about the data analytics behind this initiative, Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, IIT Madras, said, “While there might be many interpretations for luck, these algorithms rationalize and consistently quantify luck events so that a whole tournament with matches that occurred in disparate circumstances could be compared in an ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion.” He further added, “The AI work at IIT Madras is targeted towards several verticals such as fintech, manufacturing, smart city, biological systems engineering, and healthcare. Through this project, we have now forayed into sports analytics as well.” Rahul Dravid, former Indian captain and head coach for the Under-19, on the role of luck in cricket, said, “Luck played a huge role in my career in 2009. I was on the verge of being dropped and was given an extra opportunity in Mohali against England. I was batting at number 3 and Stuart Broad bounces me. It was a top edge and as soon as I hit it, I was “oh god, I’m out again”. It just falls (short) of Matt Prior and the fine-leg fielder running in. I get a hundred in that game and go on to have a couple of good years, including three hundreds in England”. Commenting on Smart Stats, adding the most important thing going forward, he said, “The critical thing for me are the people who are going to make the best use of these numbers- how you read those numbers, what you get out of these numbers is the key.” These data science algorithms use forecasting methods that train on past data to uncover trends and patterns during different periods of play and adapt based on actual match data resulting in highly accurate predictive models. Smart Stats, launched at first as a standalone tool in 2018, is a suite of metrics that help fans judge performances in limited-overs cricket, especially the T20s, in a far more nuanced manner than conventional metrics do. It takes into account the context to every performance, batting and bowling. Context includes pitch conditions, quality of opposition, and match situation – in terms of the pressure on the player. In its new avatar, Smart Stats has added metrics such as Smart Wickets, Player Quality Index and Pressure Indices, to cover all facets of the game. These metrics have led to sharper story-telling, with some of the strands being: Most impactful batsman/bowler in a match, in terms of runs scored/saved above par (a cameo of 30 in 10 balls maybe more impactful than 70 off 50 balls) An alternative scorecard based entirely on smart stats numbers Best batsman/bowler in each phase (powerplay/death overs), based entirely on smart stats Difference between the conventional numbers and smart stats numbers (the true- value players) The Luck Index – So far, the impact of luck on match results have only been spoken about in qualitative terms; a bowler can beat the batsman numerous times but still have zero wickets or an edge from the bat can still concede a boundary. There is no way to assess how lucky a team/player has been. ESPNcricinfo fills this gap with Luck Index, a metrics that measure the quantum of luck by factoring the occurrence of several events including toss, umpiring errors (both DRS and non-DRS decisions), dismissal of a no-ball, dropped catches and more. The core of the algorithm is in scoring various luck events that occur in a match. Data science algorithms play out different scenarios to evaluate the impact of the luck events. Generalization of the impact of the luck events through an equivalent “runs potential” brings all these events to a common baseline. This makes it possible to answer questions related to luckiest team, luckiest player, alternate points table, head-to-head luck impact and so on in the context of an entire tournament. Forecaster functions as a prediction tool which provides win probability for the chasing team, likely score for the team that bats first, runs and wicket probability in the following over, for each bowler and so forth. ESPNcricinfo has always been at the forefront of stats and analyses, but with the amount of data now available at its disposal, ESPNcricinfo takes cricket analytics to the next level, to tell fascinating numbers-driven stories that bring the fans to the heart of the action. ESPN in India: India is a key part of ESPN’s growth – in the Asia-Pacific region and globally – and its presence in the country is powered by the potent combination of ESPN’s leadership in digital sports and its long-term collaboration with Sony Pictures Networks India. Serving the massive and vibrant sports fan community with entertaining, insightful and high-quality products and content, across digital devices and television, is at the core of ESPN’s strategy in India and the subcontinent. With offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, it boasts a world-class team that powers ESPN.in and ESPNcricinfo, including technologists, developers, editors, journalists and more who constitute the largest technology and digital editorial teams outside the United States.

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: Janpath Samachar Edition: Siliguri Page No: 7 Journalist: Dulal Debnath Headline: "ESPNcricinfo Launches ESPNcricinfo Launches SuperStats with IIT Madras".

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi Page No:2 Journalist: NA Headline:Sun and sea - A team from IIT Madras set up the country's first solar powered desalination plant at Kanyakumari.

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi Page No: 5 Journalist: Shubashree Desikan Professor: Prof Prabhu Rajagopalan Headline: Corning soon - a robot to clean septic tanks URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/coming-soon-a-robot-to- clean-septic-tanks/article26649772.ece

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi Page No: 8 Journalist: NA Headline: Slow on sanitation URL: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/slow-on- sanitation/article26656305.ece

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Delhi / Mumbai / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kochi / Ahmedabad / Chandigarh Page No: 8 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Prabhu Rajagopalan Headline: IIT-Madras students find the way to clean septic tanks URL: https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/drivingsanitation/1529822/

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: India Times Edition: Online Journalist: Gwyn D'Mello Headline: IIT Madras Students Build Robot To Clean Sewage Tanks, And Save Lives Of Sewage Cleaners URL: https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/science-and-future/iit-madras- students-build-robot-to-clean-sewage-tanks-and-save-lives-of-sewage-cleaners- 364386.html

IIT Madras Students Build Robot To Clean Sewage Tanks, And Save Lives Of Sewage Cleaners

It's estimated that around 8,00,000 people from lower-income groups are employed as sewage cleaners, and approximately 23,000 of them die every year. These labourers are sent into sewage lines with no safety gear, causing them to eventually perish due to asphyxiation, or complications from the poisonous gases present. Now, a group of students from IIT-Madras are hoping to save the lives of these workers by automating the process. Called the 'SEPoy Septic Tank Robot', it will undergo lab trials starting next month, with trials in real sewers scheduled for July. If the robot is indeed successful, perhaps it'll even be adopted for use by state governments.

SEPoy is in fact inspired by a similar robot that debuted last year, the Bandicoot. A product of GenRobotics in Kerala, the robot has a universal arm capable of grabbing the waste and a container to store it in to be lifted out of the manhole and emptied. With machine vision, Bandicoot is able to parse its surroundings and let a human operator outside the manhole effectively control it. For SEPoy however, the students instead opted for a smaller bot they wanted to be able to move through the waste. Though the liquid on top can be easily pumped out, it's the lower layer of sludge that human workers are usually sent in to clean. To design a robot capable of moving through this, the students had to get creative. A simple rotary propeller would quickly become ineffective in the thick sludge, so they instead opted for a bio-inspired six-fin propeller. SEPoy also has cutting tools that destabilize the sludge as it swims through it, allowing it to pumped out by a tanker. These are retractable, allowing the robot to fit into a manhole opening. The team is currently in talks with the Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA) for a possible partnership. Though the current device is still technically in prototype stage, they hope to have a final product within a year. Reportedly, the Telangana government has already agreed to adopt it if it passes trials. There are problems to deal with along the way however. Robots to clean sewers may not have to worry about toxic fumes, but they need to be spark-proof, sealed to liquids, have the ability to move around, and some sort of wireless communication system. All of this drives up the cost, with the SEPoy also estimated to cost around Rs 10-30 lakh Eventually, we'll need to apply advanced robotic techniques to build cheaper automatons capable of replacing human sewage cleaners, if we want to save lives.

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: Malai Malar Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: ெனிதர்க쿁க்埁 ப鎿லாக க펿ퟁநீர் மதாட்羿கவள 毁த்தெ் மெ ் யராயபா - மென்வன ஐஐ羿 ொதவன (Robots to replace humans in cleaning Septic Tanks - IIT Madras Achievement) URL: https://www.maalaimalar.com/News/District/2019/03/27150301/1234241/Robot- to-clean-sewage-pipes-Chennai-IIT-Record.vpf

ெனிதர்க쿁க்埁 ப鎿லாக க펿ퟁநீர் மதாட்羿கவள 毁த்தெ் மெ ் யராயபா - மென்வன ஐஐ羿 ொதவன (Robots to replace humans in cleaning Septic Tanks - IIT Madras Achievement)

இந்鎿 ாힿல் லட்ெக்கணக்கான க펿ퟁநீர் சதாட்羿கள் அꟁெ鎿뾿ன்잿 ெட்டힿயராதொக கட்டப்பட்翁ள்ளன. அவற்னற 毁த்தெ் செ ் அதꟁள் இறங்埁ெ் சதா펿லாளர்கள் ힿஷவா뿁 தாக்垿 இறந்鏁 ힿ翁垿ன்றனர்.

இதனால் சதா펿லாளர்களின் 埁翁ெ்பங்கள் ஆதரힿன்잿 தힿக்垿ன்றன. அவர்கள் சொல்சலாண்ணா 鏁 ரத்鏁க்埁 ஆளா垿ன்றனர்.

ힿஷவா뿁 தாக்埁த쮿ல் உ뾿ரிழப்னப த翁க்க சென்னன ‘ஐ.ஐ.羿.’ அ鎿 நퟀன ‘யராயபா’னவ (எந்鎿ர ெனிதனன) உ쏁வாக்垿 உள்ள鏁.

இந்த ‘யராயபா’க்கள் க펿ퟁநீர் சதாட்羿க்埁ள் இறக்垿 ힿடப்பட்翁 அ鏁毁ழ쯁ெ் ힿ殿잿கள் 믂லெ் அல殿毁த்தெ் செ ்뿁ெ் வனக뾿ல் அ鏁 வ羿வனெக்கப்பட்翁ள்ள鏁. ힿொனத்鎿ல் இ쏁ப்ப鏁 யபான்쟁 毁ழ쯁ெ் 뮿ன்ힿ殿잿 ப ன்ப翁த்த 믁 ற்殿 யெற்சகாள்ளப்பட்ட鏁.

அ鎿ல் 毁ழ쯁ெ் ힿ殿잿뾿ல் உள்ள ꮿயள翁கள் க펿ퟁ நீ쏁க்埁ள் ꯁ埁ந்鏁சதாட்羿ன அல毁வ鎿ல் 殿ரெெ் ஏற்ப翁ெ் நினல ஏற்பட்ட鏁. எனயவ, ힿ殿잿뾿ல் 6 鏁翁ப்ꯁகள் யபான்ற ꮿயள翁கள் சபா쏁த்தப்பட்翁ள்ளன. இந்த 毁ழ쯁ெ் ힿ殿잿கனள ொணவர் ஸ்ரீகாந்த் உ쏁வாக்垿னார்.

இயத 믁னற뾿ல் ஆ뾿ல் ெற்쟁ெ் 垿 ாஸ் 鏁னறகளி쯁ெ் சதாட்羿கனள 毁த்தெ் செ ்뿁ெ் 믁 ற்殿뾿쯁ெ் சென்னன ‘ஐ.ஐ.羿.’ யபரா殿ரி ர்க쿁ெ், ொணவர்க쿁ெ் ஈ翁பட்翁ள்ளனர்.

க펿ퟁநீர் சதாட்羿ன 毁த்தெ் செ ்뿁ெ் ‘யராயபா’ힿன் செ ல்பா翁埁잿த்த ஆ ்வக பரியொதனனன வ쏁垿ற ஏப்ரல் ெற்쟁ெ் யெ ொதங்களில் நடத்த 鎿ட்ட뮿டப்பட்翁ள்ள鏁. ஜூனல ெற்쟁ெ் ஆகஸ்羿ல் க펿ퟁநீர் சதாட்羿뾿ல் பரியொதனன யெற்சகாள்ளப்ப翁垿ற鏁.

鏂 ்னெ இந்鎿 ா 鎿ட்டத்鎿ன் 埀ழ் 뮿கퟁெ் உள்ளடங்垿 ப埁鎿களில் ஏராளொன க펿வனறகள் கட்டப்பட்翁ள்ளன. அங்சகல்லாெ் 뮿க 埁쟁垿 சத쏁க்களில் வாகனங்கனள뿁ெ், பெ்ꯁகனள뿁ெ் எ翁த்鏁ெ் செல்ல 믁羿 ா鏁. ஆனால் ‘யராயபா’னவ எளிதாக எ翁த்鏁 சென்쟁 க펿ퟁநீர் சதாட்羿கனள 毁த்தெ் செ ் 믁羿뿁ெ். Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: Stuff Edition: Online Journalist: Burhanuddin Kapasi Headline: ESPNcricinfo’s SuperStats uses data science and AI to tickle cricket geeks URL: https://www.stuff.tv/in/hot-stuff/apps/espncricinfos-superstats-uses-data- science-and-ai-tickle-cricket-geeks

ESPNcricinfo’s SuperStats uses data science and AI to tickle cricket geeks

Playing cricket is one, but watching cricket on the telly is another ballgame all together. During the game we’re bombarded with outdated stat sheets, player history and game analysis. Oh, and a ton of advertisements too. Starting today, ESPNcricinfo takes cricket viewing to another level with SuperStats - a new metric system which uses the power of technology combining AI, data sciences and algorithms. With the help of IIT Madras and Gyan Data, it’s developed three metrics like - Lucky Index (how lucky was the player or team), Forecaster (predict wickets and runs with each ball or over) and Smart Stats (pitch conditions, opposition/player quality and match situations). Now cricket isn’t about taking wickets, smashing sixes or acrobatic fielding, it’s much, much more than that. It’s now more of a story with a bunch of numbers and graphs for your eyes to feast on the telly. Finally, the nerds have taken over the game cricket and we’re pleased. Could you imagine what people could do with this? Fantasy cricket, betting, match fixing, oh man. Nevertheless, you could follow ESPNcricinfo on Twitter or download the app right onto your smartphone for extra details.

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: Dina Sethi Edition: Chennai Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Headline: ெனிதர்க쿁க்埁 ப鎿லாக க펿ퟁநீர் மதாட்羿கவள 毁த்தெ் மெ ் யராயபா - மென்வன ஐஐ羿 ொதவன (Robots to replace humans in cleaning Septic Tanks - IIT Madras Achievement)

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: Scoop Whoop Edition: Online Journalist: Meenu Katariya Headline: Team From IIT-Madras Reach Finals Of SpaceX Hyperloop Competition, The Only Asian Team To Do So URL: https://www.scoopwhoop.com/news/iit-madras-only-asian-team-in-spacex- hyperloop-finals/#.uig43j0r7

Team From IIT-Madras Reach Finals Of SpaceX Hyperloop Competition, The Only Asian Team To Do So

SpaceX, a space exploration firm headed by Elon Musk is a pioneer in the Hyperloop technology and it holds a global competition called Hyperloop Pod Competition, every year.

And the good news this year is that an Indian team has made it to the finals.

Avishkar Hyperloop, a student team from IIT-Madras has reached to the top 21 teams shortlisted for the final round. The team has built a prototype hyperloop pod that would take just 25 minutes to travel from Chennai to Bengaluru.

Theirs is also the only team from Asia to qualify for this competition.

Hyperloop has the potential of transforming the entire transportation scenario of the world. It involves a sealed tube or system of tubes that allows a pod to travel without air resistance or friction, transporting people or freight objects at high speeds.

Avishkar Hyperloop, founded and headed by Suyash Singh, claims that their pod is likely to achieve the speed of 400 to 450 kmph during the finals to be held in July in California. It is a 30-member strong team with members ranging from graduates to PhD scholars.

Talking to YourStory, Ankit, one of the team members said that their team was made to lay the foundation for an indigenously developed hyperloop system for India.

"Laying the foundation for an indigenously developed hyperloop system for India will take a few years; only after that, will it be tested on the tracks. We believe the team has a long way to go and we expect the student team to be involved till the hyperloop competition is held."

The entire team is working hard to clock the highest speed possible and give their best performance in the competition.

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: MensXp Edition: Online Journalist: Robin Wood Headline: IIT-Madras Is The Only Asian Team To Reach Finals Of SpaceX's Hyperloop Competition & We're Proud URL: https://www.mensxp.com/social-hits/news/51477-iit-madras-is-the-only-asian- team-to-reach-finals-of-spacex-rsquo-s-hyperloop-competition-we-rsquo-re- proud.html

IIT-Madras Is The Only Asian Team To Reach Finals Of SpaceX's Hyperloop Competition & We're Proud

While India is on a roll from one scientific invention to the other, we have some kids from IIT Madras stealing the show!

Elon Musk's Hyperloop Technology concept took an amazing spin when a team from IIT Madras competed in the Hyperloop Pod competition held every year and reached the finals, making them the only Asian team to do so!

IIT-Madras In Finals Of SpaceX's Hyperloop Competition

If you're wondering what Hyperloop Technology actually is, it's an advanced technique that could revolutionise travel in the future. The concept was developed by Elon Musk back in 2013 through his space exploration firm called 'SpaceX' and since then, many companies and firms have been working on strengthening this technology.

When the competition was held this year, a student team from IIT Madras made it to the finals after they developed a prototype Hyperloop pod called 'Avishkar Hyperloop' that would take 25 minutes to travel from Chennai to Bengaluru.

IIT-Madras In Finals Of SpaceX's Hyperloop Competition

The competition had 1500 teams from all over the world who were trying to create the fastest 'pod' or a travelling vessel for the entire concept. Their aim was quite specific to build the pod though. All they had to keep in mind was that their pod attained the maximum speed and correspondingly it had comparative deceleration. Other than that, the participants were allowed to go as crazy creatively as they pleased.

As 'Avishakar Hyperloop' are amongst the top 21 finalists, they'd be visiting the 'SpaceX' facility in California in July 2019 to test their prototype in a more relatable environment aka the hyperloop tunnel.

Date: 30th March 2019 Organization: Rajya Sabha TV Show: Science Moniter Edition: Electronic Journalist: Ms. Mrigakshi Dixit Faculty: Prof T. Pradeep Headline: Researchers convert greenhouse gases into energy source URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pF104Rlym8

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: Tamil Gizbot Edition: Online Journalist: By Vivek Sivanandam Headline: இனி ힿஷைா뿁 தாக்垿 ஒ쏁 உ뾿쏁ெ் யபாகா鏁: ஐஐ羿 மெட்ராஸ் ொணைர்களின் ꯁ鎿 கண்翁ꮿ羿ப்ꯁ.! (IIT Madras-students-build-robot-to- clean-sewage-tanks-and-save-lives-of-sewage-cleaners) URL: https://tamil.gizbot.com/news/iit-madras-students-build-robot-to-clean-sewage- tanks-and-save-lives-of-sewage-cleaners-021296.html

இனி ힿஷைா뿁 தாக்垿 ஒ쏁 உ뾿쏁ெ் யபாகா鏁: ஐஐ羿 மெட்ராஸ் ொணைர்களின் ꯁ鎿 கண்翁ꮿ羿ப்ꯁ.!

埁னறந்த வ쏁வா ் 埁폁க்கனள யெர்ந்த 毁ொர் 8,00,000 யபர் 鏁ப்பரퟁ பணி ாளர்களாக பணி ாற்잿 வ쏁வதாகퟁெ், அவர்களில் 垿ட்டத்தட்ட 23,000 யபர் ஒவ்சவா쏁 ஆண்翁ெ் இறக்垿றார்கள் எனퟁெ் கணக்垿டப்பட்翁ள்ள鏁. இத்சதா펿லாளர்கள் எந்தힿதொன பா鏁காப்ꯁ உபகரணங்க쿁ெ் இன்잿 க펿ퟁநீர் 埁ழா ்க쿁க்埁ள் அꟁப்பப்ப翁வதால், அவர்கள் இ쟁鎿뾿ல் 믂ெ்毁த்鎿ணறல் அல்ல鏁 ힿஷவா뿁க்கள் தாக்埁தலால் இறக்垿ன்றனர்.

믁கꏂ쮿ல் எங்கள் செ ்鎿கனள உடꟁக்埁டன் ப羿க்க க்ளிக் செ ் ퟁெ்.! ஐ.ஐ.羿. செட்ரானஸ யெர்ந்த ொணவர்கள்

ஐ.ஐ.羿. செட்ரானஸ யெர்ந்த ொணவர்கள் தற்யபா鏁 ஐ.ஐ.羿. செட்ரானஸ யெர்ந்த ொணவர்கள் 埁폁 ஒன்쟁 இந்த பணின ஆட்யடாயெட் செ ்வதன் 믂லெ் இத்சதா펿லாளர்களின் வாழ்க்னகன காப்பாற்ற믁羿뿁ெ் என நெ்ꯁ垿ற鏁.'யெப்பா ் செப்ட்羿க் யடங்க் யராயபாட்' என அனழக்கப்ப翁ெ் இ鏁 அ翁த்த ொதெ் 믂லெ் ஆ ்வகங்களில் பரியொ鎿க்கப்படퟁள்ள鏁. உண்னெ ான ொக்கனடகளில் ஜூனல ொதத்鎿ல் யொதனனகள் நடத்த 鎿ட்ட뮿டப்பட்翁ள்ள鏁. இந்த யராயபா உண்னெ뾿ல் சவற்잿கரொக பரியொ鎿க்கப்பட்டால், ஒ쏁யவனள ொநில அரொங்கங்களால் ப ன்ப翁த்தப்படலாெ்.

"鎿 பன்羿யகாட்" உண்னெ뾿ல் இந்த யராயபா கடந்த ஆண்翁 அ잿믁கப்ப翁த்தப்பட்ட "鎿 பன்羿யகாட்" என்ற யராயபாவால் ஈர்க்கப்பட்翁 த ாரிக்கப்பட்ட鏁. யகரளாힿல் உள்ள சஜயனாயராபாட்羿க்ன் த ாரிப்பான அந்த யராபாட் க펿ퟁப்சபா쏁ட்கனள எ翁த்鏁 அனத சகாள்க쮿ன் யெகரித்鏁 க펿ퟁநீர் 埁ழா뾿쮿쏁ந்鏁 அனத சவளிய ற்잿 鏂 ்னெசெ ்뿁ெ்.

அதன் இ ந்鎿ர பார்னவ 믂லெ், பன்羿யகாட் 毁ற்쟁ப்ꯁறத்鎿ல் நகர்ந்鏁鏂 ்னெசெ ்뿁ெ். சவளிய இ쏁க்埁ெ் ஆபயரட்டர் அனத கட்翁ப்ப翁த்த믁羿뿁ெ்.

鎿டக்க펿ퟁகனள எளி鎿ல் னக ா쿁ெ் ..

鎿டக்க펿ퟁகனள எளி鎿ல் னக ா쿁ெ் .. எனிꟁெ் யெப்பா ் யராயபாட்羿ல், 殿잿 பாட்-ஐ யதர்ퟁ செ ்வதற்埁 ப鎿லாக, க펿ퟁகள் 믁폁வனத뿁ெ் னக ா쿁ெ் வனக뾿ல் வ羿வனெக்க ொணவர்கள் ힿ쏁ெ்ꮿனர். யெயல உள்ள 鎿ரவ வ羿ힿலான க펿ퟁகள் எளி鎿ல் பெ்ப் 믂லெ் சவளிய ற்றப்பட்டா쯁ெ், அ羿ப்ப埁鎿뾿ல் உள்ள 鎿டக்க펿ퟁகனள அகற்றயவ ெனித சதா펿லாளர்கனள சபா鏁வாக ப ன்ப翁த்鏁垿ன்றனர்.

鎿டக்க펿ퟁகனள எளி鎿ல் னக ா쿁ெ் வனக뾿ல், இந்த யராயபாட்羿ல் உள்ள சவட்翁ெ் இ ந்鎿ரங்கள் அவற்னற சவட்羿 சகாள்கலꟁக்埁 அꟁப்ꯁெ். ொக்கனட 埁ழா ் 鎿றப்ꮿல் ெரி ாக சபா쏁ந்鏁ெ் வனக뾿ல் இ鏁 வ羿வனெக்கப்பட்翁ள்ள鏁.

சதா펿ல்ꏁட்ப ரீ鎿 ாக 믁ன்ொ鎿ரி நினல뾿ல்

சதா펿ல்ꏁட்ப ரீ鎿 ாக 믁ன்ொ鎿ரி நினல뾿ல் இக்埁폁 தற்யபா鏁 ொபா ் கரெ்ொரி ஆந்யதாலன் (SKA) உடன் பங்埁தாரராக இனண யபெ்毁வார்த்னத뾿ல் ஈ翁பட்翁ள்ள鏁. தற்யபானதக்埁 இெ்ொதனெ் இன்ꟁெ் சதா펿ல்ꏁட்ப ரீ鎿 ாக 믁ன்ொ鎿ரி நினல뾿ல் இ쏁ந்தா쯁ெ், ஒ쏁 வ쏁டத்鎿ற்埁ள் இ쟁鎿 த ாரிப்னப உ쏁வாக்க 믁羿뿁ெ் என நெ்ꯁ垿றார்கள் . பரியொதனனன சவற்잿கரொக 믁羿வனட뿁ெ் பட்ெத்鎿ல் சத쯁ங்கானா அரொங்கெ் ஏற்கனயவ அனத ஏற்쟁க்சகாள்ள ஒப்ꯁக்சகாண்翁ள்ள鏁.

நெ்毁ப் சபா쏁ள்கனளப் பற்잿 கவனலப்பட யவண்羿鎿ல்னல

நெ்毁ப் சபா쏁ள்கனளப் பற்잿 கவனலப்பட யவண்羿鎿ல்னல இ쏁ப்ꮿꟁெ் இந்த யராயபா வ羿வனெப்ꮿல் ஏராளொன 殿க்கல்கள் உள்ளன. ொக்கனடகனள 毁த்தெ் செ ்뿁ெ் யபா鏁 யராயபாக்கள் நெ்毁ப் சபா쏁ள்கனளப் பற்잿 கவனலப்பட யவண்羿鎿ல்னல. ஆனால் அனவ 鏀ப்சபா잿ன ெொளிக்埁ெ் வனக뾿쯁ெ், 鎿ரவங்கள் உட்ꯁகா வனக뾿쯁ெ், இ쏁க்கயவண்翁ெ். யெ쯁ெ் 毁ற்쟁ப்ꯁறங்களில் நகரக்埂羿鎿றன் ெற்쟁ெ் வ ர்சலஸ் தகவல்சதாடர்ꯁ அனெப்ꯁெ் வ羿வனெப்ꮿல் உள்ள鏁. இந்த அனனத்鏁 செலퟁகனள뿁ெ் யெர்த்தால், யெப்பா ் யராயபாힿன் வ羿வனெப்ꯁ செலퟁ 쏂10 லட்ெத்鎿쮿쏁ந்鏁 30 லட்ெெ் வனர இ쏁க்கலாெ்.

Date: 31st March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi Page no: 15 Journalist: Dr R Prasad Professor: Prof. Sekar Headline: IIT Madras converts petroleum waste toluene into useful product URL: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/iit-madras-converts-petroleum- waste-toluene-into-useful-product/article26688417.ece

Other miscellaneous news

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 5 Journalist: SV Krishna Chaitanya Student: Nitin Kumar Headline: Bengaluru firm blacklisted for sacking 3 IIT-Madras recruits? URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/mar/01/bengaluru- firm-blacklisted-for-sacking-3-iit-madras-recruits-1945102.html

Date: 28th February 2019 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Delhi/Chennai/Kolkata Page No: 13 Journalist: NA Headline: IITs, IISc, DU, JNU make it to QS Rankings list URL: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/education/iits-iisc-du-jnu-make-it- to-qs-rankings-list/article26397154.ece

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/ Faridabad / Gurgaon / Noida Page No: 17 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Bombay among global top 100 in engineering technology, art and design URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/iit-bombay-among-global- top-100-in-engineering-technology-art-and-design/articleshow/68211961.cms

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: Dr R Prasad Student: Ajay Kumar and Nabanita Chakraborty Headline: Four young scientists win DST science writing award URL: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/four-young-scientists-win-dst- science-writing-award/article26399048.ece

Four young scientists win DST science writing award

On the eve of National Science Day, a certificate of appreciation and cash prize were given to three PhD students and one Post-doc fellow who won the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST) science writing competition — Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR).

The AWSAR initiative is to encourage and equip PhD scholars and post-doctoral fellows with writing skills to communicate science with lay people. Students are required to submit a popular science article about their research.

Cash prizes of ₹1,00,000, ₹50,000 and ₹25,000 were given to the first three winners among PhD students and ₹1,00,000 to one Post-doc fellow. Also, 100 best stories by PhD students and top 20 stories by Post-doc fellows will get a cash prize of ₹10,000 each.

Ashish Srivastava from the School of Engineering and Technology, University of Mumbai won the first prize in the PhD category, while Ajay Kumar and Nabanita Chakraborty from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and Vidyasagar University, Medinipur, West Bengal won the second and third prizes, respectively. Dr. Paulomi Sanghavi from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai won the ₹1,00,000 prize in the Post-doc category.

“We received 2,600 stories from PhD students and 500 from Post-doc fellows,” said Dr. Rashmi Sharma, scientist at DST and in-charge of the AWSAR programme. Apparently, there were over 4,000 registrations but not every one who registered was able to submit stories on time. DST was expecting at least 5,000 articles from PhD students and about 1,000 articles from post-doctoral fellows.

“The stories by the top three PhD students are very good. Over all, there is scope for improvement among PhD students,” Dr. Sharma said. “The stories by Post-doc fellows are definitely better than PhD students. The experience of writing PhD thesis seems to have helped them.”

DST had conducted four workshops to teach students how to write popular science articles. The agency intends to conduct 8-10 such workshops this year. “The workshops will help in capacity building and further help in improving the writing skills of students,” she said

On why fewer than expected entries were received from PhD students, DST Secretary Prof. Ashutosh Sharma said: “Students have submitted their stories based on our advertisement. We have so far not made it mandatory for all PhD students to write a popular science article [based on their research]. We will take a final decision after consulting with other stakeholders. I feel it is desirable that PhD students write a popular science article during their PhD programme. It would improve their writing skills…they would gain a lot from it.”

Among the three winners and top 10 best stories in the PhD category, four are from Mumbai. Besides Ajay Kumar (who won the second prize), there are five more students from IIT Madras alone in the PhD category but none in the Post-doc category. While there are only four PhD students from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, there are three students in the Post-doc category. Altogether, there are 26 PhD students from IITs in the PhD category and two in the Post-doc category. Eight PhD students from CSIR labs are in the top 100 list.

“Science communication is an important activity for scientists and is a part of doing science. Yet, the importance of communicating with lay audience is not emphasised early on and those who do it are not rewarded,” DST Secretary Prof. Sharma told The Hindu last year. “We want to change this by producing a group of people who can translate their research work into popular science articles. The intent of the programme is to inculcate popular science writing skills and bring science closer to the society.”

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: Your Story Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain Headline: These electric bike startups are spearheading India's switch to clean energy URL: https://yourstory.com/2019/03/electric-bike-startups-india-clean-energy- b0fx1cl8ge

These electric bike startups are spearheading India's switch to clean energy

Tech These electric bike startups are spearheading India's switch to clean energy Over 80 percent of Indians are willing to switch to clean energy, says a study. Meet the top electric vehicle makers who are guiding this transition in the country.

Electric bikes are slowly going mainstream in India.

A recent study indicated that around 87 percent of the country’s population who own a vehicle were willing to switch to EVs. And not just because EVs are cost-effective, but also due to the lower carbon emissions.

This trend toward EVs is further backed by the creation of an entire ecosystem of cleantech startups which are investing in a clean energy future through innovations in swappable batteries, charging grids, energy storage, and energy management.

With some of India’s biggest two-wheeler manufacturers getting serious about electric and a host of startups developing a range of vehicles, the Indian consumer could well be spoilt for choice in the next couple of years.

Here’s a quick look at the six startups who are spearheading the adoption of EV bikes in India.

Founded by IIT-Madras alumni Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain in 2013, Ather Energy manufactures electric scooters. High capacity for range, high power output for quick acceleration and speed, a long life and fast charging abilities are some of the features that they wanted in an EV, and since no existing models had the best of these, the duo decided to just build one on their own.

Ather 340 and Ather 450 are priced at Rs 1.1 lakh and Rs 1.3 lakh, respectively. While the 340 model has a top speed of 70 kmph, the more advanced 450 model can travel at up to 80 kmph. Ather Energy has so far raised $59 million over four rounds of funding from the likes of Tiger Global and Indian two-wheeler giant Hero Motocorp for development, production, testing and launch of the vehicle. Ather Energy also created charging stations called AtherGrid.

Tork Motorcycles

Founded in 2009 by Kapil Shelke, Tork is one of the earliest EV startups in India. For their first model T6X, the team packed in a host of features including cloud connectivity, integrated GPS, and in-built navigation capabilities, making it the first smart motorcycle. Aimed at creating practical electric mobility solutions in India, Tork, previously a motorcycle racing firm, draws heavily from its past experiences.

In the past, the firm has proved its mettle on international circuits by finishing third at the prestigious Mecca of Electric Racing, The Isle of Man TT, and has also won the world's premier electric motorsport race series TTXGP.

In February 2018, auto component maker Bharat Forge announced it was a 45 percent stake in Tork for Rs 30 crore.

Emflux

A severe motorcycle accident turned out to be a twist of fate for IIT Delhi alumnus Varun Mittal. It was then that he decided to pursue his dream of building performance motorcycles. Along with co-founders Ankit Khatry and Vinay Raj Somashekar, Varun started Emflux.

The Bengaluru-based company builds electric superbikes as well as patented technology that can be used by other automobile manufacturers. Its electric superbike, Emflux ONE is best described as having the proportions and aggression of a superbike but with the calm and quiet of an electric vehicle.

The sports bike, powered by a lithium-ion battery, can reportedly go from zero to 100 kmph in under 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 170 kmph. A limited edition of 199 bikes is due to be launched in March 2019, priced at Rs 5-6 lakh.

Emflux raised over $500,000 in angel funding so far.

Ultraviolette Automotive

An electric vehicle company backed by TVS Motor, Ultraviolette Automotive was founded by Niraj Rajmohan and Narayan Subramaniam in December 2014. Although a green mobility startup, Ultraviolette looks beyond the concept of clean fuel.

The startup wants to combine style, speed, aspiration and luxury into one mean machine. And it won’t be long before the bike hits the market. Ultraviolette is looking to launch a 200-250cc electric bike capable of reaching a top speed of 150kmph by the end of this year.

Orxa Energies

Up-front costs, range, charge time, and charging infrastructure – these are some of the top concerns with EVs. Bengaluru-based husband-wife duo Ranjita Ravi and Prajwal Sabnis is all set to address these challenges with their latest venture Orxa Energies. The company is building an electric superbike with swappable batteries. And while naysayers may say that it’s difficult to build an electric performance bike from India, the duo has already got the likes of Airbus taking them – and their product - seriously. xa’s first offering, Mantis, which will be India's first fully-electric entrant in premium motorbike market, will hit the market later this year or in early 2020.

The latest entrant in the electric bike segment is Bengaluru-based bike-sharing solution platform Yulu, which recently launched its electric scooter, Yulu Miracle. A dockless, lithium battery-powered scooter, it is meant for short-distance commute for one person.

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: Mint Edition: - Delhi / Mumbai / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kolkata / Ahmedabad / Chandigarh Page No: 5 Journalist: Navadha Pandey Headline: Huawei says can test 5G in 20 days after govt nod URL: https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/huawei-says-can-test-5g-in- 20-days-after-govt-nod-1551345898637.html

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The Indian Express Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Kolkata/Ahemdabad/Faridabad / Gurgaon / Noida Page No: 16 Journalist: NA Headline: Computer Science Chemistry power India in QS Rankings URL: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/computer-science-chemistry- power-india-in-qs-rankings-iit-delhi-bombay-5605738/

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Mumbai Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Headline: AT The Forefront of management studies

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: Hindustan Times Edition: Pune Page No: 16 Journalist: Amandeep Shukla Headline: QS rankings IITs DU JNU in top 100 global schools list

Date: 1st March 2019 Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The Indian Express Edition: Pune Page No: 6 Journalist:NA Headline: INDIA IN QS WORLD RANKINGS 2019 BY SUBJECT

Date: 1st March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Hyderabad Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof BS Murty Headline: ‘Practical knowledge more vital than theory

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Jayaraman (retd) Headline: Obituary: Prof R Jayaraman passes away URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/obituary-prof-r- jayaraman-passes-away/article26413460.ece

Obituary: Prof R Jayaraman passes away

Obituary: R Jayaraman, former principal, College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, (CET) and Director of Technical Education (DTE), Government of Kerala, died here on Friday. He was 82 and lived at Gowreesapattom.

Highly respected as a teacher, he had served as professor emeritus, IIT Madras, after his retirement. Prof Jayaraman was also well known for his passion for ham radio operations.

Prof Jayaraman was the eldest son of Prof S Rajaraman, the first staff of CET. A gold medallist in civil engineering from CET, he subsequently obtained his PhD in hydraulics engineering from IIT Madras. After his stint as principal, CET, he was appointed Director of Technical Education. He served as professor emeritus, IIT Madras, after his retirement in 1991.

A ham radio veteran with the call sign VU2JN, Prof Jayaraman is a recipient of the first lifetime achievement award of the Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI), which is affiliated to the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).

Prof Jayaraman is survived by wife Kamala, son Anantharaman J, daughters Geetha J and Radha J. Geetha, who is a filmmaker, with her husband Ian McDonald had made the documentary 'OM: OldMan' on Prof Jayaraman and his passion for the ham radio. The film had won awards at international film festivals.

The cremation will be held at 3 p.m. at the Puthenkottai crematorium, Manacaud, on Saturday.

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Kochi Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Jayaraman (retd) Headline: Ex-Technical Edu director R Jayaraman, who served as CET principal, passes away URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/mar/02/ex-technical- edu-director-r-jayaraman-who-served-as-cet-principal-passes-away-1945513.html

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: India.com Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Bombay Listed as Top Ranking Indian Institute in Engineering And Technology; Stands at 53rd Position URL: https://www.india.com/education/iit-bombay-listed-in-top-100-institutions-in- engineering-and-technology-based-on-subject-wise-qs-rankings-3592063/

IIT Bombay Listed as Top Ranking Indian Institute in Engineering And Technology; Stands at 53rd Position

The Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay was listed among the top 100 institutions in engineering and technology and art and design (51-100) category as per the subject-wise QS rankings which were declared on Thursday. Some of the other Indian institutions in the list includes IIT-Delhi, IIT-Madras, IIT-Kharagpur, Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

The global ranking list of universities was released by an academic ranking agency Quacquarelli Symonds. The ranking list was prepared for 48 subjects in various disciplines such as art, design, engineering. IIT Bombay has been listed as the top- ranked Indian institution in the engineering and technology category at 53. The next two Indian institutes in the list include IIT-Delhi and IIT-Madras at 61st and 95th ranks respectively.

Notably, IIT-Bombay and IIT-Delhi are present within 51 to 100 bracket in the list for best global institutions for civil and structural engineering, stated a report. The two institutes are also featured among the top 100 rank list in computer science and information systems. In the chemical engineering rank list, IIT Bombay and IISc in Bangalore fall under the 51-100 bracket. Moreover, IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and IIT-Madras are featured among the top 100 in mechanical engineering.

While IIT-Bombay and IIT Kharagpur stand at 38th and 47th position in mineral and mining engineering, IIM Bengaluru falls under the top 100 places for business and management studies. Professor Swati Patankar, the dean of international relations from IIT, Bombay was quoted by Times of India as saying, “We are happy with the results, though it is not a surprise. Computer science and chemical engineering have always been our strength. We will strive to improve in other subjects as well.”

Meanwhile, US-based institutions dominated the list with 28 first ranks, followed by institutes in the UK topping in 13 disciplines. The rank list across streams and subjects was dominated by institutes from US and UK such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: Telangana Today Edition: Hyderabad Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Jayaraman (retd) Headline: Veteran HAM Prof Jayaraman passes away URL: https://telanganatoday.com/veteran-ham-prof-jayaraman-passes-away

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: Micro Knowledge Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Finalists Named for Microgrid Greater Good Awards URL: https://microgridknowledge.com/finalists-named-for-microgrid-greater-good- awards/

Finalists Named for Microgrid Greater Good Awards

Twenty-four finalists are now in the running for the Microgrid Greater Good Awards for 2019. community microgrids By palidachan/Shutterstock.com

Listed below, the finalists are among more than 100 projects nominated from throughout the world.

The final winners will be announced at Microgrid 2019: Shaping the New Electric Grid, May 14-16 in San Diego, Calif

Three awards will be given: Greater Good Award for a Grid-Connected Microgrid; Greater Good Award for a Remote Microgrid; Highest Recognition for a Microgrid Serving the Greater Good.

The winners must offer one or more benefits that include improved quality of life, lower energy costs, improved reliability, emissions reductions, enhancing a local economy and other factors.

“We received a tremendous number of fascinating microgrid projects, all that make life better for people in various ways. Narrowing them down was difficult. We’re eager to see who the judges determine to be the final winners,” said Elisa Wood, editor-in- chief of Microgrid Knowledge, which is hosting Microgrid 2019.

Judges for the competition are William Brent, director Power for All; Kaitlyn Bunker, manager, Islands Energy Program, Rocky Mountain Institute; and Jonathan Hart, senior specialist at the Center for Sustainable Energy

Here are the finalists by project name.

Greater Good Award for a Remote Microgrid Microgrid at Village Batambis, Himalayas, Global Himalayan Expedition, Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation Microgrid, Canada, JAZZ Solar Solutions, Outback- Caterpillar Center of Imagination, Mariana Humacao, Puerto Rico, BoxPower Microgrid for Solar Nigeria, Borno, Nigeria, EM-ONE Energy Solutions, AECOM, UK’s Department of International Development Kongiganak, Alaska project, Purvurnaq Power, UK’s Department of International Development Midnimo Micro-Grid for Refugees Returning Home, Somalia, SolarGen Technologies, UNHCR Rajasthan Microgrid, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner districts of Rajasthan India IIT Madras, Cygni Energy Manipur Microgrid Project, State of Manipur, India, IIT Madras, Cygni Energy Paratebueno Microgrid, Veresa Buenavista, Paratebueno, Colombia, Codensa, Saufer, Schneider Kitobo Hybrid Mini-grid, Kitobo island, Lake Victoria, Uganda, Absolute Energy, Work System Srl Project Sahasra Jyoti, Satjelia Island, Indian Sundarbans, WWF-India & Schneider Electric India Foundation, Bank of America, Vodafone, Trend Toro Negro Community Solar, Ciales, Puerto Rico, Maximo Solar Industries, Somos Solar, Deka Solar, Puerto Rico Community Foundation, Para la Naturaleza, Toro Negro Community Greater Good Award for a Grid-Connected Microgrid Berkshire Combined Heat and Power Microgrid, Pittsfield, Mass., Siemens, AZ Corp. Bowery Microgrid, Kearny, NJ., Scale Microgrid Solutions, Schneider Electric, C-Power Nation’s First Cyber-Secure Utility Microgrid at Ameren, Champaign, Ill., S&C Electric, IPERC, CAT, Northern Power Erlanger Hospital CHP Microgrid, Chattanooga, Tenn., White Harvest Energy, 2G Energy, Schneider Electric, Jake Marshall, LLC, Lawson Electric, AEED Engineering, Cannonball Video Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, Ameresco, GE Arizona Public Service Microgrid for Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona Public Service, Power Secure Montgomery County Microgrid, Montgomery County, Md., Schneider Electric, Duke Energy Renewables Fremont Fire Station Microgrids, Fremont, Calif., Gridscape Solutions Santa Rita Union School District Powered Emergency Response Centers (PERCs), Salinas, Calif., SolEd Benefit, Black & Veatch, Sharp Energy Solutions, Generate Capital, EcoMotion, MBL Energy The Charge Bliss Renewable Energy Hospital Microgrid, Richmond, Calif., Charge Bliss, OSIsoft, Samsung SDI, Princeton Power Systems Blue Lake Rancheria Microgrid, Blue Lake Rancheria, Calif., Siemens, Schatz Energy Research Center, others The top prize, Highest Recognition for a Microgrid Serving the Greater Good, will be selected from among the two lists.

About Microgrid 2019

“Microgrid 2019: Shaping the New Electric Grid” follows Microgrid Knowledge’s highly successful conferences in New York City, Boston and Chicago, all part of the online publication’s mission to advance microgrids.

Set on the waterfront at one of San Diego’s newest luxury hotels, Microgrid 2019 will gather together energy and policy leaders who are setting direction as microgrids grow into a $30.9 billion industry.

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: Tech in News Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Bombay among global top 100 in engineering technology, art and design URL: https://tech.einnews.com/article__detail/477938524-iit-bombay-among-global- top-100-in-engineering-technology-art-and-design?vcode=XIbw

IIT Bombay among global top 100 in engineering technology, art and design

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: Daily Pioneer Edition: Delhi Page No: 9 Journalist: NA Headline: Selection norms remain puzzling URL: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/columnists/selection-norms-remain- puzzling.html

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Headline: Plastic substitute wins innovation contest

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Headline: Kanniyakumari flyovers built in 2 years

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Kochi Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R. Jayaraman (retd) Headline: Prof R. Jayaraman

Date: 2nd March 2019 Publication: Trinity Mirror Edition:Chennai Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Headline: SVCE students win Innovation challenge competition

Date: 3rd March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: From Panjab University, only physics department stands tall URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/from-pu-only-physics- dept-stands-tall/articleshow/68237577.cms

Date: 3rd March 2019 Publication: Rising Kashmir Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: KU scores 51st rank in QS India University Rankings -2019 URL: http://risingkashmir.com/news/ku-scores-51st-rank-in-qs-india-university-rankings- -2019-345095.html

KU scores 51st rank in QS India University Rankings -2019

The University of Kashmir has secured 51st rank among the universities and higher education institutions assessed in the QS India University Rankings 2019. According to the latest report of 2019 released by the QS, University of Kashmir is ranked at 51st position in the list which has been topped by IIT –Bombay. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru stands second. The IITs in Madras, Delhi, Kharagpur, and Kanpur have bagged third, fourth, fifth and sixth position, respectively. The KU spokesperson said considering the lists of higher education institutions are usually dominated by the Indian Institutes of Technology in the country, the rankings have come as a delight to the University`s administration, staff, scholars, and students. The University, as per the spokesperson, has scored 90.9 marks out of 100 in the staff with PhD- the indicator designed to identify the extent to which institutions are cultivating a highly-qualified faculty body. Based on the proportion of academic staff members with PhD, this indicator aims to assess how successful universities have been in recruiting highly qualified faculty members. In faculty /student ratio the University has scored 54.7 –this parameter reflects the number of students enrolled per full-time academic faculty member employed. The aim is to give an indication of commitment to teaching and student support. Calculated using data from Scopus in Papers /faculty parameter the University has scored 26.7 while as in Citations/ paper parameter the University has scored 38.8. Both these parameters have shown an upward trend given the fact that the H- index of KU was less than 10 in its last NAAC accreditation cycle which has now registered a quantum jump of 47 at present. While terming it as “a positive development” at a time when the university is gearing up for NAAC visit for reaccreditation Vice Chancellor University of Kashmir Prof Talat Ahmad said, “This is a very positive development given the fact that institutions/universities in and around this region which otherwise have been assessed and graded well by NAAC are far behind than us in the QS ranking.” Prof Talat congratulated both the teaching and non-teaching staff of the University and also the students and scholars for this achievement. “Since we aspire to get recognized as an institution of excellence both at National and International level, therefore, we do not have to be complacent and work harder to score higher rankings next time as well as a better grade in the upcoming NAAC reaccreditation,” he said. The ranking by the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), a UK based company specialising in education, include public universities, private universities and higher education institutions or deemed universities. It is pertinent to mention here that last year the University scored 47thposition among universities assessed in the National Institutional Ranking Framework-2018 (NIRF) while as also in 2018 the University bagged .

Date: 3rd March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Chief Minister to inaugurate Mookaiyur Fishing Harbour tomorrow URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/chief-minister-to-inaugurate- mookaiyur-fishing-harbour-tomorrow/article26419167.ece

Chief Minister to inaugurate Mookaiyur Fishing Harbour tomorrow

The fishing harbour ‘reconstructed’ at a cost of ₹113.90 crore at Mookaiyur near Sayalkudi will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on March 4.

He would inaugurate the harbour, constructed by the Fishing Harbour and Engineering division by unveiling a plaque in Chennai. The harbour was being decked up for the inauguration. “We have completed all the major works and after removing a small section of rocky stretch in the mouth area the harbour would be ready for handling vessels later this month,” officials said.

The harbour would help decongest the Rameswaram fishing jetty and shift a section of mechanised boat fishermen, who were fishing in the Palk Bay and facing problems in the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy when they crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

At least 250 mechanised boats would be shifted from Rameswaram fishing jetty. The harbour would have facilities to accommodate 100 local country boats. It would have facilities to berth vessels being readied for deep sea fishing.

The harbour constructed based on the design and Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by IIT-Madras would have a host of facilities such as auction hall, net mending shed, rest shed, administration office, fish drying yard, rest room and radio communication tower.

Major components such as western training wall (370 m), eastern training wall (300 m), rubble mounded stone wall (418.5 m) and diaphragm wall (535 m) have been completed in advance. The project was launched in March, 2017 with 24 month project period and the completion of work was well within the time. The project was funded by the State and Central governments on 50:50 basis, they added.

Date: 3rd March 2019 Publication: Telangana Today Edition: Hyderabad Page No: 8 Journalist: NA Headline: Dialling 5G URL: https://telanganatoday.com/dialling-5g

Date: 4th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: Sindhu Kannan Headline: Small changes, big impact: How Tamil Nadu brought down road accidents URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/small-changes-big-impact- how-tamil-nadu-brought-down-road-accidents-deaths/articleshow/68248767.cms

Date: 4th March 2019 Publication: News Today Edition:Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Headline: Mugappair to receive water from Sikkarayapuram quarries Monday URL: https://newstodaynet.com/index.php/2019/03/03/mugappair-to-receive-water- from-sikkarayapuram-quarries-monday/

Date: 4th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: Rajasekaran Headline: IIT-Madras to test steam-electric power generator in dyeing unit URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/iit-madras-to-test-steam- electric-power-generator-in-dyeing-unit/articleshow/68247477.cms

Date: 4th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Delhi/Bangalore Page No: 1 Journalist: Sharnageee Dutta Headline: Five new Indian institutes debut in QS world rankings

Date: 4th March 2019 Publication: Hindustan Times Edition: Pune Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: Garware college runner-up at IMA competition

Date: 4th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Bangalore/Hyderabad Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Headline: Chennai's Own Birdman

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: The Times Of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: Events

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 18 Journalist: NA Headline: Prithvi Raj and Rajesh catch the eye

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Headline: STUDENTS SHINE IN SBI’S NUMERO YONO

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: India Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras MTech Admissions 2019: Portal opens on March 6, check eligibility criteria URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/notification/story/iit-madrasmtech-admissions-2019-portal-opens-on-march-6-check-eligibility-criteria-1469842- 2019-03-04

IIT Madras MTech Admissions 2019: Portal opens on March 6, check eligibility criteria

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras has released an official notification to invite the online applications for admission to M Tech Programme for the academic session 2019-20. As per the institute, the programme will commence from July, 2019. The applications for M Tech Programme will be accepted only in online mode. Take a look at the official notice:

Required educational qualification and experience:

• Candidates should possess a bachelor's degree in Engineering/Technology/Architecture or equivalent or a professional qualification like AMIE or any other Associate membership as specified in the MTech admission brochure with first class or 60 per cent of aggregate marks over the 4 years. • Candidates must have obtained a degree through distance education/correspondence mode, the departments will follow the interview procedure for screening in such cases.

• Candidates must hold two years of professional experience as on April 30, 2019 in the sponsoring Institution after qualifying degree. How to apply: Step 1: Step the official website, mtechspons.iitm.ac.in Step 2: A confirmation email will be sent to your address. Use the link in that email to confirm your login and to create your password. Step 3: You will now find an online application form under the tab 'My Application Summary'. Fill the form. Step 4: Upload required files Step 5: Submit the online application form. Application fee: Candidates will have to pay an application fee of Rs 500/250 + service charges/taxes as applicable on the service provider bill desk.

IIT-Madras's Hyperloop pod only Indian to race against the best at SpaceX

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: Business Wire Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Uniphore Software Systems Launches auMina QSense™ to Transform Performance Management in Customer Facing Roles URL: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190304005754/en/Uniphore- Software-Systems-Launches-auMina-QSense%E2%84%A2-Transform

Uniphore Software Systems Launches auMina QSense™ to Transform Performance Management in Customer Facing Roles

Uniphore Software Systems, the global Conversational AI technology company, has launched auMina QSense™ which is a smart quality management tool for business analysts, quality analysts and agents at contact centers that helps transform their current performance management process in customer facing roles. auMina QSense™ can support contact centers by reducing the need for manual interventions while delivering on-the-job coaching and training at scale to drive superior customer service through actionable insights.

“In this context, auMina QSense™ will empower companies to drive Customer Service Quality and Agent Performance, leading to workforce enhancement and a quantum jump in customer engagement by bringing the benefits of automation through conversational AI and modernizing the entire process.”

Tweet this The new solution expands Uniphore’s conversational analytics portfolio to meet the expectations of customers who require a more sophisticated solution to enhance customer interactions and make customer service a source of competitive advantage. auMina QSense™ comes with an interactive dashboard for a holistic view of agent performances which can benefit quality assurance managers who manage large teams. It provides a single window display of all gradients of agent performance and insights about call quality, customer behavior and communication analysis. AI driven conversational analytics also enables auMina QSense™ to drive smarter call sampling for accurate quality audits, reducing the time taken for analysis through manual interventions.

To redefine people, process and training, auMina QSense™ can also provide agents with quick feedback, and reviews, thereby helping them improve consistently through access to assessment sheets, feedback logs and performance tracking mechanisms. This in turn ensures that the agent is always aware of compliance and quality requirements.

Umesh Sachdev, Co-founder and CEO, Uniphore Software Systems, said, “Conversational AI and Analytics are emerging as pivotal technologies to drive holistic people management, performance enhancement, and process optimization programs across the globe, driven by the need for organizations to raise the bar and deliver great customer experiences and increased customer loyalty.”

Mr. Sachdev added, “In this context, auMina QSense™ will empower companies to drive Customer Service Quality and Agent Performance, leading to workforce enhancement and a quantum jump in customer engagement by bringing the benefits of automation through conversational AI and modernizing the entire process.”

Dan Miller, Lead Analyst & Founder, Opus Research, a leading thought leader in the conversational AI space, commented, “In our recent survey, enterprise decision makers identified the need for Conversational Analytics to be applied in real time to support agent training and quality management as a key driver for future investment. With auMina QSense™ Uniphore responds directly to the crying need to empower quality managers in contact centers with AI-infused, real time feedback and coaching to help their agents be more and provide a better customer experience.”

About Uniphore

Uniphore is a global Conversational AI technology company. Uniphore enables businesses to deliver transformational customer service across touchpoints by providing an integrated suite of software products for Conversational Analytics, Conversational Assistant and Conversational Security. It has offices in USA, Singapore and India.

Uniphore was founded in 2008 at IIT Madras, India. It was recognized as a Technology Fast 500 company in Asia Pacific by Deloitte and ranked 10th in Deloitte’s Fast 50. Uniphore’s Co-founder & CEO, Umesh Sachdev, was named as one of the ‘10 Millennials Changing the World’ by TIME Magazine, and ‘Innovators Under 35’ by MIT Technology Review. Uniphore’s investors include John Chambers, Chiratae Ventures, IIFL, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Ray Stata, YourNest Angel Fund and India Angel Network.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: The Pioneer Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Capt launches Rs 197.69 cr projects for Amritsar URL: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/state-editions/capt-launches-rs-197-69-cr- projects-for-amritsar.html

Capt launches Rs 197.69 cr projects for Amritsar

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday laid the foundation stones of three Surface Water Supply Schemes, in addition to a domestic sewage treatment plant, worth a total of Rs 197.69 crores, for rural areas of Amritsar district.

Terming Punjab’s water situation as precarious, the Chief Minister underlined the state’s responsibility to save water for the coming generations. “When the SYL (Sutlej Yamuna Link) canal problem started, Punjab had 17 MAF water, which has depleted to 13 MAF in 30 years,” he pointed out, adding that the greenhouse effect had reduced the glacier cover, causing even groundwater levels to drop.

The state currently has 14 lakh tubewells against the 50,000 which were estimated to be required after the construction of the Bhakra canal, he noted.

The Chief Minister said that the Government would take the help of all financial organisations to ensure that canal or river water is supplied to the people for drinking purposes.

Capt Amarinder also announced upgradation of the sub-Tehsil of Lopoke and a new degree college for Chogwan.

Earlier, launching a canal-based surface water supply projects to the tune of Rs 154.15 crores, the Chief Minister said that the schemes, with tapping point at Chiwindan Kalan, in block Chogawan on the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC), would help mitigate the problem of groundwater for 1.5 lakh people spread over 112 villages in four blocks in the region.

The state-of-the-art project would be executed with financial assistance from the World Bank on a design, build, operate and transfer (DBOT) basis, for which the tenders have already been floated.

The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of an Arsenic Removal Project for 102 villages of Amritsar district, involving a cost of Rs 21.97 crore, which have been arranged from NITI Aayog after the successful demonstration of a pilot project undertaken by the State Government in three villages, based on nano-material technology developed by IIT Chennai.

Of these 102 villages, 63 are of Amritsar district, of which 60 are being commissioned today and the remaining would be commissioned within a month.

With an aim to counter high prevalence of contaminates like iron and other heavy metals in groundwater, Capt Amarinder also launched an ultra-modern Water Testing Laboratory at Amritsar at a cost of Rs six crore. “The work for this project has already been awarded and it would be functional by October 2019,” he said.

“The high-tech lab, being set up with technical assistance from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, would cater to the districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot. This would be the second modern laboratory in the state, after SAS Nagar Mohali, to be accredited by the National Board for Accreditation (NABL),” he added.

Reiterating the state government's commitment to ensure safe drinking water for all, the Chief Minister informed that the Water Supply and Sanitation department has already proposed three more surface water projects to the Centre, which would cover 259 villages benefitting 2.48 lakh residents with a cost of Rs 385 crore.

The Department would also revitalize 127 new or existing water supply schemes to augment water supply with an investment of Rs 10.87 crore with assistance from World Bank or NABARD benefitting 1.81 lakh residents.

PUNJAB TO CHARGE Rs 140 MONTHLY FOR WATER

The state Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Razia Sultana said that drinking water would be supplied to the people at a nominal charge of Rs 140 a month, that had been levied “to ensure that they realise the importance of conserving water”.

“Unfortunately, people usually have a tendency to waste things that they get free of cost, necessitating the imposition of the nominal charge,” she added.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: Business standard Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Christ University, Bengaluru Wins the 'IMA Student Case Competition' in India URL: https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/christ-university- bengaluru-wins-the-ima-student-case-competition-in-india-119030400496_1.html

Christ University, Bengaluru Wins the 'IMA Student Case Competition' in India

Maharashtra Education Society's Garware College of Commerce, Pune & Indian Institute of Technology, Madras were the first and second runner-ups in the competition - A total of 24 top-tier colleges participated in this competition from across India

IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), the world's leading association on advancing the management accounting profession today announced the winners of the fourth IMA Student Case Competition held in India. Christ University, Bengaluru was announced the India winner followed by Maharashtra Education Society's Garware College of Commerce, Pune as the first runner-up and finally, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras the second runner-up. The winning teams at the three institutes also received cash prizes of US$ 1500, US$ 1000 and US$ 500 respectively.

The winning institutes were chosen from a stellar list of finalists comprising some of India's top ranked institutes of higher education. The finalists included Birla Institute of Technology and Science; Pilani; Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Engineering, Delhi; Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Chandigarh; Christ University, Bengaluru; Maharashtra Education Society's Garware College of Commerce, Pune; Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and Symbiosis College of Arts & Commerce, Pune. The final leg of the competition was held at Novotel Hotel in Pune and was decided by an independent jury.

Announcing the winners, Fenil Vadakken, India Country Head, IMA said, "Congratulations to the winning teams. This is the fourth year that the competition was held in India and we are enthused by the overwhelming response the competition received from institutions across the country. The three winning teams led by Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru displayed a high quality of analytical and presentation abilities and also took a holistic view of the business challenge in true reflection of the dynamic and globalized business ecosystem that exists today."

This year, teams were given the opportunity to analyze a relevant business case study and develop a solution. The case study revolved around a small Peruvian business owner who is considering expanding her B2B food supply business and needs help to evaluate the first six months of operations and determine how to reach her profit goals.

Exulting in their win, team Christ University, Bengaluru led by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat, Govind Vijayakrishnan & Ayesha Sayedsaid, "We're thrilled with our win given the intense competition we faced from some of India's top higher education institutes. This case study was incredibly challenging as it sought solutions that were comprehensive and encompassed all aspects of the business and not just accounting. This demonstrates the true measure of future accounting professionals who need to take holistic and in-depth view of business operations."

The IMA Student Case Competition is a global competition held annually across countries and allows students and their professors to showcase their business analysis skills. Each case competition entry was required to present a solution to the case. The case study was common to all participating teams across countries.

About IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) IMA, named 2017 and 2018 Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 100,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit www.imamiddleeast.org.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: Live Mint Edition: Delhi/Pune / Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Ahmedabad/Chandigarh Journalist: Asit Ranjan Mishra Professor: Prof V. Kamakoti Headline: New industry policy not before elections URL: https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/new-industry-policy-not-before- elections-1551721851643.html

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: News Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Rare bird sighted in Chennai URL: https://newstodaynet.com/index.php/2019/03/04/rare-bird-sighted-in-chennai/

Rare bird sighted in Chennai

An extremely rare bird, Warbler, has been sighted at Perumbakkam marshland in Chennai bringing joy to bird-watchers all around.

The sighting was made during the Chennai Bird Race hosted by Madras Naturalists’ Society (MNS).

According to sources, Tree Pipit, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Slender Bill Gull and Brown Hawk Owl were the four rare species that were spotted in the city during the event.

While the Pipit was sighted in Thaiyur, near Mahabalipuram, the Warbler was noticed in Perumbakkam marshland, an extension of the Pallikaranai waterbody. The gull was seen in Adyar estuary and the owl was sighted in IIT-M. A bar-headed goose was also spotted by a team at Great Salt Lake, near Kelambakkam.

Of the 25 teams that participated in the race, one team sighted 131 varieties of birds; six other teams noticed 100 types and eight teams found more than 80 species.

When compared to last year, the number of birds spotted by a single team was higher this year. The places visited by the team included Theosophical Society, Nanmangalam forest, Thaiyur reserve forest on Old Mahabalipuram Road, Adyar estuary and Pulicat birds sanctuary. Many school and college students who participated in the race were first-timers, it is learnt.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: Tech Expert Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Kerala Launches Facilitation Centre ‘STADE’ In Trivandrum URL: https://www.techiexpert.com/kerala-launches-facilitation-centre-stade-in- trivandrum/

Kerala Launches Facilitation Centre ‘STADE’ In Trivandrum

Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan launched Space Technology Application Development Ecosystem (STADE) in Trivandrum on Wednesday. Reported as a project of the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), ‘STADE’ aims a facilitation center for companies and startups that define space data analytics and development of space-tech components. STADE is also backed by Indian space agency ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Center and Airbus Bizlab, that is a global aerospace business accelerator of Airbus. According to the government, Airbus acknowledged for an ‘ecosystem partnership’ together, for the STADE project. Furthermore, French space agency CNES coupled with the European Space Agency (ESA) and are now in a progressive stage of discussions for stabilising more similar partnerships with STADE. Formulating ahead, STADE also even developed and strengthened three startups working in space tech arena, namely: Satsure, Bellatrix and Agnikul.

Satsure was founded by Indians, is headquartered in London and has offices in Dubai, Bangalore, and Zurich. This startup is a creative gigantic platform analytics startup, that jumps on to advances in satellites, machine learning and big data analytics to stock up answers to large area problems and issues beyond multiple domains such as agriculture, insurance, forestry, irrigation, cities, environment and Oil & Gas.

Bellatrix Aerospace, further enhanced and grew a satellite propulsion technology to drop the cost of space mission and improve, making it affordable to all. The startup also committed the Launch Vehicles, for Nano-Satellites and In-Space Propulsion Systems to enhance the lifetime in orbit. It has fostered an electric propulsion system called “Microwave Electro-thermal Thruster (MET)” and then claimed that MET is more efficient than traditional chemical thrusters as it renders a more advanced ‘mileage’ and continues for a longer duration.

Furthermore, Chennai-based Agnkul Cosmos design, manufactures, tests and launches orbital class rockets for micro and nano satellites. The startup now, presently functions out of the National Center for Combustion R&D at IIT-Madras.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: Arch Daily Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: The World's Top Universities for Studying Architecture in 2019 URL: https://www.archdaily.com/912461/the-top-universities-in-the-world-for- architecture-2019

The World's Top Universities for Studying Architecture in 2019

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has revealed it's ranking of the world’s top universities for the study of Architecture / Built Environment for 2019, based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact.

On this edition, the Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL (University College London) has been named the best university for studying architecture, taking MIT's place, which has topped the rankings for the past four years .

Keep reading and check out the complete ranking.

1. The Bartlett School of Architecture | UCL (University College London) / United Kingdom 2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) / United States 3. Delft University of Technology / Netherlands 4. ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) / Switzerland 5. Harvard University / United States 6. University of California, Berkeley (UCB) / United States 7. University of Cambridge / United Kingdom 8. National University of Singapore (NUS) / Singapore 9. Manchester School of Architecture / United Kingdom 10. Tsinghua University / China

11. Politecnico di Milano / Italy 12. Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) / Switzerland 13. University of Hong Kong (HKU) / Hong Kong 14. Columbia University / United States 15. The University of Sydney / Australia 16. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) / United States 17. The University of Melbourne / Australia 18. Tongji University / China 19. The University of Tokyo / Japan 20 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University / Hong Kong 21. The University of Sheffield / United Kingdom 22. RMIT University / Australia 23. KTH Royal Institute of Technology / Sweden 24. Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) / United States 25=. Technische Universität München / Germany 25=. The University of New South Wales (UNSW Australia) / Australia 27. University of British Columbia / Canada 28. Cornell University / United States 29. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya / Spain 30. Stanford University / United States 31. University of Michigan / United States 32. Technische Universität Berlin / Germany 33. Seoul National University (SNU) / South Korea 34. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile / Chile 35. University of Texas at Austin / United States 36. Princeton University / United States 37. Cardiff University / United Kingdom 38. Politecnico di Torino / Italy 39=. Kyoto University / Japan 39=. University of Toronto / Canada 41. Politécnica de Madrid / Spain 42=. Aalto University / Finland 42=. University of Pennsylvania / United States 44. Universidade de São Paulo (USP) / Brazil 45. McGill University / Canada 46. Chalmers University of Technology / Sweden 47. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign / United States 48. Yale University / United States 49. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) / Mexico 50. Shanghai Jiao Tong University / China

51-100. Aalborg University / Denmark 51-100. Carnegie Mellon University / United States 51-100. City University of Hong Kong / Hong Kong 51-100. Curtin University / Australia 51-100. Eindhoven University of Technology / Netherlands 51-100. Hanyang University / South Korea 51-100. Illinois Institute of Technology / United States 51-100. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven / Belgium 51-100. KIT, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie / Germany 51-100. Korea University / South Korea 51-100. Loughborough University / United Kingdom 51-100. Lund University / Sweden 51-100. Monash University / Australia 51-100. Newcastle University / United Kingdom 51-100. Norwegian University of Science And Technology / Norway 51-100. Oxford Brookes University / United Kingdom 51-100. Pennsylvania State University / United States 51-100. Queensland University of Technology (QUT)/ Australia 51-100. RWTH Aachen University / Germany 51-100. TU Dortmund University / Germany 51-100. Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) / Austria 51-100. Texas A&M University / United States 51-100. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)/ Hong Kong 51-100. The University of Auckland / New Zealand 51-100. The University of Queensland (UQ) / Australia 51-100. Tianjin University / China 51-100. Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) / Argentina 51-100. Universidad de Chile / Chile 51-100. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro / Brazil 51-100. Università IUAV di Venezia / Italy 51-100. Universität Stuttgart / Germany 51-100. Université de Montréal / Canada 51-100 Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) / Malaysia 51-100. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) / Malaysia 51-100. University of Bath / United Kingdom 51-100. University of Cape Town / South Africa 51-100. The University of Edinburgh / United Kingdom 51-100. University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) / Illinois 51-100. University of Lisbon / Portugal 51-100. University of Liverpool / United Kingdom 51-100. The University of Newcastle (UON) / Australia 51-100. University of Porto / Portugal 51-100. University of Reading / United Kingdom 51-100. University of Salford / United Kingdom 51-100. University of Southern California / United States 51-100. University of Technology Sydney (UTS) / Australia 51-100. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University / United States 51-100. Waseda University / Japan 51-100. Yonsei University / South Korea 51-100. Zhejiang University / China

101-150. Arizona State University / United States 101-150. Chongqing University / China 101-150. Concordia University / Canada 101-150. Griffith University / Australia 101-150. Harbin Institute of Technology / China 101-150. Hokkaido University / Japan 101-150. Huazhong University of Science and Technology / China 101-150. Kyushu University / Japan 101-150. Middle East Technical University / Turkey 101-150. Nagoya University / Japan 101-150. Nanjing University / China 101-150. National Cheng Kung University / Taiwan 101-150. National Technical University of Athens / Greece 101-150. New York University (NYU) / United States 101-150. Queen's University of Belfast / United Kingdom 101-150. Rice University / United States 101-150. Sapienza University of Rome / Italy 101-150. South China University of Technology / China 101-150. Southeast University / China 101-150. Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) / South Korea 101-150. Syracuse University / United States 101-150. Technion - Israel Institute of Technology / Israel 101-150. Technische Universität Dresden / Germany 101-150. The University of Adelaide / Australia 101-150. University of Nottingham / United Kingdom 101-150. The University of Western Australia (UWA) / Australia 101-150. Tohoku University / Japan 101-150. Universidad de Los Andes / Colombia 101-150. Universidad Politecnica de Valencia / Spain 101-150. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) / Brazil 101-150. Università degli Studi Roma Tre / Italy 101-150. Università di Bologna (UNIBO) / Italy 101-150. Université Catholique de Louvain / Belgium 101-150. Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne / France 101-150. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)/ Malaysia 101-150. Universiti Malaya (UM) / Malaysia 101-150.. University College Dublin / Ireland 101-150. University of Copenhagen / Denmark 101-150. University of Florida / United States 101-150. University of Ghent / Belgium 101-150. University of Glasgow / United Kingdom 101-150. University of Minnesota / United States 101-150. University of Strathclyde / United Kingdom 101-150. University of Washington / United States 101-150. University of Waterloo / Canada 101-150. University of Westminster / United Kingdom 101-150. University of Wisconsin-Madison / United States 101-150. Vilnius Gediminas Technical University / Lithuania 101-150. Wageningen University / Netherlands

151-200. Aarhus University / Denmark 151-200. Alexandria University / Egypt 151-200. The American University in Cairo / Egypt 151-200. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki / Greece 151-200. Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand / Thailand 151-200. Cairo University / Egypt 151-200. Chulalongkorn University / Thailand 151-200. Chung-Ang University (CAU) / South Korea 151-200. City University of New York / United States 151-200. Deakin University / Australia 151-200. Duke University / United States 151-200. Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) / India 151-200. Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) / India 151-200. Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) / India 151-200. Istanbul Technical University / Turkey 151-200. Keio University / Japan 151-200. Kyung Hee University / South Korea 151-200. Laval University / Canada 151-200. Lomonosov Moscow State University / Russia 151-200. Massey University / New Zealand 151-200. Michigan State University / United States 151-200. North Carolina State University / United States 151-200. Ohio State University / United States 151-200. Osaka University / Japan 151-200. Pusan National University / South Korea 151-200. Stockholm University / Sweden 151-200. Technische Universität Darmstadt / Germany 151-200. Graz University of Technology / Austria 151-200. University of Navarra / Spain 151-200. Universidad de Sevilla / Spain 151-200. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande Do Sul / Brazil 151-200. Universidade Nova de Lisboa / Portugal 151-200. University of Florence / Italy 151-200. University of Naples - Federico II / Italy 151-200. Università di Padova / Italy 151-200. Université du Québec / Canada 151-200. Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) / Malaysia 151-200. University of Arizona / United States 151-200. University of Colorado Boulder / United States 151-200. University of Dundee / United Kingdom 151-200. University of Gothenburg / Sweden 151-200. University of Maryland, College Park / United States 151-200. University of Seoul / South Korea 151-200. University of South Australia / Australia 151-200. University of the West of England / United Kingdom 151-200. University of Witwatersrand / South Africa 151-200. University of Twente / Netherlands 151-200. University of Virginia / United States 151-200. Victoria University of Wellington / New Zealand 151-200. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam / Netherlands

QS has produced an annual survey of universities since 2011, rating the top universities based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact. Visit QS's site for the full 2019 architecture rankings, or see the lists for other subjects, here.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Punjab CM launches water supply, sewerage schemes worth Rs 197 crore URL: https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/punjab-cm-launches- water-supply-sewerage-schemes-worth-rs-197-crore-119030400628_1.html

Punjab CM launches water supply, sewerage schemes worth Rs 197 crore

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday laid the foundation stones of three surface water supply schemes, in addition to a domestic sewage treatment plant, worth Rs 197.69 crore, for the rural areas of Amritsar district.

Terming the state's water situation as precarious, the Chief Minister underlined the responsibility of the state to save water for the coming generations.

"When the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal problem started, Punjab had 17 MAF (million acre feet) water, which has depleted to 13 MAF in 30 years," he said.

The state currently has 14 lakh tubewells against 50,000 which was the required estimate after the construction of the Bhakra canal, he said.

The Chief Minister said the government would take the help of all financial organisations to ensure that canal or river water is supplied to the people for drinking purposes.

Launching canal-based surface water supply projects to the tune of Rs 154.15 crore, the Chief Minister said the schemes would help mitigate the problem of groundwater for 1.5 lakh people spread over 112 villages in four blocks in the region.

This state-of-the-art project would be executed with financial assistance from the World Bank on a design, build operate and transfer (DBOT) basis, for which the tenders have already been floated.

The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of an arsenic removal project for 102 villages of Amritsar district, involving a cost of Rs 21.97 crore, which was arranged from the NITI Aayog after the demonstration of a pilot project undertaken by the State government in three villages based on nano-material technology developed by IIT Chennai.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: News D Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Punjab CM launches water supply, sewerage schemes worth Rs 197 crore URL: https://newsd.in/punjab-cm-launches-water-supply-sewerage-schemes-worth- rs-197-crore/

Punjab CM launches water supply, sewerage schemes worth Rs 197 crore

Terming the state’s water situation as precarious, the Chief Minister underlined the responsibility of the state to save water for the coming generations.

“When the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal problem started, Punjab had 17 MAF (million- acre feet) water, which has depleted to 13 MAF in 30 years,” he said.

The state currently has 14 lakh tubewells against 50,000 which was the required estimate after the construction of the Bhakra canal, he said. The Chief Minister said the government would take the help of all financial organisations to ensure that canal or river water is supplied to the people for drinking purposes.

This state-of-the-art project would be executed with financial assistance from the World Bank on a design, build operate and transfer (DBOT) basis, for which the tenders have already been floated.

Capt launches Rs 197.69 cr projects for Amritsar

The state currently has 14 lakh tubewells against the 50,000 which were estimated to be required after the construction of the Bhakra canal, he noted.

The Chief Minister said that the Government would take the help of all financial organisations to ensure that canal or river water is supplied to the people for drinking purposes.

Capt Amarinder also announced upgradation of the sub-Tehsil of Lopoke and a new degree college for Chogwan.

The state-of-the-art project would be executed with financial assistance from the World Bank on a design, build, operate and transfer (DBOT) basis, for which the tenders have already been floated.

Of these 102 villages, 63 are of Amritsar district, of which 60 are being commissioned today and the remaining would be commissioned within a month.

PUNJAB TO CHARGE Rs 140 MONTHLY FOR WATER

“Unfortunately, people usually have a tendency to waste things that they get free of cost, necessitating the imposition of the nominal charge,” she added.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: Rozana Spokesman Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Capt Launches Canal Based Water Supply & Sewage Projects Worth Rs. 197.69 Cr URL: https://www.rozanaspokesman.com/news/punjab/040319/capt-launches- canal-based-water-supply-sewage-projects-worth-rs-197.html

Capt Launches Canal Based Water Supply & Sewage Projects Worth Rs. 197.69 Cr

Taking forward his vision to provide the best of civic amenities to the people of the state, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday laid the foundation stones of three Surface Water Supply Schemes, in addition to a domestic sewage treatment plant, worth a total of Rs. 197.69 Crores, for rural areas of Amritsar district.

Terming Punjab’s water situation as precarious, the Chief Minister underlined the responsibility of the state to save water for the coming generations. When the SYL problem started, Punjab had 17 MAF water, which has depleted to 13 MAF in 30 years, he pointed out, adding that the greenhouse effect had reduced the glacier cover, causing even ground water levels to drop. The state currently has 14 lakh tubewells against the 50000 which were estimated to be required after the construction of the Bhakra canal, he noted.

The Chief Minister said the government would take the help of all financial organisations to ensure that canal/river water is supplied to the people for drinking purposes. Captain Amarinder also announced upgradation of the sub-Tehsil of Lopoke and a new degree college for Chogwan. Earlier, launching a Canal Based Surface Water Supply Projects to the tune of Rs. 154.15 Crores, the Chief Minister said the schemes, with tapping point at Chiwindan Kalan, in block Chogawan on the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC), would help mitigate the problem of for 1.5 Lakh people spread over 112 villages in four blocks in the region. This state-of-the-art project would be executed with financial assistance from the World Bank on a Design, Build Operate and Transfer (DBOT) basis, for which the tenders have already been floated.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of an Arsenic Removal Project for 102 villages of Amritsar district, involving a cost of of Rs. 21.97 crore, which have been arranged from NITI Aayog after the successful demonstration of a pilot project undertaken by the state government in three villages, based on Nano- material technology developed by IIT Chennai. Of these 102 villages, 63 are of Amritsar district, of which 60 are being commissioned today and the remaining would be commissioned within a month.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: Nation News Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: CAPT AMARINDER LAUNCHES CANAL BASED WATER SUPPLY & SEWAGE PROJECTS WORTH RS. 197.69 CR FOR AMRITSAR DISTRICT URL: https://nationnews.in/capt-amarinder-launches-canal-based-water-supply- sewage-projects-worth-rs-197-69-cr-for-amritsar-district/

CAPT AMARINDER LAUNCHES CANAL BASED WATER SUPPLY & SEWAGE PROJECTS WORTH RS. 197.69 CR FOR AMRITSAR DISTRICT

Earlier, launching a Canal Based Surface Water Supply Projects to the tune of Rs. 154.15 Crores, the Chief Minister said the schemes, with tapping point at Chiwindan Kalan, in block Chogawan on the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC), would help mitigate the problem of groundwater for 1.5 Lakh people spread over 112 villages in four blocks in the region. This state-of-the-art project would be executed with financial assistance from the World Bank on a Design, Build Operate and Transfer (DBOT) basis, for which the tenders have already been floated.

Date: 5th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Business line Edition: Chennai/Delhi/Mumbai/Pune/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Kochi/Ahmedabad/C handigarh Page No: 2 Journalist: N Rama Krishnan Headline: This personal digital coach nudges your sales team to target

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: Edex Edition: Online Journalist: Prajanma Das Student: Avishkar Hyperloop Headline: IIT-Madras's Hyperloop pod only Indian to race against the best at SpaceX URL: https://www.edexlive.com/campus/2019/mar/04/iit-madrass-hyperloop-pod- only-indian-to-race-against-the-best-at-spacex-5440.html

IIT-Madras's Hyperloop pod only Indian to race against the best at SpaceX

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication:The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: QS World Rankings 2019: Five new Indian institutes debut in the list URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/qs-world-rankings- 2019-five-new-indian-institutes-debut-in-the-list/articleshow/68271811.cms

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: AaZad Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras M.Tech Admission 2019 : आईआईटी मद्रास से करे एमटेक, ऐसे करᴂ आवेदन URL: https://www.aazad.com/nation/iit-madrasmtech-admission-2019-online- application-form-released.html

IIT Madras M.Tech Admission 2019 : आईआईटी मद्रास से करे एमटेक, ऐसे करᴂ आवेदन

भारतीय प्रौ饍योधगकी संस्र्ान (IIT), मद्रास ने शैक्षणणक सत्र २१०९-२० के मलए M Tech प्रोग्राम मᴂ प्रवेश (IIT Madras M.Tech admission 2019) के मलए ऑनलाइन आवेदन आमंबत्रत करने के मलए आधधकाररक अधधसचू ना जारी की है। ये एिममशन जुलाई २१०९ सेशन के मलए होगा। आपको बता दे कक एमटेक प्रोग्राम मᴂ एिममशन के मलए मसफा ऑनलाइन आवेदन स्वीकार ककए जाएंगे।

IIT Madras M.Tech admission 2019 शैक्षणणक योग्यता और अनभु व:

• आवेदन करने वाले कℂिीिे絍स के पास इंजीननयररंग / प्रौ饍योधगकी / आककाटेक्चर मᴂ स्नातक की डिग्री या समकक्ष या AMIE या ककसी अन्य एसोमसएट सदस्यता जैसी व्यावसानयक योग्यता होनी चादहए, जैसा कक

आईआईटी मद्रास के वववरणणका मᴂ मलखा हुआ है। कℂिीिे絍स के पास ४ विⴂ मᴂ कु ल ६० प्रनतशत माक्सा के सार् उत्तीणा होना ज셂री है।

• अगर उ륍मीदवारⴂ ने दरू स्र् मशक्षा / पत्राचार मोि के माध्यम से डिग्री प्राप्त की होगी, ववभाग ऐसे मामलⴂ मᴂ स्क्रीननंग के मलए साक्षा配कार प्रकक्रया का पालन करᴂगे।

• उ륍मीदवारⴂ को योग्यता की डिग्री के बाद प्रायोजन संस्र्ान मᴂ ३० अप्रैल, २०१९ तक दो साल का पेशेवर अनभु व होना चादहए।

आवेदन कैसे करᴂ:

आधधकाररक वेबसाइट, mtechspons.iitm.ac.in पर जाएं

एक पष्ु टटकरण ईमेल आपके पते पर भेजा जाएगा। अपने लॉधगन की पष्ु टट करने और अपना पासविा बनाने के मलए उस ईमेल के मलंक का उपयोग करᴂ।

अब आपको टैब 'मेरा आवेदन सारांश' के तहत एक ऑनलाइन आवेदन पत्र ममलेगा। प्रपत्र भररये।

आवश्यक फाइलᴂ अपलोि करᴂ

ऑनलइन आवेदन पत्र जमा करᴂ।

आवेदन श쥍ु क: सेवा प्रदाता बबल िेस्क पर आवेदन करने के मलए उ륍मीदवारⴂ को ५००/२५० 셁पये का श쥍ु क देना होगा। Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: The Hans India Edition: Hyderabad Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof V Rama Krishna Murthy Headline: Two-day meet on CADEC 2019 held URL: https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2019-03-05/Two- day-meet-on-CADEC-2019-held/507677

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication:Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: 13 Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Enakshi Bhattacharya, Headline: Biz Buzz -International Women's Day celebrated at Rajalakshmi Institutions

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Chennai Page No: 11 Journalist: NA Professor: y Dr. Saji K. Mathew Headline: SRMIST- Ramapuram School of Management- Quest19

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Headline: Innovation challenge

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition:Chennai Page No: 8 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT PALS organises Innovation competition for TN youth

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: Trinity Mirror Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Headline: BE SMART & POPULAR DONO. TAKE PART IN NUMERO YONO.

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: Jagran Josh Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras 2019 M.Tech Admission Process Begins, Check Details Here URL: https://www.jagranjosh.com/news/iit-madras-2019-m-tech-admission-process- begins-check-details-here-148162

IIT Madras 2019 M.Tech Admission Process Begins, Check Details Here

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has commenced the application process for the admission process of various postgraduate level engineering programmes offered by the institute. The application form has been released in the online mode on the official website of the university. Candidates can fill and submit the application form between 6th March 2019 to 10th April 2019. Also, candidates are advised to first thoroughly go through the eligibility criteria prescribed by the Institute for admission to your preferred programme.

Any candidate who wishes to apply for the M.Tech admissions at IIT Madras must know that they have to fill the application form along with registering at the GATE COAP 2019. Candidates will be awarded admission (for candidates who are not required to take Suitability Test/ Interview) strictly on the basis of as per the GATE Score (CGPA & Department Review for IIT Graduates) and on the basis of candidate's preference as stated by them in the application.

Steps to apply for the IIT Madras M.Tech Admission 2019? Candidates aspiring to secure admission in an M.Tech programme offered by the institute can follow the simple steps given below to apply for IIT Madras M.Tech Admission 2019

Visit the official website Complete the registration process Fill the application form Upload the scanned images of required documents as per the prescribed format and dimension. Submit the application fee in the online mode. Submit the application form and take a print out for future reference

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: Indulge Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Internet for empowerment: Women-founded startups fostered by Facebook through SheLeadsTech URL: https://www.indulgexpress.com/life-style/society/2019/mar/06/internet-for- empowerment-women-founded-startups-fostered-by-facebook-through- sheleadstech-13226.html

Internet for empowerment: Women-founded startups fostered by Facebook through SheLeadsTech

The promoters of Kota-based coaching services provider Resonance Eduventures are in discussions with private equity firms to sell a controlling stake in the company to repay debt owed to PE firm KKR, a report in The Economic Times stated, citing three people in the know.

“The company was unable to raise money via IPO and is now looking at a secondary stake sale to raise capital to repay KKR,” one of the people mentioned above told ET.

The promoters have to repay KKR about Rs 800 crore and will sell more than 76% of their holding in the firm, the report added, citing the persons mentioned above.

In 2017, two PE firms, IBOF Investment Management Pvt. Ltd and CLSA Private Equity Management Ltd, had exited their investment in Resonance Eduventures. The PE firms had initially backed the company in 2010-11.

Resonance was founded in April 2001 by RK Verma, an IIT Madras alumnus, in Kota, Rajasthan.

Vatika Hotels eyes business expansion

Vatika Hotels Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of real estate developer Vatika Ltd, is in discussions with 4-5 private equity firms to secure Rs 750 crore, a report in The Economic Times stated, citing three persons in the know.

The company will use the capital to further expand its operations in its hospitality and facilities management businesses and will add more business centres, the persons mentioned above told ET.

Vatika will increase the number of rooms of the Westin group of hotels that it owns as well as its business centres. It may also buy distressed hotel properties and refurbish them. It plans to add more space to its existing facilities management arm Enviro and acquire more facility management firms to further boost its business in North India, the report added.

In 2014, an affiliate of investment banking major Goldman Sachs had acquired a 21.12% stake in Vatika Hotels for Rs 255 crore. In 2016, VCCircle reported that Goldman Sachs was considering selling its stake in the company.

Pfizer selling Tamil Nadu factory

Drugmakers Baxter and Zydus Cadila have initiated preliminary discussions to buy Pfizer’s factory at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, The Times of India reported, citing several people in the know.

The deal may value the facility at Rs 700-900 crore, the report added.

“The transaction is in the early stages and may be completed over the next three to five months. At present, there is no production at the factory. Most of the employees have also been seen off. Internally, the factory is ready for sale,” the persons mentioned above told ToI, adding that the sale is being handled by Pfizer’s US parent.

Pfizer bought the Sriperumbudur factory when it acquired pharmaceuticals major Hospira in 2015, the report stated.

Pfizer is also looking to sell its factory in Aurangabad, the report added.

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: VcCircle Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: RK Verma Headline: Resonance Eduventures eyes stake sale to repay KKR debt; Vatika seeks PE funding URL: https://www.vccircle.com/resonance-eduventures-eyes-stake-sale-to-repay- kkr-debt-vatika-seeks-pe-funding/

Resonance Eduventures eyes stake sale to repay KKR debt; Vatika seeks PE funding

“The company was unable to raise money via IPO and is now looking at a secondary stake sale to raise capital to repay KKR,” one of the people mentioned above told ET.

The promoters have to repay KKR about Rs 800 crore and will sell more than 76% of their holding in the firm, the report added, citing the persons mentioned above.

Resonance was founded in April 2001 by RK Verma, an IIT Madras alumnus, in Kota, Rajasthan.

Vatika Hotels eyes business expansion

The company will use the capital to further expand its operations in its hospitality and facilities management businesses and will add more business centres, the persons mentioned above told ET.

Pfizer selling Tamil Nadu factory

Drugmakers Baxter and Zydus Cadila have initiated preliminary discussions to buy Pfizer’s factory at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, The Times of India reported, citing several people in the know.

The deal may value the facility at Rs 700-900 crore, the report added.

Pfizer bought the Sriperumbudur factory when it acquired pharmaceuticals major Hospira in 2015, the report stated.

Pfizer is also looking to sell its factory in Aurangabad, the report added.

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: The Week Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. Rajan Srikanth Headline: MachineVantage Expands In India Adds New President URL: https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/business/2019/03/06/pwr1-- machinevantage.html

MachineVantage Expands In India Adds New President

CHENNAI, India, March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MachineVantage, a global leader which is pioneering the combination of advanced neuroscience with artificial intelligence systems, announced that it has appointed Dr. Rajan Srikanth as President of its India operations.

Through its Indian headquarters in Chennai, MachineVantage www.machinevantage.com offers businesses proprietary neuroscience-based artificial intelligence and machine learning systems to power innovations in marketing and product development. The firm, with its worldwide headquarters in Silicon Valley, has major multinational clients in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and the Asia/Pacific region.

Dr. Srikanth joins the firm from his previous role as Chairman and Managing Director of SmartKapital, a venture funding and advisory services firm he founded in 2008. The company works with senior management in a range of businesses, helping guide them through critical growth stages and strategic development processes.

"As we continue to grow our partnerships with many of India's finest companies, MachineVantage is adding a highly-regarded leader in Dr. Srikanth," said Dr. A. K. Pradeep, founder and CEO of MachineVantage. "The breadth of his professional background, the depth of his knowledge and capabilities, and his first-hand experience with leading companies across a wide variety of categories enables MachineVantage to bring even more value to our clients. I am proud that he is our new President in India."

MachineVantage specializes in applying highly sophisticated neuroscientific methodologies combined with the technological power of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to capture the non-conscious drivers of consumer behavior. The firm notes that "95% of daily decisions are made in the non-conscious, so it is critical for Indian companies to understand and leverage that knowledge to improve the effectiveness of their marketing and new product development processes." MachineVantage deploys semantic analysis customized and modified by core learnings from the science of human behavior, to extract actionable information from a large corpus of unstructured and semi-structured data.

Applying neuro-based AI and ML systems to isolate and analyze the unique non- conscious inputs that impact consumers, MachineVantage delivers unique, expansive, and insight-rich windows into the key drivers of consumer perceptions and behaviors.

The MachineVantage team pioneered the application of Neuroscience to the field of global Marketing Research, which broke new ground in developing advanced learnings and insights into the core non-conscious influences of consumer attitudes and actions. The team is now pioneering the application of powerful, proprietary AI and ML technologies to Product and Marketing Innovation.

Dr. Pradeep is the co-author of a fast-selling new book on the topic, "AI For Marketing And Product Innovation" https://www.amazon.in/dp/1119484065.

Dr. Srikanth's international career has included consulting with Fortune 500 companies in fields ranging from energy, defense, technology, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and retail, among others. Prior to forming SmartKapital, he served as worldwide Partner and President of Mercer Consulting , Asia. His earlier roles include leadership positions with Accenture, where he was Executive Partner and Global Lead for the firm's organizational change strategy practice, as well as similar roles with KPMG Peat Marwick and Bain & Company.

"The founding team of MachineVantage have been the pioneers for 'going where no one has gone before' in marketing, and this time is no different," said Dr. Srikanth. "In a market that is jaded with high decibel, high contrast messaging that literally is trying to shout its way into your attention, MachineVantage brings a breath-takingly novel approach. Our proven methods work the non-conscious to deliver subtle but sure results for our clients. I am excited to be part of what will clearly be the next revolution in marketing."

In addition to serving on the boards of several charitable organizations such as United Way of India, where he was a founding member, Dr. Srikanth has also been Trustee of the Alumni Charitable Trust of IITM and a director of the IIT Madras Incubation Cell. He earned his Ph.D from the Stern School of Business at New York University, and a B.Tech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras. He has taught at the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: Vc Circle Edition: Online Journalist: Kavya Kothiyal Headline: India Quotient leads seed round in agri-tech startup LeanAgri URL: https://www.vccircle.com/india-quotient-leads-seed-round-in-agri-tech-startup- leanagri

India Quotient leads seed round in agri-tech startup LeanAgri

Agri-tech startup LeanAgri has raised an undisclosed amount in a seed round led by venture capital firm India Quotient and joined by angel investors, a senior executive of the company told TechCircle.

Others who participated in the round include Better Capital’s AngelList India Syndicate; Sachin Oswal, co-founder of online commerce player Infibeam; Ajay Prabhu, chief operating officer at Quest Global; and Hari Balasubramanian, an angel investor, the executive said.

“This investment will be used for product development to make the farmer-centric product and service more impactful and user-friendly. With the revamped product, we plan to expand to more number of farmers in existing locations,” said Sai Gole, co- founder of LeanAgri, owned by LeanCrop Technology Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Founded in April 2017 by Gole and Siddharth Dialani, LeanAgri works to design solutions for optimising farming in India by improving productivity and reducing the cost of production for farmers. Both Dialani and Gole are engineering graduates from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras. Dialani has previously worked with Housing.com while Gole has had a stint at ITC Ltd as project manager.

“India is a proud producer of crops like wheat, cotton, sugarcane but our productivities are less than a third of the other countries. We are trying to solve this crucial problem with the help of technology. Our personalised farming techniques for farmers based on farm data provide impact by improving the quality and quantity of the production,” Gole said.

Pune-based LeanAgri has been working in the business-to-business segment with the governments of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, banks, and fertiliser companies. “We also provide personalised farming solutions to farmers on a pay-per-use model,” she said.

The startup claims to be currently working with more than 4,000 farmers across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It also claims to have seen a median 30-40% increase in production and 15-20% decrease in cost of production.

The startup had last raised $50,000 in a pre-seed round in 2017 from former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

LeanAgri joins a number of startups that have raised funding in the agri-tech segment over the past year.

Last month, Punjab-based agri-analytics startup AgNext Technologies Pvt.Ltd raised funds from early-stage venture capital firm Kalaari Capital. AgNext focuses on horticulture and plantation crops. It collects spatial, temporal and spectral data to provide solutions across the agriculture and food value chain. Its digital platform aims to improve the productivity and profitability of growers and food processors.

Last year in December, Bengaluru-based agri-marketing platform NinjaCart raised Rs 250 crore (around $35 million) in a Series B funding round led by US-based Accel and Switzerland-based agri investor Syngenta Ventures.

In March 2018, AgShift Inc., a California-based startup building an autonomous food inspection system using deep learning, raised $2 million (Rs 13 crore) in seed funding.

Date: 6th March 2019 Publication: APN News Edition: Online Headline: SPL Infrastructure completed South India’s first twin All Steel Flyover URL: https://www.apnnews.com/spl-infrastructure-completed-south-indias-first-twin- all-steel-flyover/

SPL Infrastructure completed South India’s first twin All Steel Flyover

SPL Infrastructure, one of the leading EPC Contractors in the field of Civil Engineering today announced the successful completion of Tamil Nadu’s first twin steel flyover connecting Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram. With an aim to ease out traffic congestion on NH-47, SPL Infrastructure undertook the Rs. 314.02 crore worth project and completed the same in a record time of 20 months. The twin flyovers were inaugurated and open to traffic by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi in an event last week.

Designed and constructed by Indian Engineers with technical assistance and guidance from Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai the project commenced in the month of Feb 2017 and aimed to address the traffic bottle neck at Parvathipuram, covering a distance of 1.409 KMs and Marthandam, covering a distance of 2.87 KMs. These flyovers besides easing out traffic congestion will also help cut down the travel time between Nagercoil City and Thiruvananthapuram by about 1 hour.

“We are delighted to have partnered with the Ministry of Road Transports and Highways to construct Tamil Nadu’s first twin steel flyover. Besides clearing out the traffic congestion on one of the busiest highways, the flyovers will also help cut down the travel time significantly” said, Mr. SP Lakshmanan, Chairman of M/s SPL Infrastructure, Pvt Ltd. Adding to this, he said, “A true testimony to Make in India initiative, the flyovers have been constructed with utmost precision by using pre- fabricated structural steel members and have employed Robotic Welding to achieve the desired quality along with eliminating strenuous workload at site. Also, the structural steel members are specially coated with multiple layers of special coating materials to take care of corrosion for its entire life span.”

This first of its kind steel flyover has been designed and constructed with 300 skilled labours, a team of 100 technocrats in a record time of 20 months. These steel flyover arethe first to use E 410, an ultra-tensile steel and saves about 20 % of weight when compared to normal steel thus paving the way for how in future flyovers are to be built in congested urban environment.

Other key features of the twin steel flyovers include:

Pile Foundations have been adopted to reduce the working area on ground andRCC pile caps are done connecting them to form the FOUNDATION system. To achieve the load transfer from Steel Pier to the Concrete Pile cap & Piles,large diameter steel bolts of Higher strengths have been used as the connectingmember along with the embedded Steel ANCHOR frames, of unique design.Hence the forces in the bolts (compression or tension) are safely transferred tothe foundation concrete safely. Pile cap shuttering is of unique design wherein it is self-supporting (without anyexternal strutting etc.) which made it possible to have regular space for traffic.Permanent profiled steel deck sheets are provided for the deck slab concreting,in between the Girders, which provides much quicker & safe construction. There are 109 spans in Marthandam flyover and 51 spans in Parvathipuram flyover and in all these spans Special type Spherical Bearings are used insteadof normal bearings. The 47 Meter obligatory span constructed in Marthandam over the Railwaytunnel along the stretch, without affecting the tunnel. The 32 Meter obligatory span constructed in Parvathipuram over the Y-Junctionalong the stretch, without affecting the channel, crossing the NH-47 stretch,thus keeping the water body as such. Overhead electric lines are shifted to underground Electrical cabling network system thus providing safe & secure system, provides complicated pole freenetwork first of its kind in a Tier 2 / 3 town in South India.

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Bangalore Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala Headline: ‘Four-wheeler EVs in India need to be different URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/four-wheeler-evs-in-india- need-to-be-different/article26453748.ece

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Chennai,Kochi Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Headline: Tender Care

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Online Journalist: Huma Siddiqui Headline: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu’s Paraguay visit: India offers its space expertise to the South American nation URL: https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/science/vice-president-m-venkaiah- naidus-paraguay-visit-india-offers-its-space-expertise-to-the-south-american- nation/1507940/

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu’s Paraguay visit: India offers its space expertise to the South American nation

India offers its expertise and experience in using space technology for development. At the bilateral meeting between Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and his Paraguayan counterpart Vice President, Hugo Velázquez, Naidu said that, “Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the space agency of Paraguay could cooperate in: resource mapping; earth observation data sharing; manufacturing and launching satellites on commercial basis; establishing a ground station to receive, process and disseminate data from Indian Remote Sensing satellites for use in various remote sensing applications.”

He also said that the two could collaborate on training on manufacturing small satellite, and, customised training on specific areas of space technology applications including natural resources assessment and disaster management support. As has been reported earlier by the Financial Express Online, Paraguay created its Space Agency in 2014 and, in January 2018, it defined its space policy.

“In this initial stage, international cooperation initiatives are essential to promote capacity building and technology transfers,” Gustavo Rojas, Researcher at the Center of Analysis and Dissemination of the Paraguayan Economy – CADEP had said in an earlier interaction. According to him, China has been offering its competitive satellite construction and launch services to various South American countries. While, countries like Venezuela and Bolivia have launched their first satellites with Chinese cooperation, Paraguay does not maintain official relations with China.

ALSO READ | India, Paraguay agree to promote bilateral investment, explore new areas of collaboration

“India could become a strategic partner to boost its space program at low cost. The spatial cooperation directed to the environmental, climatic and telecommunications area would be relevant,” he had said. Just last November, a Colombian satellite was launched from Sriharikota by ISRO, along with other countries onboard PSLV-C43. The launch was commercially contracted through Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO.

Financial Express has been keenly following the Space Diplomacy with the South American nations and was the first to break the news about the Colombia being in touch with ISRO to launch the nano-satellite belonging to Colombian air force, ‘Facsat1’. India’s successful Mars mission some years ago has proved to the world that ISRO has the capability of achieving inter-planetary missions in a cost-effective manner. This has attracted countries from across the globe seeking cooperation with the Indian Space agency for either developing or launching their satellites.

Countries including Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua have already been in touch with ISRO for launching or developing satellites. In 2017, the University of Chile got a ride onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C38 rocket. The faculty of the university is already working with professors at IIT-Madras for doing joint missions.

As reported earlier, the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), which already has long- standing space cooperation with China, has been in touch with ISRO and the ground stations in Brazil (Alcantara and Cuiaba) which have been providing tracking support for Indian satellites (Chandrayaan-I), Megha Tropiques, MOM, and ASTROSAT) on a commercial basis.

Just last year, Bolivian Space Agency (ABE) concluded a MoU on space cooperation with ISRO, which will help to conduct preliminary studies of establishing a ground station in Bolivia for supporting India’s space agency’ s space operations.

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: Careers 360 Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras to announce GATE 2019 result on March 16 URL: https://news.careers360.com/iit-madras-announce-gate-2019-result-march-16

IIT Madras to announce GATE 2019 result on March 16

The result of GATE 2019 will be released on March 16 in online mode. Candidates will be able to check their official marks and scores for their respective subject out of the 24 papers from the released result. According to the official notification, the candidates will have to log into their GOAPS to check the result. The examination of GATE 2019 was conducted on February 2, 3, 9 and 10 in online mode.

Steps to check GATE Result 2019

Candidates will be able to access the result of GATE 2019 using the following steps:

Visit the official website of GATE 2019

Click on “GATE 2019 Result”

Candidates will have to enter GATE 2019 enrollment number or email ID, registration ID and date of birth.

The result will be displayed on the screen.

The result will not be available for print out. However, the authorities will be releasing the score-card on March 20, which will be available for download till May 31, 2019. Candidates will still be able to access the score-card from June 1 to December 31, 2019 after paying the required fee.

Date: 8th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 1 Journalist: Madhumitha Viswanath Headline: ‘Red’ alert for birds in Pallikaranai marshland URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/mar/08/sustainable- restoration-for-kovalam-muttukadu-basin-mambalam-canal-1948256.html

Date: 7th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: . Prof K. Kalpana Headline: ‘Fair representation of women in politics a must’ URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/fair-representation-of-women- in-politics-a-must/article26461102.ece

‘Fair representation of women in politics a must’

The need for equal and fair representation of women in politics and the upcoming Lok Sabha elections took centre stage at an event organised by the citizen movement, Shakti - Political Power to Women, on Thursday.

The event, which brought together students, teachers, activists and other working professionals, was organised to commemorate Women’s Day.

Appeal to EC Jothilakshmi Sundaresan, the Chennai coordinator for Shakti, said that they hoped to engage more women in the conversation about the need for women to be given 50% representation by all political parties while fielding candidates for the elections.

“Similar discussions are happening in other cities across the country and we will be approaching the Election Commission and appealing for an advisory to be issued to political parties that they should ensure fair representation of women,” she explained.

Madhumitha, a transwoman, said that there was a need to empower the younger generation and encourage them to analyse the current political scenario.

‘Ask questions’ “In the coming Lok Sabha elections, people should ask questions and cast their votes only after they are assured of the proper representation of their issues. If women need changes to happen at the policy level, there first needs to be equal representation so that they can have their say,” Madhumitha said.

Ms. Madhumitha urged women to use their vote properly as well as talk and discuss issues concerning politics at home with the younger generation. K. Kalpana, a faculty member from IIT Madras, who spoke at the event, said that various factors concerning candidate selection, culture, child care, cash and confidence had kept many women away from effective political participation.

“There needs to be adequate pressure on political parties to field women candidates as well. Additionally, only if women voters support viable and strong women candidates for the local elections can they address issues such as gender equality at large,” she added.

Date: 8th March 2019 Publication: BW Education Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Students Can Now Pursue Humanities Alongside Engineering Degrees URL: http://bweducation.businessworld.in/article/Students-Can-Now-Pursue- Humanities-Alongside-Engineering-Degrees/07-03-2019-167870/

Students Can Now Pursue Humanities Alongside Engineering Degrees

A computer engineer who’s also studying psychology, a mechanical engineer with a grounding in accountancy, or humanities with a side of statistics — engineering colleges are finally starting to see the big picture. Keeping pace with the demands of the market, they are now increasing stress on knowledge beyond the selected field.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) recently granted approval for these institutes to run humanities, arts and commerce courses alongside engineering. This decision was taken, explains AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe, because demand for engineering has remained more or less constant in recent years while the number of engineering colleges and the scale of their infrastructure have both grown significantly.

“This resulted in many private colleges shutting down courses. The infrastructure remained unused. This step was taken to make these institutions economically viable,” Sahasrabudhe says.

Apart from the economic concerns, the decision was also spurred by a changing job scenario and growing demand for a wider set of skills from all professionals.

Many technical institutes are now thinking along these interdisciplinary lines. Some, like the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology in Coimbatore, and the Thadomal Shahani Engineering College in Mumbai, which already have humanities courses, are deliberating starting full-scale MA and MSc programmes.

“We still have a long way to go, but we would be interested in starting courses and programmes in economics, history and sociology. We already conduct a few sessions or students in campus on history and economics,” says GT Thampi, principal of Thadomal Shahani Engineering College.

Today, we need cross-disciplinary education in all fields, adds the AICTE chief. “An engineering graduate needs to be able to study accountancy, psychology or even philosophy. If their college already has programmes in these subjects and faculty teaching them, then at least some students from technical streams can opt for these as electives. In this way their width of knowledge and employability improves.”

The same applies for students in general courses, Sahasrabudhe adds. Why shouldn’t a BMM student study statistics, or a Science student dabble in sociology?

EARLY CROSSOVERS

This approach has been in play at institutions like the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani and at multiple Indian Institutes of Technology, or IITs. IIT-Madras offers MA programmes in English and Development Studies. BITS offers an integrated MSc in Development Studies and Media & Communication. Many IITs also offer PhD courses in economics, literature, linguistics, philosophy, policy, psychology and sociology. Students in these institutions are also free to opt for a multi-disciplinary approach and handpick courses across streams.

“We had humanities and language studies since inception in 1964. But in 2012, we revised our structure and more weightage was given to the humanities. It is now compulsory for all engineering students to pick three compulsory courses (modules) from the humanities too. This is aside from regular courses like technical communication,” says Sangeeta Sharma, associate professor with the department of humanities at BITS Pilani.

At BITS Pilani, students can also take courses in streams they are interested in and get a minor in those subjects. “So a mechanical engineering student can get a minor in media and communication,” Sharma says.

She adds that, though the courses were started to help students develop an understanding of society, it wasn’t long before they realised that the skills they were picking up were making them more employable and more attractive to employers too.

PERMEABLE BORDERS

The cross courses and the exchange of ideas help everyone. “Development studies students from IITs are known for their analytical skills and their ability do comprehensive research, which makes them suitable for multiple jobs — from analytics to economic consultancy,” says Umakant Dash, head of the humanities and social sciences department at IIT-Madras.

He adds that he hopes to see more technical engineering institutes offer degrees in general streams after the AICTE nod. “We will definitely see more engineering colleges offer humanities courses even if not MA or BA programmes,” he says.

At BITS Pilani, there’s already been a step forward, in the form of a creative thinking course. “We discuss concepts like lateral thinking,” says associate professor Sharma. “We are also planning a Masters course in social science. We want our students to have well-rounded skills.”

The proverbial wall has been brought down, Sahasrabudhe agrees. “Earlier, there was this strange idea that even if an institute offered, say, architecture and engineering, there had to be a boundary wall between the two. That is now over. We need no boundary walls between streams.”

Date: 8th March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: 20 Journalist: NA Alumni: Kavya Menon Headline: Putting Menstrual Hygiene in the spotlight

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-M students stage walkout during talk URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/iit-m-students-stage-walkout- during-talk/article26476641.ece

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The News Minute Edition: Online Journalist: Archana Ravi Headline: These conversations on menstrual hygiene came much before ‘Period’ won an Oscar URL: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/these-conversations-menstrual- hygiene-came-much-period-won-oscar-97972

These conversations on menstrual hygiene came much before ‘Period’ won an Oscar

When a short documentary on menstruation won an Oscar, many deliriously tweeted that this is going to start conversations on menstruation. Most didn’t know that these conversations have already begun and have evolved into sustainable menstruation initiatives in rural India, the very setting that forms the backdrop of the film Period. End of Sentence.

These initiatives are not at all like The Pad Project featured in the documentary. That’s not just because they refuse to present disposable sanitary napkins (DSN) as an instant panacea that can cure everything from period poverty to menstruation taboo.

Forget DSN, many of them don’t think that peddling sustainable menstrual hygiene products, even the ones they make, is important. Instead, they prefer that women make an informed choice after awareness sessions.

Hold on. That is not a cryptic reference to a ‘class’ where women are patronisingly ‘taught’ about what they need to do. It is a two-way exchange, even as these sessions tell menstruators what disposable pads, repurposed old cloth, tampons, menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads can do to their body, environment and pockets. Here, the educators learn too.

“We are not there to tell them how to manage menstruation. From their grandmothers’ times, women have been managing it on their own. There are communities that practise free bleeding. There is nothing wrong with that. Our approach is to talk to them about reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases, child birth and various trauma associated with it. During these sessions, we also understand what the existing practices and beliefs associated with menstruation are,” says Smriti Kedia, Strategy and Execution, Uger Project, an initiative of the Rajasthan- based not-for-profit Jatan Sansthan.

These organisations advocate for the reuse of old cotton cloth. That’s revolutionary, especially as proponents for DSN have been presenting cloth as the villain in all menstrual hygiene stories. DSN cheerleaders continue to quote a 2010 survey conducted by AC Nielsen for Plan India, which found that only 18% women have access to sanitary hygiene. The survey completely ignores cloth as a menstrual hygiene device. Following the release of the National Family Health Survey-4 results in 2018, newspaper headlines read “62% young women still use cloth”, as if that in itself is an unhygienic practice. In the documentary, Arunachalam Muruganantham, the inventor of the low-cost pad making machine, without citing any source, claims that less than 10% women use sanitary napkins.

While these statistics stubbornly run repurposed cloth down, sustainable menstruation campaigners call it an ideal menstrual hygiene product. It is affordable, widely accepted and has zero health and environment costs. But in the end the decision is made by the women. Typically, most women slowly amble towards cloth pads, after a product analysis session in which they are trained to critically evaluate various choices available, says Kathy Walkling, co-founder of an Auroville-based not-for-profit Eco Femme.

Menstrual hygiene education is at the heart of all Eco Femme initiatives, including ‘Pads for Sisters’, which aims at offering reusable cloth napkins at subsidised rates to women who cannot afford it otherwise. The number of rural women who adopted cloth pads through the Pads for Sisters programme has seen a slow but steady increase. Last year they sold about 20,000 pads, while this year in the first quarter alone they have sold 28,000 pads under the programme. Many women, who would have developed rashes because of the use of disposable sanitary napkins and who would have faced difficulty during the disposal phase, become cloth pad users after the sessions, according to Walkling. These sessions may take several hours to several days, but the educators would never instruct women what to choose. “That would be an insult to their intelligence,” says Walkling.

The campaigners were asked what if many women say there is no water to wash menstrual cloth. Each one we spoke to, including Uger which works in water-scarce Rajasthan, said that, barring women in a few desert areas, most didn’t cite water as their main challenge.

“A bigger problem was the taboo surrounding menstruation. Women shied away from drying their washed menstrual cloth in the sun,” says M Banu Chitra founder of Thoo(i)mai, based in Tamil Nadu. Their name signifies a determination to fight the taboo, she says. While ‘Thooimai’ means purity in Tamil, ‘Thoomai’, a word many would rather whisper, means menstrual blood.

Since the launch of Thoo(i)mai in 2015, Banu Chitra has travelled across Tamil Nadu taking with her information on menstrual hygiene as well as her personal testimony for cloth pads. She herself was a DSN user. In 2014, after emerging from an abortion and depression, she came across articles which said that sanitary napkins could cause grave health problems. She learned stitching her own cloth pads from a collective that promoted sustainable living. After experiencing pleasanter periods with lesser irritation and rashes, she sounds convinced about the ill-effects of DSN.

Conversations, reinforced by such conviction, are also able to address larger issues like girl children dropping out of school. “It is not periods that prevent girls from an education. It is patriarchy. When a girl starts to menstruate, some communities see them as a potential bride. Child marriages are rampant. When they say menstrual blood is bad and just viewing it can make the husband blind, the root is in patriarchy. Do you think a sanitary product alone will ensure that a girl gets her education?” asks Smriti Kedia.

Involving men in menstruation is one way to smash patriarchy. Browsing through Uger’s online photo gallery, one finds men huddled together stitching pads. Half of their trainers are men and it is compulsory for all male members of the project to learn how to make Uger pads. One-third of their training sessions are for the men in the villages they visit.

These initiatives literally walk extra miles to reach out to women. Magalir Mattum, based in Tamil Nadu, offers free cloth pads to women living in tiny scattered villages in Thiruvalloor district. Each village would be 5 km away from its nearest neighbour, sometimes 10 km away from a bus stop and 20 km away from a retail store. Its founder D Priya says, “I believe that cloth pads should be given free of cost, as reproductive health is a birth right. We have come across women resorting to unhygienic practices as they cannot afford to keep aside 10 ps for their menstrual needs. Once, a woman shared that she had been washing and reusing disposable sanitary napkins. That’s why we give them cloth pads for free. They can use it for at least 12 cycles. After this, we replace it.”

These campaigns find it difficult to convince governments, as most are more inclined to promote DSN. But consistent dialogues have helped start many sustainable menstruation initiatives. The Department of North East Region with IIT Madras, Jatan Sansthan and Eco Femme have launched cloth pad production units in all eight North Eastern states.

But there is a lot more that the government has to do if it is indeed serious about menstrual health, says D Priya. “To begin with, are there toilets every 10 km? Are there enough women’s health centres?” she asks.

After learning about these wonderful initiatives, one cannot help think of Period. End of Sentence. as a shallow narrative. How snugly it fits the pitiful trope of sanitary napkins saving the day for poor women in rural India. Before another tweet shames a menstruator for using cloth, let’s steer this conversation in the right direction.

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Kolkata Page No: 9 Journalist: Jhimlii Mukherjee Pandey Headline: IIT-Kgp bags 3rd spot in mgmt research ranking URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/iit-kgp-bags-3rd-spot-in-mgmt- research-ranking/articleshow/68326944.cms

Date: 9th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Kolkata Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: Weather office gets device to predict lightning strikes URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/weather-office-gets-device-to- predict-lightning-strikes/articleshow/68326924.cms

Date: 10th March 2019 Publication: The Shillong Times Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: Godhuly Bose Headline: A trust & not govt should be in charge of museums URL: http://www.theshillongtimes.com/2019/03/10/a-trust-not-govt-should-be-in- charge-of-museums/

Date: 10th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India -Tamil Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: மென்வன ஐஐ羿뾿ல் எெ் .மடக். ப羿க்க ힿண்ணப்ꮿக்埁ெ் யத鎿 அ잿ힿப்ꯁ(M.Tech in Chennai IIT Announcing the date of applying for reading) URL: https://tamil.samayam.com/education-news/news/iit-madras-2019-m-tech- admission-process-begins-check-details-here/articleshow/68339262.cms

மென்வன ஐஐ羿뾿ல் எெ் .மடக். ப羿க்க ힿண்ணப்ꮿக்埁ெ் யத鎿 அ잿ힿப்ꯁ

சென்னன ஐஐ羿뾿ல் எெ்.சடக். ப羿க்க ힿண்ணப்ꮿக்埁ெ் யத鎿 அ잿ힿப்ꯁ சென்னன ஐஐ羿뾿ல் எெ்.சடக். ப羿க்க வ쏁ெ் ஏப்ரல் 10ஆெ் யத鎿 வனர ힿண்ணப்பங்கள் வரயவற்கப்ப翁垿ன்றன.

சென்னன뾿ல் உள்ள ஐஐ羿 எனப்ப翁ெ் இந்鎿 சதா펿ல்ꏁட்ப கல்ힿ நி쟁வனெ் (IIT Madras) சபா잿뾿 ல் பட்ட யெற்ப羿ப்ꯁக்கான ힿண்ணப்பங்கனள சபறத் சதாடங்垿뿁ள்ள鏁. சென்னன ஐஐ羿 அ鎿காரப்ꯂர்வ இனண தளத்鎿ல் ힿண்ணப்பெ் சவளி뾿டப்பட்翁ள்ள鏁. ힿ쏁ப்ப믁ெ் த埁鎿뿁ெ் உள்ளவர்கள் ힿண்ணப்பத்னத சபற்쟁 ꯂர்த்鎿 செ ்鏁ힿட்翁 ெெர்ப்ꮿக்கலாெ்.

ொர்ெ் 6ஆெ் யத鎿 சதாடங்垿 ힿண்ணப்பப் ப鎿ퟁ ஏப்ரல் 10ஆெ் யத鎿 믁羿வனட뿁ெ். ힿண்ணப்பதாரர்கள் ힿண்ணப்ꮿக்埁ெ் 믁ன்ꯁ த埁鎿 ெற்쟁ெ் நிபந்தனனகனள கவனொகப் ப羿க்埁ொ쟁 யகட்翁க்சகாள்ளப்பட்翁ள்ளனர்.

எெ்.சடக் ப羿ப்ꯁக்埁 ힿண்ணப்ꮿக்埁ெ்யபா鏁 யகட் யதர்ퟁ ெ鎿ப்சபண்கள் அ羿ப்பனட뾿ல்தான் ொணவர் யெர்க்னக இ쏁க்埁ெ். எனயவ, எெ்.சடக் ힿண்ணப்பத்鏁டன் யகட் யதர்ퟁ (GATE COAP 2019) ힿண்ணப்பத்னத뿁ெ் யெர்த்யத ெெர்ப்ꮿக்க யவண்翁ெ்.

Date: 10th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: Abhijit Bhaduri Headline: Reimagine Education for the New Ecosystem URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/just-like-that/reimagine-education- for-the-new-ecosystem/

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: Hindustan Times Edition: Mumbai Page No: 5 Journalist: Snehal Fernandes Professor: Prof Sachin Gunthe Headline: Pollution destroys 21% wheat, 6% rice crop every year: IIT-M study URL: https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/pollution-destroys-21-wheat-6- rice-crop-every-year-iit-m-study/story-FfsjiUstkx62FL7ALe5uxI.html

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: The Tribune Edition: Online Journalist: NA Student: S Balamurugan Headline: Nashik team shines at IIT fest URL: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/nashik-team-shines-at-iit- fest/741025.html

Nashik team shines at IIT fest

Sandip Institute of Engineering and Management from Nashik, Maharashtra, won the title of Mahindra BAJA SAEINDIA-2019, which concluded at the IIT-Ropar here on Sunday.

The only all-girls team from the Shri Vishnu College of Engineering (Andhra Pradesh) won the ‘Cost Evaluation’ award.

A total of 26 teams from various engineering institutes completed the endurance round. While the winning team won Rs 2,50,000, Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering from Bengaluru was declared as the first runner-up and received Rs 1,25,000. Various other awards to teams for static events were also given.

Dr Jayaraman from Dr Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology, Tamil Nadu, received the unique Dronacharaya Award, which is meant for mentors (faculty members), who helped students to make their ATVs (All-Terrain Vehicles).

The Pride of Punjab Award was grabbed by Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Sangrur, Punjab.

Total 363 teams had registered for the 12th BAJA SAEINDIA series, out of which 251 teams qualified for the finale. However, only 46 teams made it to the endurance round.

MedTech workshop

Ropar: A team comprising S Balamurugan from the IIT-Madras, Jonath S from Anna University and Navneet Kumar from the IIT-Ropar won the first prize in the four-day CBME MedTech Workshop, which concluded at the IIT here on Sunday. The team had come up with a cost-effective solution for the evaluation of depth of anesthesia and received Rs 30,000 prize. A total of nine teams from different parts of country participated in the competition. The winning team gave a novel idea for the evaluation of anesthesia in a reliable way with accurate readings. The team winning the second prize worked on improved knee joint for knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO), using an adjustable ratchet system. The team comprised Harupjit Singh, Subhash Chandra Jha and Ramanpreet Singh. They received Rs 20,000 as prize. The third prize of Rs 10,000 was grabbed by Ankur Khosla, Ratan Das and Kushagra Goyal. — TNS

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: News 18 Edition: Electronic Journalist: NA Headline: வைப்பர் 쯂ப் மதா펿ல்ꏁட்பெ் URL: https://tamil.news18.com/videos/technology/chennai-iit-students-to- participate-in-the-international-hyper-loop-competition-in-america-122181.html

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: Alpha Herald Edition: Online Journalist: Sri Ramachandra Murthy Professor: Sridhar Vembu Headline: History Maker: Sridhar Vembu - CEO of Zoho Corp URL: https://www.apherald.com/Politics/ViewArticle/335242/History-Maker-Sridhar- Vembu--CEO-of-Zoho-Corp-(formerly-AdventNet-Inc-)-/

History Maker: Sridhar Vembu - CEO of Zoho Corp

This is the company behind the Zoho suite of online applications. Meanwhile Sridhar Vembu co-founded AdventNet in 1996, and has been CEO since 2000. Reportedly AdventNet has transformed itself from a modest beginning as a software company serving network equipment vendors to be an innovative online applications provider.

Furthermore it has maintained growth and profitability, without needing outside capital. Prior to AdventNet, Sridhar worked as a wireless systems engineer at Qualcomm, Inc. where he was fortunate to work with some of the leading minds in wireless communications. Apparently Sridhar Vembu’s Zoho competes successfully around the world with some core products of Microsoft, Google and Salesforce.com. Vembu shuns outside capital, but if Zoho were to be valued, it might be well over $1 billion.

Moreover he grew up in a very modest middle class family in Chennai, where his father was a stenographer in the High Court and neither his father nor his mother went to college. Reportedly he went to a Tamil medium, government aided school till Std 10, and then he did 11th and 12th in an English medium government school. Perhaps he did well at school and he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University.

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: The Times Of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Headline: Two held with meth accomplice in cop net

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Kochi Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Sutanu Chakraborti Headline: Conference on Indian language computing at Cusat

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication:The Times of India Edition: Ahmedabad Page No: 21 Journalist: Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey Headline: IIT-Kgp bags 3rd spot in mgmt research ranking URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/iit-kgp-bags-3rd-spot-in-mgmt- research-ranking/articleshow/68326944.cms

Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Delhi Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Headline: Creating global careers for Indians

Date: 12th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: 'Changes in software help increase users' URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/changes-in-software-help- increase-users/articleshow/68365482.cms

Date: 12th March 2019 Publication: The Tribune Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Sat Paul Mittal Memorial Lecture at PU URL: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/sat-paul-mittal-memorial- lecture-at-pu/741634.html

Sat Paul Mittal Memorial Lecture at PU

The second Sat Paul Mittal Memorial Lecture was organised at University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Panjab University, here today under the Bharti Chair for Telecom and IT Research.

Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT-Madras, spoke on the topic, ‘Indian contributions to 5G standard’, and discussed enhancements in 3GPP,

5G standard to address specific needs, particularly in rural areas.

He deliberated on the fact that while small cells were trend in developed countries, low mobility large cells (LMLC) were important for coverage in developing countries like India. Date: 11th March 2019 Publication: India Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras MTech, MTech Sponsored Programmes Admissions 2019: How to apply before April 15 URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/notification/story/iit-madrasmtech-mtech-sponsored-programmes-admissions-2019-how-to-apply-before-april- 15-1475171-2019-03-11

IIT Madras MTech, MTech Sponsored Programmes Admissions 2019: How to apply before April 15

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) has invited application from eligible and interested candidates for admission to MTech and MTech (Sponsored) programmes on the official website. The last date to apply for the admission procedure is April 15, 2017.

The Institute is all set to grant Half-time Teaching Assistantship (HTTA) of Rs 12,400 per month to candidates enrolled in MTech program (non-sponsored).

Required educational qualification: For MTech (non-sponsored):

Candidates must possess a bachelor's degree in Engineering / Technology / Architecture or equivalent, or master's degree in Chemistry/ Mathematics/ Physics/ Life Sciences or related subjects or associate membership in professional bodies as such as AMIE etc.

Candidates must have a valid GATE 2015, GATE 2016 or GATE 2017 score.

Apart from this, candidates who have a BTech degree from IITs with CGPA of 7.5 for SC/ST candidates and CGPA of 8.0 for General candidates can apply without GATE score.

For MTech (sponsored):

Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree in Engineering / Technology / Architecture or equivalent with at least 60 percent marks over the 4 years.

The minimum percentage required for the candidates belonging to ST/SC category is 55 percent.

Candidates must hold two years of professional experience as on April 30, 2017 in the sponsoring institute after qualifying degree.

How to apply: Step 1: Step the official website, mtechspons.iitm.ac.in / mtechadm.iitm.ac.in

Step 2: A confirmation email will be sent to your address. Use the link in that email to confirm your login and to create your password.

Step 3: You will now find an online application form under the tab 'My Application Summary'. Fill the form.

Step 4: Upload required files

Step 5: Submit the online application form.

About IIT Madras Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an institute of national importance.

The activities of the Institute in various fields of Technology and Science are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary Research Academic Centres.

Date: 12th March 2019 Publication: Boom Live Edition: Online Journalist: Govindraj Ethiraj Headline: India’s Top 5 IT Cos Use 2 Billion Minutes Of Cisco’s Webex Every Year: Sameer Garde URL: https://www.boomlive.in/indias-top-5-it-cos-use-2-billion-minutes-of-ciscos- webex-every-year-sameer-garde/

India’s Top 5 IT Cos Use 2 Billion Minutes Of Cisco’s Webex Every Year: Sameer Garde

We continue to be focused on the business side, enterprise, SMB, public sector. I think there are three or four areas that we are looking at in the future. I don’t know how familiar you are but we did what we could do what is called a country digitisation acceleration programme in the top 13-14 geographies, we did some investments over the last three years in various areas like smart cities, defence and Bharat Net.

We are doing the second tranche of investment now. Starting this year the areas we are focusing really on are:

There are 62 million SMBs in India. Only 5% of them are internet enabled and that’s going to improve significantly over the next few years. We believe we can help those SMBs in a way that is more efficient for them to manage their businesses and not just from a cost perspective but also from a customer experience perspective. The second big area that we are looking at if of course, you know, India is going to spend anywhere between $400 to 500 billion on transportation, transportation could include airports, railways, ports and highways. Between these four areas, India is going to spend half a trillion dollars over the next five years. So follow the money, right? So that’s another big focus area for us in terms of helping airports modernise, airports digitise, highways digitise. Railways are looking at new signal system so I think those are some of the areas that we are looking at.

Third, the area is, with GST being rolled out one of the outcomes of that is that you don’t really need a warehouse in every city, every state, right? Because now you have a common tax, as now you have a common structure across the country, so consolidation of warehouses into more larger warehouses is a new way forward.

So, recently for a very large automotive company in India, I can’t take the name. They are building a half a million square feet warehouse in Mumbai. We are helping them digitise the entire warehouse and where they can manage it through Wi-Fi through video surveillance through a more up-to-date network.

So I think their warehousing is going to be the next big thing, in my opinion. And lastly, I think 5G. 5G is going to be real in a few years and we are very focused on. So we are doing a partnership with BSNL in IIT Chennai to build a showcase for what 5G can potentially do. It’s not just about the feeds in speeds, right? It is also about what use cases in areas like healthcare, education you can do and so on.

Date: 12th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition:Delhi/Pune/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Ahemdabad/Bangalore / Kochi Page No: 12 Journalist: NA Headline: GVFL invests undisclosed sum in EroNkan Technologies URL: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/gvfl-invests-undisclosed-sum- in-eronkan-technologies/article26501105.ece

Date: 12th March 2019 Publication:The Times of India Edition: Ahmedabad Page No: 5 Journalist: Parth Shastri Headline: VS Library opened at IIM-A URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/vs-library-opened-at-iim- a/articleshow/68365911.cms

Date: 12th March 2019 Publication: Divya Bhaskar Edition: Ahmedabad Page No: 1 Journalist: NA Headline: IIM Ahemdabad Library

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi Page No: 14 Journalist: Lalatendu Mishra Headline: Uniphore Software eyes $100 mn revenue in 3 years URL: https://www.thehindu.com/business/uniphore-software-eyes-100-mn-revenue- in-3-years/article26514957.ece

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Online Journalist: Huma Siddiqui Headline: ISRO’s big achievement: South American countries look towards India for low cost satellite launches URL: https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/science/isros-big-achievement- south-american-countries-look-towards-india-for-low-cost-satellite- launches/1513776/

ISRO’s big achievement: South American countries look towards India for low cost satellite launches

China has been offering its competitive satellite construction and launch services to various South American countries, however, countries in the region are looking towards India’s Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for launching and developing their satellites. The fact that India offers credible economically feasible satellite launches is a big attraction for these countries.

Experts have indicated to Financial Express Online that in the South American Region, India could become a strategic partner to boost its space program at low cost and the cooperation in the Space sector could be used various areas including climatic and telecommunications. The latest to express their interest in working with ISRO in developing and researching in the Space sector comes from Paraguay and Costa Rica.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu speaking to journalists onboard at the end of his two nation visit to Paraguay and Costa Rica, said that, “Besides other areas, these countries are also keen on working with ISRO for not only launching satellites but in research as well as developing their satellites. ”

The interest from these countries has grown greatly after the successful Mars mission a few years ago wherein the ISRO proved that it is capable of achieving even interplanetary missions in a cost-effective manner, in addition to having a reliable programme.

Though countries including Venezuela and Bolivia have launched their first satellites in cooperation with China, Paraguay which does not maintain official relations with China created its Space Agency in 2014 and in 2018 defined its space policy.

With the global space market expected to expand in South America and Africa ISRO’s commercial arm Antrix Corporation Ltd., will soon be unable to handle huge demands, therefore, it is important that commercial players such as Alpha Designs and Ananth Technologies should be encouraged to help assist manufacturing satellites for countries in the Latin American region.

Sharing her views with Financial Express Online, Dr Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Head, Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said that, “These two companies have worked with ISRO in recent years and the Indian Space Agency along with Antrix can help establish a more proactive presence in Latin America.”

“The region of course remains important to India for a number of different reasons including pursuing India’s membership to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and other international negotiations like on climate change and terrorism,” the distinguished fellow at ORF added.

According to her, India should also be interested in Brazil’s old rocket complex on its Atlantic coast. The Alcantarra base is about 140 miles south off earth’s equator (Situated on the equator means that the fuel that is required for launch is far less), making it an ideal location for launching satellites.

“Major aerospace companies such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin Have been quite interested in the space but India must not lose time in this regard.”

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Paraguay is looking at ISRO to possibly cooperate in resource mapping; earth observation data sharing; manufacturing and launching satellites on commercial basis. The South American nation is also expected to collaborate on training on manufacturing small satellite, and, specific space technology applications including natural resources assessment and disaster management support.

Some of the countries from the region including Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua have already reached out to the Indian agency for help in developing and building satellites. Chile and Colombia have in recent years put their satellites in orbit.

The Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), which has been working with China for its Space programme has through its Ground stations in Alcantara and Cuiaba been providing tracking support for Indian satellites (Chandrayaan-I, Megha Tropiques, MOM, and ASTROSAT) on a commercial basis.

With its huge research capability, ISRO should look to assist other countries in similar launches of satellites, as the commercial engagements in the spatial sector could produce long-term strategic linkages and India should be mindful of those advantages.

President Ramnath Kovind is expected to travel to Bolivia and Chile in the region end of this month where among other sectors; Space Cooperation will be topping the agenda of talks with leaders on the country.

Though China had launched the first Bolivia’s first communication satellite in 2013, as has been reported by Financial Express Online, Bolivian Space Agency (ABE) concluded a MoU on space cooperation with ISRO. Under this the Indian agency will help to conduct preliminary studies of establishing a ground station in Bolivia for supporting ISRO’s space operations. ISRO will also depute its experts in the field of agriculture and forestry for giving lectures and interacting with officials.

Building relations with Bolivia, a small country is critical for India as it has huge reserves of Lithium, which India would need for its lithium batteries for the Electric Vehicles.

For launching its first homemade palm-sized satellite, the University of Chile got a ride onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C38 rocket recently. As an update, the faculty of the university is in talks with professors at IIT-Madras for doing joint missions.

Though, Chile does not have a space programme and no space agency, the country’s air force has some resources to buy a satellite — mostly for earth-observation purposes, which is custom made. Taking advantages of their geographic position, the University of Chile has started their own space programme and are doing their own research with low resources. The University is focusing on nano-satellite technology, and are developing their skills in the subject, and do research.

The University which is working with IIT-Madras is hoping to get a ride on the PSLV in 2019 for a launch of 3U Cubesats. These nano satellites are for space research and scientific in nature.

The National Aerospace Research and Development Commission of Peru has signed a cooperation agreement with the Indian space agency which will help in training in the interpretation and dissemination of data (satellite images); support the implementation of an astronomical observatory in Moquegua; and in conducting experiments in the atmosphere/ionosphere sounding rockets.

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Shakti in politics: A roadmap to equality in the Lok Sabha URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2019/mar/12/want-equality-in-india- give-women-50-reservation-in-politics-then-1950125.html

Shakti in politics: A roadmap to equality in the Lok Sabha

The election season is well and truly upon us. Preparations are in full swing, major parties across the country are stitching up alliances and the only question surfacing in the minds of everyone is who will head the country for the next five years? Will Narendra Modi come back to power in 2019 or will the Mahagathbandhan work in favour of the opposition?

But the question that needs answering for Shakti, a non-partisan collective, is entirely different. They are fighting a battle for women to get 50% reservation in the Lok Sabha. As per a December 2018 report, only 11% of women are MPs and 9% are MLAs, though there are over 40% women in local bodies.

Shakti's objective is to enable more women to be elected as MPs and MLAs. People from 18 states across the country, including first-time voters, students, farmers, domestic workers and civil society groups, are part of the campaign.

As part of International Women's Day celebrations on March 8, the collective hosted a nationwide campaign to discuss the challenges women face when it comes to taking politics as a career. The campaign was held in eight cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Chittoor, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram. In Maharashtra too, it was hosted in 19 districts.

“The agenda of the campaign is simple – women form 50% of the people in the country so we are only demanding that much space in governance. We are demanding half the seats in the Lok Sabha only because we deserve it,” said Sujatha Ramesh Babu, an activist from Chennai. Shakti has been trying to push political parties into giving more women a chance in politics. It has also taken up the issue with the Election Commission.

In a historic move, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced that the BJD would field women in 33% of the Lok Sabha seats in the state in the upcoming elections. But is it enough?

Madhumita Gomathinayagam, India’s first transgender HR manager, disagrees. "I don't think even 50% is enough. I think we should aim at getting 100% reservation. If we aim for 100, only then will we be able to achieve the 50% that we want. Political parties are not willing to pay money or give security to women and most women aren’t fighting for it either. Women have to take the matter into their own hands, fight for their rights and make space for themselves in this democracy,” she said.

But why do women need reservations to run for elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, some may ask. This is because of our patriarchal society and its notions, says Prof. Kalpana Karunakaran from IIT Madras. "When Hilary Clinton was running for presidential elections, she was faced with questions like which dish do you like to cook the most and do you sit down with your children when they're studying - all these on national television. Her dark lipstick was judged. Her personal life was taken into consideration. Men never face such questions as candidates and it only shows how much more privileged they are. That is why women need reservation," she said.

The sessions also witnessed active participation from first-time voters and students. Lelavathy, a psychology student based in Chennai, says that more often than not, women don't get into politics because of the family. "There's no financial security, we are asked to take care of the home and the way politics has been portrayed in the media, families usually don't push women to enter politics," she says.

Although there is no word from the Election Commission about reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha elections, volunteers at Shakti are hopeful that political parties will accept their demands.

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition:Chennai Page No: 13 Journalist: NA Headline: Learn Basics of Aviation

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication:The Times of India Edition: Ahmedabad Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Headline: Cept to host workshop on ‘Megaprojects

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: Ahmedabad Mirror Edition: Ahmedabad Page No: 17 Journalist: NA Headline: Art about town

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: Punjab News Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Top B-Schools in South India for Management Aspirants URL: http://punjabnewsexpress.com/education/news/top-b-schools-in-south-india- for-management-aspirants-86127.aspx

Top B-Schools in South India for Management Aspirants

The southern region of India is a popular destination for engineering education. However, this region boasts of equally great options providing quality management education, some of them belong to top-rung B-schools of the country such as IIM- Bangalore, the baby IIMs at Vishakhapatnam and Tiruchirappalli, ISB-Hyderabad, Department of Management Studies – IIT Madras, Institute of Financial Management and Research etc. While the majority of these top B-Schools down south are private stand-alone institutes, there are several others that are part of large universities such as SRM University, Manipal Academy for Higher Education, Symbiosis (Deemed) University etc.

The admission cut-off declared by management institutes is a major factor that decides applicants’ eligibility to apply at respective schools. CAT Cutoff for top B- schools is released individually and release separate cut offs for other exams. However, apart from the cut-off scores, students shortlist their choice of institutes on the basis of academics, infrastructure, alumni feedback and most importantly, the placement record of the institute in question.

The bottom-line of pursuing a Management degree program in today’s times is to bag a well-paying job. The promise of assured placements with reputed corporates leading to a rewarding career is what drives candidates to choose among the best available institute fitting with their own academic capabilities and entrance test scores.

In this article, we attempt to collate a list of the top most B-schools in South India for Management Education. Majority of these institutes accept CAT scores and declare their respective CAT Cut-off scores right before the admission process starts. Candidates that meet the cut-off criteria can apply and shortlisted ones are called for the selection process which comprises mostly WAT (Written Aptitude Test) and/or Group Discussion and Personal Interview. The selection process obviously differs from institute to institute.

Name of the College

Programs Offered & Intake

Approximate Program Fee

Tests Accepted

Admission Cut-off

Placement Record

Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore

PGP, PGPPM, PGPEM (400)

INR 21.5 lakh

CAT, GMAT

CAT Percentile 97+

Average Domestic Package INR 22.76 lakhs

Average International Package INR 58.20 lakhs

Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode

PGP (375)

INR 17.5 lakh

CAT

CAT percentile 96+

Average Domestic Package INR 17.8 lakhs

Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Tiruchirappalli

PGP (240)

INR 13 lakh

CAT

CAT percentile 95+

Average Domestic Package INR 14.28 lakhs

Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Visakhapatnam

PGP (60)

INR 10.5 lakh

CAT

CAT percentile 90+

Average Domestic Package INR 12.07 lakhs

IIT-Madras, Chennai

MBA

INR 8.0 lakh

CAT

Average Domestic Package INR 12.4 lakhs

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

MBA

INR 2.56 lakh

CAT, GMAT, GATE

Average Domestic Package INR 15.0 lakhs

National Institute of Technology, Trichy

MBA

INR 2.38 lakh

CAT

Average Domestic Package INR 6.5 lakhs

Indian School of Business, Hyderabad

PGPM

INR 22.5 lakh

GMAT

ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad

MBA

INR 14.04 lakh

IBSAT, CAT, GMAT, NMAT

Average Domestic Package INR 7.23 lakhs

Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad

PGDM (240)

INR 8.0 lakh

CAT, XAT, GMAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA

Average Domestic Package INR 5.87 lakhs

Xavier Institute Of Management & Entrepreneurship, Bangalore

PGDM (180)

INR 10.0 lakh

XAT, CAT, GMAT, CMAT, ATMA, MAT

Average Domestic Package INR 6.43 lakhs

Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai

PGDM (180)

INR 12.61 lakh

CAT, XAT

Average Domestic Package INR 10.0 lakhs

T. A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal

PGDM (580)

INR 14 lakh

CAT, GMAT, XAT

Average Domestic Package INR 10.6 lakhs

Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

PGPM/ PGDM

INR 18.94 lakh

GMAT, CAT, XAT, CMAT

Average Domestic Package INR 13.1 lakhs

Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Bangalore

MBA (180)

INR 18.24 lakh

SNAP

SNAP 2018 percentile 88

Average Package offered INR 10.5 lakh

Christ University Institute of Management, Bangalore

MBA (180)

INR 7.5 lakh

CAT, MAT, CMAT, GMAT, XAT, ATMA

Highest Domestic Package INR 14 lakhs

Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chittoor

MBA (160)

INR 12 lakh

GMAT, CMAT, CAT, XAT

Average Domestic Package INR 8.3 Lakhs

ITM Business School, Chennai

PGDM (120)

INR 8.0 lakh

CAT, XAT, CMAT, MAT, ATMA, MAH CET, NMAT by GMAC, SNAP, KMAT, PGCET, ICET, TANCET, UPES

Average Domestic Package INR 5.6 Lakhs

Acharya Institute of Management and Sciences, Bangalore

MBA (240)

INR 9.0 lakh

MBA PGCET, CAT, MAT, ATMA

Average Domestic Package INR 5.25 lakhs

Vellore Business School, Vellore

MBA (240)

INR 5.98 lakh

CAT, NMAT, XAT, GMAT, MAT, CMAT

SRM University, Chennai

MBA/ PGDM

INR 5.0 lakh

CAT, MAT, XAT, TANCET, CMAT

Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Trichy

MBA (120)

INR 11.35 lakh

CAT

Average Domestic Package INR 10.0 lakhs

Above mentioned are some of the top colleges accepting CAT score. Candidates seeking admission in any of the above mentioned institute/college must check the eligibility criteria before their application.

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: Careers 360 Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Roorkee spearheads MoU between Indian institutions & African Centres of Excellence URL: https://news.careers360.com/iit-roorkee-spearheads-mou-between-indian- institutions-african-centres-excellence

IIT Roorkee spearheads MoU between Indian institutions & African Centres of Excellence

IIT Roorkee spearheaded an MoU exchanging ceremony between the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and World bank, as cooperation on strengthening of African Centre of Excellences in western, eastern and southern Africa by way of supporting the capacity building through knowledge transfer for number of students and female students enrolled in ACEs masters and PhD programs.

Also read : IIT Roorkee ranked 3rd among all Indian institutes in THE Emerging Economies University Rankings 2019 This shall lead to effective leveraging of the soft prowess of Indian Science and Technology in engagement with Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE’s) established in African countries with the assistance of World Bank to receive target oriented support with the aim for enhancing the post graduate and research education and under take the research in academic institutions. It is expected that quality of postgraduate programs and offered research opportunities to students enrolled in these ACEs shall be enhanced due to research and innovation work proposed to be undertaken between faculty of ACEs and faculty of Indian Academic (seven IITs) and R&D Institutions in priority areas of the ACEs.

Under four thematic priority areas i.e. Material science, Water Management & Infrastructure, Railways & ICT, twelve ACEs across Africa in their focus areas, initially seven IIT’s (Delhi, Roorkee, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras and Hyderabad) two of the DST institutions (JNCASR & ARCI) from India are cooperating on twinning model.

“We are happy that IIT Roorkee has been given the responsibility for coordinating collaboration of Indian institutions with African Centres of Excellence. It shall help strengthen Indo-African ties by addressing the common development related challenges in both India and Africa. IIT Roorkee will build on its legacy of providing capacity building programs to African countries over the last 6 decades,” said Prof. Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee.

Each Indian institute and ACE shall hopefully be able to identify the possible topics areas for short-term as well as long-term research, research interests and potential collaborations with the visiting ACE Centers projects.

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: News 18 Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: GATE 2019 Result to be Declared by March 16 at gate.iitm.ac.in. Applications for PSU Jobs to Open Soon URL: https://www.news18.com/news/india/gate-2019-result-to-be-declared-by- march-16-at-gate-iitm-ac-in-applications-for-psu-jobs-to-open-soon-2064331.html

GATE 2019 Result to be Declared by March 16 at gate.iitm.ac.in. Applications for PSU Jobs to Open Soon

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) will announce the GATE 2019 Result on or before March 16, 2019. The candidates who had appeared in the GATE exam can now check their result on the official website GATE 2019 at gate.iitm.ac.in. Soon after the result of Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering will be declared. Candidates can apply for various jobs under reputed PSUs in the country where the recruitment is done through GATE score.

The GATE 2019 examination was conducted on February 2, 3, 9 and 10, 2019 from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm. Candidates’ GATE 2019 scores are used for recruiting graduate engineers in entry-level positions.

Date: 13th March 2019 Publication: Construction World Edition: Magazine Page No: 96 Journalist: Seraphina D'souza Headline: A Lean Solution

Date: 14th March 2019 Publication: Autocar Pro Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: 2019 Mahindra Baja SAE India concludes with a bang at IIT Ropar URL: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/2019-mahindra-baja-sae-india- concludes-with-a-bang-at-iit-ropar-42392

2019 Mahindra Baja SAE India concludes with a bang at IIT Ropar

The second leg of Mahindra Baja SAE India 2019 which was the 12th edition of the event in the country saw an exhilarating culmination with 46 vehicles that contested against each other at the endurance race held at IIT Ropar, Punjab. Out of the 81 teams, 46 teams qualified through the evaluation test before being eligible to take the grid position for the endurance race.

Out of the total 4,250 students, 363 students registered for the 12th edition, of which, 251 participated in the Pithampur event (1st leg) and 81 participated in the IIT Ropar event. Out of the 81 vehicles, 46 raced through the 2.98km track that consisted of muddy pits, cliffs and slopes of 15-20 feet of height. At the end of the four-hour endurance race where the winner was announced on the basis of the number of laps completed, only 26 vehicles survived the four-hour onslaught. 20 vehicles suffered irreparable damage that deemed them unfit for completing the race. It could be definitely said that the second leg of 2019 Mahindra Baja SAE India 2019 was one of the fastest and the most crash-laden event.

Sandip Institute Of Engineering and Management College, from Nashik, Maharashtra was announced the winner of this BAJA series in India and it took away a cash prize of Rs 250,000 while Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering from Bengaluru was declared as the first runners-up, and it received Rs 125,000 as the cash price.

To promote sustainability and skilling, SAE India also conducts separate competition called ‘Go Green Award’ and ‘Skill Baja’ under Baja SAE India. Nine teams were evaluated for Go Green award out of which the team from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering Bengaluru, Karnataka won in this category. 24 entries were received for Skill Baja, out of which, four participant teams were shortlisted in tasks like welding, cutting, grinding and profiling. The team from Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Maharashtra was declared the winner in this category.

Various other awards to the teams for static events were also presented. Dr Jayaraman from Dr Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology, Tamil Nadu got the unique Dronacharaya Award, which is meant for the mentors (faculty members) who helped students to make their ATVs. The 'Pride of Punjab (Punjab & Chandigarh)' award was awarded to Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Sangrur, Punjab. The only all-girls team from Shri Vishnu College of Engineering, Andhra Pradesh won 'Cost Evaluation' award for the lowest cost of making Baja Buggy at Rs 282,000.

The four-day event started with basic static evaluation round which comprised of design evaluation, cost evaluation and marketing presentation. In the final round, the teams showcased their prototype of a rugged single seat, off-road recreational four- wheel vehicle and were evaluated on various parameters, including engineering design, CAE, cost and technology innovation.

The objective of the competition was to simulate real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges. Each team’s goal was to create a safe, easily transported, easily maintained and fun to drive prototype without any direct involvement from professional fabricators.

However, the teams were free to design their transmissions with the only restriction being the speed limit to 60kph. The ‘Dynamic Evaluation Round’ tested the vehicles for acceleration, sledge pull, manoeuvrability and suspension & traction. ‘Durability Evaluation Round’ saw the vehicles undergo endurance tests of four hours of BAJA. The ‘Endurance Event’ assessed each vehicle’s ability to operate continuously and at a speed over rough terrain containing obstacles in any weather conditions.

Director of IIT Madras, Dr Bhaskar Ramamurthy and head retail BPCL, P S Ravi were chief guest and guest of honour respectively at the valedictory function. The four-hour endurance race was flagged off by the guest of honour, Dr Bala K. Bharadvaj, managing director, Boeing Engineering and Technology Centre India.

Dr Pawan Goenka, managing director, Mahindra & Mahindra said, “The BAJA SAE India is a one of its kind initiative which enables engineering students to apply what they have learnt within a practical space. With innovation being a key enabler, it is very heartening to note the role played by IIT Ropar in furthering the cause of our upcoming and future engineers. The fact that BAJA SAE India has grown to include the second leg at Ropar is a testimony to not only the competition but also of the institution’s capabilities within automobile engineering”.

Date: 14th March 2019 Publication: First Post Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: GATE 2019: IIT Madras to declare result on 16 March; check your score at appsgate.iitm.ac.in URL: https://www.firstpost.com/india/gate-2019-iit-madras-to-declare-result-on-16- march-check-your-score-at-appsgate-iitm-ac-in-6254231.html

GATE 2019: IIT Madras to declare result on 16 March; check your score at appsgate.iitm.ac.in

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras will release the result of GATE 2019 on 16 March. Held between 2-3 February and 9-10 February across various centres in India and abroad, GATE 2019 result will be declared in online mode for all the 24 papers.

The test was also conducted in an online mode for all the 24 papers, including the newly added - Statistics. Students who qualify GATE 2019 with a valid score will be able to apply for M.Tech admissions at IITs, NITs, IIITs, GFTIs and other institutes.

GATE 2019: IIT Madras to declare result on 16 March; check your score at appsgate.iitm.ac.inRepresentational image. Reuters Steps to View GATE 2019 Result:

- Open the official website of GATE - appsgate.iitm.ac.in

- Click on the "results" section

- Give details of your GATE 2019 application form number and password

- Click on "submit" to view result

GATE 2019 Score Card:

Students can download their score card on 20 March after the declaration of result. The score card will contain all the information regarding qualifying marks and All India Rank (AIR).

Students will be able to download their score cards from 20 March till 31 May. After that, candidates have to pay an online fee of Rs 500 to be able to download their score cards till 31 December.

The GATE 2019 score card will be valid for a period of three years from the date of declaration of result. It will also contain the following information:

- Name of Candidate

- Registration/Application Number of candidate

- Paper for which appeared

- Mark scored by candidate

- Qualifying Marks

- GATE score

- All India Rank

- Total number of students appeared in that particular paper

Steps to download GATE 2019 Score Card:

- Visit the GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS)

- Enter the enrollment number/Registration ID/ Email ID and password

- Score card will be visible to candidate

- Click on the print tab to download the same

GATE 2019 scores are not just used for M.Tech admissions, but also by many leading PSUs for recruitment purposes. Students who opt for M.Tech admission after qualifying GATE are provided with a monthly stipend and annual contingency grant by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). This will only be granted to students pursuing their higher studies as specified.

GATE 2019 saw more than 8 lakh students appearing for the exam with a majority appearing for Civil, Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical and Computer Engineering papers.

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Date: 14th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India -Tamil Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras: மைளி ா垿ன 2019ெ் ஆண்翁க்கான GATE யதர்ퟁ ஆன்ஸர் 埀 URL: https://tamil.samayam.com/education-news/entrance-exams/gate-2019- examination-final-answer-key-has-released-by-iit-madras/articleshow/68393301.cms

IIT Madras: மைளி ா垿ன 2019ெ் ஆண்翁க்கான GATE யதர்ퟁ ஆன்ஸர் 埀

ஐஐ羿 செட்ராஸ் 2019-ெ் ஆண்翁க்கான யகட் யதர்ힿன் இ쟁鎿 அன்ஸர் 埀கனள சவளி뾿ட்翁ள்ள鏁. இத்யதர்ힿல் சொத்தெ் 21 யபப்பர்கள் உள்ளன. ꮿப்.,19ெ் யத鎿 இதற்கான இ쟁鎿 வ羿வெ் த ாரான鏁.

2019 யகட் யதர்ힿன் 믁羿ퟁகள் ொர்ெ் 16 அன்쟁 சவளி ாக உள்ள鏁.

ஆன்ஸர் 埀க்களில் ஏதாவ鏁 தவ쟁 இ쏁ந்தால் ொணவர்கள் ꮿப்., 20-22 யத鎿க்埁ள் தங்கள் ꯁகார்கனள சதரிힿக்கலாெ். ஒ쏁 ஆன்ஸர் 埀-뾿ல் உள்ள தவனற 毁ட்羿க்காட்ட, 쏂. 500 பணெ் செ쯁த்த யவண்翁ெ்.

믁ன்னதாக யகட் யதர்ퟁ ꮿப்., 2,3, 9, 10 ஆ垿 யத鎿களில் இந்鎿 ாힿ쯁ெ் சவளிநா翁களி쯁ெ் ஆன்னலன் 믂லொக நடத்தப்பட்ட鏁.

இ鎿ல் 8 லட்ெெ் ொணவர்கள் கலந்鏁சகாண்翁ள்ளனர்.

2019 யகட் ஆன்ஸர் 埀க்கனள ப鎿ힿறக்கெ் செ ் ꮿன்வ쏁ெ் ப羿ப்ப羿 ான 믁னறன ꮿன்பற்றퟁெ்.

யகட் 2019 இனண தளத்鏁க்埁ெ் செல்லퟁெ்

இ쟁鎿 ஆன்ஸர் 埀 쮿ங்னக 垿ளிக் செ ் ퟁெ்

பாடவாரி ாக ஆன்ஸர் 埀羿ஸ்ꮿயள ஆ埁ெ்.

ஒ쏁 埁잿ப்ꮿட்ட பாடத்னத 垿ளிெ் செ ் ퟁெ்

ꮿ羿எஃப் பார்செட்羿ல் ஆன்ஸர் 埀羿ஸ்ꮿயள ஆ埁ெ்

ஆன்ஸர் 埀ன ப鎿ힿறக்கெ் செ ் ퟁெ்

Date: 14th March 2019 Publication: Western Times Edition: Ahmedabad Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Headline: VS Library opened at IIM-A

Date: 15th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Kolkata/Pune Page No: 11 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Prakash Sail Headline: The Seven wise men

Date: 15th March Publication: News 18 Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: வைப்பர் 쯂ப் ை羿ைவெப்ꯁ யபாட்羿... மென்வன ஐ ஐ.羿 ொணைர்கள் யதர்ퟁ...! URL: https://tamil.news18.com/news/technology/iit-madras-students-have-been- selected-to-participate-in-a-contest-conducted-by-us-based-space-x-vi-124409.html

வைப்பர் 쯂ப் ை羿ைவெப்ꯁ யபாட்羿... மென்வன ஐ ஐ.羿 ொணைர்கள் யதர்ퟁ...!

காற்잿ல்லா சவற்잿ட 埁ழா ்க்埁ள் ெக்கள் ப ணிக்埁ெ் யகப்毂ல் எனப்ப翁ெ் உ쏁னள வ羿வ வாகனத்鎿ற்埁 இனடய காந்த ꯁலத்鎿னன உ쏁வாக்垿, 埁ழா ் வ펿ய ஒ쏁 இடத்鎿ல் இ쏁ந்鏁 ெற்சறா쏁 இடத்鎿ற்埁 ힿொனத்னத காட்羿쯁ெ் அ鎿 யவகத்鎿ல் ப ணிக்க னவக்埁ெ் ꯁ鎿 சதா펿ல்ꏁட்ப 믁னற ான鏁 னைப்பர் 쯂ப் எனப்ப翁ெ்.

னைப்பர் 쯂ப் சதா펿ல்ꏁட்பத்鎿ன் யவகெ் 1200 垿.므ட்டர் ஆ埁ெ். அசெரிக்கானவெ் யெர்ந்த சடஸ்லா நி쟁வன தனலவர் எலன் ெஸ்க் என்பவரின் 殿ந்தனன뾿ல் உ鎿த்தயத னைப்பர் 쯂ப் ஆ埁ெ்.

ெ므பத்鎿ல் ஸ்யபஸ் x ,என்垿ற நி쟁வனெ் னைப்பர் 쯂ப் சதா펿ல்ꏁட்பத்னத யெெ்ப翁த்鏁வதற்காக உலகளힿல் நடத்鎿 믁தற்கட்ட யபாட்羿뾿ல் சென்னன ஐ.ஐ.羿 ொணவர் 埁폁 த埁鎿 சபற்쟁ள்ள鏁.

இனத சதாடர்ந்鏁 னைப்பர் 쯂ப் சதா펿ல்ꏁட்பத்鎿ல் அ鎿யவகத்鎿ல் வாகனத்னத இ க்垿 காட்翁ெ் வனக뾿ல் அசெரிக்காힿல் நனடசபற உள்ள இ쟁鎿ப்யபாட்羿뾿ல் சென்னன ஐ.ஐ.羿 ொணவர்கள் பங்யகற்க உள்ளனர்.

இந்鎿 ா ொர்ꮿல் அசெரிக்காힿல் நடக்埁ெ் யபாட்羿뾿ல் பங்யகற்க சென்னன ஐ.ஐ.羿 ொணவர்கள் ெட்翁யெ யதர்ퟁ செ ் ப்பட்翁ள்ளனர் என்ப鏁埁잿ப்ꮿடத்தக்க鏁.

Date: 15th March 2019 Publication: The Statesman Edition: Delhi/Kolkata Page No: 14 Journalist: Godhuly Bose (authored article) Alumni: Mr. Godhuly Bose Headline: A holistic approach

Date: 15th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express ( Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: C Shiva Kumar Headline: Fire audits to become must for T Nagar? URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/mar/15/fire-audits-to- become-must-for-chennais-t-nagar-1951255.html

Date: 15th March Publication: Free Press Journal Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras releases GATE 2019 final answer key, check at gate.iitm.ac.in URL: https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/iit-madras-releases-gate-2019-final- answer-key-check-at-gate-iitm-ac-in/1481482

IIT Madras releases GATE 2019 final answer key, check at gate.iitm.ac.in

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has released the final answer keys for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). Candidates can check the answer keys on the institute’s official website, gate.iitm.ac.in. According to reports, the final result for GATE 2019 is likely to be declared on March 16.

IIT Madras had conducted the exam on February 2,3,9 and 10 for all those who wish to join masters and direct doctoral programmes in engineering, technology, architecture and in other branches of science at Indian Institute of Science and all IITs. As many as 8 lakh students have appeared for GATE 2019 which was held in complete online mode for all the 24 subjects.

Steps to download GATE 2019 Final Answer Key:

Step 1: Go to the official portal of GATE 2019, gate.iitm.ac.in

Step 2: Click on the Final Answer Key link

Step 3: Subject wise answer key will be displayed

Step 4: Click on the particular subject

Step 5: Answer key in pdf format will be displayed

Step 6: Download the answer key

Date: 15th March Publication: The Statesman Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: GATE 2019 final answer key released at gate.iitm.ac.in, results to be declared soon URL: https://www.thestatesman.com/india/gate-2019-final-answer-key-released- gate-iitm-ac-results-declared-soon-1502738635.html

GATE 2019 final answer key released at gate.iitm.ac.in, results to be declared soon

Date: 15th March Publication: India TV Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: GATE 2019: Final answer key released @ gate.iitm.ac.in, result expected on March 16 URL: https://www.indiatvnews.com/education/news-gate-2019-final-answer-key- released-gate-iitm-ac-in-result-expected-on-march-16-509006

GATE 2019: Final answer key released @ gate.iitm.ac.in, result expected on March 16

IIT Madras has released the final answer key of Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2019 on its official website on March 13. The candidates who have appeared for the GATE 2019 and raised the objection against the answer key can obtain the final answer key with the necessary correction from the official website of GATE - gate.iitm.ac.in. The final answer key for all the 24 papers has released by IIT Madras. The GATE 2019 was conducted on February 2,3 and 9,10 in various test centres across India and abroad. The examination for the all 24 papers were conducted Computer Based Test (CBT) mode only.

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: K Lakshmi Headline : Work to begin on water treatment plants along lakes URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/work-to-begin-on-water- treatment-plants-along-lakes/article26549043.ece

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline : IIT Madras releases GATE cutoff 2019 ; check here URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/gate-2019-result- declared-gate-iitm-ac-in-download-scorecard-from-march- 20/articleshow/68421638.cms

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Chennai Today- PALS: Entrepreneurial summit and Valediction, IIT Madras, 10 a.m. URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chennai- today/article26548656.ece

Chennai Today- PALS: Entrepreneurial summit and Valediction, IIT Madras, 10 a.m. Bhagavatham: B. Damodara Deekshithar, Sringeri Pravachana Mandiram, R.A. Puram, 6.30 p.m.

Narayaneeyam: Balaji, Asthika Samajam, Venus Colony, Alwarpet, 6.30 p.m.

Mukundamala: T. Narayanan, Vishnu Mohan Foundation, 7, New Giri Rd., T. Nagar, 6 p.m.

Periyapuranam: Vijayalakshmi Ramasamy, Natesan Coop Training Institute of Management, Anna Nagar West, 5 p.m.

Vicharasagara: Satyavratananda, Kesari High School, T. Nagar, 6 p.m.

Guided Meditation: Mahamedhananda, Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Triplicane, 7 p.m.

GENERAL

Chennai Photo Biennale: International Photography conference, Government Museum Theatre, Egmore, 10 a.m.

PALS: Entrepreneurial summit and Valediction, IIT Madras, 10 a.m.

Madras Management Association: International Women’s Day ‘Reflections’ programme, 240, Pathari Road, Anna Salai, 9.30 a.m.

V. Krishnaswami Iyer Sanskrit Education Trust: Founder’s Day celebration, Madras Sanskrit College, Mylapore, 4.30 p.m.

Rotary Club of Madras East: Dedication of High end biometry equipment, Aravind Eye Hospital, Noombal, 3.30 p.m.

Rotary Club of Chennai Towers: Vocational awards function, Hotel Clarion, 6 p.m.

Lions Club of Central Madras: Inter-collegiate quiz competition, Sankara Nethralaya, Nungambakkam, 3 p.m.

SRM Valliammai Engineering College: Seminar on ‘Emerging Technologies in Engineering’, Kattankulathur, 9 a.m.

Asan Memorial College of Arts and Science: College Day, Velachery-Tambaram Rd., 10.30 a.m.

NKT National College of Education for Women: Convocation function, Dr. Besant Rd., Triplicane, 3 p.m.

Alpha Arts and Science College: College Day, Chettiyar Agaram Rd., Porur, 5.30 p.m.

MOP Vaishnav College for Women: Graduation day, Nungambakkam, 5.30 p.m.

Dravidar Kazhagam: EVR Maniammaiyar memorial function, Periyar Thidal, Vepery, 10.30 a.m.

Theosophical Society: Talk on ‘Invisible Laws’, 32, Dewan Rama Rd., Purasawalkam, 6 p.m.

YMCA Kilpauk Toastmasters Club: Meeting, Halls Rd., Kilpauk, 3.30 p.m.

Narcotics Anonymous: Meeting, Turning Point Group, Arul Kadal Aikiya Aalayam, Santhome High Rd. and New Attitude Group, St. Andrews Church, Choolai, 7 p.m.

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: Daji World Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Clearances granted to Adani's Udupi power plant illegal, rules NGT URL: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=570639

Clearances granted to Adani's Udupi power plant illegal, rules NGT

In a major blow to Adani's Udupi Power Plant project at Yellur village of Udupi district, the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) declared on Thursday March 14 that all the clearances granted to set up the power plant were illegal. It has also ordered the suspension of the environmental clearance dated August 1, 2017 granted to expand the plant by addition of 2x800MW units to raise ultimate capacity to 2800MW.

A press release by Janajagrithi Samithi said the Tribunal invoked the 'Polluter Pays' principle and appointed a committee of experts to ascertain the damages to the crops and the environment in general of the area. It has directed the company to pay Rs 5 crore as an interim environmental compensation to CPCB which will also be the nodal agency to study the damages caused. It has also ordered the company to pay Rs 1 lac as cost to the petitioners.

The Tribunal found that genuinely serious issues raised by the villagers and the applicants had not been given the due attention by all concerned including the government. "The fact that multitudes of disputes and litigations relating to the project had been instituted bears witness to the fact that all was not well. Environmental clearance dated 20.03.1997 had been granted without following the due process statutorily prescribed and mandatorily required to be followed," the press release stated.

The Tribunal further noted that the project had been granted an extension of the validity period of the environment clearance on April 16, 2002 without authority of law, as the project had not been started within the stipulated time. The environment ministry cancelled the clearance on October 5, 2004, but the cancellation was recalled through a personal letter dated January 31, 2005 by the director of the environment ministry under 'questionable circumstances at the request of the project proponent'.

The Tribunal pointed out that the procedures laid down under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notifications are not mere formalities to be followed but have been prescribed to ensure that the environment is duly protected while taking up a project keeping in view the precautionary principle and the principle of sustainable development. The fact that the procedures prescribed in the notification were not at all followed except a few parts of it, led it to reasonably conclude that there has been damage caused to the environment for which consequences have fallen on the people in terms of health, decline in the agricultural productivity and, therefore, their livelihood, degradation of natural habitat of birds and animals, etc.

The Tribunal took a serious note of the study carried out on environmental profile and people's livelihood aspects in the vicinity of coal-based thermal power plant at Yellur panchayat by a group of scientists as 'CES technical report 126' dated April 2012 published by the Energy & Wetland Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, which has made alarming observations in respect of the project area during field investigations. "It has been observed that mismanagement of the environment was evident from the contamination of the water (surface and ground), soil and air apart from the impaired functional aspects of the biotic elements. This was deduced from the reduced productivity of grains, jasmine flower and horticultural produce, reproductive ability of livestock, poultry animals, etc. There was dust on the leaves during the dry seasons which induced phyto-toxicity leading to poor pollination and hence reduced productivity. There was reduction in the population of pollinators. Stunted growth of saplings and enhanced respiratory diseases, etc were noticed caused by release of saline mist from the cooling towers of the plant which is locally dispersed by the wind even up to 2 km," the release stated as detailed in the CES report.

The Tribunal observed that justifiably, therefore, the directions would be called for to remove the plant and order for restoration of the area and the environment.

It has thus invoked the "Polluter Pays" principle under Section 20 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 and held Udupi Power Corporation Ltd liable to pay environmental compensation which shall be assessed by a committee of experts. It has constituted a committee comprising of a senior scientist of CPCB, a senior representative from IIT Chennai, and a senior scientist from IIT-Bangalore. The CPCB shall be the nodal agency to coordinate among the members for taking up the task. The committee has been asked to assess the environmental damage on account of the environmental violations and submit its report within three months. While the report is awaited, the Tribunal directed UPCL to pay an interim environmental compensation of Rs 5 crore with the CPCB within a month, which shall be utilized for restitution and remedial works for restitution of the environment including the possible plight of the people affected by the plant.

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication:The Financial Express (clip attached) Edition: Delhi / Mumbai / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kochi / Ahmedabad / Chandigarh Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Headline: Chennai start-up rolls out remotely-operated vehicle

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No:14 Journalist: NA Headline: Tamil Nadu incubated startup develops underwater ROY for oil & gas industries

Date: 16th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No:4 Journalist: NA Headline: Idol wing arrests former HR&CE Commissioner

Date: 17th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Online Journalist: Rahul Sachitanand Headline: How startups are leveraging deep tech knowledge to power ahead URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/how- startups-are-leveraging-deep-tech-knowledge-to-power- ahead/articleshow/68443288.cms

How startups are leveraging deep tech knowledge to power ahead

Geetha Manjunath turned entrepreneur in the backdrop of a tragedy. In 2017, a cousin she was really close to succumbed to breast cancer at a relatively young age. Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women and the second most common worldwide.

Manjunath, who has a PhD in computer science from the Indian Institute of Science, applied her scientific mind to the issue. Ubiquitous screening and early detection vastly reduces fatality from cancer. Manjunath had been part of the team that built India’s first supercomputer, and most recently headed data analytics at Bengaluru’s Xerox Research Centre and worked in various roles at Hewlett Packard Labs for 16 years.

Her venture, Niramai, has over the past three years notched up eight US patents as it has gone about developing a revolutionary method of targeting this ailment. Its technology uses a combination of a high-resolution thermal sensing device, machine learning and artificial intelligence to detect breast cancer more accurately and early [by scanning women below the age of 45, for example, too young for conventional mammograms]. It is hoping to disrupt the market with its high-tech solution developed entirely in India. Niramai — which raised some $6 million in funding from Pi Ventures, Axilor Ventures and Flipkart cofounder Binny Bansal in November 2018 — has installed its products in some 20 hospitals and plans to ramp this up to at least 50 by the end of the year. Manjunath says some 6,000 tests have already been administered and several unexpected cases detected. “We have built a unique use case for using cutting-edge technology to vastly improve breast cancer detection,” she says.

Date: 17th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: Deepak Karthik Headline : Vehicles defy ban, ply at will via Srirangam Rajagopuram URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/vehicles-defy-ban-ply-at-will-via- srirangam-rajagopuram/articleshow/68445503.cms

Date: 17th March 2019 Publication: Odisha TV Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: MP Boy Tops GATE 2019, Scores 989 Of 1000 Marks URL: https://odishatv.in/nation/mp-boy-tops-gate-2019-scores-989-of-1000-marks- 358695

MP Boy Tops GATE 2019, Scores 989 Of 1000 Marks

Twenty-one-year-old Shashank Mangal has brought laurels to Madhya Pradesh by securing the first rank in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2019 with near- 100 per cent marks.

Shashank, hailing from Morena in the state, scored 989 marks out of 1000, according to the GATE results announced by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras on Friday.

A final-year student of B.Tech (Electronics) at IIT-Dhanbad, Shashank wants to join the Indian Engineering Services (IES) to make engineering more beneficial for the people at large.

He said although he was expecting good marks, he had never thought that he would top the prestigious test.

According to Shashank, he devoted just three months’ time to achieve the rare feat.

The GATE 2019 results are available at https://appsgate.iitm.ac.in.

Date: 17th March 2019 Publication:Bhatakallys Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Illegal clearances granted to Adani’s Udupi power plant: NGT URL: http://www.bhatkallys.com/latest-news/illegal-clearances-granted-to-adanis- udupi-power-plant-ngt/

Illegal clearances granted to Adani’s Udupi power plant: NGT

All the clearances granted to set up the power plant by Adani’s Udupi Power Plant project at Yellur village of Udupi district were deemed as illegal by the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday March 14th.

The August 1, 2017 environmental clearance granted to expand the plant by addition of 2x800MW units to raise ultimate capacity to 2800MW has also been ordered to be suspended by NGT.

The Tribunal invoked the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle and appointed a committee of experts to ascertain the damages to the crops and the environment in general of the area, states a press release by Janajagrithi Samithi.

The Tribunal has directed the company to pay Rs 5 crore as an interim environmental compensation to CPCB which will also be the nodal agency to study the damages caused. It has also ordered the company to pay Rs 1 lakh as cost to the petitioners, mentions the press release.

“The fact that multitudes of disputes and litigations relating to the project had been instituted bears witness to the fact that all was not well. Environmental clearance dated 20.03.1997 had been granted without following the due process statutorily prescribed and mandatorily required to be followed,” stated the release.

Taking serious note of the Even though the project was not started within the stipulated time, the project had been granted an extension of the validity period of the environment clearance on April 16, 2002 without authority of law. The clearance which was cancelled by the environment ministry on October 5 2204 was recalled by the director of the environment ministry through a personal letter dated January 31, 2005 under ‘questionable circumstances at the request of the project proponent’, noted the Tribunal.

‘CES technical report 126’ dated April 2012 published by the Energy & Wetland Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru made alarming observations in respect of the project area during field investigations contrary to the study carried out on environmental profile and people’s livelihood aspects in the vicinity of coal-based thermal power plant at Yellur panchayat by a group of scientists.

“It has been observed that mismanagement of the environment was evident from the contamination of the water (surface and ground), soil and air apart from the impaired functional aspects of the biotic elements. This was deduced from the reduced productivity of grains, jasmine flower and horticultural produce, reproductive ability of livestock, poultry animals, etc. There was dust on the leaves during the dry seasons which induced phyto-toxicity leading to poor pollination and hence reduced productivity. There was reduction in the population of pollinators. Stunted growth of saplings and enhanced respiratory diseases, etc were noticed caused by release of saline mist from the cooling towers of the plant which is locally dispersed by the wind even up to 2 km,” the release stated.

Considering the observation as justifiable, the Tribunal will be issuing directions for the removal of the plant and the restoration of the environment of the area.

Thus the Tribunal has invoked the “Polluter Pays” principle under Section 20 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 and held Udupi Power Corporation Ltd liable to pay environmental compensation which shall be assessed by a committee of experts. A committee comprising of a senior scientist of CPCB, a senior representative from IIT Chennai, and a senior scientist from IIT-Bangalore has been constituted by it. The committee has been asked to assess the environmental damage on account of the environmental violations and submit its report within three months. The CPCB shall be the nodal agency to coordinate among the members for taking up the task.

Meanwhile until the submission of the report, the Tribunal has directed UPCL to pay an interim environmental compensation of Rs 5 crore with the CPCB within a month. The amount will be used for the restoration of the environment in the area.

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Business Line (clip attached) Edition: Chennai / Delhi / Mumbai / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Kochi / Ahmedabad / Chandigarh Page No:16 Journalist: NA Alumni: Tanuj Jhunjhunwala Headline: IIT-M-incubated Planys launches new ROV for underwater inspection URL: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/iit-m-incubated-planys- launches-new-rov-for-underwater-inspection/article26561178.ece

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 9 Headline: Planys next-gen indigenous ROV launched

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: Pioneer Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras wins DDM IT Quiz BBSR edition URL: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/state-editions/in---briefs-in---briefs-2019-03- 18.html

IIT Madras wins DDM IT Quiz BBSR edition

The DDM IT Wiz Bhubaneswar edition organised by the MindFire Solutions witnessed more than 400 student participation from various colleges along with Delhi and Chennai here on Sunday. Quiz master Lloyd Saldanha hosted the programme. In the finals, G Pranav Hari and Rahul Humayun from the IIT Madras, Chennai won the title with a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000.

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: News Bytes Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: #CareerBytes: Alternate options for candidates who did not clear GATE URL: https://www.newsbytesapp.com/timeline/India/43357/194363/haven-t-cleared- gate-here-are-some-alternate-options

#CareerBytes: Alternate options for candidates who did not clear GATE

The results of the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2019, conducted by IIT Madras, were declared on Friday.

While it is a moment to celebrate for candidates who have successfully cracked GATE 2019, others who have not cleared the exam must now focus on other opportunities and career options.

Here are some options for those who haven't been able to clear GATE.

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The News Minute Edition: Online Journalist: Soumya Chaterjee Headline: NGT fines Adani group Rs 5 cr for Udupi power plant, cancels its extension plans URL: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/ngt-fines-adani-group-rs-5-cr-udupi- power-plant-cancels-its-extension-plans-98471

NGT fines Adani group Rs 5 cr for Udupi power plant, cancels its extension plans

In a big win for residents of Yellur village and other surrounding areas in Karnataka’s Udupi district, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) cancelled the environmental clearance given to industry behemoth Adani to expand its power plant in the area. Moreover, taking cognisance of the findings of an expert committee appointed by the NGT itself, Adani was fined Rs 5 crore as per the ‘polluters pay’ principle under Section 20 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.

The residents of the area have been complaining for years about the ill-effects on public health and decreasing agricultural yield due to the Udupi Power Corporation Ltd.

The company has to pay the fine amount to the Central Pollution Control Board as an “interim environmental compensation” within one month. Moreover, Rs 1 lakh has to be paid by Adani to the petitioner in the case, Balakrishna Shetty, the executive president of Janajagruthi Samithi.

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Mumbai / Ahmedabad Page No: 8 Journalist: NA Faculty: Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala Headline: Celebrating the Creators of Change

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No:8 Journalist: Alokesh B. Faculty: Prof L. Prakash Sai Headline: Celebrating the Tamil Ethos

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Headline: Pan IIT Alumni Leadership Series held

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: Patrika Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: अनभु व आधाररत शिक्षण पर ववचार करᴂ महावव饍यालय (Entrepreneurial Conference held at IIT Madras) URL: https://www.patrika.com/chennai-news/entrepreneurship-conference-in-iit- madras-4295922/

अनभु व आधाररत शिक्षण पर ववचार करᴂ महावव饍यालय

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 15 Journalist: NA Headline: Designs and patterns

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Literary Review (clip attached) Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi Page No: 24 Journalist: NA Faculty: Prof K. Srilatha (Authored Article) Headline: Ode to the world wide web URL: https://www.thehindu.com/books/ode-to-the-world-wide-web-anglophone- poetry-in-the-post-internet-post-social-media-era/article26533861.ece

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No:4 Journalist: NA Headline: TN to get dedicated forensic lab to expedite cyber crime cases

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Hyderabad Page No:7 Journalist: NA Headline: NITW alumni tops GATE

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: Technology is the key to a bright future

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Chennai Page No: 14 Journalist: Rahul Sachitand Headline: Top Deep-Tech-Focused Funds 2014-YTD

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Statesman Edition: Delhi/ Kolkata Page No: 14 Journalist: NA (Authored Article by Prof Nagendra Krishnapura) Professor: Prof Nagendra Krishnapura Headline: Best of both worlds

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: News Today Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Students should be inspired early in their life: Additional Chief Secretary URL: https://newstodaynet.com/index.php/2019/03/18/students-should-be-inspired- early-in-their-life-additional-chief-secretary/

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: R. Sivaraman Professor: Prof Venkatesh Balasubramanian Headline: Road accident fatalities drop 24%, thanks to concerted efforts URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/road-accident-fatalities-drop- 24-thanks-to-concerted-efforts/article26573659.ece

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: Chennai Citizen matters Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Chennai’s growing tryst with alcohol, cannabis and LSD and how to curb it URL: http://chennai.citizenmatters.in/alcohol-cannabis-and-lsd-substance-abuse- patterns-in-chennai-9139

Chennai’s growing tryst with alcohol, cannabis and LSD and how to curb it

Alcohol and drug related crimes are on the rise in Chennai. In over 25 percent of criminal cases in Chennai, the offender was inebriated during or before the crime,” says V Kannadasan, a criminal lawyer, practising in Madras High Court.

The above data signify two things: one, the number of citizens falling prey to alcoholism and other substance abuse is clearly on the rise and that this may well have a close connection to crime rates in the city. But that is not all. According to officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chennai has also witnessed a sharp rise in the use of club drugs such as LSD and cocaine in the recent past.

Narcotics Control Bureau seized half kilo of Methamphetamine at St thomas Mount, Chennai recently. Credits: NCB Patterns of addiction Alcohol addiction has long been a consuming problem in Chennai. But things changed in the 1980s, with the emergence of marijuana. “Using marijuana had been a social taboo for Chennaites (till then). People were not open about smoking pot back in the 1980s. It was mostly migrant students from North Indian states that introduced pot to Chennaites,” says K N S Varadan, a former substance addict, who now runs a de-addiction centre called Freedom Care.

Educational institutions such as IIT-Madras, Madras Christian College and SRM University are notorious for drug abuse. “During the annual festivals in IIT-Madras, we would spend days and nights smoking pot,” recollects Varadan.

The trend still continues, making marijuana the most widely abused substance in Chennai. “Naxals at the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa grow marijuana illegally. There are groups that transport it regularly to Tamil Nadu and other parts of Andhra Pradesh,” says A Bruno, Zonal Director, NCB.

According to an alumnus of Madras Christian College and SRM University, the best part of studying in these colleges is that no one judges you for smoking pot. It is just considered a part of having fun; only a few get addicted.

The last decade, however, saw the emergence of high end drugs in the city. Party drugs such as LSD, known to be rampant in Goa, have now reached Chennai. The NCB surveillance team seized 20 blots of LSD stamps from the house of a person earlier this year. LSD blots, a party drug that resembles stamps, are slowly flooding Chennai, due to ease of transportation.

Then, there is rampant abuse of prescription drugs such as Codeine and Morphine, as the NCB seized about 2 lakh tablets and 100 syrup bottles last year, shared Bruno.

NCB team seized 20 blots of LSD stamps from Chennai on New years eve. Credits: NCB Age and gender-wise trend Age Addictive substance Salient factors at play 12-15 years Whiteners, nail polish removers, dry lizard’s tail No knowledge about other drugs, fear to procure them etc 16 -18 years Cannabis Seek help from peers and learn about peddlers 18 -30 years Hardcore drugs(Methamphetamine, and LSD) Chances of getting caught at home/ work are less, compared to alcohol, peer pressure Above 30 -50 years Alcohol Less dependency/ staying away from parents, work culture (office parties) Above 50 years Alcohol and Cannabis Retirement stage to kill boredom (The data is procured after talking to eight psychiatrists and experts in de-addiction centres in Chennai)

“There has been an increase in the number of retired officials getting into rehabilitation centres. Most of them get into substance intake to pass time and don’t realise that they are getting addicted,” says Sunil Kumar of Mind Zone.

Among the female population, alcohol seems to be the most common addiction, followed by cannabis that is tried by a lot of college going girls. “But a lower percentage of female individuals become addicted (when compared with males). Social and family inhibitions stop women from regular inebriation,” says Varadan.

Three out of fifty people abuse substances not for fun, but to find solace, to get away from their social and personal issues, say experts. “There are people who can talk to other people only when they are drunk/stoned. What starts off as a means to cope with personal issues ends up taking a toll on the quality of lives,” says Dinesh Kumar, a psychologist.

Does addiction cut across socio-economic conditions? “While a rickshaw wala chooses to drink in a TASMAC outlet, a rich person would consume a branded liquor at a luxury bar. Likewise, cannabis that was once ‘socially unacceptable’ is now common among drivers, music directors, entrepreneurs and doctors. Mostly, people get addicted to the substances they start off with,” says Varadan.

State intervention and facilities Despite the alarming rise in substance abuse in the city across classes and age groups, state support — in terms of both tackling the menace and rehabilitating the affected — remains far off the desired mark. Based on inputs from Dr V Sunil Kumar, clinical psychologist and K N S Varadan, founder of a de-addiction centre called Freedom Care, the overall scenario can be summed up thus, as far as state-provided care and facilities are concerned:

Unlike foreign countries such as Singapore and the US, India has no policy to arrest a violent addict (usually from the streets) without a complaint and admit him in in-house rehabilitation centres legally. Under the scheme of assistance for the prevention of alcoholism and substance (drugs) abuse and for social defense services, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has established an Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCA) in every district. VHS hospital has one such centre in Chennai. However, considering the increasing incidence of addiction, and inadequate exclusive addiction treatment centres maintained by Tamil Nadu government (only one centre behind Royapettah hospital in Chennai), there should be more central government maintained centres. The Tamil Nadu government has psychiatric wards in the government hospitals like Stanley, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and institutions such as Institute of Mental Health. However, these are not long term rehabilitation centres and don’t have exclusive facilities for addiction. The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 gives no provision for involuntarily admitting an addict in rehabilitation centres. “Addicts cannot decide to get into rehab themselves. Voluntary admissions have good success rate, but there are addicts who cannot be convinced by counselling. That’s why the Act should be amended,” feels Varadan. The solution Legally, prohibition of alcohol across various countries have proved to be a failure, with people resorting to illicit liquor. “When it comes to alcohol addiction, the state government should set aside a big profit from TASMAC for rehabilitation. Closure of the shops doesn’t bring transformation,” says Anupriya Murugesan, a social worker.

However, when it comes to the usage of hardcore drugs, awareness and enforcement play a role. “Chennai was an open market for brown sugar from 1986 to 2000, with more than 20 peddlars selling the drug at Ice House, Chintadripet. But today, barely one or two peddlars exist, thanks to strict police action. The death of half of the peddlars due to addiction-related diseases helped many come out of the addiction,” said Varadan, adding that narrating such stories to the addicts is impactful.

The key to stay away from addiction is right parenting and family support, say psychologists and police personnel. “Law enforcement agencies are on the job. But the effective solution is to cut down the demand for drugs, which is only possible through behavioural change. People should willingly opt for an addiction-free lifestyle,” says A Bruno.

“One time treatment can slightly alter behaviour in the short term, but not reverse addiction. Just like a diabetes patient has to pay multiple visits to a diabetologist, addicts should also take sustained psychiatric support ” advises Varadan.

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Mint Edition: Delhi / Mumbai / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kolkata / Ahmedabad / Chandigarh Page No: 12 Journalist: Nilanjana Chakraborty Professor: Prof Pattabiraman Murari Headline: Light the FIRE and lose the fear of getting fired

Date: 18th March 2019 Publication: Times now Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: GATE 2019 Topper: IIT Dhanbad’s Shashank Mangal tops the exam with 989 out of 1000 – wishes to join IES URL: https://www.timesnownews.com/education/article/gate-2019-topper-iit- dhanbad-s-shashank-mangal-tops-the-exam-with-989-out-of-1000-wishes-to-join-ies- appsgate-iitm-ac-in/384490

GATE 2019 Topper: IIT Dhanbad’s Shashank Mangal tops the exam with 989 out of 1000 – wishes to join IES

Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Madras on Friday released the result for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, GATE 2019. Shashank Mangal, a final year students of IIT Dhanbad has topped the examination ith 989 out of 1000 marks. Shashank hails from Morena in Madhya Pradesh and aspires to join Indian Engineering Services, IES.

Shashank is the son of a businessman in Morena and is studying Electronics Engineering from IIT Dhanbad. He had scored 6214 rank in JEE Advanced examination. In an interview with HT, Shashank says that he is extremely fond of his subject and wishes to make engineering more beneficial for the society.

Speaking to the daily, Shashank says, “I love electronics. I don’t study my subjects to clear the exam but to understand the concept. I never let go any topics which I found difficult without understanding in depth.”

Topping was Shashank’s dream. Already at the helm of his Institute’s Electrnics Engineering branch, Shashank was no stranger to hard work. “I started preparation for GATE one year ago with summer crash course. I practised a lot and tested my preparation with online test series. I used to study 10-12 hours a day but it was never a burden or pressure for me, rather it was more a mind booster for me,” he says.

He gave the credit for his success to his family. His sister is also an engineer and is preparing for GATE as well. When asked if he expected to top he denies the same. “I am surprised, shocked and happy as I always wanted to make my family and city proud but I didn’t expect that it would come true so soon.”

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Pune/Chennai Page No: 8 Journalist: NA Headline: Celebrating the Creators of Change

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof T Pradeep Headline: College celebrates star alumnus Gemini Ganesan

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Kolkata Page No:1 Journalist: NA Headline: Take your Pick

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Trinity Mirror Edition: Chennai Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurhti Headline: SVCE wins Innovation Challenge competition

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Dinamani Edition: Chennai Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-Madras Entrepreneurship conference

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Hyderabad Page No: 4 Journalist: Marri Ramu Alumni: K. Srinivas Headline: Interim plea on use of software for cleansing voters list dismissed URL: https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/interim-plea-on-use-of- software-for-cleansing-voters-list-dismissed/article26575715.ece

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Auto NDTV Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain Headline: Ather Energy Announces Strategic Tie-Up With Godrej Nature's Basket URL: https://auto.ndtv.com/news/ather-energy-announces-strategic-tie-up-with- godrej-natures-basket-2009738

Ather Energy Announces Strategic Tie-Up With Godrej Nature's Basket

Electric two-wheeler manufacturer Ather Energy has announced a strategic association with Godrej Nature's Basket to expand AtherGrid, the company's electric vehicle fast-charging public network's presence across India. Under the new association, Godrej Nature's Basket will host AtherGrid Points across 35 locations in the country, in a major boost to Ather Energy's pan-India network expansion. The electric two-wheeler manufacturer signed an MoU with Godrej Nature's Basket for a pan-India association that will see the company set up its charging points at various outlets of the grocery and fresh-food store. The first such charging point is already up and running at the Sadashivnagar outlet in Bengaluru.

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Careers 360 Edition: Online Journalist: Satyendra Singh Headline: GATE 2019 Score Card released by IIT Madras @ apps.iitm.ac.in, Check steps to download URL: https://news.careers360.com/gate-2019-score-card-released-iit-madras- appsiitmacin-check-steps-download

GATE 2019 Score Card released by IIT Madras @ apps.iitm.ac.in, Check steps to download

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras has released the score card of GATE 2019. Students who have qualified GATE 2019 can download their score card by logging in to GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) portal. GATE 2019 score card is available for download from March 20 till May 31, post that, from June 1 a fees of Rs.500 will be applicable for downloading the GATE score card 2019. The result of GATE 2019 has already been released by IIT Madras on March 15.

Details Contained In GATE 2019 Scorecard

GATE score card 2019 contains all the vital information like mark obtained by candidate, category wise cutoff mark and all India rank of candidate for the particular subject in which candidate has appeared.

GATE score card is a important document which has to be downloaded by candidates for the purpose of all further admission and recruitment process. Candidate can find below the step by step guide for downloading their GATE 2019 score card

Steps to download score card

Click here to download GATE 2019 scorecard

Click on the scorecard tab to view

Download the score card

Students who qualify GATE becomes eligible to take admission in M.Tech courses in various institutes of the country. Institutes like IITs, NITs, IIITs and other GFTIs offers admission in M.E./M.Tech courses only to GATE qualified courses. GATE 2019 score card will also be used by many PSUs for the purpose of recruitment. GATE 2019 was conducted by IIT Madras on February 2, 3, 9 and 10 across various test centres in India and abroad for which around 8 lakh students have appeared.

Date: 20th March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Hyderabad Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Alumni: Dr. Rajagopal Headline: JNTU former Vice-Chancellor sacrifices seat for top position in JanaSena URL: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/200319/jntu-former- vice-chancellor-sacrifices-seat-for-top-position-in-janase.html

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: News Bytes Edition: Online Journalist: Shubham Sharma Headline: #TechBytes: 6 futuristic technologies developed by IITians URL: https://www.newsbytesapp.com/timeline/Science/43463/194884/6-futuristic- technologies-from-iit-s-engineers

TechBytes: 6 futuristic technologies developed by IITians

Date: 19th March 2019 Publication: Silicon Valley Edition: Online Journalist: Richard Wallace Headline: Behind the Silicon Valley Exodus: Where Tech Companies are Going URL: http://www.thenextsiliconvalley.com/2019/03/19/behind-the-silicon-valley- exodus-where-tech-companies-are-going/#.XJGzj8kza1s

Behind the Silicon Valley Exodus: Where Tech Companies are Going

Silicon Valley has been the capital of the global technology industry for decades. At present, Silicon Valley is a $2.8 trillion neighborhood because of tech giants like Google, Tesla, and Apple. However, the area has been experiencing an exodus with its best talent leaving, as many tech companies are packing up and leaving the Valley for better opportunities elsewhere.

Some of the biggest names in tech are joining this exodus as they clash with Silicon Valley’s changing culture. Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, left San Francisco for Los Angeles to escape the groupthink and arrogance plaguing the community. Tech superstar Tim Ferris also departed because of a changing culture, disclosing that the people in the Valley tend to be unforgiving when it comes to individuals who do not subscribe to the same set of liberal beliefs as the rest. Many others relocated because of the painfully high cost of living owing to the high taxes and housing prices. In many ways, Silicon Valley is a victim of its success.

Given the rise of international tech hubs, Citylab believes that the next Silicon Valley may not even be in the United States. Other countries are catching up, and are slowly building their Silicon Valleys. Trailing behind the Bay Area in venture capital investments for startups are Beijing and Shanghai, with placements of $72 billion and $23 billion respectively since 2012. In 2017 we looked at how the Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions (RBEI) and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras would receive $0.5 million per year in funding for research into areas like AI and deep learning. All of these are significant movements in the tech innovation landscape, and some people from Silicon Valley will likely end up abroad.

However, despite this international growth, the U.S. tech industry remains the biggest in the world. In a recent article, Tech Republic predicted how the tech industry would evolve from 2019 onwards. Many up and coming tech that will shape the future of the industry, such as AI algorithms, cloud platforms, and big data analytics, are still being developed in the U.S. As the global leader in developing cutting-edge technology, the U.S. demand for tech professionals is still on the rise. Maryville University’s industry outlook for software developers reports that tech-related jobs are still expected to grow by 17% by 2024. This is a clear indication of how the tech industry is proliferating and expanding across different parts of the U.S., rather than just one place.

In this article Marc Emmer lists the thriving tech hubs appearing in Seattle, Portland, Washington D.C., and Detroit. East Coast cities like New York have also seen a growth in startup funding, with $36 billion in venture capital startups since 2012. Los Angeles and Boston are also now being considered as ‘heavyweight hubs,’ owing to the number of companies that are developing state of the art and industry-defining technologies.

The development of multiple tech hubs in both big and small cities across the U.S. is quite notable. This trend only goes to show that while the Silicon Valley exodus may mean the U.S. tech landscape is changing, the demand for innovation and development in the field remains stronger than ever.

Date: 20th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No:8 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: IIT Initiative PALS conducts entrepreneurial summit for youth

Date: 20th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 14 Journalist: NA Headline: Bawane Sathish smash centuries for Rovers against Trotters

Date: 20th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 15 Journalist: NA Headline: Plan ahead- Learn Basics of Aviation

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: NDTV Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras Releases GATE 2019 Score Cards URL: https://www.ndtv.com/education/gate-2019-score-cards-at-gate-iitm-ac-in- 2010297

IIT Madras Releases GATE 2019 Score Cards

GATE 2019 score cards have been released. IIT Madras has released the GATE 2019 exam score cards for candidates who have qualified in the exam. GATE 2019 result was released on March 15, 2019. The scores from the exam are used by Institutes to shortlist candidates for admission to M.Tech. programs and are also used by PSUs for recruitment process. Candidates who have qualified in the GATE 2019 exam can download their score cards using the following steps.

GATE 2019 Scores: How to download? Step One: Go to GATE 2019 results website; gate.iitm.ac.in.

Step Two: Click on the link provided for GATE 2019 score card.

Step Three: Enter your registration details of GATE 2019- Enrolment ID/Email Address (Enrolment ID sent during registration or Email Address used during registration), Password (GOAPS password) and the captcha.

Step Four: View and download your admit card.

GATE scores are valid for three years from the date of declaration of the result.

Since the exam is conducted in multiple sessions, to counter any difference in the difficulty level, the scores are normalized.

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: News Click Edition: Online Journalist: Sumedha Pal Headline: Blow to Adani Power Plant in Udupi, 5 Crore Immediate Fine Imposed URL: https://www.newsclick.in/blow-adani-power-plant-udupi-5-crore-immediate- fine-imposed

Blow to Adani Power Plant in Udupi, 5 Crore Immediate Fine Imposed

In a major victory following the prolonged struggle of the locals and activists in and around the area Yellur in Udupi, Karnataka, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered suspension of the environmental clearance given to the Adani Udupi Power Corporation on Thursdays.

The clearance that was given in August 2017 to expand the plant by addition of 2x800 MW by 2020 has been suspended on the grounds of environmental pollution. The Tribunal has also invoked the ‘polluter pays’ principle under Section 20 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, and has asked Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) to pay environmental compensation which shall be assessed by a committee of experts. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shall be the nodal agency to coordinate among the members.

Meanwhile, until the submission of the report, the Tribunal has directed UPCL to pay an interim environmental compensation of Rs 5 crore to the CPCB within a month.

A press note released by the Janjagrithi Samithi, “A committee comprising of a senior scientist of CPCB, a senior representative from IIT Chennai, and a senior scientist from IIT-Bangalore has been constituted by it. The committee has been asked to assess the environmental damage on account of the environmental violations and submit its report within three months.”

Also read: Jharkhand Activists Urge Governor to Immediately Stop Adani Power Plant Speaking to Newsclick, Vidya Dinker, an activist working on the case said, “The order has taken far too long, however, it is a victory of the stand we have been taking. We now demand that the state of Karnataka shuts down the facility and focuses on the restoration. We are also asserting that our long standing demand of the Environmental Carrying Capacity study of the twin districts of Udupi and Dakshin Kannada must now be undertaken.”

The project has caused irreversible environmental damage in the region; the residents of the area have been complaining for years about the ill-effects on public health and decreasing agricultural yield due to the UPCL. The tribunal has observed that the “mismanagement of the environment was evident from the contamination of the water (surface and ground), soil and air apart from the impaired functional aspects of the biotic elements”.

“This was deduced from the reduced productivity of grains, jasmine flower and horticultural produce, reproductive ability of livestock, poultry animals, etc. There was dust on the leaves during the dry seasons which induced phytotoxicity leading to poor pollination and hence reduced productivity. There was reduction in the population of pollinators. Stunted growth of saplings and enhanced respiratory diseases, etc were noticed caused by release of saline mist from the cooling towers of the plant which is locally dispersed by the wind even up to 2 km,” the release stated.

The NGT has also noted that the extension of the environmental clearance granted in April 2002 of the current plant itself was illegal and done under ‘questionable circumstances at the request of the project proponent’.

The Triubal now is likely to issue directions for the removal of the plant to ensure the restoration of the environment in the area. The Adanis, however, are likely to challenge the judgement of the NGT in the Supreme Court.

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: The Statesman Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: GATE 2019 scorecards released at gate.iitm.ac.in | Check now URL: https://www.thestatesman.com/india/gate-2019-scorecards-released-gate- iitm-ac-check-now-1502740017.html

GATE 2019 scorecards released at gate.iitm.ac.in | Check now

GATE 2019 scorecards have been released by IIT Madras. The candidates can check their GATE 2019 exam score cards from the official website. The candidates should note that the GATE 2019 results were declared on March 15, 2019.

According to the official website, “The official GATE 2019 scorecards can be downloaded from the GOAPS site between March 20 to May 31, 2019”

How to download GATE 2019 scorecards?

The candidates should follow the steps given below to check their scorecards:

• Visit the official website-gate.iitm.ac.in

• On the homepage, click on the link that says, “Click here to download your scorecards”

• On the page that opens, enter your details like enrolment ID, password and click on submit.

• The scorecards will be displayed on the screen.

• Check your results and download for future reference.

Direct Link: The candidates can check their scorecards using the direct link here.

The GATE online application system was started on September 1, 2018 and the last date for submission of online applications was October 3, 2018. The GATE examination was conducted on February 2, 3, 9 and 10, 2019 and the results were declared on March 16, 2019.

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: News Bytes Edition: Online Journalist: Ramya Patelkhana Alumni: M Sivaguru Prabakaran Headline: Inspiring stories of 5 UPSC rank-holders who beat all odds URL: https://www.newsbytesapp.com/timeline/India/43558/195377/stories-of-5-upsc- rank-holders-and-their-struggle

Inspiring stories of 5 UPSC rank-holders who beat all odds

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year is one of the most popular and challenging competitive exams.

Cracking the UPSC CSE isn't easy; many spend years preparing to clear it. However, there are some UPSC rank-holders who have cleared the exam despite odds stacked against them.

Here are five inspirational stories of such UPSC rank-holders.

The story of M Sivaguru Prabakaran (AIR-101, CSE-2017) is truly inspiring.

Hailing from Melaottankadu village in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur, Prabakaran had to initially sacrifice his dream to pursue engineering as his family couldn't afford.

However, he then worked as a sawmill operator, did farming, and earned money for his education and later did MTech from IIT-Madras in 2014 before cracking UPSC CSE in 2017.

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: Star of Mysore Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Dr. T. Sundararajan Headline: Intl. Meet On Mechanical Engineering Tomorrow URL: https://starofmysore.com/intl-meet-on-mechanical-engineering-tomorrow/

Intl. Meet On Mechanical Engineering Tomorrow

The Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE), has organised a two-day International Conference on ‘Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Management’ (ICAMEM – 2019) from Mar.22 at 9.30 am at its T & P Seminar Hall in Gokulam III Stage.

Dr. Sarit K. Das, Director, IIT Ropar, Punjab, will be the chief guest and deliver the keynote address on the inaugural day.

Dr. T. Sundararajan, Professor, IIT Madras, will be the chief guest at the valedictory.

P. Vishwanath, Hon. Secretary, Vidyavardhaka Sangha and Srishaila Ramannavar, Hon. Treasurer will be the guests of honour. Gundappa Gowda, Hon. President, will preside.

Dr. G.V. Naveen Prakash will chair the conference while Dr. G.B. Krishnappa and Dr. L.J. Sudev will be the co-chairs.

Dr. B. Sadashive Gowda, Principal, VVCE, Dr. K.B. Vinay, Organising Secretary, Dr. S.A. Mohan Krishna and Prof. C.S. Thamme Gowda, Organising Joint Secretaries, will be present on both days of the conference.

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Headline: Activists upset over destruction of natural habitat of animals birds

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 15 Journalist: NA Headline: Learn basics of aviation

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Headline: Will focus on education rights of tribal communities: VCK's Ravikumar URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2019/mar/21/will-focus- on-education-rights-of-tribal-communities-vcks-ravikumar-1953970.html

Date:21st March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Headline: Centre announced economically weaker sections quota sans data on upper castes URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/mar/21/govt- announced-ews-quota-sans-data-on-upper-castes-1953984.html

Date: 22nd March 2019 Publication: News Today Edition: Chennai Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Headline: Bawane Sathish smash centuries

Date: 23rd March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Lakshminarayana files nomination from Vizag URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/lakshminarayana- files-nomination-from-vizag-lok-sabha-seat/article26613657.ece

Lakshminarayana files nomination from Vizag

Former Joint Director of the CBI, V.V. Lakshminarayana, who is now the Jana Sena Party (JSP) nominee for the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat, filed his nomination at the District Collectorate here on Friday.

Mr. Lakshminarayana first visited the Sri Sampath Vinayaka temple at Asilmetta in the morning with his wife and close supporters. After praying at the temple, Mr. Lakshminarayana spoke briefly to waiting mediapersons before setting out on foot to the Collectorate, about 3 km from the temple, to file his nomination.

A large number of youngsters wanted to take selfies with the former CBI officer, who readily obliged. Mr. Lakshminarayana was accompanied by several party activists who held large umbrellas decorated with the party symbol.

Mr. Lakshminarayana said it was time to bring ‘good people’ into public office, who would strive to alleviate people’s problems.

“I have already visited some areas and interacted with people to know about their problems. Pawan Kalyan has also strived to closely study the problems of the people in order to provide solutions,” Mr. Lakshminarayana said.

The JSP nominee walked to the Collectorate via Siripuram, Ram Nagar and Jagadamba Junction with a large number of supporters in tow. He interacted with people along the way.

“I had encouraged Lakshminarayana to prepare for the Civil Services examination and helped him in preparing for the General Studies paper. Though I also wrote the examination, I failed to get through,” said Gundu Rama Rao, a native of Anandapuram and a classmate of Mr. Lakshminarayana at IIT-Madras, who also participated in the walk.

“As an IPS officer, Lakshminarayana lived on his salary and never indulged in corruption. He wondered if he could survive in politics, where corruption was prevalent. I advised him to take the plunge and do whatever he could to bring about a change in society,” Mr. Rama Rao said.

Apart from Mr. Lakshminarayana, the following leaders also filed their nomination papers on Friday.

M.V.V. Satyanarayana of the YSRCP filed his nomination from the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat, while Adari Anand of the TDP filed his nomination from the Anakapalle Lok Sabha seat.

Peela Govind Satyanarayana of the TDP filed his nomination from the Anakapalle Assembly segment. From the Visakhapatnam South Assembly segment, P. Vishnu Kumar Raju (BJP), Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao (YSRCP) and Gamapala Giridhar (JSP) filed nominations.

From Visakhapatnam West, J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy (CPI-JSP) filed nomination. Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao (YSRCP) filed nomination from the Bheemunipatnam Assembly segment. From the Gajuwaka Assembly segment, Tippala Nagi Reddy (YSRCP) and Pulusu Janardhana Rao (BJP) filed nominations.

Date: 23rd March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Bangalore Page No: 2 Journalist: Sunitha Rao R Headline: IoT helps utilise waste water at in mall, flats URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/iot-helps-utilise-waste- water-at-in-mall-flats/articleshow/68529370.cms

Date: 24th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Third party audit of works carried out byprivate contractor in Pollachi division soon URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/third-party-audit-of-works- carried-out-byprivate-contractor-in-pollachi-division-soon/article26621672.ece

Third party audit of works carried out byprivate contractor in Pollachi division soon

The Highways Department is in the process of roping in a third party to assess the quality of work by a private contractor in Pollachi division. The contractor had been maintaining roads under the Performance Based Maintenance Contract (PBMC) system for five years and his contract came to an end last month.

Sources in the Department said the technical audit of the works that included rectification and strengthening in the first year, followed by improvement and rebuilding of roads, would be carried out by a third party expert.

Desirable road surface conditions and service levels of operations are defined through output and performance indicators for which the contractor is made responsible, through the contractual agreement.

“Talks are on with the Centre for Urbanization, Buildings and Environment (CUBE), which is a centre of excellence of the IIT Madras and Government of Tamil Nadu to take up the assessment,” explained the official. A source in CUBE said that they had given some recommendations to the department and that discussions were on.

Since Pollachi is a pilot division under the system, the technical audit is necessary. “The status of the roads and their performance are to be audited. It would also help to see if the concept is a success. The PBMC is a concept based on one taken from the World Bank where the institution sets aside one portion of funds for maintenance. That was a concept used for formation of new roads,” explained a former highways official.

Under PBMC system, contractors have to do initial rectification, periodical renewal, minor improvements, ordinary maintenance and emergency works for a period of five years. It was mooted in 2013-14 when Pollachi division was taken up. It was extended to Krishnagiri, Ramanathapuram and Tiruvallur divisions during 2015-16 and to Virudhunagar division in 2017-18. A total length of 1,564 km of State Highways and 1,382 kms of major district roads are being maintained under PBMC system in the State.

Meanwhile, the department has planned to include Palani division too under this system.

Tenders have been floated inviting contractors for works worth ₹65 crore. Date: 24th March 2019 Publication: News Today Edition: Online Journalist: Praveen Kumar S Headline: Chennai can become destination for AI projects: Intain founder URL: https://newstodaynet.com/index.php/2019/03/23/chennai-can-become- destination-for-ai-projects-intain-founder/

Chennai can become destination for AI projects: Intain founder

Artificial intelligence is much spoken about in recent times as the next big thing. However, industry peers are quick to point out that artificial intelligence (AI) is already omnipresent, but not in the form that humans visualised them to be. Similarly, the next big disruptive force in the industry is touted to be blockchain.

Chennai based AI and blockchain-based software products firm Intain recently launched two new products in the above mentioned fields. News Today spoke with Siddhartha S, the founder and CEO of the company to learn more.

Excerpts from his interview:

Q: Being a Chennai-based firm, how important has the city become for AI-based projects?

A: It is a growing eco-system, however, there is sometime before it catches up with cities like Bangaluru. I believe that with some of the leading institutions in math and quants being based of out this city, (with) some curriculum changes and industry partnerships, Chennai can really become the destination for AI-based projects.

Q: The firm is looking for talent in Chennai and is also moving its base to the city. What factors do you think make the city better?

A: The presence of all the top software companies in Chennai along with some of the prestigious education institutions such as IIT Madras and Guindy Engineering College has helped. Additionally, we are also working with couple of leading institutions in Coimbatore to tap into a wider resource pool. More than 50 per cent of our employees are women and Chennai being one of the safest cities for women certainly is a big contributing factor.

Q: Telangana recently inaugurated its blockchain city. Do you think such a set-up will take place in Tamilnadu? If yes, where?

A: Yes, Telangana has focussed extensively on Blockchain technology and Andhra Pradesh also has set up a Fintech valley. However, I have no idea if setting up such fintech valleys will happen in Tamilnadu in the near future. But it will certainly give a boost to the segment. Most of the leading NBFCs and banks are headquartered in Chennai, thus creating a general eco-system not only for the fintech space but also for blockchain. This can play an integral role for the financial institutions as well as the fintech start-ups based in Chennai.

Q: Talk to us about the firm’s recent developments and its flagship products – eMulya and In-D.

A: Emulya is an Intelligent Blockchain for asset securitisation that was announced in the US at Structured Finance Industry Group (SFIG) conference at Las Vegas in February. Asset securitisation, among other things, had contributed to the financial crisis of 2008 and Emulya combines Blockchain and AI to enable efficient, secure and trustworthy asset securitisation transactions. IN-D is an AI-based operations assistant from Intain’s AI lab which we launched in South East Asia last month through our Singapore office. The traction we have seen is the reason for us to set-up an AI Lab in Chennai, in addition to the one in Pune.

Q: Explain to us about your partnerships in AI and Blockchain respectively with two major IT firms.

A: For IN-D, our approach is to partner with product companies who are catering to specific market segments. We have partnered with a leading ERP product company. For Emulya, we have partnered with one of the top IT firms to where our IP and our partner’s scale will help global financial institutions move to an intelligent blockchain- based asset securitisation process. Through this partnership, we are also looking at launching Securitisation platform as an industry utility in India by the end-2019.

Q: BFSI to be the focus of business in India for Intain? Explain.

A: Core guiding principle of Intain is to combine Blockchain and AI to eliminate the risk of lower cost trade off in financial services. With a management team comprising of financial services industry veterans, at Intain, we are well equipped to do that. Therefore, focus on BFSI is a significant part of who we are.

Q: What does the future hold for Intain?

A: Since the financial crisis of 2008, in the global financial services industry, we have tried to find a regulatory or a compliance solution for every related problem that has come up. I believe, at Intain, we will find technology solutions in few of the areas where we are investing in – with an objective to help financial intuitions achieve lower risk and lower cost at the same time.

Q: Finally, what are your views on India’s data localisation and how will that affect/change the industry?

A: It is an issue in the short-term but given India’s scale, I think service providers, both cloud providers and application developers, will adapt. Today, all cloud providers do not even have India hosted GPU servers that are required for AI engines to run. But this will change in the near future. I think, the government will also try meeting the privacy and security objective based on how technologies evolve as ‘data localisation’ itself will not be understood the same way in 2020 as it was in 2015.

Date: 24th March 2019 Publication: Ahmedabad Mirror Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: How to evade risks URL: https://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hip-n-hap/how-to- evade-risks/articleshow/68538941.cms

Date: 24th March 2019 Publication: Devdiscourse Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthy Headline: Ministry holds National Workshop on Management of Grey Water on World Water Day URL: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/headlines/454339-ministry-holds- national-workshop-on-management-of-grey-water-on-world-water-day

Ministry holds National Workshop on Management of Grey Water on World Water Day

The plenary session of the Workshop was addressed by Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Director, IIT Madras Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthy. Highlights of the first day and proceeding of the second day of the Workshop are as under.

Speaking at the workshop, Secretary Shri Iyer said that after achieving good sanitation coverage under Swachh Bharat Mission, the country is transiting from ODF (Open Defecation Free) to ODF+ status and to sustain ODF status. Significant research and technology inputs are required to have standards for grey water discharge, and local level manageable low-cost solutions for its management. The workshop included discussions on the need for integration of policy, research, technology and skill development for effective greywater management in rural areas.

On Day 2, an overview and policy aspects on water affected with arsenic and fluoride were presented, including policy level interventions to address the arsenic and fluoride contamination, health effects and communication strategies for creating awareness at community level about the adverse effects of these contaminations.

The session on greywater policy discussed the international and national and policies on grey water and its relevance to the Indian context. Emphasis was made on setting standards for grey water reuse for agriculture and groundwater recharge.

Various technologies, ranging from a simple soak pit, phytoremediation to membrane-based greywater treatment were discussed. It was emphasised that the technologies be adopted in rural areas need to be simple, require less skill level for construction, operation and maintenance.

In the States' session, State Governments of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Punjab presented their experience on managing the grey water in rural areas. Accessing financial resources by integrating different schemes for construction of grey water recharge structures and beneficial health and economic aspects were highlighted.

The technologies session for arsenic and fluoride contamination focussed on different available technologies to remove localised arsenic/fluoride like terra fill to advanced ones like nanotechnology-based solutions, membrane technologies and community- based approach for fluoride remediation. Five States affected with arsenic/fluoride - West Bengal, Tamilnadu, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan - made presentations on strategies to provide contaminant-free potable water.

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: Clipper 28 Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: On World Water Day, Ministry organized national workshop URL: https://www.clipper28.com/en/on-world-water-day-ministry-organized-national- workshop/

On World Water Day, Ministry organized national workshop

Speaking at the workshop, Secretary Shri Iyer said that after achieving good sanitation coverage under Swachh Bharat Mission, the country is transiting from ODF (Open Defecation Free) to ODF+ status and to sustain ODF status. Significant research and technology inputs are required to have standards for grey water discharge, and local level manageable low cost solutions for its management. The workshop included discussions on the need for integration of policy, research, technology and skill development for effective grey water management in rural areas.

The session on greywater policy discussed the international and national and policies on grey water and its relevance to Indian context. Emphasis was made on setting standards for grey water reuse for agriculture and groundwater recharge.

In the States’ session, State Governments of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Punjab presented their experience on managing the grey water in rural areas. Accessing financial resources by integrating different schemes for construction of grey water recharge structures and beneficial health and economic aspects were highlighted.

The technologies session for arsenic and fluoride contamination focussed on different available technologies to remove localised arsenic/fluoride like terra fill to advanced ones like nano technology based solutions, membrane technologies and community based approach for fluoride remediation. Five States affected with arsenic/fluoride – West Bengal, Tamilnadu, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan – made presentations on strategied to provide contaminant free potable water.

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: News X Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: GATE 2019 results: Category correction request to be submitted by March 27 @ gate.iitm.ac.in URL: https://www.newsx.com/education-and-jobs/gate-2019-results-category- correction-request-to-be-submitted-by-march-27-gate-iitm-ac-in

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: Your Story Edition: Online Journalist: Venkatesh Krishnamoorthy Student: Ankit Kukudia Headline: These IIT students are part of the only Asian team shortlisted for Space X's hyperloop competition URL: https://yourstory.com/2019/03/iit-team-spacex-hyperloop-competition-elon- musk

These IIT students are part of the only Asian team shortlisted for Space X's hyperloop competition

The Avishkar Hyperloop team from IIT-Madras wants to be on top of the hyperloop game.

What’s the next big thing in transportation? Hyperloop. And Avishkar Hyperloop, a student team from IIT-Madras, seems on track to cracking the hyperloop code. The team, which has built a prototype hyperloop pod that would take just 25 minutes to travel from Chennai to Bengaluru, is the only team from Asia to qualify for the International Hyperloop Pod Competition organised by Elon Musk’s Space X.

As many as 1,600 teams participated in the first round of the contest. Several rounds later, only 22 teams – 21 of them from the US and Europe – were shortlisted for the final. Last year, the Avishkar Hyperloop team qualified only for the preliminary design round as one of the 47 teams of the total 1,500 competing teams.

Hyperloop involves a sealed tube or system of tubes that allows a pod to travel without air resistance or friction, transporting people or freight objects at high speeds. Avishkar Hyperloop claims their pod is likely to achieve 400 to 450 kmph during the finals to be held in July.

Ankit Kukudia, who heads the Avishkar Hyperloop team at the Centre for Innovation (CFI) at IIT-Madras, says, “Considering the difficulty of the design round and the complexity involved in Hyperloop implementation, it is a really great achievement to be able to qualify for the final round in the second attempt.” He adds, “We kept the design as basic as possible and put in a lot of work on the parts to reduce weight and increase the achievable top speed.”

Also read: How this IIT-Madras alumnus found a way around speed bumps to ‘Get (my) Parking’ across the world

Racing against the best

Elon Musk’s SpaceX runs the Hyperloop Pod Competition to design and build high- speed hyperloop pods. Open to student and non-student teams from across the world, it aims to test a subscale prototype transport vehicle. Teams that qualify for the final round will compete in the company’s hyperloop tunnel (one mile long and with an outer diameter of six feet), purpose-built for the competition at its Hawthorne, California, headquarters. The pod that clocks the highest speed will be declared the winner.

SpaceX had announced the competition in 2015; three editions have been run so far - in January and August 2017 and July 2018. WARR Hyperloop, from the Technical University of Munich, won the competition in August 2017, clocking 323 km per hour, and again in July 2018 with a speed of 467 km per hour.

Explaining the technical details, Ankit says, “Our design was based on propulsion via linear induction motor and passive levitation using permanent magnets. It had a degree of credibility to it, which was liked by SpaceX.”

However, the design proved to be challenging for the team. “We are going with electric propulsion using DC motors,” Ankit says. “We are targeting speeds higher than 400 km this year within a distance of 1 km,” he explains.

The team’s founder, Suyash Singh, was inspired by Elon Musk and that sparked the idea of hyperloop technology for India in him. Ankit Kukudia and Vinit Sharma joined Suyash’s efforts. The team has now grown to a 30-people strong team, with members ranging from freshman graduates to PhD scholars. All team heads are post-graduates.

Ankit says, “Our team was basically made to lay the foundation for an indigenously developed hyperloop system for India.” Some members, including Suyash, Ankit, Vinit, Avinash Kumar, Denil Chawda, Nitin Srikar, Rakshit Bhatt, Kalpesh Pawar, and Anshul Singh, have been a part of the team from inception. The team is mentored by Professor Satya Chakravarthy, NCCRD Co-ordinator, IIT-Madras; Ravi Santhanam, an IIT-Madras alumnus; and Professor Boby George, CFI Advisor, IIT-Madras.

Team Avishkar aims to develop India’s first self-propelled autonomous hyperloop pod and has been raising money through crowdsourcing on Ketto. Ankit says the team has “a larger vision” for the project. “Laying the foundation for an indigenously developed hyperloop system for India will take a few years; only after that, will it be tested on the tracks. We believe the team has a long way to go and we expect the student team to be involved till the hyperloop competition is held,” he says.

Speaking about where the project is headed, Ankit explains that the current intent is to work for two years and clock the highest speed possible. The team is also simultaneously working to incorporate a magnetic levitation in the pod and is making efforts to perfect that technology. Once a good speed is achieved, the team will work on optimising the payload and adjusting to the operating conditions before the pod can be tested on the live track, which is being built as well. “This may take five or more years,” Ankit says. The team plans to convert this project into a startup once it reaches the stage of commercialisation.

“Of course, it won’t be easy from the competition point of view since SpaceX wants us to improve on our previous design. But we are more than determined to not let our achievements end with this. We want to step up our game, keep developing, and winning the competition over the years,” Ankit says.

Date: 24th March 2019 Publication: News Minute Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Wsquare to organise women-led 'HerTech' Hackathon in partnership with Facebook URL: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/wsquare-organise-women-led- hertech-hackathon-partnership-facebook-98867

Wsquare to organise women-led 'HerTech' Hackathon in partnership with Facebook

Only 22% of professionals who work in artificial intelligence across the globe are female, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report. And with the interest in AI increasing exponentially thanks to it being one of the highest paid jobs, there still remains a huge gender gap.

To address this gap, Women co-working space Wsquare is partnering with Facebook and ThoughtWorks to launch a women-led hackathon HerTech across Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru from March to June 2019. The first edition will be held in Bengaluru on March 30-31. The two-day Hackathon focuses on encouraging women to enter AI. The idea is to bust the myth that women in technology are lesser in number and break gender stereotype through these programs. Applications for the Hackathon are open.

As part of this Hackathon, WSquare has partnered with JobsforHer and AnitaB.org, one of the largest communities for women that focuses on women in technology and back to work opportunities mentors from senior level management in AI and robotics and investors and venture capitalists who support women leaders in technology.

Women taking part in the Hackathon will get access to specially curated beginner and advanced courses in AI and Machine Learning for the winner by IIT-Madras professors

ThoughtWorks as part of their Vaapsi Initiative, will host the hackathon in their offices, across the four cities.

This free hackathon is aimed at female students interested in a career in AI and women in technology returning back to work after a break and women-led tech startups.

Top 20 teams will be picked by the Jury on finding solutions for problem statements addressed for women entrepreneurs.

"Participants will spend 24 hours on coding, validating their ideas, networking followed by a Demo of their Prototype to a panel of VCs, entrepreneurs, and sponsors. A mentor from the business development side and a technology expert will be assigned to the teams,” Vandhana Ramanathan, Co-Founder and CEO of WSquare said.

The problem statements to be addressed include using AI, with access to traffic data, to optimise total journey time including access time, waiting time and travel time for women and through AI, utilizing a range of traffic data sets on safe routes to travel through human-like decisions on route selection. With information on dynamic tolls and traffic flows on links, AI can identify public spots, safe zones around the area for safety, alleviating cities of this major issue.

“The Hertech Hackathon in Bengaluru on March 30 and 31 will have women teams creating a prototype on problem statements like Traffic Control, Women Safety. With the increasing traffic in the city,access to traffic data at the network level, AI can help make smart predictions for public transport journeys by optimizing total journey time including access time, waiting time and travel time for women also making it safe for women who self-drive to work identifying safe zones for them” Says Jinal Patel, Co- Founder and COO of WSquare.

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: Dinamani Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Seminar on Water Day held at IIT Campus URL: https://goo.gl/uBUPy9

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: 1 Journalist: NA Headline: Expect fall of 50K engineering seats this year says AICTE chairman URL: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/250319/expect- 50000-less-engg-seats-this-year-aicte.html

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page No: 8 Journalist: NA Headline: Letters-DMK’S PROMISES

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu (clip attached) Edition: Chennai Page No: 8 Journalist: Srivatsan S Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline:Sounds of Harmony URL: https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/ilaiyaraaja-music-session-at- iitm/article26633308.ece

Date: 26th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof V. Sundar and Prof S.A. Sannasiraj Headline: HC for solution to shoreline erosion at Marina URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/hc-for-solution-to-shoreline- erosion-at-marina/article26638384.ece

Date: 26th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: lalmohan.patnaik Headline: Cloud over Puri shrine damage study method URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/cloud-over-puri-shrine- damage-study-method/articleshow/68568788.cms

Date: 26th March 2019 Publication: Krishi Jagran Edition: Online Journalist: Chander Mohan Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Workshop on Water Management held on World Water Day URL: https://krishijagran.com/news/workshop-on-water-management-held-on-world- water-day/

Workshop on Water Management held on World Water Day

On the occasion of World Water Day on 22nd March 2019, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation organised a two day National Workshop on Management of Grey Water in Rural Areas and Arsenic and Fluoride Remediation (March 21, 22) in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras with support from UNICEF India. The plenary session of the Workshop was addressed by Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Director, IIT Madras Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthy. Highlights of the first day and proceeding of the second day of the Workshop are as under. Speaking at the workshop, Shri Iyer said that after achieving good sanitation coverage under Swachh Bharat Mission, the country is transiting from ODF (Open Defecation Free) to ODF+ status and to sustain ODF status. Significant research and technology inputs are required to have standards for grey water discharge, and local level manageable low cost solutions for its management. The workshop included discussions on the need for integration of policy, research, and technology and skill development for effective grey water management in rural areas. On Day 2, an overview and policy aspects on water affected with arsenic and fluoride were presented, including policy level interventions to address the arsenic and fluoride contamination, health effects and communication strategies for creating awareness at community level about the adverse effects of these contaminations. The session on grey water discussed the international and national policies on grey water and its relevance to Indian context. Emphasis was made on setting standards for grey water reuse for agriculture and groundwater recharge.

Various technologies, ranging from a simple soak pits, phyto-remedition to membrane based grey water treatment were discussed. It was emphasised that the technologies to be adopted in rural areas need to be simple, require less skill level for construction, operation and maintenance. In the States' session, State Governments of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Punjab presented their experience on managing the grey water in rural areas. Accessing financial resources by integrating different schemes for construction of grey water recharge structures and beneficial health and economic aspects were highlighted. The technologies session for arsenic and fluoride contamination focused on different available technologies to remove localised arsenic/fluoride like terra fill to advanced ones like nano technology based solutions, membrane technologies and community based approach for fluoride remediation. Five States affected with arsenic/fluoride - West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan - made presentations on strategies to provide contaminant free potable water.

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: Careers360 Edition: Online Journalist: Satyendra Singh Headline: CCMT 2019 Application Process likely to commence from April 5 URL: https://news.careers360.com/ccmt-2019-application-process-likely-commence- april-5

CCMT 2019 Application Process likely to commence from April 5

Centralised Counselling for M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan (CCMT) 2019 is likely to commence from April 5, as per the latest media report. CCMT 2019 is likely to be organised by NIT Rourkela. CCMT is a centralized counselling process for GATE qualified candidates who want to pursue M.Tech in NITs and some other reputed centrally funded technical institutes. Application form for CCMT 2019 will begin in online mode tentatively from April 5.

CCMT offers admission to GATE qualified candidates who have obtained a valid score with an all India rank in any of the 24 specified subject. Candidates with a valid GATE score from either year of 2019, 2018, or 2017 will be eligible for admission through CCMT 2019. Admission procedure through CCMT includes registration, online choice filling, locking of choices and allotment of seats. Students who are allotted a seat will then have to confirm their seat by paying seat acceptance fees.

Students will be required to register themselves for CCMT 2019 in online mode and fill their choices for colleges as per their preference. Seats will be allotted to students in the order of merit as per the seat allotment criteria and rules set up by CCMT 2019.

GATE 2019 result has already been declared by IIT Madras on March 15 for all the 24 subjects. GATE 2019 scorecard has also been released for all the qualified candidates. GATE 2019 was conducted by IIT Madras on February 2, 3, 9 and 10 across various test centres in India and abroad. Date: 26th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 1 Journalist: RK Srividya Headline: In an ‘Avasaram’ to save lives in Tamil Nadu URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2019/mar/26/in-an- avasaram-to-save-lives-in-tamil-nadu-1955858.html

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: Mashable Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: An Indian Team Is In The Finals Of The 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition URL: https://in.mashable.com/tech/2648/an-indian-team-is-in-the-finals-of-the-2019- spacex-hyperloop

An Indian Team Is In The Finals Of The 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition

SpaceX has big plans, not only for interplanetary travel but also for terrestrial transport on Earth. With Hyperloop, they want to bring high-speed transportation to the masses. Every year, they organise a Hyperloop Pod Competition for student teams to develop functional prototypes of a high-speed pod, and this year, a team from India is in the final round of the contest.

Over 1,500 teams participated in the 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition to try and create their version of the pod. The winner is selected only on one criterion: maximum speed attained with successful deceleration. There are no other constraints for the pod to, foster creativity and ideas. Team Avishkar Hyperloop from India is in the Top 21 and will be going to California in July to test their version of the pod on the Hyperloop tunnel built by SpaceX at their HQ in Hawthorne.

Avishkar Hyperloop is a 30 member team, all from various departments under IIT Madras. They are the only team from Asia, with another team from Australia, and the rest from Europe and the Americas. Their plans include using a custom-built linear- induction motor on an electric powertrain using a high-power battery pack to achieve speeds of over 400 kmph. For deceleration, they will make use of pneumatic brakes. The Avishkar pod will have four wheels, on either side of the single rail track. Since it’s just a single track, stability and perturbation are very difficult. At those speeds, minor movements can cause major accidents. They've developed a stabilisation mechanism that should help counter that.

The team will be participating in the finals happening on July 21. A week prior to that, they will be allowed to test their implementation and make final refinements. There will be other criteria that they need to fulfil to be able to run the final Hyperloop tunnel. The tunnel itself will be vacuumized, and will be 1 mile long. In that length, participants are expected to touch the top speed and stop safely.

In conversation with Mashable India, Pranit Mehta, the Head of Marketing and Sponsorships, explained the thought behind their idea.

The team is currently in the process of developing a working model of the pod, and will be skipping the prototyping stage owing to a shortage of time. Most other teams are returning finalists, and have their pods ready from older versions of the competition. Avishkar Hyperloop has a budget of close to INR 1 crore and is raising that through in-house funding, alumni, other tech companies and even crowdfunding so that more people can be a part of India’s first Hyperloop.

Date: 25th March 2019 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Online Journalist: N. Rana & U. Majmudar Headline: Enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities, Meenu Bhambhani of Mphasis URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/ResponsibleFuture/enhancing- the-lives-of-persons-with-disabilities-meenu-bhambhani-of-mphasis/

Enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities, Meenu Bhambhani of Mphasis

5-6% of India’s population has some or the other form of disability, of these only 1% or so are employed. Mphasis an IT services company wanted to change this scenario. Meenu Bhambhani, the VP and CSR head of Mphasis, who has been instrumental in this says, “I joined the company in 2007 when the company was looking for a CSR head and also for someone who could manage Diversity and Inclusion function as well. Coming from a disability background, I started my journey with a twin-track approach – working internally with staffing training and admin team to increase the number of employees with disabilities and bringing about systemic changes through equal opportunity policy, reasonable accommodation and working towards making built and technology environment accessible. We also used CSR grant making strategically to pilot solutions that address barriers faced by people with disabilities in leading a life of dignity.”

Mphasis started with Project Communicate in 2007, in partnership with the Diversity and Equal Opportunity Centre (DEOC) to train and provide employment support to candidates with disabilities. This program became an industry benchmark and most IT companies till today continue to work with train and hire model. The culmination of this program was through train the trainer and enablement of other organisations to prepare the employable pool of youth from underserved communities. This led to Mphasis partnering with Headstreams in 2009 and the launch of Aalamba programme which targeted youth from low socio-economic backgrounds, who do not attend school or college. The objective was to reach out to over 300 youth directly, with employment and skill training (BPO or trade skills) and job-information exchange. 30 of the brightest youth from these groups would be selected for intensive mentoring and entrepreneurship development program. The programme also focussed on their financial inclusion by giving them training in finance, financial products, getting them access to banking through bank accounts, loans, credit system, among others. By 2014 the programme had evolved into training over 3000 youth and set up of 163 livelihood units

Out of the Aalamba programme came the Arivu programme. Many of the beneficiaries wanted their children to access English medium education, and the programme enabled them to access this through government schools. Arivu which means ‘Knowledge’ focuses on improving English reading and comprehension for children in Karnataka middle schools (Grades VI to VIII).

Around 2015, taxi services like Ola and Uber were becoming ubiquitous. And, Mphasis realised that transport was a huge challenge to persons with disabilities. Even if they had jobs reaching their workplace was an arduous task as public transportation remains disability unfriendly. This led them to tie up with Uber. The plan envisaged converting 50 cabs to be disability-friendly. “However, the issue of providing accessible taxi/cabs is rife with several regulatory and policy barriers which make it prohibitive to even venture into this area. While there is a Central Motor Vehicles Act that guides the federal entities to operate within the guidelines set by the Act, each State’s Road Transport Authority interprets these guidelines in their own way. We straightway ran into problems. The RTO rejected the vehicle saying that no modifications can be made to a commercial vehicle. We stayed with it for two years till we got approval,” says Meenu. Mphasis and Uber were not creating anything new as the technology was already there, the cost was primarily the cost of the cars, modification and training of drivers. The services, UberAccess and UberAssist, emerged out this initiative and has been a boon not only to persons with disabilities but also the elderly.

A challenge that the speech and hearing-impaired face is communication with the world. To help them, Mhpasis has partnered with academic institutions such as IIIT Bangalore where it has set up a centre of excellence in cognitive computing. The centre has developed a technology that enables speech to sign language. Another project involves the prevention of child trafficking using heterogeneous information sources to derive intelligence. On the entrepreneurship front, Mphasis collaborates with institutions like IIM Bangalore’s NSRCEL and Villgro in IIT Chennai. It also collaborates with NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum and the Nudge Foundation’s N/Core for incubation purposes.

Disability is an area that the company feels strongly about and so involves itself into policy advocacy too. What Mphasis can do would always remain small. To create an impact at a larger scale with a lasting impact requires intervention at the policy level. For instance, railway stations, Bus stands, airports are all government owned, and improvements can only be brought about through policy changes. “With smart cities being promoted, inclusive policies can bring about an impact right from the start. So, if disability inclusion is already added in procurement policy, then the documents will include disability-friendly designs and construction will happen accordingly,” says Meenu.

Mphasis has been supporting NCPEDP (National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled) people for many years. Along with NCPEDP, Mphasis recognised that the laws relating to people with disabilities had many lacunae and did not comply with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Sustained and strong advocacy along with NCPEDP has led to a new Rights of People with Disabilities (RPWD) Act. The new Act empowers people with disabilities. Mphasis’ sustained efforts led to it winning the Zero Project Award at the UN recently. According to Meenu, “Changes are now becoming visible on the ground, and several PILs have been filed to make government accountable. One outcome has been that the Delhi government is now procuring disable friendly buses.”

Many actions undertaken by Mphasis with a strong focus on persons with disability has led to significant improvement in their lives. Mphasis has aided the disability inclusion through various means — helping provide education, training, employment, transportation, policy changes and improved lives. A disabled friendly CSR strategy built around personal experiences of Meenu Bhambhani has been the nucleus of its programmes. Date: 26th March 2019 Publication: News Today Edition: Online Journalist: Naomi N Headline: Start-up in Chennai simplifies aeronautics URL: https://newstodaynet.com/index.php/2019/03/25/start-up-in-chennai-simplifies- aeronautics/

Start-up in Chennai simplifies aeronautics

What happens when a bunch of aeronautical engineers and theatre artistes get together for teaching science? Well, some unforgettable lessons on aeronautics happen.

Science is usually not a favourite subject among school-going students, but children who attended the Air Science workshop conducted by Vaayusastra Aerospace – an IIT-M RTBI incubated start-up – say otherwise. They have come to love science.

These students recently had their ‘Graduation day’ for successfully completing the three-month-long workshop. The event was held at IIT-M Research Park, Taramani, and the chief guests were Space Scientist Jayakumar Venkatesan and former managing director of TTK Prestige Group and mentor of IIT Incubation cell, Ravichandran.

Jagadeesh Kanna, who is the founder and CEO of Vaayusastra Aerospace, says, “Our aim is to create awareness on aeronautics. We held a three-month workshop with the first batch, and around 150 students under the age categories 5-7, 8-10 and 11-14 participated in it. They got to learn the basics of the subject incorporated with their curriculum. Our syllabus is stitched as per their curriculum combining the one provided in NASA website. We scripted the stories around those concepts.”

The classes were designed to learn basic science concepts such as air, density and pressure from the aeronautical perspective. “Instead of just theory, we teach in the way a story is told. This is a new, or you can say an alternative, way of teaching. We have theatre artists and an aeronautical engineer in the classroom. The artist would enact a story which has the lesson embedded into it,” he explains.

The students underwent 12 sessions in around 18 hours, which were handled by eight aeronautical engineers and 20-plus theatre artists. “They were taught parts of an airplane, how it flies and a little bit of its history. Since the students are learning the concepts through stories, they will never forget it and would grasp it easily. Apart from this, the students were also made to make a science model, and whatever was learnt they got to implement it practically.”

Next, they are planning to start astronauts basic workshop for children in the age group of 5-14, and it is being done for the first time in India! They also have plans to launch a balloon satellite and incorporate dance while teaching science. “Our students and their parents are happy with this unique way of teaching,” Jagadeesh assures. Date: 26th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Headline: PWD directed to study Marina shoreline erosion in detail

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: Live Mint Edition: Kolkata Page No: 3 Journalist: M. Sriram Alumni: Amrit Acharya and Srinath Ramakkrushnan Headline: Zetwerk raises fresh funding from Accel, Sequoia Capital URL: https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/zetwerk-raises-fresh-funding-from- accel-sequoia-capital-1553650920169.html

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: AIADMK rebel may play spoilsport in Vilathikulam URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/aiadmk-rebel-may-play- spoilsport/article26646760.ece

AIADMK rebel may play spoilsport in Vilathikulam

The upcoming bypoll in Vilathikulam Assembly constituency seems to be a tough battle for the AIADMK, even though, in the past, it has been a serial winner.

Former MLA G.V. Markandeyan, who felt snubbed by the AIADMK leadership after being denied a ticket, has filed his nomination as an independent.

Besides quitting his position in the party, he even levelled corruption charges against Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. P. Chinnappan, who won from the constituency in 2006, has been fielded by the ruling party.

The rebel candidate, who seems to hold sway in the constituency, along with AMMK, may turn the tide against the parent party. K. Jothimani, who holds a Ph.D. in Organo Metallics from IIT-Madras and has worked with oil companies in the country and abroad, is the AMMK candidate.

Since 1977, the AIADMK has won eight elections in the constituency, while the DMK has won only twice, in 1984 and 1996.

Even in the 2016 Assembly election, when the AIADMK won three out of four constituencies in Thoothukudi district on very slim margins of a few hundred votes, Vilathikulam handed a handsome victory by a margin of around 19,000 votes to the ruling party even as K. Uma Maheswari, who was relatively inexperienced, was fielded. However, it may spring a surprise this time.

The split of ruling party votes may turn in favour of the opposition DMK, which has fielded A.C. Jeyakumar, a real estate businessman and agriculturist.

Political observers say that caste equations have been key in the constituency, which has elected candidates from the dominant Reddiyar community time and again over the last few decades.

The DMK alliance, which has been fielding candidates from a different community, has bucked the trend by taking a pick from the dominant community.

Residents have a list of problems that require attention of the contestants. A. Varatharajan, president of Karisal Bhumi Farmers’ Association, said that storage facilities for agricultural produce should be developed in villages, and adequate water from the Tamirabharani should be supplied to coastal villages.

“A government arts college should be set up in Vilathikulam, and bus facility improved in remote villages; memorials for freedom fighters should be constructed at Kadalaiyur in Ettayapuram taluk. Vaippar should be declared a protected river to escape exploitation by sand mafia,” he said.

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Bangalore Page No: 17 Journalist: NA Alumni: Amrit Acharya and Srinath Ramakkrushnan Headline: Zetwerk gets $9mn from Accel Sequoia URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/accel-sequoia- back-custom-manufacturing-marketplace/articleshow/68588274.cms

Date: 26th March 2019 Publication: Outlook Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: Varun AV Headline: Inito becomes the First Medical Device Startup from India to Secure Funding from Y Combinator URL: https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/inito-becomes-the-first-medical- device-startup-from-india-to-secure-funding-from-y-combinator/1503260

Inito becomes the First Medical Device Startup from India to Secure Funding from Y Combinator

The following content is a press release. takes no editorial responsibility for the same.) Inito’s flagship product is a small device that enables smartphones to perform lab- grade fertility diagnostic tests at home New Delhi, Mar 26, 2019: Inito, a Bangalore based medical technology startup, has been selected by Y Combinator in their Winter ’19 Cohort. By doing so, it becomes the first Indian medical device startup to be supported by Silicon Valley based Y Combinator. The Silicon Valley based startup incubator boasts of a portfolio of well-known startups like AirBnB, Reddit, Quora and Dropbox etc. Inito’s flagship innovation is a small device that enables smartphones to perform lab-grade fertility diagnostic tests at home. The device is based on the company’s patent-pending ‘Flat-lens’ technology and comes with the Inito Reader, App and test strips. Right now, Inito’s Monitor measures two fertility hormones, Estrogen & Luteinizing Hormone (LH), in urine and enables women to track their fertile days at home and increase the chances of getting pregnant by 89%. It’s AI based app understands cycle variations for every individual user and gives highly accurate results unique to every woman’s body. Inito now plans to add 8 more hormone tests to the device. This will allow the app to predict several key metrics of fertility for users and diagnose fertility conditions without going to the lab. By doing so, the company aims to disrupt the US$30 billion fertility market. The data set of hormones collected through 50,000 plus tests taken on the device till now is arguably the largest cloud based dataset of fertility hormones in the world. Using big data analytics and artificial intelligence, Inito will be able to make more accurate predictions about fertility for its future users. Commenting about the support from Y Combinator, Aayush Rai, Co- Founder, Inito said, “Inito aims to put a diagnostic lab in every home and personalize medical diagnosis for every human. Being funded by Y Combinator allows us to think globally and access global expertise and resources which will enable our mission.” Inito has previously raised US$1.8 Million from angel investors in India and Singapore. Inito is a medical technology company building the next generation of portable diagnostic devices that are not just accurate and reliable, but are also smart and easy to use. Its proprietary technology allows a single device to do dozens of diagnostic tests at home. Based out of Bangalore, the company was started by IIT Roorkee alumnus, Aayush Rai and IIT Madras alum, Varun AV in 2015 and a team consisting of Engineers, Scientists & Doctors with past experience at IIT's, Siemens, NASA, Narayana Healthcare and Samsung. Inito aims to make people happier, healthier and more productive while reducing the burden on the healthcare system & doctors.

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: The Indian Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: GATE 2019: Online window for making correction closing tomorrow, check here URL: https://indianexpress.com/article/education/gate-2019-online-window-for- making-correction-closing-5643908/

GATE 2019: Online window for making correction closing tomorrow, check here

As the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE 2019) results and score have been released, the admission process in universities will commence including the hiring process in various Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). But according to the official website, there are many candidates who have not corrected their categories mentioned during the application process.

Now, the applicant will get an opportunity to correct the same. The online window to make corrections will be closed on Wednesday, March 27, 2019. “In spite of many announcements in the past from GATE 2019, some candidates have not yet corrected their category (General/ OBC-NCL/ SC/ ST). To request for a category correction please send an email to [email protected] . Last date for receiving category correction request with a valid certificate is 27th March , 2019. Thereafter no such request will be accepted,” read the official notification.

The GATE 2019 scorecard was released on March 24, and the candidates can download it through the official website. Institutes like IITs will conduct GATE 2019 counselling through Common Offer Acceptance Portal (COAP). On this, a candidate has to first register to the respective IIT’s and departments they are seeking admission for. Date: 26th March 2019 Publication: Royal Society of Chemistry Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Celebrating IYPT 2019 in India URL: https://www.rsc.org/news-events/community/2019/mar/iypt-lecture-india/

Celebrating IYPT 2019 in India

Professor Peter Sadler from the University of Warwick mesmerised over 550 college students and faculty members from Chennai with his public lecture on the periodic table, which showcased elements of life and medicines.

The hour-long lecture, organised to celebrate the International Year of Periodic Table, was peppered with vignettes of stories about rare elements that we consume during our daily life, the interaction of electrons through balloons, and finally a quiz for students. Professor Sadler gave away prizes including a periodic table bag and pen for correct answers!

The lecture, held at Stella Marris College on February 6, was jointly organised by the RSC, CRSI, CSIR-CLRI and IIT Madras. Date: 26th March 2019 Publication: Fractovia Edition: Online Journalist: Rahul Varpe Headline: Superabsorbent polymers market to procure appreciable returns via extensive demand for adult incontinence products URL: https://www.fractovia.org/news/superabsorbent-polymers-market-growth/1216

Superabsorbent polymers market to procure appreciable returns via extensive demand for adult incontinence products

Predominantly driven by increasing usage in baby diapers, adult incontinence, and female hygiene products, the superabsorbent polymers market has been gradually emerging as one of the most enterprising niche verticals of polymers and advanced materials industry. Lately, it has been observed that major chemical firms have been investing heavily to develop biodegradable superabsorbent polymers as the conventional polymers are being increasingly termed as environmentally harmful by researchers around the globe. Below is a brief overview of how a surge in R&D investments by leading corporations would propel superabsorbent polymers industry trends in the years ahead:

In 2014, the German chemical giant BASF announced an investment of around USD 625 million in order to optimize the overall process of manufacturing superabsorbent polymers and revamp its existing facilities. The company had stated that it has been working on a pioneering superabsorbent technology platform within its hygiene business and plans to set up droplet polymerization capabilities in the years ahead. The researchers of the company have been working extensively over the last decade to develop new superabsorbent polymers under its flagship SAVIVATM variant. Reportedly, these polymers have demonstrated high-efficiency and performance in diaper prototypes owing to unique distribution mechanism.

One of the major superabsorbent polymers market participant Evonik has recently invested approximately 1 million Euros to construct a new application technology facility in Germany. The new laboratory would fortify target-oriented innovation efforts and product knowledge of the company along with drastic enhancement in the implementation of new test methods. Reportedly, these new methods enable application of real-time conditions in the standardized laboratory evaluation of a broad range of incontinence products. With a highly-efficient laboratory in place, Evonik now aims to widen the scope of its superabsorbent polymers beyond baby diapers and adult incontinence products.

In 2017, LG Chem Limited had announced to invest approximately USD 278 million to expand the annual manufacturing capacity of super absorbent polymer and crude acrylic acid at its facility in the southern part of the nation. Regarded as one of the foremost chemical firms of South Korea, the company plans to increase the production of superabsorbent polymer by 100,000 tons in the upcoming years. Reportedly, the expansion is slated to be completed by the end of 2019 and would assist the firm to acquire a dominant position in the global superabsorbent polymers industry in the times to come.

One of the major applications of superabsorbent polymers market are the adult incontinence products and baby diapers. The usage of these products has been on the rise lately owing to increasing hygiene awareness and the constant surge in birth rate globally. In fact, as per reliable estimates, baby diapers apportioned around 70% of the total revenue share of the industry in the year 2017. In this context, it would be prudent to mention that the safe disposal of diapers has emerged as a serious environmental concern in the recent years as they are manufactured using synthetic materials which are predominantly non-biodegradable. Several prominent research institutions around the globe have been making concerted efforts to find alternate solutions for the synthetic materials owing to increased focus on sustainability and growing demand for biodegradable polymers.

For instance, the researchers from the Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras have recently developed a biodegradable superabsorbent polymer which can absorb up to 1250 grams of water for each gram of its weight. Christened as CHCAUR, the superabsorbent has been manufactured utilizing bio- based products such as urea, citric acid, and chitosan. The newly developed polymer is being regarded as a significant breakthrough for the overall superabsorbent polymer industry as its water absorption capability is nearly eight times more compared to super-absorbing polymers currently being used in manufacturing diapers. Needless to mention, the launch of such innovative and environment friendly polymers would significantly increase the efficiency of adult incontinence products and baby diapers in the times to come.

Considering the aforementioned instances of innovative research activities, massive investment programs coupled with capacity expansion strategies undertaken by leading chemical firms, the growth prospects of the superabsorbent polymers market undoubtedly appear promising. In fact, as per a research study compiled by Global Market Insights, Inc., the remuneration portfolio of superabsorbent polymers industry is forecast to exceed USD 9.5 billion by 2025.

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Delhi / Mumbai / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kochi / Ahmedabad / Chandigarh/Kolkata Page No: 7 Journalist: Bhavik Nair Alumni: Amrit Acharya and Srinath Ramakkrushnan Headline: Zetwerk raises $ 9 million in Series A funding round URL: https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/sme/zetwerk-raises-9-million-in-series- a-funding-round/1528641/

Date: 27th March 2019 Publication: Down to earth Edition: Online Journalist: P Surat Professor: Prof B S Murty Headline: Giant leap to view materials — one atom at a time URL: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/science-technology/success-of-mission- shakti-a-culmination-of-efforts-made-over-two-decades-63730

Giant leap to view materials — one atom at a time

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 27, 2019 declared India an established space power with the success of Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon program. As part of the mission, he said, an Indian weapon system shot down a satellite in Low Earth Orbit. The launch was carried from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island launch complex.

Modi also congratulated scientists at Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for this achievement. DRDO’s Ballistic Missile Defense Interceptor was used in the test to shoot down the Indian satellite, according to media reports.

In a televised address, Modi said India has become the fourth country in the world to have developed this capability, after United States, Russia and China.

He added that with this test India is not in violation of any international space treaties. Even though the test has been carried out now the technologies required for such a feat have existed in India since at least 2010.

“India is putting together building blocks of technology that could be used to neutralise enemy satellites. We are working to ensure space security and protect our satellites. At the same time, we are also working on how to deny the enemy access to its space assets,” VK Saraswat, now a senior member of the NITI Aayog, who was then the director general of DRDO, had told reporters in January 2010.

At the time experts like Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation, which works on space security, had dismissed Saraswat’s claims as tall talk. But the current test proves that Saraswat’s claims were not unfounded.

India was working on its weapon systems to intercept space objects as it wanted to secure its own space assets from foreign adversaries. “Our satellites are vulnerable to ASAT weapon systems because our neighborhood possesses one,” PV Naik, the then air chief marshal, had told the media in February 2010, referring to China’s anti satellite weapon system, which was tested in 2007.

In fact, according to a media report, by March 2011, the DRDO had conducted six interceptor missions in which missiles were used to shoot down objects from outside and inside the Earth’s atmosphere, most of which were missiles. The first such test was carried out in 2006 when a Prithvi-II missile was successfully intercepted by the Prithvi Air Defense missile in the endo-atmosphere, within the Earth’s atmosphere, at an altitude of 48 kilometres. This was part of India’s Ballistic Missile Defense which has been in the works since 1998. Five of these missions had been successful.

After the last successful mission conducted on March 6, 2011, Saraswat had declared, “The fresh success of the interceptor missile mission has demonstrated the country's capability to neutralise adversarial satellites in space.”

Saraswat, at this point, was also the scientific advisor to the defense minister. Then, he had also added a caveat that, “India's policy is that it will not weaponise space and we are committed to the peaceful uses of outer space.” So, the current success of Mission Shakti is a culmination of all these efforts over the past two decades.

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: Orissa Post Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Doubts over Srimandir damage study URL: http://www.orissapost.com/doubts-over-srimandir-damage-study/

Doubts over Srimandir damage study

The Amicus Curiae, appointed by the Orissa High Court, had raised doubts about the efficacy of the repair works at Srimandir and the system adopted to study the cracked beams on the roof of the Natamandapa of the 12th century shrine. Amicus Curiae N K Mohanty raised the objection when ASI submitted a testimony declaring that it has been assessing the distressed stone beams on the roof of the Natamandapa through ‘Structural Health Monitoring System’ as per the recommendation of IIT Madras. Mohanty alleged that the Structural Health Monitoring System being adopted to study the beams on the roof inside Natamandapa is ‘defective’ and sought time to ‘verify his declare’. “Taking due cognizance of the fact, the bench of Chief Justice K S Jhaveri and Justice K R Mohapatra posted the case to April 8 for hearing. The court has been tracking the repair works of Natamandapa after Mohanty submitted a report pointing out that the roof above the Garuda Stamba needs immediate attention. In his affidavit, ASI (Bhubaneswar circle) superintending archaeologist Arun Malik on Monday said after finding out the tracking knowledge on distressed stone beams, the IIT Madras had instructed to increase the tracking system to rest of the beams (no longer distressed) on the location. The court had appointed advocate N K Mohanty as Amicus Curiae as part of adjudication of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on inadequacy in renovation and repair of the Srimandir. City-based social activist Abhisek Das had filed the PIL.

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: Senitel Assam Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Facebook To Mentor Start-Ups Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) URL: https://www.sentinelassam.com/news/facebook-to-mentor-start-ups- leveraging-artificial-intelligence-ai/

Facebook To Mentor Start-Ups Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Social networking giant Facebook on Wednesday launched the “India Innovation Accelerator” programme with a focus on “Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Social Good”, under which it would mentor and support promising start-ups which are leveraging AI to address gaps within high social impact areas.

“We are an ally for India’s economic growth and social development and this summit is our effort to understand how we can contribute to the development of deep tech in India, as well as corral resources to use these technologies to develop impactful solutions for tough and persistent problems,” Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, said in a statement.

The social media giant also launched “100 Scholarships for students and developers” who are focused on nurturing their ideas for utilising AI for social good. The scholarships would enable the students to gain access to advanced courses on Deep Learning.

It also launched “Women in AI Hackathons” which is aimed at encouraging diversity within the ecosystem by motivating women developers and women-led start-ups focused on AI.

The winners would be provided courses on AI and machine learning (ML) by professors of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.

Another popular Facebook tool under the “AI for Social Good” initiative is its Blood Donation tool which helps connect blood banks and hospitals to blood donors who have registered themselves on the platform.

According to the company, to date, more than 35 million people have signed up to be donors globally.

Date: 28th March 2019 Publication: DD Podhigai Edition: Electronic Journalist: Ms. Anitha Headline: Virutcham- on IIT Madras URL: https://we.tl/t-5nULCFOmlx

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No:3 Journalist: Deepa H. Ramakrishnan Headline: Pulicat lake bar mouth to be dredged URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/pulicat-lake-bar-mouth-to-be- dredged/article26668647.ece

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Kochi Page No: 2 Journalist: Sovi Vidyadharan Headline: We are not fighting losing battles: SFI president VP Sanu URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/mar/29/interview-we- are-not-fighting-losing-battles-sfi-president-vp-sanu-1957354.html

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Headline: Dance cannot be confined to a formula

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No:8 Journalist: NA Headline: Ex-HR&CE commissioner gets bail in idol theft case

Date: 29th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Hyderabad/Chennai Page No: 27 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Special Anniversary concert

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: News Bytes Edition: Online Journalist: Ramya Patelkhana Headline: #CareerBytes: Courses in Artificial Intelligence (AI) offered by IITs URL: https://www.newsbytesapp.com/timeline/India/43963/197430/list-of-artificial- intelligence-courses-provided-by-iits

#CareerBytes: Courses in Artificial Intelligence (AI) offered by IITs

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the world. AI is being integrated into various fields like healthcare, banking, transport, defense, and education among others.

Today, AI is everywhere - from search engines to digital assistants, smart home appliances, self-driving cars, etc. The need for people with knowledge about AI is on the rise.

Here are some courses in AI offered in India by various IITs.

Other AI courses offered by various IITs

The IIT-Madras faculty, in January, launched a start-up, One Fourth Labs, for training students in Artificial Intelligence.

The start-up's "PadhAI" online school offers affordable AI courses. However, enrolments are currently closed. Though the courses aren't directly offered by IIT- Madras, they could be quite useful for students.

Apart from these, MTech-level courses in AI are offered by IIT-Bombay, IIT-Madras, and IIT-Kharagpur, and IIT-Hyderabad too.

Courses in AI being offered by IIT Kanpur

IIT-Kanpur (IIT-K) has three short-term courses on Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Robotics for students and professionals.

"Introduction to AI, IoT & Robotics" programme begins on 3 Jun'2019. The 15-day Basic course ends on 17 June, 25-day Long course on 27 June, and 40-day Extended course on 12 July. Registrations are currently open; fees, accommodation, and other details are available on IIT-K's website. Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Facebook focused on building solutions for social welfare: Ajit Mohan URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2019/mar/30/facebook-focused- on-building-solutions-for-social-welfare-mohan-1957914.html

Facebook focused on building solutions for social welfare: Ajit Mohan

Facebook has announced a host of initiatives in India focused on delivering social and inclusive growth by harnessing the power of emerging technologies led by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, says that the effort “is to understand how we can contribute to the development of deep tech in India, as well as corral resources to use these technologies to develop impactful solutions for tough and persistent problems”.

“At Facebook, we are developing and leveraging cutting-edge technologies for products we develop around the world. We are an ally for India’s economic growth and social development,” said Mohan Facebook which had developed the Blood Donation tool which helps connect blood banks and hospitals to blood donors, currently has more than 35 million people signed up to be donors globally.The company also said that during the Kerala Floods its partnership with SEEDS India, using AI, helped to quickly prepare disaster maps for the state.

“At Facebook we are also committed to growing the local AI ecosystem, which can be achieved by providing support to start-ups, to the student community, and by ensuring diversity within the ecosystem itself. That’s the thought behind our key announcements today around AI for India Accelerator, training and scholarships for students and developers, and ‘Women in AI’ hackathons,” added Mohan.

As part of the initiatives, Facebook has introduced the India Innovation Accelerator program focused on utilising ‘AI for Social Good’. Under this program, Facebook will extend mentorship and support to promising startups that are leveraging AI to address gaps within the high social impact areas of women safety, agriculture, education, healthcare, climate change, and resilient cities, among many others.

The company also announced 100 scholarships for students and developers focused on nurturing their ideas for utilizing AI for social good. The scholarships will enable the students to gain access to advanced courses on Deep Learning.

As part of encouraging diversity in the ecosystem, Facebook has announced AI Hackathons that are aimed at encouraging women developers and women-led startups focused on AI. The winners will be provided courses on AI and ML by professors of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras. In India, the company will also conduct AI training under its Facebook Hubs program, where it will impart “extensive, application- based” AI training with a host of startups across 20 locations in India Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: CNBC TV Edition: Online Journalist: Kunal Talegiri Headline: What Axilor's rise means for the startup ecosystem URL: https://www.cnbctv18.com/technology/what-axilors-rise-means-for-the-startup- ecosystem-2768511.htm

What Axilor's rise means for the startup ecosystem

Ok people, Quiz Time! In 1977, a postgraduate scholar walked into the computer lab of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, but had trouble finding a User ID. 'Gopal' was taken. 'Gopi' was taken. 'Krishnan' was taken. His name has 'S' as an initial, which stands for his father's name, Senapathy. Who are we talking about? And what was the user ID that has stuck ever since?

A couple of weeks ago, the said person's seed-stage investment company, Axilor Ventures, sprang up on my radar. Venture Intelligence data shows that three early- stage funds have been very active in India's nascent internet industry since 2013: Accel (six-year average of 29 investments), Sequoia (24) and Blume (18). But a Tracxn dataset brought Axilor in the active-investors mix in a stunning fashion. It showed the Bengaluru-headquartered fund to top the chart two years in a row!

Last month, Axilor had also won the Venture Intelligence APEX 2019 award for 'Accelerator of the Year'. So I had to check out the good folks, who have a charming and taut facility for startups in Bengaluru's JP Nagar. It turned out that startups analytics firm Tracxn had probably counted every seed-stage deal that Axilor has participated in with other VC funds' investments! Still, it doesn't take away anything from what Axilor wants to do: improve the odds of success for early-stage startups.

Axilor became active in November 2014, and is a Category 1 Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) that is Rs 200 crore in size. It is also an accelerator run by a nine-member team, which has co-invested in 42 deals in just over four years.

Priming for Market

“At the bottom of the pyramid, startups aren't unknown anymore,” says Ganapathy Venugopal, CEO of Axilor. “At the top, VCs have raised between $10 billion and $12 billion to invest in startups. We felt that the institutional capacity to support startups in the first 12-24 months wasn't there.”

Ganpathy Venugopal The nurturing element is as much a question of 'how' startups are supported, as 'how many'. According to Nasscom's Tech Start-up Ecosystem 2018 report, at least 7,200 start-ups have been incepted since 2013. But there are only around 210 active accelerators and incubators, which is one for every 35 start-ups. If you include bootstrapped ventures, that ratio can worsen to one for every 150 start-ups, says Venugopal.

Thankfully, the problem is not one of money being available, as was the case until 2013. I looked up Grant Thornton's latest report 'The Fourth Wheel 2019' on the private equity landscape (See Figure 1). Average deal size for start-ups has risen from $3.6 million in 2016, to nearly $5 million in 2017—and $11.4 million last year. “Investors’ ability to mentor and nurture a start-up idea rather than just provide financial investment will be key to finding the right early-stage opportunities,” the Grant Thornton report had stated in early 2016.

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: Your story Edition: Online Journalist: Debolina Biswas Headline: These IITs will enable India to understand and use artificial intelligence more effectively URL: https://yourstory.com/2019/03/iit-artificial-intelligence-india-machine-learning- 17qjyup038

These IITs will enable India to understand and use artificial intelligence more effectively

IITs step up to plug the gap in AI education in training, offer short-term courses too IITs are rolling out new courses tailored to meet the demand for skilled professionals in artificial intelligence and related areas. During his Interim Budget speech, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said that the government is launching a national programme for artificial intelligence (AI). As a part of the programme, nine Centres of Excellence to leverage AI will be built. According to NITI Ayog's National Strategy for AI Discussion Paper, AI has the potential to drive growth through enabling intelligent automation, labour, and capital augmentation, and innovation diffusion. Aritificial Intelligence Also read: [Startup Bharat] This 16-year-old boy from Surat has developed an edtech platform for ‘Gujju Students’ AI in healthcare can address and bridge the gaps related to access of facilities beyond the metro cities. Similarly, it can also solve quality and accessibility issues in the education sector. In logistics, AI can solve traffic management. But, there’s a catch.

NITI Ayog says that there is an "inadequate availability of AI expertise, manpower, and skilling opportunities", in India.

"India has talent friction - we have a lot of people and a lot of vacancies as well. But we require finished goods for these jobs. With the practices that academic institutions are adopting today, they are unable to provide the right kind of tools and exposure. If we don't change this now, even after 10 years, we won't be able to create 20 percent of the specialist talent that we require," says Kamal Karanth, Co-founder of Xpheno, Bengaluru-based talent solutions company.

Universities are unable to keep up with creating courses in emerging technologies because of the speed at which these technologies develop

He adds, "Our finishing schools are not great. Today even large companies have factories they train employees for six months. If that much time is spent during the academic years with industry collaboration, it would be helpful.” Nevertheless, the IITs are now stepping up to the challenge and rolling out a slew of short-term courses designed to provide the Indian industry with the talent it needs. Many of these courses are meant for recent graduates and working professionals. Aritificial Intelligence Also read: Here’s how Workruit, the Tinder for jobs, is working to make hiring hassle-free Rolling out courses IIT Hyderabad B.Tech in AI - IIT Hyderabad was the first Indian institute to introduce this. Professional Programme in AI and Emerging Technologies - Considered a first of its kind, it is a five-week residential programme meant for recent graduates and senior college students. It is offered in partnership with TalentSprint. "IIT Hyderabad's decision to start a BTech programme in AI is a step in the direction to address the urgent needs of the country in this space," says Sumohana S. Channappayya, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad. The institute already offers an MTech programme in data science and machine learning.

IIT Kharagpur Up to 30 subjects on the different aspects of AI are offered by the departments of Computer Science and Engineering here. While most have been available for years, the institute started courses based on industry requirements and student demand. "The Centre for AI launched a new subject on 'Deep Learning Foundations and Applications' this semester to cater to the large demand among students. It also plans to launch more AI courses in the coming semesters," said Professor Sudeshna Sarkar, Head of Centre of AI and Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, to YourStory. A six-month course on the 'Foundations of AI and Machine Learning’, which will be conducted only on weekends. It is spread over 16 modules on theory, methods, tools, applications and a capstone project.

"This will be offered in Bengaluru, Kharagpur and possibly Hyderabad from March 2019. We are also planning to launch a certificate course on 'Advanced Machine Learning’ later this year," Sudeshna said. One can simply enrol by providing basic information and applying through the institute's website. After an online computer based test, candidates will be called for interview. According to their website, for the March 2019 cohort, the course fee is Rs 4,00,000. IIT Madras Opened the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI to focus on research in deep learning, reinforcement learning, network analysis, interpretable machine learning and domain aware AI. Professor Balaraman Ravindran, Head of RBC-DSAI, and a member of the faculty in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, said: "IIT Madras has a strong interdisciplinary programme in data science and AI. This encourages students to explore applications of AI in different domains. We have an interdisciplinary dual degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) programme on data science and AI, as well as an interdisciplinary research program on data sciences." Dual degree in Robotics, which will help in manufacturing analytics, financial analytics, Smart Cities, systems biology and healthcare. Several startups in the AI and Data Science space have been incubated in the IIT Madras Research Park, funded by companies like Bosch, Tata Consultancy Services, Ericsson R&D, Intel Research and GE Research. IIT Madras also works with government organisations, including defence services, Railways, and Chennai Transportation Corporation, typically addressing key challenges they face using cutting-edge technology in AI and data science.

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: Jagran Josh Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: HRD NIRF Ranking 2019: List of top universities to be released on 8 April by President URL: https://www.jagranjosh.com/news/hrd-nirf-ranking-2019-list-of-top-universities- to-be-released-on-8-april-by-president-148386

HRD NIRF Ranking 2019: List of top universities to be released on 8 April by President

The Human Resource Department will release the ranking of the universities in India on 8 April 2019. The responsibility to rank the universities is with the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The ranking will be announced on 8 April by the President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind.

The process of ranking the universities started from 2016 and all the colleges and universities in the country are being given rank based on some criteria for different disciplines. The NIRF rankings are given under these categories:

Overall Universities Engineering Colleges Management Pharmacy Medical Architecture Law However, these ranking are given on the basis of teaching, learning, resources, research, professional practices, graduation outcomes, outreach, inclusivity and perception. On these set standards, the rankings are given to the institutes.

In 2018, the rankings were announced on 3 April and this year it is expected to be announced on 8 April. The rank of the universities in 2018 are given below:

1. Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

2. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi

3. Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi

4. Anna University, Chennai

5. University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad

6. Jadavpur University, Kolkata

7. University of Delhi, Delhi

8. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore

9. Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune

10. Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh

Overall, the best institute was IISc and IIT-Madras was the best engineering college. The IIM-Ahmedabad was the best management institution. The best college was Delhi University’s Miranda House. AIIMS was the best medical college and NLSIU-Bengaluru was the best law school in India.

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Bangalore Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Headline: Mall Uses technology to monitor water usage URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2019/mar/29/bengaluru- mall-uses-technology-to-monitor-water-usage-1957651.html

Date: 30th March 2019 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 23 Journalist: NA Headline: Around the City