IIT – Guwahati Campus Gets New Super-Computing Facility

Union Human Resource Development Minister Praksh Javadekar unveiled “Param-Ishan” – a super-computing facility at IIT -Guwahati.

The high-performance “Param-Ishan” has computing speed of 250 teraFLOPS and capacity of 300 tera bites (TB).

The 250 teraFLOPS means that computer is capable of performing 250 trillion operations per second. The supercomputer was installed in a partnership of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and IIT – Guwahati.

“It is a one of the glad moments to have fastest and most powerful computer in northeastern, eastern and southern regions,” Javadekar said after unveiling the Param-Ishan super computer.

He said that C-DAC and IIT – Guwahati partnership will provide a boost to both the high performance computer users and the community through the deployed Param-Ishan and several technology areas will be positively affected through the introduction of the new supercomputer.

Prof. Gautam Biswas, Director of IIT – Guwahati, said that Param-Ishan will not only augment the research initiatives in the institute, but also help in creating an ecosystem for attracting right talents to the field of research.

Param-Ishan can be used in several scientific and engineering application areas, including weather, climate modelling and seismic data processing. This would be helpful as north east India receives heavy rainfall during monsoon, which leads to flooding and landslides.   

Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Jeans Coming Out of Andhra Pradesh

Baba Ramdev is planning to make Andhra Pradesh his second most important base in India after Uttarakhand, and there's a reason for that. 

 Baba Ramdev, who enjoys ‘Most Favoured Baba’ status in Andhra Pradesh is planning to make the state his second most important base in India after Uttarakhand. 

According to sources, Baba has acquired about 200 acres of land near Naidupeta in Nellore district to set up a manufacturing unit for the Patanjali products including his proposed jeans.

Naidupeta is one of the six places he has selected to set shop to expand his business empire. The facility will produce all health products to cater to the demand of Southern states. Baba himself revealed his plan to the media in his Haridwar's Sant Ashram.

Huge procurement of Red Sanders from Andhra Pradesh forest department has strengthened the bond between Naidu's government and Baba Ramdev. At a time when, the state government was struggling to find a buyer for its stockpiled Red Sanders, which is available only in Andhra Pradesh, Baba had come forward and bought 706 MTs of the precious wood.

He was the only major buyer in the domestic market fetching the state about ₹207 crore. Baba is expected to use Red Sanders as an ingredient in his Ayurvedic medicines and incense sticks.

Chief Minister Naidu's plan was to dispose off of the confiscated Red Sanders in the international market and use the proceeds for the construction of Amaravati. But his plann failed. Baba, however, came to the rescue of his cash-starved state to an extent in 2015.

This is said to have paved the path for a new kind of cooperation between Andhra Pradesh and Baba Ramdev. State health minister Kamineni Srinivas also visited Baba's Ashram in Haridwar and personally extended an invitation to Baba to make the state a yoga hub in tune with the state's plan to promote health and religious tourism. He was invited as the chief guest to the Godavari Pushkarlu celebrations at Rajahmundry.

Baba Ramdev is planning many projects in the truncated state, where religious tourism is being promoted as a priority area. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has accorded unprecedented honour to the Baba. Ramdev is the first baba to have been invited to the state to set up a Yoga Village on the lines of his Haridwar Ashram.

Later, an invitation was also extended to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of Isha Foundation, which is establishing its ashram at Amaravati. Naidu's government is said to have assured about 400 acres of land to Sadhguru’s project.

In the meantime, the state government has requested Baba to set up an "Ayurveda and Yoga Village" at Tirupati. According to sources, the government has already instructed the officials to identify the suitable land for the Baba's project. The sources said Baba has expressed his willingness to develop a naturopathy centre and goshala (cow shelter) at Tirupati in association with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

“The proposed Ayurvedic and Yoga Gram will be the second-largest centre of Baba's empire, after Haridwar,” the sources said.

They also said the Baba had plans to establish permanent yoga and meditation centres in all major temple towns in Andhra Pradesh which include Vijayawada, Simhachalam and Srisailam.

With Tirupati and nearby Naidupeta emerging as his favourite areas, Andhra Pradesh is expected to become Baba's Southern outpost.

Trains Faster-than-Aeroplane to Run on Indian Rails Shortly

Hyperloop, whose idea was first presented in 2013, runs faster than an aircraft at a top speed of 1120 Kmph.

If Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has his way with high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, the American billionaire's company SpaceX may test-run its futuristic high-speed train, the Hyperloop, in Pune.

Speaking about his recent visit to the American west coast, which is the global hub of hi-tech innovations, Gadkari said he spent quality time with the officials of Tesla, which is also founded by Musk, who is known for his futuristic ideas.

"I just offered them ... they want some road for experimental purpose. I offered them the westerly bypass of Pune connected to the Express Highway. The idea is they can take an experiment between Mumbai and Pune as a pilot project," he said, without naming SpaceX.

He said the Hyperloop, whose idea was first presented in 2013, runs faster than an aircraft at a speed of 1,120kmph and can cut the distance between his hometown Nagpur and Mumbai in 35 minutes.

Among other things, SpaceX is also working on commercialising space travel. Speaking about the futuristic concept which is yet to be commercialised, the minister said the Hyperloop "is a tube" which uses air for propulsion.

The company's website says SpaceX is "interested in helping to accelerate development of a functional Hyperloop prototype".

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also confirmed that there indeed have been some discussions between the governments on such a proposal but was quick to add that the state has asked the company to develop the product first before making test-runs in the area.

Gadkari said the government had invited Tesla to invest in the country as he expressed interest in clean energy like solar and battery storage, areas in which the American company is focused on.

He said he also encouraged Musk to set up a manufacturing base in Pune. Tesla has been offered land free of cost near some ports.

Idea Rolls Out e-KYC ‘Aadhaar’ Based SIM Activation across its Service Centres

Idea Cellular, India’s fastest growing telecom operator has announced the roll out of ‘electronic – Know Your Customer (e-KYC)’based activations for both Prepaid and Postpaid customers across its service centres in 22 circles. The pan-India roll-out of e-KYC has been enabled after the successful pilot by Idea in Delhi circle, in association with UIDAI, and as per the DoT guidelines. 

The e-KYC solution allows users to avail instant verification using their ‘Aadhaar’ Number, enabling quicker SIM activation.

The facility for enabling biometric verification of customers is being rolled out across all exclusive Idea stores, and will be extended to multi-branded prepaid outlets, in a phased manner.

Speaking about the initiative,  Navanit Narayan, Chief Service Delivery Officer, Idea Cellular said, “The roll-out of paperless and completely digital mode of customer acquisition based on ‘Aadhaar’, is in line with Idea’s customer centric approach. It will ensure quicker customer acquisition and greater convenience for new customers. This is also a step towards achieving a greener environment through reduced paper usage and is key to enabling the vision of Digital India by facilitating many e-Governance services to be rolled out in future.”

Customers can now walk in to any Idea Company Retail Store or My Idea outlet and avail a fast, paperless and secured activation service for both postpaid and prepaid, using the Aadhaar No. and biometric verification process.

The e-KYC process is in addition to the existing format of issuance of mobile connection to subscribers and is not be applicable for bulk, outstation and foreign customers.

ROHM’s Power Saving BLDC Motor Solutions to Revolutionize Indian Fan Industry

India suffers from a massive electricity deficit with large areas of the country undergoing power blackouts of as long as 8-10 hours on a regular basis. During summer months the problem becomes even more acute when house appliances like fans, air coolers, air conditioners are being used in an increasing number of homes and offices. After air conditioners and refrigerators, energy-efficient fans are making their way into homes ahead of autumn/winter this year. 

Japanese major ROHM Semiconductor India Pvt. Ltd. (RSI) has announced the introduction of its path breaking Solutions for driving BLDC motors in India. These solutions, compared to the less expensive AC Induction motor, are easy to control and around 50% more efficient, thereby reducing power consumption in home appliances and Industrial equipment.

The solutions are designed with features to reduce the design time and hence enable a faster time to market. These drivers along with the easily customizable reference designs will propel local design, which is the key to manufacturing locally.

The Government of India through its various initiatives, is starting to focus on energy conservation by propagating use of energy efficient BLDC ceiling fans, CFL and LED bulbs as opposed to conventional fans using AC induction motor and filament bulbs.

Speaking to the media, Daisuke Nakamura, Managing Director, ROHM Semiconductor India said, “With the government’s initiative towards BLDC ceiling fans, we see that all the ceiling fan manufacturers are trying to create a solution that is both efficient and cost effective. This technology transition has presented an opportunity for new entrants too."

Nakamura adds saying that most of the ceiling fan companies have design capability for the electrical motors, but not so much research for the electronics design, which eventually contributes to efficiency and energy conservation. This is where ROHM India has come in, by providing a wide range of reference solutions that will match most of the customers and market requirements.

Consumer durables companies like Orient, Superfan, Panasonic have all launching fans with BLDC technology (Brushless Direct Current motors) that use just about 50% of the energy used by regular fans.

Traditionally, fans consume about 70 watt of electricity an hour, and companies say that fans with BLDC technology would consume only 32 watt an hour. So fans with BLDC motors typically cost about Rs 300 to Rs 500 more than regular fans, but considering that they consume about 50% less power, the user would get back his investment in about a year,” says Brito Victor, Head India Design Centre of ROHM Semiconductor India.

In 2015, India manufactured around 40 Million ceiling fans, with around 10% growth year-on-year. If every single ceiling fan manufactured from here on is made into an energy efficient BLDC ceiling fan, rough calculation indicates that, by 2025, the country can reduce peak-power capacity addition by around 10 GW, which is equivalent to saving around 5 midsized power plants.

Features of ROHM BLDC motor solution

The solution is made up of 3 major blocks - (1) The Power Factor Controller (PFC), (2) The BLDC controller and (3) The control block. The Power Factor Control block, besides converting the AC source into DC, also corrects the Power Factor (PF). This block also provides an auxiliary power supply to the microcontroller. The BLDC controller block drives the BLDC motor; the supply voltage for this block is from the PFC block, and the control signals are from the microcontroller. High voltage also equates to high efficiency as the losses in the power stage is reduced due to the lower operating currents. This is achieved by precise electronic switching of the currents to the windings. Keeping in mind the Indian market conditions, the solution has also been designed to withstand the harshest of the voltage fluctuations seen every day. The solution can also be used in the following applications:

Impact on Ceiling fan manufacturing – Make in India

The ESDM (Electronics and Semiconductor Device Manufacturing) Industry in India is in crisis as it is bombarded by imports. “Make in India” is a key Initiative that can give some respite to the ever growing trade deficit. The deficit will reach US$200 billion by 2025. India being the world’s largest manufacturing base for the ceiling fan can use this technology transition as an opportunity to stimulate the electronics manufacturing industry. 

In the BLDC ceiling fan, the electronic components will cost about one–third of the total fan cost. Also, the Indian ceiling fan manufacturers can assemble the electronics board by themselves or engage EMS companies. Either way, the BLDC motor solution will have a positive impact on the ESDM industry in India.

BEEP Guidelines for Energy Efficient Public Buildings across Karnataka

The Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP), in collaboration with the state government, launched the Guidelines for Energy-Efficient and Thermally Comfortable Public Buildings in Karnataka. The guidelines have been developed keeping in view different climatic regions found in Karnataka and provides a step by step approach to designing efficient public buildings.

The project BEEP is a bilateral cooperation project between the Ministry of Power (MOP), Government of India and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of the Government of Switzerland. The project is being implemented by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Government of India, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The overall objective of BEEP is to reduce energy consumption in new buildings and disseminate best practices for the construction of low-energy residential and public buildings.

Daniel Ziegerer, Director of Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland, in his special address at the launch event said, "Already today, buildings are consuming a considerable share of energy in India and this share is likely to increase further in the future. Improving the energy efficiency of new buildings therefore directly contributes to ensuring India's future energy security. Public institutions should lead in this by example. I am thus particularly glad that SDC could contribute to the elaboration of guidelines for designing energy-efficient public buildings in Karnataka with technical assistance provided through the Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP)."

Karnataka has seen its share of struggle in meeting rising electricity demand. Despite significant capacity addition since 2010, supply continues to be over-stripped by demand. In view of this, the state needs to not only produce more electricity, but also adopt strict energy-efficiency measures that make optimum use of the electricity available. This is why energy-efficient buildings take on special significance in offering opportunities to save electricity while reducing carbon footprint.

For popularizing the concept of integrated approach to achieve a cost-effective energy-efficient building design in India, BEEP has provided assistance to the Public Work Departments (PWDs) of some of the states in designing Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) compliant buildings. BEEP began its partnership with the PWD Karnataka in June 2013 and has extended technical support ever since. This partnership has resulted in the formulation of this technical document, titled Guidelines for Energy-Efficient and Thermally Comfortable Public Buildings in Karnataka.

The launch of the guideline document was followed by a training programme highlighting integrated design process, climate analysis for Karnataka, climate responsive design, efficient cooling systems and solar energy integration. It is hoped that the guidelines will be useful for architects, engineers and building project managers and will create awareness among the stakeholders about green building materials and energy efficiency measures.

India’s First Digital Marketing Expense Card from Startup Happay

Happay, a Bangalore based start-up, has announces the launch of its new product Happay Digital Marketing Expense Card, a pre-paid card designed to track, monitor and control marketing spends and conversions on daily, weekly and monthly basis. The new card is exclusively designed to suit the monetary requirement of a marketing team and give them detailed financial summary of expenses and track the transactions on real time basis.

Loaded with unique features to monitor the marketing budget and expense on real-time basis

ü  Complete real- time visibility of all digital spends

ü  Setting limits & policies on marketing expenses : This ensures 'zero' over spending 

ü  Monitor spends on multiple platforms concurrently 

ü  Data analysis on tap of a button

Unique by all standards, Happay’s digital expense card is able to monitor expenses across digital platforms on a single screen, set the limit on the amount that can be spent and plan budgets with more accuracy. The simple mechanism of the Happay expense card involves furnishing the card with specific amount allocated for digital marketing and linking the card to all the online tools & different ad-networks. You can then execute your marketing campaigns effortlessly. 

Speaking about the launch, Anshul Rai, CEO and Co-founder, Happay said “In a world dominated by technology & digitization, every company spends heavily on online marketing & advertising platform. In the absence of an appropriate data analysis tool it becomes extremely difficult to monitor all expenses and control it on real time basis. We feel extremely delighted to launch our new product, Happay Digital Marketing Expense card, a first of its kind in India which is designed to monitor all the data & analytics on a single screen and control spends systematically.”

On this occasion, Varun Rathi, COO and Co-founder, Happay, said “We believe in innovation and technology and have always been abided by our objective to bring a transformation in expense management system in India. Our new product is an endeavor to bring a change in the way expenses are managed and controlled by the companies. Today, we can proudly say that in a short span of time, we have successfully established a strong foot-hold in our client list with more than 1500 SMEs and Enterprises which range from Hospitality, Education, Manufacturing and Hyper local to Consulting NGOs.”

With prompt and timely summary of expenses on a regular basis, Happay’s clientele have been able to furnish business payments seamlessly, streamline expense reporting, automate enforcement policy and manage cash flows competently using data analytics. With a single swipe of the card, one can capture images of receipts, record cash expenses and submit the same speedily, while ‘on-the-go’.

According PWC report, India’s Internet advertising spends are increasing at 20.4% CAGR and although India might surpass the $1B mark on digital ad spending next year, the finance department is still struggling to put all the spends together on a daily basis.  As high as 43% of marketers claim that proving ROI on marketing activities is a challenge.