Category Archives: Technology

KSSL and L3Harris Sign MOU to Collaborate on Advanced Technology in India

Chandigarh, 12th February, 2025—Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL), a subsidiary of Bharat Forge Limited (NYSE: BFL) and L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for wider collaboration in supporting advanced defense and security equipment in India.

Under the two-year agreement, both companies will work in close collaboration to provide solutions for mutually agreed opportunities in Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) technologies. The MOU provides L3Harris with a strong, local partner to support tactical communications network development in India, extending an existing global install footprint of more than 1 million fielded radios across U.S. Department of Defense and allied inventories.

“This MOU sets the stage for future partnerships and opportunities in India, where the combined strengths of L3Harris and KSSL can contribute to bolster national security for the country,” said Dave Johnson, Vice President, International, L3Harris. “We are excited to move forward and increase our delivery speed in advanced tactical radios and equipment to the Indian Armed Forces.”

The U.S.-India Defense Industrial Cooperation encourages both parties’ support of advanced defense technologies, capabilities and equipment. The MOU is designed to foster collaboration in defence technologies, with a framework for innovation that benefits both L3Harris and KSSL.

“This collaboration unlocks new strategic capabilities and will lead to harnessing new opportunities for quick delivery of sophisticated defense products to the Indian Armed Forces,” said Neelesh Tungar, President & CEO, of KSSL. “Aligned with the evolving doctrines and emerging warfare paradigms, this collaboration between KSSL and L3Harris is aimed at serving future strategic requirements, including joint and integrated ISR capabilities.”

While focusing on the Indian market, the collaboration also seeks to establish robust and resilient supply chains outside India for global obligations.

L3Harris has operated in India for more than 21 years, with facilities in New Delhi and Bengaluru. In addition to providing the Indian Armed Forces with sophisticated tactical radios and manned airborne electro-optic/infrared systems, the company provides Futuristic Telecommunications Infrastructure for all Indian airports in partnership with the Airport Authority of India.

vivo India Collaborates with CIET-NCERT, IITM Pravartak & UNGCN India for vivo Ignite 3.0

New Delhi, India, February 12, 2025: vivo, the innovative global smartphone brand, has formed strategic partnerships with the Central Institute of Educational Technology – NCERT (CIET-NCERT), IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, and UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI) for its flagship CSR program, vivo Ignite: Technology and Innovation Initiative (T&I initiative). These collaborations are set to further elevate the T&I Initiative, which focuses on empowering India’s youth, particularly students from grades 8–12, by providing them with resources, mentorship, and platforms needed to tackle some of the world’s most pressing societal challenges through innovative solutions.

These partnerships represent a confluence of expertise, creating a dynamic ecosystem to inspire innovation and drive meaningful change.

• CIET-NCERT will enhance the program’s reach and accessibility, ensuring ideas from diverse backgrounds can flourish.
• IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation will offer productive guidance to empower participants to refine and scale their innovations
• UN Global Compact Network India will enable the program to be seen under the light of contributing to the SDGs

Together, these organizations will amplify the initiative’s mission to empower young minds and transform creative tech-driven ideas into meaningful societal change.

Geetaj Channana, Head of Corporate Strategy, Vivo India, said, “At Vivo, we believe in the transformative power of collaboration. By joining forces with CIET-NCERT, IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation, and UN Global Compact Network India, we aim to amplify the impact of vivo Ignite, empowering young innovators to design meaningful, tech-driven solutions for societal challenges. This partnership is not just an alliance but a shared commitment to creating a sustainable future by equipping India’s youth with the tools and guidance they need to succeed.”

He added, “Through vivo Ignite, we aim to bridge the gap between ambition and execution, turning ideas into tangible, scalable solutions that drive positive change. This partnership reaffirms our belief in nurturing the changemakers of tomorrow and advancing the larger vision of technology for good.”

The 3rd edition of the vivo Ignite Initiative provided opportunity to students from grades 8–12 across India. The program, conducted in three stages, encourages young minds to develop innovative solutions in key areas such as Software-Tech Innovations, Agriculture & Climate Change, and Community Development Innovations, with all themes aligned with the UN SDGs.

In the upcoming stage, an esteemed jury will meticulously evaluate the entries and shortlist 200 ideas – 50 from each zone (North, South, East, and West). These zonal winners will participate in workshops and receive mentoring sessions. The shortlisted participants will then submit a video explaining their working model/prototype and provide details of the project in a Project Display Board format. The Top 10 ideas will proceed to the next stage.

In the final stage, participants of the Top 10 Ideas will undergo industry workshops and receive mentoring sessions from distinguished subject matter experts from IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation to refine their skills. They will present their final prototypes at the Grand Finale in June 2025 in New Delhi. Participants of the initiative will have the chance to win scholarships and rewards up to INR 35 lakhs* in total.

In a world driven by rapid technological advancements, the ability to think critically, innovate, and solve real-world challenges has never been more important. India, with its growing technology ecosystem, is emerging as a global hub for innovation and progress. vivo Ignite is designed to inspire young minds to push boundaries, develop breakthrough ideas, and apply technology to create solutions with meaningful societal impact.

Ignitho announces major expansion of its India AI Center in Chennai

Chennai, February 10, 2025. Ignitho Technologies Inc., a leading AI-driven digital engineering company, has announced a major expansion of its India AI Center in Chennai. The new expanded AI facility at Elcot SEZ, at Sholinganallur in Chennai, was inaugurated by Dr. Palanivel Thiyagarajan, Hon. Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services, Tamil Nadu.

Ignitho plans to grow its team to 1,000, focused on AI capabilities, over the next two years. This expansion is part of Ignitho’s strategic growth plan, and the new center will serve as a hub for developing and deploying more AI Agents, leveraging advanced technologies such as LLMs, Machine Learning, and Gen AI.

This expansion underscores Ignitho’s commitment to driving innovation and delivering state-of-the-art Agentic AI solutions to its clients. With an initial capacity of 300, the new office will also function as the AI capability center for Nuivio Ventures Inc., the parent company of Ignitho. Enabling Nuivio to support its portfolio of AI product companies, including Piqual Inc. and Talentou Inc., as well as other AI startups in the pipeline.

Joseph Olassa, CEO of Nuivio Ventures, commented: “This expansion marks a significant milestone for our portfolio company, Ignitho. By doubling our office space and increasing our team size, we are positioning ourselves to better serve our clients and push the boundaries of AI-driven engineering services.”

Roney Soloman, Chief Commercial Officer who is set to take the interim CEO role of Ignitho, added “Our new facility will be a center of excellence for AI innovation, fostering an environment where talent can thrive and breakthrough ideas can flourish.”

Ashin Antony, Chief Technology Officer, added: “We are thrilled to expand our presence in Chennai as we plan to grow our size to 1000 employees in the next 2 years. Chennai is emerging as one of India’s hottest tech hubs for a deep and broad set of technology skills. We look forward to welcoming new talent from colleges in and around Chennai to join us in our journey of transforming the AI landscape.”

Hexaware Technologies IPO Opens on February 12, 2025

Chandigarh, February 7, 2025: Hexaware Technologies Limited (the “Company”) proposes to open an initial public offering (“Offer”) of its equity share of the face value of ₹1 each (“Equity Shares”) on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. The Anchor Investor Bidding Date is one Working Day before the Bid/Offer Opening Date, Tuesday, February 11, 2025. The Bid/ Offer Closing Date is Friday, February 14, 2025.

The Price Band of the Offer has been fixed from ₹ 674 per Equity Share to ₹ 708 per Equity Share. Bids can be made for a minimum of 21 Equity Shares and multiples of 21 Equity Shares thereafter.

The initial public offering comprises an offer for the sale of Equity Shares aggregating up to ₹ 8,750 crores by CA Magnum Holdings (the Promoter Selling Shareholder).

The Offer is being made in terms of Rule 19(2)(b) of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, 1957, as amended, (the “SCRR”) read with Regulation 31 of the SEBI ICDR Regulations. The Offer is being made through the Book Building Process, in compliance with Regulation 6(1) of the SEBI ICDR Regulations, wherein in terms of Regulation 32(1) of the SEBI ICDR Regulations, not more than 50% of the Net Offer shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to Qualified Institutional Buyers (“QIBs”) (the “QIB Category”), provided that our Company in consultation with the BRLMs, may allocate up to 60% of the QIB Category to Anchor Investors, on a discretionary basis by the SEBI ICDR Regulations (the “Anchor Investor Portion”), of which one-third shall be reserved for domestic Mutual Funds, subject to valid Bids being received from domestic Mutual Funds at or above the price at which Equity Shares of face value of ₹ 1 each are allocated to Anchor Investors (the “Anchor Investor Allocation Price”). In the event of under-subscription or non-allocation in the Anchor Investor Portion, the balance Equity Shares of the face value of ₹ 1 each shall be added to the QIB Category (other than Anchor Investor Portion) (“Net QIB Category”).

Further, 5% of the Net QIB Category shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to Mutual Funds only and the remainder of the Net QIB Category shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to all QIBs, including Mutual Funds, subject to valid Bids being received at or above the Offer Price.

However, if the aggregate demand from Mutual Funds is less than 5% of the QIB Category, the balance of Equity Shares available for allocation in the Mutual Fund Portion will be added to the remaining QIB Category for proportionate allocation to QIBs.

Further, not less than 15% of the Net Offer shall be available for allocation to Non-Institutional Investors (“NIIs”) (the “Non-Institutional Category”) of which one-third of the Non-Institutional Category shall be available for allocation to Bidders with a Bid size of more than ₹ 200,000 and up to ₹ 1,000,000 and two-thirds of the Non-Institutional Category shall be available for allocation to Bidders with a Bid size of more than ₹ 1,000,000 provided that under-subscription in either of these two sub-categories of the Non-Institutional Category may be allocated to Bidders in the other sub-category of the Non-Institutional Category by the SEBI ICDR Regulations, subject to valid Bids being received at or above the Offer Price.

Further, not less than 35% of the Net Offer shall be available for allocation to Retail Individual Investors (“RIIs”) (the “Retail Category”), in accordance with the SEBI ICDR Regulations, subject to valid Bids being received from them at or above the Offer Price.

Further, Equity Shares will be allocated on a proportionate basis to Eligible Employees applying under the Employee Reservation Portion, subject to valid Bids received from them at or above the Offer Price.

All Bidders (other than Anchor Investors) shall mandatorily participate in this Offer through the Application Supported by Block Amount (“ASBA”) process, and shall provide details of their respective bank account, including UPI ID for UPI Investors in which the Bid Amount will be blocked by the SCSBs or the Sponsor Banks, as the case may be. Anchor Investors are not permitted to participate in the Offer through the ASBA process.

The Equity Shares of the Company are proposed to be listed on BSE Limited (“BSE”) and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited (“NSE”) (the “Stock Exchanges”).

Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Limited, Citigroup Global Markets India Private Limited, J.P. Morgan India Private Limited, HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Private Limited and IIFL Capital Services Limited (formerly known as IIFL Securities Limited) are the Book Running Lead Managers (“BRLMs”) to the Offer.

Skilling, Decentralization & Efficiency Key, Says Jayesh Rajan at MoveInSync GCC Conclave 2025

Hyderabad, February 7th, 2025: Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments of the Telangana government presided over the inaugural MoveInSync GCC Conclave 2025 in Hyderabad, today. The event was co-hosted by Humanize AI. The objective of the GCC Conclave is to engage with stakeholders and explore areas of talent management, infrastructure, sustainability, and innovation in driving GCC growth in the State

Deepesh Agarwal, co-founder and CEO of global leaders in enterprise commute, MoveInSync, kicked off the conclave presenting key statistics that represent Hyderabad’s growth and state of commute. He said “The Indian GCC market is poised to grow to $100 B by 2030 and over 30% of GCCs chose Hyderabad over other cities. While Hyderabad’s GCC market size increased from 230 in FY19 to 355 in FY24, the workforce has also seen an increase from 200,000 to 250,000 during the period. Added to that the population in Hyderabad is likely to grow by 12.7% over the next 5 years. Deepesh further pointed out the challenges faced by daily commuters and pointed at the increasing distance and time taken to commute. Hyderabadis today travel 10% more compared to pre-pandemic distances with about 45% living between 15kms-25kms from their workplace and has witnessed a 13.7% increase in travel time compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments of the Telangana Government delivered a speech to inaugurate the conclave and said “GCCs have become an important driver of our economy. We have seen in the budget that a national GCC policy is on the anvil. Hyderabad’s performance across all parameters of growth has been one of the best in the country and a large part of this growth has come from GCCs” He further stressed the need for ‘decentralization’, and the Government of Telangana’s Tier 2 City policy that has been framed to incentivize companies to set up offices outside of the city of Hyderabad. He mentioned Medchal in East Hyderabad and Mallampet in South Hyderabad and the Government’s initiative in the regions and further urged businesses to consider organizing their workforce in these regions.

The speech was followed by a fireside chat between Mr. Jagdish Mitra, Cofounder and CEO of Humanize, and Sirisha Voruganti, CEO and Managing Director, Lloyds Technology Centre India, on the greater role of AI in businesses in India and the possibilities that lie in artificial intelligence.

Speaking at the conclave, Mr. Jagdish Mitra, Founder & CEO of Humanize said, “India, the innovation hub for GCCs across industries, is poised to host nearly 2,400 captive units by 2030. Driven by key factors such as robust infrastructure, cutting-edge innovation, a thriving talent ecosystem, and business-friendly policies, the future holds immense promise.

Tier 1 cities will play a pivotal role in accelerating this momentum, with Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and NCR already home to 120,000+ AI/ML professionals. Notably, Hyderabad has emerged as a deep-tech powerhouse for Global Captive Centers, offering unparalleled technology and talent support. The growth trajectory of these units will be fascinating to witness, further shaped by progressive policies and a focus on niche technical expertise and enabling Tier 2 cities to attain scale.

I’m delighted to have been part of the insightful discussions at the GCC Conclave, mapping the remarkable journey of Global Captive Centers. Humanize with its focus on Agentic AI based services will undoubtedly remain at the forefront, driving excellence and empowering these units to scale with speed and sustainability.”

The chat was followed by a panel discussion that discussed how GenAI and Emerging Technologies Enhance Service Delivery in GCCs. Noted business leaders like Ashok Venkatachalam, Managing Director, Evernorth Health Services India, Rajesh Puneyani, VP and Managing Director, GCC Site Leader, Kenvue Solutions India GCC, Dr. Durga Prakash Devarakonda, Ex – Managing Director, Carelon, Hari Krishna Verma Nadimpalli, Vice President / Managing Director @ Global Innovation Center, Inspire, Raja Roy, Co-Founder & CTO, Humanize participated in the panel discussion

The conclave ended with a panel that focused on Hyderabad’s Growth Story, its Initiatives in Sustainability, CRE & Mobility Infrastructure. This panel featured Rakesh Singhania, Partner and CFO, Gloplax, Arvind Chittora, Managing Director, Sonoco India Performance Hub, Country Head, Conitex Sonoco India, Annapurna Alladi, Partner Digital Trust, KPMG and Ujjwal Trivedi, Vice President – Product & Growth, MoveInSync

DST MATH Hosts 17 AI Startups Pitching Healthcare Innovations

Hyderabad, 7th February 2025: Department of Science and Technology’s MATH (Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Technology Hub) that is one of India’s leading AI and ML startup incubators, successfully hosted the AI Healthcare Summit 2025 in Hyderabad. India’s healthcare landscape is on the brink of an AI revolution, as a defining moment of the summit was the showcase of breakthrough AI-powered healthcare solutions. Seventeen cutting-edge technologies promise to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility in healthcare delivery, addressing critical gaps in diagnostics, patient engagement, and medical decision-making.

Themed “Redefining Healthcare with AI,” the summit brought together leading government officials, top healthcare corporates, and AI-driven startups to showcase innovations in preventive care, precision medicine, and remote healthcare solutions. A total of 17 AI-driven startups participated in VC Pitch Games 2.0, a high-stakes showdown where they pitched groundbreaking solutions in diagnostics, robotic-assisted surgeries, and AI-powered patient engagement tools to a panel of India’s leading investors and healthcare giants.

Startups featured:

1. CerboTech Education: Brain-computer interface (BrainHat) for real-time neurofeedback to boost focus and mental wellness
2. ONI: AI-driven prenatal care combining lifestyle guidance (nutrition, mental health) and automated workflows.
3. Velectron Labs: Wearable device to monitor addiction patterns and support recovery.
4. VaidhyaMegha: Cloud/AI tools for hospitals to streamline diagnostics and patient management.
5. Augsidius: AI assistant (AstraAI) for doctors, with 20,000+ disease profiles and guidelines.
6. SETV: AI layer for hospitals + app (Medona) for symptom checks and doctor referrals.
7. Donation: AI tools for at-home oral scans and dental clinic management.
8. Aarogya ID: AI platform to automate health insurance claims for hospitals.
9. ViviSTAR Biologics: AI tool for early brain tumor detection using spectral analysis.
10. Carewell360: Phygital platform offering discreet, on-demand gynecology consultations and wellness services for women in non-metro areas.
11. Kode Blue: Ambulance-to-hospital system for real-time patient data sharing.
12. Apex Cura: SaaS platform for hospital operations (queues, records, dialysis tracking).
13. Metaloga: VR therapy (RelVersiv) for chronic pain relief.
14. Salubrity Health: Nutrition platform for personalized dietary plans and wellness.
15. Cliniv Health Tech LLP – AI-powered remote patient monitoring for proactive healthcare.
16. Signel Biomedical – Wearable biosensors for real-time vital sign tracking.
17. EH Note – Blockchain-based medical data security and interoperability.

Investor panel: Hyderabad Angels, Venture Catalysts, Inflection Point Ventures, Speciale Invest, Guptaji Invests, Powerscale Ventures, Anthill Ventures, and Dr. Gowda’s Dental.

Corporate giants in attendance: Apollo Hospitals, Global Hospitals, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Capsico Health, Sanofi, Map My Genome, IIIT Hyderabad, IKP, and more.

Metaloga (Founder: Sunil Golla), Augsidius (Founder: Dr. Akhila), and SetV (Founder: Mr. Vaibhav Ram) emerged victorious, impressing the jury with their innovative approaches and potential to revolutionize healthcare decision making.

During the second half of summit two AI-powered healthcare solutions were showcased—Augsidius AI & Manage My Startup. These cutting-edge technologies promise to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility in healthcare delivery, addressing critical gaps in diagnostics, patient engagement, and medical decision-making.

• Augsidius AI’s is an AI clinician assistant designed to aid doctors in clinical decision making. Built on our proprietary knowledge base of 20000+ diseases, Astra offers clinical pathways & guidelines that are adaptive to the patient notes and actionable to ease out the process. It also has various tools like AI medical search, clinical calculators and medical library to become a handy pocket tool to doctors.
• Manage My Startup is an AI driven platform empowers Founders to succeed from Concept to IPO for their Entrepreneurial journey. The Platform empowers to build, sustain, and grow a vibrant startup innovation ecosystem ensuring long-term economic growth and global competitiveness. Meanwhile,

The summit also featured powerful discussions on AI adoption in healthcare, regulatory pathways, and the future of AI-driven medical breakthroughs. Sessions included:

• “The Path to AI Adoption in Healthcare” – Addressing challenges and opportunities for AI integration in mainstream healthcare.
• “Unveiling Diverse AI Applications in Healthcare” – Exploring AI’s potential in drug discovery, medical imaging, and remote patient monitoring.
• A fireside chat with Padma Shri awardee Dr. Gopala Krishna Gokhale, Mr. Sujit Jagirdar, CEO, T-HUB & Dr. Kancherla Ravindranath, Chairman & MD, Global Hospital who spoke about the future of healthcare.

Speaking about MATH’s mission, Rahul Paith, CEO of MATH, stated: “The AI Healthcare Summit 2025 has successfully created a platform that unites visionaries, startups, and industry leaders. We are committed to fostering an ecosystem where AI-driven healthcare innovations can scale and significantly improve patient outcomes. By bridging the gap between technology and medicine, we aim to accelerate AI adoption, enhance diagnostic precision, and make healthcare more accessible for all.”

Sri. Jayesh Ranjan, Spl. Chief Secretary, Dept. Of Information Technology Electronics and Communications (ITE&C); Dept. of Industries and Commerce stated: “Telangana has been at the forefront of AI adoption, particularly in the healthcare and life sciences sector. Since 2019, we have been focused on building a robust AI ecosystem, and in 2020, we became the first state to launch an AI framework. To advance AI-driven healthcare, we are developing a Health Data Exchange for secure medical data access and collaborating with CDAP to provide subsidized compute infrastructure for AI startups. As Hyderabad emerges as India’s data center hub, we are engaging hyperscalers to enhance AI-enabled healthcare solutions. The Telangana government remains committed to fostering a thriving AI ecosystem that empowers startups and enterprises alike in transforming healthcare through technology. AI Healthcare Summit 2025 is a key step in this journey, serving as a catalyst for meaningful collaborations that will shape the future of AI-driven healthcare.”

EKA Mobility Partners with KPIT to Enhance Electric Powertrain Technology Components

Mumbai, India | 6th Feb 2025 | EKA Mobility, a leader in sustainable mobility solutions, and KPIT Technologies, a global leader in building mobility technology solutions for a cleaner, smarter, and safer world, have entered into an MOU to develop and integrate cutting-edge electric powertrain technology components. This collaboration aims to set new benchmarks for efficiency, performance, and sustainability in India’s electric commercial vehicle (e-CV) industry.

The MoU will focus on developing advanced electric powertrain systems, such as Traction motors, Controllers, Vehicle Control Units, and Battery Management Systems, tailored for EKA’s extensive range of electric buses and commercial vehicles. The MOU will leverage KPITs three decades of work in mobility and an extensive lineup of indigenously developed electric powertrain technologies. These innovations will enable EKA Mobility to deliver superior energy efficiency, reduced total cost of ownership (TCO), and an unmatched driving experience for its customers.

Speaking on the partnership, Dr. Sudhir Mehta, Founder & Chairman of EKA Mobility and Pinnacle Industries Limited, said, “We are delighted to partner with KPIT Technologies, a pioneer in mobility technology with over three decades of legacy. This collaboration underscores our commitment to redefining mobility by delivering cutting-edge, sustainable, and efficient electric vehicles to our customers. By leveraging KPIT’s expertise in electric powertrain technologies, we aim to accelerate India’s transition to zero-emission commercial vehicles.”

“World over, consumers are looking for clean and safe mobility solutions that meet their everyday needs. KPIT’s electric powertrain solutions offer high efficiency and are highly cost-competitive. We are pleased to collaborate with EKA, which is building a wide range of BHARAT-centric trucks, buses, and logistics fleets. Together, we will develop EV mobility solutions for country-specific use cases, promoting wide adoption”, said, Mr. Kishor Patil, CEO, of KPIT Technologies.

Wabtec Announces Winners for Its Exceed 3.0 Campus Challenge in India

Bengaluru, February 6, 2025 — Wabtec Corporation announced today the winners of the company’s 2024-25 “Exceed 3.0 Campus Challenge” in India. In its third edition, the challenge provided these aspiring professionals an opportunity to showcase their creative capabilities and align them with the dynamic, complex realities of the railroad industry.

“The Exceed Campus Challenge provides an ideal biennial platform to cultivate tomorrow’s thinkers and doers,” said Dr. Sujatha Narayan, Senior Vice President and Regional Leader for Wabtec Corporation in India. “The winning teams demonstrated the innovative spirit, technical acumen, dedication, and passion necessary to succeed in the rail industry.”

The Exceed 3.0 winning team represented VIT (Vellore Institute of Technology), Bhopal, and showcased innovative concepts for ‘Decoding, Categorizing and Graphical Representation of Errors with their Frequency’. The first runner-up was from Gati Shakti Vishwavidyala, Vadodara who presented ‘Automated Train Scheduling and Routing’. The two-second runners-up were from Cummins College of Engineering for Women, Pune who proposed ‘Safe Siding of Trains’, and VIT (Vellore Institute of Technology), Chennai who proposed ‘Application of Computer Vision for Rail Infrastructure Inspection’.

These winners for the pan-India contest were among 150 teams and more than 500 students from 70 institutes. Of the 150 teams, eight qualified for a final round and presented projects to the leadership at Wabtec India Technology and Engineering Centre in Bangalore. The top 3 finalists won a total cash price of Rs.2.75 lakh.

“Our campus outreach program has been growing over the past years,” said Anup Kumar Pal, Senior Director of Human Resources for Wabtec Corporation India. “Every version of the Exceed Campus Challenge is an opportunity for prospective employees to learn about how Wabtec is solving Transportation problems in India and across the world. We like ideas that have a larger impact beyond the rail industry. “

Wabtec requested applications for the challenge in August 2024. The challenge was open to students in their first year of college through the final year of their Ph.D. The topics posed for this contest covered a diverse range of subjects, such as interdisciplinary innovations in mechanical and software engineering, explorations of cutting-edge technologies like robotics & advanced software development, and alternate fuels and associated safety aspects, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, condition monitoring, vision enhancement, hydrogen-powered locomotive, and braking performance.

Technology’s Impact on Literature Across Languages Takes Center Stage at Jaipur BookMark

Jaipur,  February 1st, 2025 – The second day of Jaipur BookMark 2025, India’s premier publishing conclave, running concurrently to the Jaipur Literature Festival, hosted a range of sessions, including translation, diversity in children’s publishing, AI & creativity, and more.

 JBM has evolved into a dynamic hub for the global book trade, bringing together publishers, literary agents, editors, writers, translators, and booksellers from across the world. With its mission to foster collaboration, build business relationships, and spark inventive ideas, JBM remains a vital platform for those in the publishing industry.

 Notable conversations held during this year’s edition of JBM included Scanning the Horizon, with Brian Murray in conversation with Ananth Padmanabhan, and AI and Creativity: The Emerging Picture, featuring Dhruvank Vaidya, Peter Coveney, and Roger Highfield in conversation with Meru Gokhale. The platform also hosted Hindi Ke Badalte Swaroop, a stimulating conversation with Aishwary Kumar, Manisha Kulshrestha, and Satyanand Nirupam, moderated by Akhil Katyal.

 The AI panel focused on its impact on creativity, focusing on audiobooks and translation. Roger Highfield noted AI’s predictive power but highlighted its lack of deep insight. Peter Coveney pointed out AI’s potential for literary and medical discoveries but warned of its statistical limitations. Dhruvank Vaidya discussed AI’s rapid content generation, raising concerns about deepfakes and content overload. Meru Gokhale emphasized AI’s evolving role in publishing while stressing the need for authenticity. The panel agreed that while AI enhances creativity, ethical and critical considerations remain crucial in balancing efficiency with human imagination.

 In Hindi ke Badalte Swaroop, panellists bemoaned the loss of writing in Hindi. Even in the world of advancing technology, younger generations have retained their love for the art of calligraphy and writing in Hindi. The strength of a language is in the hands of its speakers, so we need more people to engage with the language to keep it alive.

 Charting the roles of the writers and creators, Brian Murray outlines the changes the publishing industry has been through in today’s time of major technological booms. Murray expressed concerns regarding the increasing popularity of Tik Tok, Instagram and Amazon presenting challenges for the publishers. Murray concluded with the acceptance and the importance of change and vibrancy the writers and publishers need to bring about in their approaches.

 The International Publishing Roundtable featured a global line-up of publishing leaders, including Aditi Maheshwari-Goyal, Emmanuelle Collas, Isabelle Kenyon, Jon Krog Pederson, Kannan Sundaram, Mélody Enjoubault, Milee Aishwarya, Raphaël Thierry, Sabine Wespieser, Stéphane Husar, Swetha Yerram, Tiffany Gassouk, and Vasudhendra, in conversation with Arcopol Chaudhuri. The roundtable featured speakers discussing their publishing houses and the exciting books in the pipeline.

From struggle to strength — technology could hold the key to securing our farmers’ futures

By Ashish Dobhal, CEO of UPL SAS

India’s farmers have long played a pivotal role as custodians of the country’s food security. But they find themselves beset by challenges just when the country needs their farmlands to be at their productive best.

India, home to 1.4 billion people, is already the world’s most populous country. Its population, still growing, is only expected to peak at a whopping 1.7 billion in 2062.

This population surge, combined with a growing economy, rising disposable incomes, increasing urbanization and rapidly evolving dietary habits, is creating unprecedented demand for food.

India needs its farmlands to step up if it is to keep its growing population fed and hold on to its mantle as one of the world’s largest food exporters. We have to do this at a time when global warming-induced climate change is wreaking havoc, causing everything from disrupted weather patterns and extreme events to more frequent pest attacks.

To put it simply — India’s farmlands are being called upon to produce more food than they ever have at a time when growing that food has never been harder.

This pressure to meet growing domestic and global food demand is exacerbating the challenges farmers in India have already been grappling with like high costs of production, reduced farm incomes and cumbersome debt burdens.

Clearly, the approach to farming needs a re-think. We need to equip the agriculture sector and our farmers to meet the challenges facing them not just today but the challenges they will face tomorrow.

We need to equip them to boost the productivity of their farmlands while building resilience to the ever-worsening effects of climate change.

Technology could hold the key.

New-age digital solutions powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), sensor-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) has transformed nearly every aspect of human existence.

Similarly, it has the power to revolutionize India’s farmlands.

It can enable precision agriculture, a practice that uses technology and data on soil and crop health to determine the specific quantity and timing of water, nutrients and protection products a crop needs based on which stage of its growth cycle it is in.

Precision agriculture, therefore, turns farming into a far more regenerative, resource-responsible practice which brings down costs, boosts yields and therefore farm incomes, while also conserving soil health.

Other aspects of digital agriculture can help farmers plan crop cycles better.

Satellite technology, for instance, can help predict weather more accurately. This information can help farmers plan sowing and harvesting cycles to coincide with the most favorable weather.

This is crucial in today’s age of disrupted weather patterns, with delayed or unseasonal rainfall affecting yields of key seasonal crops like monsoon rice and winter wheat.

Digitization can also prove to be a formidable weapon against pest attacks. Drones, for instance, can fly over large tracts of land fast. Their imaging technology can scan for signs of a pest or disease outbreak, alerting farmers to it before it has had a chance to spread too far.

Digitization has already shown results. The World Economic Forum’s AI for Agriculture Innovation initiative carried out in collaboration with the Telangana government, for instance, helped chill farmers in the state achieve a 21 percent increase in yields.

At the same time, it helped them reduce pesticide use by 9 percent and, most crucially, delivered an $800 income boost per acre per cycle.

In fact, on a broader scale, research shows that digital agriculture has the potential to boost agricultural GDP of low-and-middle income countries by over $450 billion or 28 percent a year.

This is as strong a reason as any to change the way we do farming. The world is now in a digital age. Farming needs to go digital too. India’s farmers have sacrificed much to help the country achieve food security often at great cost. This food security has been the bedrock underpinning the economic growth that has made India prosperous. It’s time we recognized this. It’s time we empowered our farmers to prosper too.