India

The beauty of the Two Sigma problem theory lies in its immediate intuitiveness. Across nations and societies, personal tutoring is a clear preference for anyone who can afford it. In India, the concept of a revered 'Guru' who enlightens his disciples with knowledge through super-personalised attention finds numerous references in both history and mythology. As the Industrial Revolution proliferated, coinciding with the invention of the printing press, education moved from being a noble person's privilege to a more accessible bridge to opportunity. It marked the introduction of the classroom method, which continues to be omnipresent centuries after its introduction.

Indian classrooms, in particular, have continued to be characterized by large average sizes - predictable for a country with over 250M actively enrolled students and much less than 1/100th the number of high-calibre teachers. Even among the most recent attempts at delivering education, aka ed-tech, one-to-many interactions dominate all viable business models. Bloom's notes highlighted this challenge very well: he concluded that one-to-one tutoring is "too costly for most societies to bear on a large scale" and challenged education researchers to find methods of group instruction as effective as personal tutoring.

We at Accel in India believe that the long-standing two-sigma problem might finally have gotten a promising solution from technology: Generative AI. If we pan out a bit to observe what LLMs are good at - analysing a tonne of unstructured information and creating personalised answers - their applicability to powering learning tools becomes quite apparent. Unsurprisingly, many students are among the most regular users of ChatGPT, and global ed-tech giants like Duolingo and Khan Academy have already seen remarkable feedback on their recently launched AI tutor features.

We predict that, over the next few years, Generative AI will be applied to Indian education extensively in the following three ways:

Hyper-personalisation: While AI-based recommendation systems have long powered surfacing relevant content to users (ed-tech included), generative AI goes one step beyond by not just recommending but creating highly contextual content. Customised learning paths for every student are poised to be a reality as the marginal cost of creating new content further descends to near zero.

In the short to medium term, many emerging personalisation features will become omnipresent in ed-tech: AI-generated micro lectures, 24*7 available QnA bots, personalised test feedback, and instant practice problems, to mention a few. In the long term, AI-generated customised learning paths can help us move from the current top-down, relatively rigid design of pedagogy in India to a more fluid one - with more weightage to original expressions (e.g., AI-art) and intersectional topics (e.g., computational chemistry vs chemistry and computer science).

New intuitive interfaces: Many, if not most, of today's popular digital learning applications look similar: live/recorded video lectures, a comments-like section for QnA, and practice problems/tests. However, in a world where computers come with inbuilt capabilities to understand our language, many assumptions around the suitable learning interface should be (and are being) questioned. The best ed-tech interfaces of this decade will create original designs that combine multi-modal input capabilities (chat, voice, image, symbols) with immersive, generative UI spanning audio, video, text, and 3D.

AI for teacher productivity: Within a few quarters of LLMs going mainstream, we've already seen 'co-pilots' pop up for many professions - the most notable being software development. The 85M+ global teacher population will likely be one of the following early adopters for specialised teaching co-pilots. From helping craft classroom lessons to auto-grading assignment submissions, such applications can free up teachers' busy work to help them focus more on nurturing student relationships, a significant driver for delivering learning outcomes.

We believe that Generative AI offers a once-in-a-generation level of transformative potential for education that will continue to manifest itself for many years into the future. We are particularly excited about the chance to create a more equitable world with accessible quality education. Secondly, we hope that unlocking true personalisation in education with AI will lead us to celebrate every learner's individuality rather than suppressing it, culminating in more original thinkers who propel humanity forward.

(Anagh Prasad is an investor at Accel. He can be reached at aprasad@accel.com)

--IANS

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An official spokesperson said the park would accommodate 60-70 production units that would work to manufacture 452 medicines and 23 starting materials.

“This budget includes Rs 460.6 crore for infrastructure, Rs 20 crore for zero liquid discharge systems, Rs 144.2 crore for land acquisition and Rs 10 crore for administrative, consultancy and programme management expenses,” the spokesperson said.

He said the government has created a corpus of land that will provide 94 plots of various sizes ranging from five to 50 acres.

“Out of the pharma park’s total area, the government will provide plots for industry setups in 53 per cent, while the remaining portion will be allocated for other facilities.”

The list of facilities includes dry port spanning 50 acres, a common facility area for processes like CETP/ STP and other utilities covering 70 acres, logistics and warehousing over 100 acres, institutional, testing and research and development spaces within 60 acres, road and transport infrastructure extending over 270 acres, as well as greenery and water resources over 250 acres. The park will also allocate 60 acres for residential (housing group) and 40 acres for commercial activities.

“The initiative is expected to generate more than 1.5 lakh job opportunities. Additionally, supporting industries related to pharma will also come up in the bulk drug park, which will indirectly create 3 lakh jobs,” he said.

Officials said that 12 types of relaxations are being extended to pharma sector entrepreneurs to attract investment. They said that steps have also been taken to build a favourable ecosystem for the pharma park.

--IANS

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Addressing the coronation ceremony of Lord Shri Ram at Mansarovar Ramlila Maidan on Tuesday evening, he said: “After a long wait of 500 years, Lord Ram is about to be enshrined in his grand temple, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under his leadership, has ensured that the ideals of his kingdom are embraced by providing homes, toilets, food, healthcare, and other essential facilities for crores of poor people. The government's public welfare schemes are the foundation of Ram Rajya.

“The celebrations of Vijayadashami and Diwali are special for this year as after a long wait of 500 years, Lord Ram will be seated in his grand temple in 'Ayodhyadham'. This generation is fortunate that it is going to see this divine scene. As a result of the positivity of the people, when a double-engine government of one ideology was formed in the Centre and the state, the way for the construction of Lord Shri Ram's temple was paved amicably.

"Before the enshrinement of Lord Shri Ram in his temple, Prime Minister Modi has put forward the ideals of Ram Rajya in the country. He has provided housing for 4 crore poor people, built 12 crore toilets, distributed free rations to 80 crore people, offered healthcare security worth Rs 5 lakhs to the poor, and provided Rs 5 lakh in case of disaster.

"The way Vijayadashami is celebrated in villages, towns, streets, and neighbourhoods may vary, but everyone's deep faith in Lord Shri Ram strengthens their connection with him.

"The presence of negative forces has not been limited to just the Treta Yuga, but in every age, along with divine powers, there have been demonic tendencies. If positive forces unite and walk the righteous path, then the victory of righteousness, truth, and justice will continue to benefit the nation and society.

"If disunity or negative forces prevail in society, they manifest in forms such as terrorism, naxalism, extremism, separatism, criminality, lawlessness, and more. Therefore, it is everyone's responsibility to promote positivity and unity in society."

The Chief Minister elaborated on Lord Shri Ram's ideals and quoted Maharishi Valmiki, stating that Lord Shri Ram embodies righteousness.

"'Sanatan Dharma' encourages us to be dutiful, virtuous, and ethical. Those who oppose Sanatan Dharma are the ones who want to divide society and national unity through caste-based discrimination," he added.

--IANS

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En route to the knockouts, Sunil Chhetri and Co. lost to China 5-1 in the opener before beating Bangladesh 1-0 and holding Myanmar to a 1-1 draw. India finished second in Pool A behind China to seal a pre-quarterfinal spot.

India's plan, right from the get-go was to turn the game into a physical, gritty, scrappy battle. Igor Stimac had stressed on the importance of fighting it out on the pitch and it was no surprise to see the Blue Tigers put bodies behind the ball and rely on the counter to surprise their opponents.

Despite holding possession for large periods of the first half, Saudi Arabia didn't really have too many clear-cut chances to go ahead, and for the first quarter, were reduced to taking potshots at goal from distance, Chinglensana Singh and Sandesh Jhingan marshalling the defence beautifully to keep them at bay.

India had their first chance of the game in the 14th minute, Chhetri the architect and the artist, cutting past three Saudi players, before a lucky bounce presented him with a chance to shoot at goal from outside the box. Shoot he did, albeit straight into the arms of Ahmed Fahad.

From thereon, Saudi recognised India's threat on the counter and pressed higher and harder to negate it. Every clearance or loose ball was immediately snatched upon, and the Indian team were forced back into their own half for most of the half.

In the 22nd, Saudi Arabia came close to opening the scoring, Haitham Asiri curling a shot from just outside the box onto the crossbar. From an ensuing melee, the ball dropped to Awad Al Nashri, whose shot from a narrow angle, drifted wide.

Deep into the half, Dheeraj Singh made a smart save dropping low to his right to save from an Asiri freekick, and Jhingan blocked from Zakaria Al Hawsawi in injury time, to ensure India went into the break level.

Saudi came quickly out of the blocks in the second half, and six minutes in, Marran Mohammed headed in a cross by Abu Al Shamta to give them the lead. He got a second in the 57th minute, calmly collecting Saad Al Nasser's through ball, cutting past Dheeraj and slotting it into the net.

From there it was all about game management, for both sides. Saudi Arabia were keen to not let their levels drop, and for the Blue Tigers, it was crucial to not open up at the back in the search for a goal and concede more.

Dheeraj made some brilliant saves — the standout being one where he went diving backwards to save a header from Rayan Hamed — to ensure the deficit wouldn't increase. In the end, the Blue Tigers' first appearance in the knockouts in over a decade ended valiantly, though without any dividends.

--IANS

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“Manoj Jha is a learned person. He has not given any such statement which is objectionable. Jha poem has not hurt any caste or community. He has not targeted anyone. He has pointed out the right things in public,” Lalu Prasad said while launching the book named “Sadak Se Sansad Tak” of his old friend and socialist leader Shivanand Tiwari in Patna.

“Shivanand Tiwari is a fearless person who is never scared of anyone. He was born in an upper caste family but he always became a voice of minority, and of deprived sections of society,” Lalu Prasad said.

He said that he and Bihar Chief Minister had separated in the past but now are united. “The communal forces are dictating terms in the country. They are trying to change the constitution of the country which is not a right thing,” Lalu Prasad said.

--IANS

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Visiting the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh to kick-start his party’s campaign,the former UP Chief Minister, on the second day of his visit, reached Chhatarpur district of Bundelkhand region, closely connected with Uttar Pradesh. He held a meeting with party workers and reviewed the poll preparations.

During a press conference in Chhatarpur, he targetted the BJP over the recently-passed Women Reservation Bill and challenged the BJP to give 33 per cent tickets to women in Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections.

"If the BJP really wants to give reservation to the women, it should give 33 per cent tickets to in Madhya Pradesh and if not do so, then it will be clear that BJP has passed this Bill for its political agenda only and it be considered that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cheated the people this country," Akhilesh Yadav said.

Meanwhile, he also said that his party will contest the Assembly elections in MP with the concept "PDA - (Pichde (backward class), Dalits, and Alpsankhyak (minorities)”. He added that his PDA alliance will try to give 20 per cent tickets to the women in Madhya Pradesh.

Asked about the INDIA bloc, Akhilesh Yadav said alliance's aim is to defeat the BJP in Lok Sabha elections. Asked if the SP will support the Congress in the state, he said: "Congress was short of majority in 2018 and SP was first to support. But, SP will contest elections on its own."

Akhilesh Yadav also said that people of Madhya Pradesh have decided to change the government and this time, the SP will win more seats than previous elections in Madhya Pradesh. Later, Akhilesh along with other party leaders had 'pattal bhoj' at a Dalit's home in Chhatarpur.

On Wednesday, he addressed a poll rally in Sirmour Assembly constituency of Rewa district, bordering Uttar Pradesh, and hit out at the ruling BJP over crimes against Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) and Other Backward Class (OBC) people in Madhya Pradesh.

SP has fielded former BJP MLA Laxman Tiwari from Sirmour.

The SP has so far declared its six candidates in two lists and third list of candidates is likely to be released soon, according to a SP leader in Rewa.

--IANS

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The arrested individual has been identified as Bharat Soni, a resident of Ujjain.

Earlier on Thursday, Ujjain SP Sachin Sharma said that a total of five suspects were detained for questioning.

One of them was detained on Wednesday, while four were detained on Thursday.

Sharma said that the victim hails from Satna district.

Meanwhile, the main accused who had been apprehended, tried to escape from police custody and collided with a cemented wall following which he was admitted to a government hospital, police Inspector Ajay Kumar said.

Interacting with the press, the police officer said when the accused was taken to the crime spot, he tried to escape.

"He (accused) ran away from the spot. However, the police personnel chased him. In the mean time, he collided with a cemented wall and got injured," Kumar said.

He further said one of the cops chasing the accused also got injuries but eventually, the accused was overpowered.

When asked if the accused sustained injury due to police firing, Kumar denied, saying: "He collided with a cemented wall."

"Victim's family has lodged a missing complaint on September 24. The girl has traveled from Satna to Ujjain," SP Sharma said.

The incident has sparked a political controversy in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

The opposition Congress has questioned the law and order situation under the BJP government in the state.

AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who is leading the Congress' campaign in the poll-bound state of MP, slammed the BJP government for the incident.

--IANS

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In a video statement, Raghvendra Pratap Singh said: “You are a Brahmin. Don’t forget it. You have forgotten that I am also a Rajput. We will not even think for a second before beheading you.”

He asked Jha why he has commented about the Thakur community in such a manner.

“Don’t you remember the old stories? You should apologise to the Rajput community. If you will not apologise be prepared to face the wrath of Rajput community,” he said.

Following the threatening statement of Raghvendra Pratap Singh, Rishi Mishra, the former MLA and spokesperson of RJD wrote a letter to the Home Minister Amit Shah seeking ‘Y’ category security for Jha.

“It is a matter of deep concern that a BJP MLA has given a life threatening statement against RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha. The BJP MLA Raghvendra Pratap Singh has threatened to behead Manoj Jha. A former MP (Anand Mohan) also gave a threatening statement to slit the tongue of Manoj Jha. BJP MLA and former minister Neeraj Kumar Bablu also threatened to cut tongue of Manoj Jha,” Mishra said.

He said that such statements may turn life threatening for him in future as well.

“Professor Manoj Jha is a civilized, peaceful and intellectual person. He has won the best MP award on the basis of intellectual speeches. He increased the respect of Bihar in the country. So, we demand Y category security for Manoj Jha,” Mishra wrote in the letter.

Manoj Jha had recited a poem referring to ‘Thakurs’ during the debate on the women's reservation bill in the Rajya Sabha last week.

The poem refers to 'Thakur', which the former MP Anand Mohan claimed was aimed at targeting a particular caste. He had said that he wouldn't tolerate humiliation of his community (Rajputs).

--IANS

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Abhishek (13', 48'), Mandeep Singh (24'), and Amit Rohidas (34') scored the goals for India to help their side get an important victory. Genki Mitani (57'), and Ryosei Kato (60') scored the goals for Japan.

India began the match with Jarmanpreet Singh making dangerous overlapping runs from the right flank to trouble the opposition. Japan's defence was tested when Jarmanpreet picked up a long pass inside the striking circle and found Sukhjeet Singh in front of the nets. But the tap from Sukhjeet just went wide.

A late penalty corner from Japan was well defended by goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak. A minute later, Abhishek (13') picked a deflected pass, and quickly turned around to strike the ball into the nets, putting India ahead by a goal to end the first quarter.

Trailing by a goal, Japan started searching for the equaliser with attacking moves. But Sumit made an important save inside the circle to deflect away the danger. Mandeep and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay built pressure on Japan's defence with powerful shots on target.

Mandeep (24') scored a fantastic goal with a diving tap after receiving a sublime pass from Nilakanta Sharma, and India doubled their lead. India continued to threaten up front, but Japan's defence managed to hold off India to 2-0 at halftime.

At the start of the second half, Japan started maintaining ball possession and made dangerous raids inside the circle. But the rock-solid Indian defence kept their calm and did not allow Japan any momentum in attack. India made the most of an early penalty corner in the third quarter as Amit (34') found the nets with a powerful flick and India went 3-0 up over Japan.

Kosei Kawabe created a chance to get a shot on target, but the Indian goalkeeper made another stellar save to maintain three-goal lead by the end of the third quarter.

A perfect counter-attack early on in the final quarter led to Abhishek (48') turning the ball into the nets, after combination play with Mandeep inside the circle, and India went ahead by 4-0.

Japan made a dangerous run inside India's circle, but Sumit made another important save to deny the opposition. Japan finally found a goal from a penalty corner late in the fourth quarter as Genki (57') put his name on the scoresheet.

Ryosei (60') scored another goal for Japan at the stroke of the full-time whistle, but it was not enough to change the result as India secured a 4-2 win.

India will next face off against arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday.

--IANS

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Ashwin was a part of the 2011 and 2015 editions of the World Cup for India. In the tournament Down Under, he scalped 13 wickets in eight matches in India's run into the semi-final.

Previously, Axar was part of the 2015 squad and is now all set to miss out on his second ODI World Cup after sustaining a left quadriceps strain during India’s Asia Cup Super Four encounter against Bangladesh, subsequently missing the final of the continental event.

India have banked on the experience of Ashwin to fill the void left by Axar. Additionally, Ashwin brings in an off-spinning option that was previously missing in India's World Cup squad, which could prove to be crucial in the 46-day-long tournament when pitches begin to deteriorate.

During the three-match home ODI series against Australia, Ashwin picked up four wickets in two games. Axar too was named conditionally in the squad for the final ODI subject to his fitness but missed the game which India lost by 66 runs in Rajkot.

India begin their World Cup campaign on 7 October against Chennai against five-time Champions Australia. Before the tournament, Rohit Sharma's men will play two warm-up fixtures, the first against England on 30 September followed by the Netherlands on 3 October.

India World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.

--IANS

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