23-Dec-2022: Facial Recognition Technology

The policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring an Open, Safe and Trusted and Accountable Internet for its users. With the expansion of the Internet, more and more Indians coming online, there is an increase in the facial recognition of biometric information, including information generated for purposes for facial recognition technology.

Section 43A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 provides that a body corporate which possesses or deals or handles any sensitive personal data or information in a computer resource owned or controlled or operated by it is liable to compensate an affected person for causing wrongful loss or wrongful gain to any person due to negligence in implementing and maintaining reasonable security practices and procedures. Government, in exercise of its powers under the said section, has prescribed the rules regarding sensitive personal data or information as well as the reasonable security practices and procedures to be complied with. As per these, sensitive personal data or information includes biometric information, and biometrics include technologies that measure and analyse facial patterns. The reasonable security practices and procedure include implementation of the international standard IS/ISO/IEC 27001 or Government-approved codes of best practices for data protection, and a comprehensive documented information security programme and information security policies that contain managerial, technical, operational and physical security control measures that are commensurate with the information assets being protected with the nature of business. Thus, law to regulate facial recognition technology and manage data related to such technology is in place.

Further, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has prepared a draft Bill, titled the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 and has invited feedback from the public as part of its public consultation exercise.

20-Dec-2022: Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture

Various activities have been taken up by the government, using Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture. Some of the activities are given below:

• Department of Science & Technology (DST) is implementing a National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). Under the Mission, 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) have been set up in premier institutes of national importance across the country in advanced technology verticals. Three of these TIHs are involved in the applications of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agriculture with objective of carrying out research, translation and technology development for various technologies including IoT and AI, namely:
• Technology and Innovation Foundation in technology vertical of "Technologies for Agriculture and Water" set up at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar,
• TIH Foundation of IOT and Internet of Everything (IoE) in technology vertical of "Technologies for Internet of Things and Internet for Everything" set up at IIT Bombay
• AI4ICPS Foundation in technology vertical "Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning" set up at IIT Kharagpur.

Some of the applications of AI and IoT in Agriculture are in the areas of Precision Farming, Agricultural Drones and Hopping systems, Livestock Monitoring, Monitor Climate Conditions, Smart Greenhouses, AI and IoT based Computer imaging etc. The work/activities taken by the above 3 institutes are given below:

IIT Ropar-Technology and Innovation Foundation is working towards IoT based devices and sensors that are being introduced to the saffron production and supply all over India.

TIH Foundation of IOT and IOE is executing a project of effective and efficient agriculture technology, which aims to develop an end to end solution for Agriculture Technology (Agri Tech) to predict crop production in the season. EAgriS is an IoT-based platform developed for this purpose. As an application of IoT in Precision Agriculture, the TIH focuses on Aerial Robotics for Soil Parameters Monitoring, Drone based Imaging and Drone based spraying. For the application of AI in Precision Agriculture, the focus of TIH is to develop a predictive data analysis model to make intelligent decisions based on ambient conditions (temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction rainfall), soil parameters (moisture, temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, NPK, Sulphur) and leaf wetness.

AI4ICPS Foundation is developing AI based technologies for Precision Agriculture, Predictive and Forecasting models using AI for Crop Health Monitoring and Soil health Monitoring.

• Under the Digital India initiatives, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) along with NASSCOM and state governments has set up Centres of Excellence on Internet of Things at Bengaluru, Gurugram, Gandhi Nagar and Visakhapatnam. One of the objectives of these centres is to enable India to emerge as an innovation hub in IoT through democratization of innovation and realization of prototypes. One of the focus areas of Centres of Excellence on IoT at Visakhapatnam is on Agri-tech and it connects various entities such as startups, enterprises, venture capitalists, government and academia.
• Under the National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) program under Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare funding is given to State Governments for Digital Agriculture projects using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Internet of Things (IOT), Block chain etc.
• A programme called “Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development” has been in operation under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) since 2018-19 with the objective to promote innovation and agripreneurship by providing financial support and nurturing the incubation ecosystem. Start-ups pertaining to agriculture and allied sectors are being encouraged in order to contribute directly and indirectly to enhancing the income of farmers by providing opportunities to them and to provide employment to youth. In this connection, five (5) Knowledge Partners (KPs) and twenty four (24) Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs) have been appointed by this Department to advise on smooth and efficient execution of this programme in various States across the country.

Start-ups under the programme are taking up projects in various fields of agriculture and allied sectors like Agro-processing, Food Technology & Value Addition, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Information & Communication Technology (ICT), Block Chain Technology (BCT), precision farming and Digital agriculture, Block Chain technology, Agri. Logistics, Value & Supply chain management, Online/virtual platform, Agri. Extension, Agri. Inputs, Farm mechanization &  innovations, Organic farming & products, Natural Resource Management, Renewable Energy, Waste to Wealth, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Dairy, Secondary agriculture, etc.

So far, 1102 start-ups operating in agriculture and allied sectors have been selected and Rs. 66.83crore has been released in installments. These start-ups were trained for two months at various agribusiness incubation centres i.e KPs &R-ABIs before providing financial assistance.

The Institutes under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have initiated work on application of IoT and AI in agriculture.

Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre(MNCFC) has conducted few pilot studies under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana using innovative technologies for crop yield estimation through various Government and Private Agencies. During 2019-20, pilot studies were conducted envisaging space technologies through 12 agencies in 64 districts of 15 States for 9 crops, while these approaches were validated in Rabi 2019-20 in 15 blocks of 6 States. Further, during 2020-21, the pilot studies were scaled up to100 districts spread over 9 states of the country, with the help of 7 agencies for paddy crop in Kharif 2020, which continued in Rabi 2020-21 for Rabi Rice and wheat crop. 

Various technologies viz., Satellite, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Simulation models, IoT devices and AI/ML techniques were used in the study to derive the yield estimates at Gram Panchayat level.

List of 5 Knowledge Partners (KPs) and 24 R-ABIs under RKVY Start up programme

1. Knowledge Partners (KPs):
   1. National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad
   2. National Institute of Agricultural Marketing(NIAM) Jaipur
   3. (3)Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Pusa, New Delhi
   4. University of Agriculture Science, Dharwad, Karnataka and
   5. Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat, Assam

2. RKVY Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs):
   1. Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Hisar, Haryana
   2. CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh
   3. IIT-BHU, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
   4. Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
   5. ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh
   6. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab
   7. Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh
   8. Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu, J & K
   9. IIM, Kashipur, Uttarakhand
   10. Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala
   11. ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad, Telangana
   12. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
   13. Agri innovation and entrepreneurship cell, ANGRAU, Andhra Pradesh
   14. National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha
   15. S K N Agriculture University, Jobner, Rajasthan
   16. Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal  
   17. Bihar Agricultural University, Bhagalpur, Bihar
   18. Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat
   19. ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai, Maharashtra
   20. Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra 
   21. ICAR-NIVEDI, Bengaluru, Karnataka
   22. College of Fisheries, Lembucherra, Tripura
   23. Dept. of Veterinary Medicine College of Veterinary Sciences &Animal Husbandry, Mizoram
   24. College of Horticulture & Forestry, Passighat, Arunachal Pradesh

29-Apr-2022: New smart machine for making welding operations faster, energy-efficient and eco-friendly

Researchers have developed smart IoT-based machine for welding ferrous tubes faster than conventional fusion welding or solid-state processes presently used with less consumption of energy. As manufacturing industries move toward advanced technologies, there is a requirement to minimise energy consumption and automate the welding process to avoid human-induced errors and also manufacture products swiftly in an eco-friendly manner.

Dr. S. Arungalai Vendan, Professor, Electronics, and Communication, School of Engineering, Dayananda Sagar University, Bangalore developed the Internet of Things (IoT) integrated machine titled “Magnetically Impelled Arc Butt Welding Equipment" embedded with sensors for sound, vibration, arc light intensity, temperature as well as smoke, along with processors for abstracting data for predicting the quality of the welding.  The low-cost IoT integrated machine was supported by the Department of Science and Technology,

Dr. Vendan who obtained his Ph.D. in MIAB welding explored the process at Welding Research Institute, Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited, Tiruchirappalli, India for pressure part applications. Observing the huge potential of adopting the process for various industrial applications to join ferrous tubes, the investigator came up with the idea of developing a low-cost IoT integrated MIAB machine for joining ferrous tubes.

Magnetically Impelled Arc Butt (MIAB) welding involves striking of an arc between two coaxially placed tubes, followed by interaction of the axial component of arc current and radial component of a magnetic field that causes a force called Lorentz force. This force acts on the arc and impels it around the joint line with an approximate linear speed of 200m/s that uniformly heats the tube surfaces upto the highest temperature at which it is solid (solidus temperature). The softened tube edges (butt ends) are then forced into penetration by forging to form a weld.

The equipment developed is customized for welding mild steel/ low carbon steel tubes for 3 outer diameters -- 21.5mm, 22.5mm and 27 mm respectively with 2-3 mm thicknesses which are typically employed in automotive and structural applications. The scientists are in the process of establishing new equations for two dependent parameters-- arc velocity and arc rotational sound, based on which an approximate prediction can be made about the welding.

10-Dec-2020: BSNL, in partnership with Skylo, to introduce worlds' first, satellite-based narrowband-IoT network in India

BSNL, in partnership with Skylotech India, announced today a breakthrough in satellite-based NB-IoT (Narrow Band-Internet of Things), in pursuance of the  Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modis vision of a truly Digital India  starting with fishermen, farmers, construction, mining and logistics enterprises. With this solution, India will now have access to a ubiquitous fabric of connectivity for millions of yet unconnected machines, sensors and industrial IoT devices.

This new ‘Made in India’ Solution, which is indigenously developed by Skylo, will connect with BSNLs satellite- ground infrastructure and provide PAN-India coverage, including Indian seas. The coverage will be so vast that it will not leave any dark patch within the boundary of India, from Kashmir &Ladakh to Kanyakumari, and from Gujarat to the North East, including the Indian seas.

Shri P.K. Purwar, CMD, BSNL, said: “The solution is in line with BSNLs vision to leverage technology to provide affordable and innovative telecom services and products across customers segments". He further added: Skylo would also help provide critical data for the logistics sector to enable effective distribution of COVID-19vaccine in 2021and will be a big contributor in service to the nation.”

Shri Parthsarathi Trivedi, CEO and Co-founder, Skylo, said: For centuries, industries, including agriculture, railways and fisheries, have been operating offline, and have not had the opportunity to take full advantage of the latest advancements in AI&IoT until today. This is the world's first satellite-based NB-IoT network and I am proud to launch this capability in India first to transform lives and our domestic industries”.

Shri Vivek Banzal, Director (CFA), BSNL Board, said, Successful POCs have already been conducted by BSNL and Skylo in India and we will soon approach various user groups before the New Year 2021 begins.

This breakthrough announcement is very timely because it comes during the ongoing Indian Mobile Congress 2020. This new technology supports the Department of Telecom and NITI Aayog's plan of bringing indigenous IoT connectivity to India’s core sectors. Examples of where this technology has already been tested successfully include, Indian Railways, fishing vessels, and enabling connected vehicles across India.

A small, smart, incredibly rugged box, the Skylo ‘User Terminal’ interfaces with sensors and transmits data to the Skylo Network and into people's hands. The accompanying Data Platform provides an immersive, visual, experience for industry-specific applications on mobile or desktop. It gives users the ability to take immediate and appropriate action, no matter where they are. This new digital machine connectivity layer will serve as a complement to smartphone-centric mobile & Wi-Fi networks, and covers India’s full geography to bring online new applications for the first time.