Barista Coffee has launched a new campaign to promote young talent by providing them a place with dedicated clientele and ambience to enable them to showcase their gift.
In this endeavour, they are going to launch a young author Neel Mullick whose book Dark Blossom has been endorsed by Ruskin Bond & Rajdeep Sardesai.
According to Puneet Gulati, CEO, Barista said, “We blend coffee like no one else, we would love to stimulate the minds and not just the taste buds, this is a small effort from our end to give a reliable platform where we would like to engage talent in book writing, magic, music, stand-up comedy and other forms of new age art.”
The pioneers of coffee culture in India who have been treating masses with their urban delights have recently moved into FMCG segment with their Choco-affair range of products and for ongoing winter season they have launched Winter Treats to keep their customers delighted with their new and unique offerings.
“Barista is a place to be for the people with intellectual tangent and I am glad that they are providing me a platform to promote my new book. I will be donating half of my royalties earned from Dark Blossom to IIMPACT, an NGO with the aim of breaking the cycle of illiteracy that plagues young girls from socially and economically impoverished communities” said Neel Mullick, an Author.
“Neel’s commitment to give back in various forms of charity, awards, opportunity to win a trip to Newyork etc had compelled us to have him on board with us to launch the book, which will be given along with the goodie bag in JLF 2019” emphasised Gulati.
Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar has announced that the reservation for SCs, STs, OBCs and economically weaker sections in the general category will be implemented in private higher education institutions across the country from the new academic session.
The Central Government is likely to introduce a Bill in the upcoming Budget session of Parliament to pave the way for reservation in private educational institutions.
Central Government’s institutions have to increase their student strength by almost 25 percent to accommodate the EWS reservation without affecting the current allocation of seats under SC, ST, OBC and General category seats.
“Under the 124th Constitutional amendment, the HRD Ministry has decided that from this year itself the quota for EWS category will be applicable. While implementing this, we will ensure that reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs does not get affected. Hence, there will be more seats,” Javadekar said.
Explaining about the income criteria for EWS quota, the HRD minister stated that, “it will be the same as for the OBC creamy layer. In other words, a person whose family has a gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh will be identified as a beneficiary under the new quota. The family includes the person who seeks the benefit of reservation, his/ her parents, siblings below the age of 18 years, his/ her spouse, and children below the age of 18 years”.
According to AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabuddhe, a majority of its recognised private institutes provide reservation for students as directed by the state they are located in.
“With the exception of Rajasthan and West Bengal, almost all state governments make it mandatory for technical institutes and colleges to provide reservation for SC, ST and OBC students,” Sahasrabuddhe said.
1. The Millennium School, Noida Head of School: Rita Kaul Curriculum/Board Followed: CBSE Admission Period: December onwards Website: http://www.themillenniumschools.com Core belief: It is vital to instill in students a strong set of core values. This in turn will help shape their lives and the world around them.
2. Apeejay School, Noida Year of Establishment: 1981 Head of School: AK Sharma Curriculum/Board Followed: CBSE Admission Period: January Website: https://www.apeejay.edu/noida/ Core belief: 21st Century education is multi-dimensional which thrives where conventional curriculum ends. With that spirit, the value-added education programme facilitates a gamut of activities & pursuits to bring out the latent passion and perfection in children.
3. Amity International School, Noida Year of Establishment: 1994 Head of School: Renu Singh Curriculum/Board Followed: CBSE Admission Period: January Website: http://www.amity.edu/ais/noida/ Core belief: We believe that IT is enabling the emergence of a new kind of pedagogy that is focused on meeting individual needs of students.
4. Delhi Public School, Noida Year of Establishment: 1982 Head of School: Kaamini Bhasin Curriculum/Board Followed: CBSE Admission Period: December Website: http://www.dpsnoida.co.in/ Core belief: True education must be life sustaining and life empowering. We live our faith through a creative and competent actualization of a school culture that is broad in vision and embraces the multiplicity that characterizes our words.
5. Ramagya School, Noida Year of Establishment: 2005 Head of School: Meenakshi Zarabi Curriculum/Board Followed: CBSE Admission Period: December Website: https://ramagyaschool.com/ Core belief: Establishing a world class centre of learning by delivering an educational experience that engages students intellectually, creatively, physically, spiritually and socially.
6. Kothari International School, Noida Year of Establishment: 2005 Head of School: Manju Gupta Curriculum/Board Followed: CBSE & CIE Admission Period: December Website: http://www.kotharischool.edu.in/ Core belief: By empowering our students with knowledge and skills through engaged learning, we ensure seamless transition to tertiary education of their choice.
7. Lotus Valley International School, Noida Year of Establishment: 2005 Head of Senior School: Dr Ruchi Seth Curriculum/Board Followed: CBSE Admission Period: December – January Website: https://www.lotusvalley.com/ Core belief: To recognise every child’s talent and potential and equip them with opportunity and character to nurture their unique ability.
8. Pathways School Noida Year of Establishment: 2010 Head of School: Dr Shalini Advani Curriculum/Board Followed: IB Continuum Admission Period: January to December Website: https://www.pathways.in/noida Core belief: Build and nurture a community of thoughtful and compassionate global citizens who are committed to live responsibly and lean with enthusiasm.
9. Shiv Nadar School, Noida Year of Establishment: 2012 Head of School: Shashi Banerjee Curriculum/Board Followed: CBSE Admission Period: December Website: https://www.shivnadarschool.edu.in/ Core belief: We will inspire the joy of learning by fostering a culture of creativity. Our students will be ethical, respectful, happy and purposeful citizens of society.
10. Gyanshree School, Noida Year of Establishment: 2013 Head of School: Brinda Ghosh Curriculum/Board Followed: CBSE Admission Period: December Website: http://www.gyanshree.in/site/ Core belief: We prepare our children for a rapidly changing world by equipping them with critical thinking skills, a global perspective and respect for core values.
Dr Tamal Datta Chaudhuri, Dean Calcutta Business School
Strategy formulation is critical to the success of any business and executing strategy is dependent on how purposefully all resources including employees, technology, and financial assets are employed, writes Dr Tamal Datta Chaudhuri, Dean, Calcutta Business School.
Imagine ordering an iphone and getting a temper glass in its place. Or, ordering a food off a restaurant menu and not being offered the same. Offsetting and painful, isn’t it? It will also lead to a bad word of mouth for your brand. But this rarely happens. Why, you ask? Because, someone is making sure that amongst these piles of orders received everyday, your order does not get misplaced.
There is someone responsible for ensuring that there are enough supplies available with your E- Commerce retailer so that you get the right product that has been ordered. There is someone keeping the restaurant well stocked with all the necessary ingredients to help serve people with their orders. There is someone who is taking care of the logistics to ensure is smooth delivery.
The role of operations strategy is to provide a plan for the operations function so as to make optimal use of resources. It describes in detail the policies and plans to utilise the organisation's resources such that they support its long-term competitive strategy.
Operations strategy relates to the plan that includes details on the design and use of resources to support business strategy. Location, size, facilities available, worker skills and talents, technology used, special equipment, and quality control methods are vital components of this plan. Operations strategy must be aligned with the company’s overarching business strategy to enable the company to achieve its long-term plan.
This someone is the role of an operations manager. The one who is running the entire show by planning, managing and overseeing the flow of an event in an organisation so that people can execute smoothly without confusion and being lost.
Operations management is central to managing production of goods and services. This holds true no matter what the size or nature of the company or industry is. Operations management involves managing of people, equipment, technology, information, along with other resources required for the production of goods and services. Often referred to as the ‘engine room’ of an organisation, operations management is directly responsible for a number of decisions which if not made with prudence, could cause problems in product design and delivery failures.
In the E-commerce sector, operations management can be the determining factor for success. The design and management of operations are key to the way in which material resources are consumed for manufacturing goods or delivering services, ensuring there is enough inventory to meet customers’ needs. A well-defined operations plan strengthens the probability of orders being fulfilled and shipped on time, keeping customers happy and fueling your success.
For example, operations management propelled Flipkart, a business run from a two-bedroom apartment to develop into one of India’s largest e-commerce enterprise. Today, Flipkart has a net value of $15 billion.
Operations Management is one of the core strategies that an organisation needs to have in place. Operations management helps companies plan every single aspect of the business including capacity planning, productivity analysis and improvement, and quality assurance among others. Owing to this, operations management holds immense influence in how companies can improve performance and their financial bottom line.
Operations managers are integral to organisational strategy for businesses to succeed. Efficient operations managers positively contribute to the following processes:
Work Standardisation
Early on in your business, it is helpful to know the process to be undertaken in providing a product or service, and to document the process for future reference. It’s better to design a process with logical steps beforehand, and begin standardising your work processes for overall efficiency. No system is going to be effective if it not well planned before. Imagine constructing a building with entire raw materials ready but no one knows what is to be executed first and who is supposed to take care of which part of the construction. Starting from laying the stone to building the foundation, to constructing it brick by brick and doing the quality check of the materials, you need efficient management for its completion.
Continuous Improvement
Operations management plays an important role in overall organisational performance. This happens by looking at internal conditions and considering whether you have the right people in the right roles. It serves as an identifier of efficiency or training gaps. Changes such as reducing the number of products you are selling and shifting focus to high performing products can be backed by operations management data. Other ways of improvement are taking and incorporating customer feedback about products to identify the roots of problems they are facing. This kind of analysis is possible using tools of operations management making an organisation high-performing and more responsive to customers.
Planning
Operations management professionals take charge of collaborating with other managers and executives to determine how operational planning can contribute to the long-term strategy of an organisation. This planning typically includes determining goals and policies for logistics, budget, and support services management. Basically, the operations manager ensures that all departments work in tandem to further the goals of the company. This helps in the smooth functioning of an organisation thereby avoiding the fish market situation.
Direction
To ensure that planning is executed in the right manner, operations management professionals are expected to offer direction to managers regarding achieving specific objectives. Operations managers see to it that all departments complete their necessary functions which are aligned with the organisation’s productivity goals and budgetary guidelines. The operations manager might have to step in to make modifications when goals are not being met or carried out such that they are consistent with company policy.
To summarise, it is operations management that impacts the overall productivity and profitability of an organisation. It provides a valuable measure of the efficiency of the manager and employees, using which they can accelerate progress at the individual and organisation level.
The nine-day long New Delhi World Book Fair 2019, organised by National Book Trust, India came to a close on Sunday. The last day of the Fair saw a huge rush of young and old alike. The visitors bought books enthusiastically as the festival of books was coming to an end. The booklovers were happy to carry huge bags of books and the parents were pleased to see their children showing keen interest in books. Over the past few years, the number of book lovers visiting the Fair has grown substantially, which reflects the fact that the habit of reading has not diminished. The book fair this year was a huge success with over nine lakh book lovers have visited the fair.
Theme Pavilion
The theme pavilion ‘Books for Readers with Special Needs’ attracted the attention of book lovers, especially persons with special needs. The theme pavilion exhibited panels, posters, useful materials and over 500 books for persons with special needs. During the Fair, several programmes including discussions, interactions with differently-abled celebrities were organised. Many visitors appreciated this year’s theme and observed that the theme sensitized people about the various issues related to the persons with special needs.
A discussion on ‘Dhyey Ko Kaise Sadhe’ (how to achieve goal) was organised at the Theme Pavilion on Sunday. The speakers observed that we all make an objective in life and to achieve it we need to have patience and need to work really hard. The speakers on the occasion were: Shri Bhushan Toshniwal, youth icon from Pune; Ms Suvarna Raj, para-athlete; Shri T.D. Dhariyal, Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, among others.
A stall by TouchVision was also put up at the Pavilion, which works for the persons with visual- impairment. It is a multisensory inclusive education platform comprising of tactile diagrams, books, recreational material, storybooks, games, assisted by simultaneous audios powered by the mobile app.
Author’s Corner
A discussion on the book, Hunger’s Daughters,’ was organised at the Author’s Corner, Hall No. 8. Ms Bhumika Popli, Delhi-based journalist had a discussion with the author of the book, Nirmala Govindarajan. The book talks about the lives of tribal people living in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The author remarked that a change is definitely needed to make lives of tribes better.
A discussion on different aspects of literature and culture of Himachal Pradesh was organised at Lekhak Manch. The speakers on the occasion were Dr Kuldip Chand Agnihotri, Vice-Chancellor, Central University of Himachal Pradesh; Prof. Puranchand Tondon, University of Delhi; Dr Indra Singh, Dr Karma Singh, Ms Rupeshwari Sharma, Shri Virendra Sharma among others. The session was coordinated by Dr Om Prakash Sharma.
A book release function was organised by Bhartiya Jnanpith at Lekhak Manch. The special guests on the occasion were: Prof. Madanmohan Agrawal, Prof. Jai Kumar Upadhayay, Dr Krishanan among others. During the session, books published by Bhartiya Jnanpith like Jain Dharma Parichay and Sanskrit Kavya Ke Vikas Mein Jain Kaviyon Ka Yogdaan were released.
Children’s Pavilion
At Children’s Pavilion, Hall no. 7E, a bustling crowd of children participated and enacted various enthusiastic performances. The event started off by a play performed by the students of Punjabi Islamia School, on the importance of Girl Child Education. The children brilliantly portrayed the current situation of our society towards girl child and how it is a grave matter of concern.
A Nukkad Natak was organised by the children of Chetna India on Pollution. In their play, the children enacted as different forms of pollution that harm the environment such a radiation, air pollution, etc. The play was written by the members of Chetna India, Shri Ashok Agrohi and Anita Gupta. Mr. Sunil Jain Rahi anchored the play.
The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art and Literature organised a storytelling session for the children. Dr. Gauri Shankar Raina and Dr. Usha Kher talked about the beauty of Kashmir and about the most revered poetess of Kashmir ‘Lal Ded’. The speakers read some of her poems in Kashmiri language, and explained each verse in English to children. Dr. Aziz Hajini, Secretary, Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art and Literature, also interacted with the children, telling them about the most beautiful and popular places in Kashmir, their characteristics and history.
The event concluded with an amazing Kathak dance by children of Navratan Foundation.
Gujarat has become the first state to implement 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions to the economically weaker sections in the general category.
Explaining about the implementation of the scheme will bring social equanimity, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said, “it is clarified that the eligibility of the new quota will be applicable only for which the announcement for jobs and admissions have been made but the process has not yet begun.”
The ongoing process in jobs and higher education will be suspended for time being and fresh process will begin after incorporating the 10 percent additional quota. It is also pertinent to mention here that the benefits under the fresh quota will not be applicable for processes begun before January 14, 2019.
According to the official release, “10 percent quota for the economically weaker class from the general category will be over and above the existing 49 percent quota for SC, ST and OBC.”
Gujarat is the first state to implement Government’s historic and unprecedented decision to implement the 10 percent reservation for general category poor candidates.
The Centre had taken the decision under Article 46 of Guiding Principles of Constitution of India after Amendment of the Articles 15 and 16, incorporating 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections.
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has launched “One Family, One Job” scheme in the State on Saturday.
“We are giving appointments for 26 different posts, including chowkidar (guard), maali (gardener), ward attendents in hospitals and other health facilities, village police guards and assistant village librarians,” Chamling said.
The scheme envisions providing employment to one person in the families not having a government job. Under the scheme, all loan debts in the agriculture sector would be revoked.
Currently, 12 government departments are recruiting for Group C and Group D posts.
Chamling kick started the scheme by handing over temporary appointment letters to two beneficiaries from each of the 32 Assembly constituencies of the State during “Rojgar Mela 2019”. In all, 11,772 people have issued appointment letters on Saturday itself.
Earlier, the Sikkim Government also announced that 20,000 youths would immediately be given temporary jobs under the scheme.
The budget allocations have been made for 89 days in the current financial year for paying emoluments to the new recruits, and fresh provisions would be made in the next financial year.
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for establishing of three new AIIMS at Samba in Jammu, Pulwama in Kashmir and Rajkot in Gujarat.
In a statement by Central Government, “The three new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences will be set up under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).”
The new AIIMS are aimed to provide quality tertiary healthcare, medical education, nursing education and research in the region, the statement added.
To be established on the pattern similar to that of AIIMS Delhi and other six new AIIMS taken up under Phase-I of PMSSY, the new AIIMS will have Hospital block, Teaching Block for medical and nursing courses, residential complex for allied facilities/services, and other facilities.
The medical institute proposed in Samba, Jammu, is expected to be ready in 48 months while 72 months period is estimated for construction of AIIMS in Pulwama, Kashmir. AIIMS Rajkot is expected to be completed in 45 months.
With 100 MBBS seats and 60 seats in B Sc Nursing course, each new AIIMS will also have 750 bed hospital including Emergency/Trauma Beds, AYUSH Beds, Private Beds and ICU Speciality and Super Speciality beds, the statement said.
The new AIIMS are likely to cater healthcare services to around 1500 OPD patients per day and around 1000 IPD patients per month.
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-Kharagpur) is going to launch a course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning for working professionals and engineering students, said IIT Kharagpur Director P P Chakrabarti.
The six-month course will commence from March this year and will be conducted from institute’s centres located at Kharagpur, Bengaluru and Kolkata. The course is also expected to be conducted at Hyderabad centre, said Chakrabarti.
“A rigorous AI programme for professionals is the need of the hour. The programme has been designed by IIT Kharagpur faculty in consultation with industry experts,” Chakrabarti added.
“The certificate programme by IIT Kharagpur is aimed at strengthening India’s talent pool in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence,” said Sudeshna Sarkar, Head of Centre for Artificial Intelligence at IIT Kharagpur.
Earlier this year, the premier engineering institute also launched Centre for Artificial Intelligence, which is aimed to hone the skills of engineers and working professionals in the new technologies.
Explaining about the course, Sarkar said that the course will comprise 16 one-credit modules and one capstone project. 60 per cent of these modules will be completed by IIT-Kharagpur faculty and academics and rest by the experts from the industry.
The course modules have been carefully designed to cover mathematical and algorithmic foundations, artificial intelligence fundamentals and statistical and machine learning methods.
The Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar has denied the reports of making the Hindi language compulsory in the New Education Policy (NEP).
In a clarification posted on Twitter, the HRD minister wrote, “The Committee on New Education Policy in its draft report has not recommended making any language compulsory. This clarification is necessitated in the wake of mischievous and misleading report in a section of the media. @narendramodi @PMOIndia.
On Thursday, various media houses claimed that the Central Government is planning to make the Hindi Language compulsory in the New Education Policy after which Javadekar tweeted denying all the claims.
In his tweet, the minister also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister’s Office.
Various media reported that the K Kasturirangan committee on the New Education Policy prepared a report and suggested a three-language formula with Hindi mandatory till Class 8.
The Union government on Thursday also said that it will soon make the draft report of the New Education Policy public.
