Where the Land Meets the Sea

As the morning tide gently laps against the shores of Navghar, Vandana Patil steps onto the damp earth of her village’s coastline. She recalls a time when the sea was generous, offering abundant crab and fish catch. But over the years, that generosity faded. “Earlier, we used to see unpredictable crab and fish catch and had to rely on other sources of livelihoods,” she says, her voice carrying the weight of years spent worrying about an uncertain future.

The culprit was clear: the unchecked destruction of mangroves. The towering green guardians of the coastline had been silently disappearing, their roots no longer anchoring the land, their dense canopies no longer sheltering marine life. With every tree lost, so too was a piece of the community’s livelihood. Yet, many in Navghar remained unaware of the deep connection between the mangroves and their survival.

Change arrived in the form of a far-reaching initiative. The Government of India, in collaboration with the Green Climate Fund and UNDP, launched a project to enhance climate resilience in India’s coastal communities. This initiative, operational across three coastal states-Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha focused on conserving and restoring marine ecosystems, including mangroves, while creating climate-resilient livelihoods.

Navghar became a symbol of this transformation. In 2021, the project formed a Mangrove Co-Management Committee, bringing together village members, the Gram Panchayat, and women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Their mission was twofold: protect the mangroves and revive local livelihoods. Women, often the most affected by economic instability, were placed at the forefront.

Through structured training, they learned sustainable crab farming techniques, creating new livelihood groups like Healthy Harvest and Wild Crab Aqua Farm. These groups now farm mud crabs over two acres of coastal land while ensuring the protection of mangroves from illegal cutting. The impact was immediate.

“Through our campaigns and drives, we have raised awareness about mangroves and their link to healthy fish catch and livelihoods,” explains Rohan Patil, president of the committee. “People no longer see them as just trees—they see them as protectors.”

By 2023, the once-barren coastline had transformed. The mangroves stood tall, shielding the land from erosion and storms, while the waters teemed with life again. The benefits extended beyond the environment. “The project helped us a lot,” Vandana shares. “Earlier, women worked only seasonally. Now, we have employment throughout the year. Besides, earlier we had to travel far and wide for crab farming; now, we can do it locally.”

What is Mangrove?

A mangrove is a salt-tolerant plant community found in tropical and subtropical intertidal regions. These ecosystems thrive in high-rainfall areas (1,000–3,000 mm) with temperatures ranging from 26°C to 35°C. Mangrove species are adapted to survive in waterlogged soils, high salinity, and frequent tidal surges. They serve as crucial biodiversity refuges and act as bio-shields against extreme climatic events. Additionally, rural populations depend on mangroves for biomass-based livelihoods.

India’s Progress in Mangrove Conservation

India has made significant strides in mangrove conservation through a combination of robust regulatory frameworks and targeted promotional initiatives. As per the India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR-2023), India’s total mangrove cover stands at 4,991.68 sq. km, constituting 0.15% of the nation’s geographical area. There has been net increase of 363.68 Sq.km (7.86%) in Mangrove cover area of the country in 2023 as compared to 2013 and net increase of 509.68 Sq.km (11.4%) between 2001 and 2023.

West Bengal holds the largest share of the country’s mangrove forests, accounting for 42.45% of the total cover, followed by Gujarat (23.32%) and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (12.19%). Notably, Gujarat has recorded an impressive increase of 253.06 sq. km in mangrove cover between 2001 and 2023, attributed to large-scale plantations, community participation, and public-private partnerships.

Key Regulatory Measures

India has implemented a series of stringent legal frameworks to ensure mangrove protection:

  • Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2019 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, categorises mangroves as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs), restricting activities within a 50-metre buffer zone where mangrove cover exceeds 1,000 sq. m.
  • Mandates compensatory replantation at a 3:1 ratio if mangroves are affected by development.
  • Additional protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Indian Forest Act, 1927, and Biological Diversity Act, 2002, among others.

Key Promotional Initiatives and Achievements

Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI):

  • Launched on 5 June 2023 to promote restoration and afforestation across 540 sq. km in 9 coastal States and 4 Union Territories.
  • Implementation through convergence funding with the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
  • For FY 2024–25, ₹17.96 crore has been allocated to Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal, and Puducherry for the treatment and restoration of 3,836 hectares of degraded mangroves.

National Coastal Mission – Conservation of Mangroves and Coral Reefs:

  • Financial assistance for the conservation of 38 mangrove sites and 4 coral reef sites across the country.
  • Operates on a 60:40 cost-sharing model between the Centre and States.
  • ₹8.58 crore released to seven coastal States during 2021–23 for mangrove conservation.

GCF-ECRICC Project (Green Climate Fund – Enhancing Coastal Resilience of Indian Coastal Community):

  • Active since 2019 in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha.
  • Aims to restore and conserve 10,575 hectares of mangroves.
  • As of 2024, 3,114.29 hectares have been successfully restored.

 

 

 

 

Mangroves: Nature’s Carbon Vault

As per World Wildlife Fund mangroves store 7.5–10 times more carbon per acre than tropical forests. Their loss contributes to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. These coastal forests hold over 21 gigatons of carbon, 87% of which is locked in the soil beneath their roots. Restoring just 1.6 million acres of lost mangrove forests could capture an additional 1 gigaton of carbon.

A Tidal Shift Towards Sustainability

Navghar’s transformation reflects a broader movement sweeping across India’s coastline where communities are not just adapting to change but actively shaping it. The revival of mangroves, once overlooked and degraded, now stands as a testament to collective action and inclusive development.

Through the integration of science, policy, and grassroots participation, India is forging a path where ecological restoration directly uplifts local economies. Women like Vandana Patil are no longer passive witnesses to environmental loss but active custodians of their natural heritage, securing livelihoods while nurturing resilience.

This shift marks more than environmental progress. It signals a future where nature-based solutions become central to climate action and communities, once vulnerable, emerge as champions of sustainable change.

“Connecting with Care” – A Month Dedicated to Listening, Learning & Leading

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India’s pioneering state-owned telecommunications provider, is proud to announce April 2025 as “Customer Service Month” — a nationwide initiative dedicated to enhancing customer experience and building stronger connections with its users under the unifying theme “Connecting with Care.”

As part of BSNL’s renewed focus on service excellence and its long-standing commitment to “Customer First”, all BSNL Circles, Business Areas, and Units will actively participate in this month-long engagement drive.

The initiative aims to re-engage customers across all segments — rural, urban, enterprise, and retail — with a dedicated emphasis on:

  • Improving mobile network quality
  • Enhancing FTTH and broadband reliability
  • Enhancing leased circuits/MPLS reliability
  • Ensuring billing transparency
  • Expediting customer grievance redressal

During this month, BSNL will actively collect feedback across all touchpoints — through its website, social media channels, dedicated customer forms, and direct outreach. Significantly, all feedback will be centrally consolidated and reviewed directly by the Office of the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), BSNL.

“BSNL’s journey is rooted in the voice of every customer. As the only telecom provider to launch a truly Made-in-Bharat 4G network, we move forward with swadeshi pride and a commitment to serve with sincerity, speed, and strength — listening, learning, and leading toward a digital Viksit Bharat.” — Shri A. Robert J Ravi, ITS, CMD, BSNL

BSNL invites customers across all services — mobile, FTTH, broadband, landline, and enterprise — to share their feedback, experiences, and suggestions through the official Customer Service Month portal.

Sourcex India 2025 inaugurated at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre, New Delhi

The 3rd edition of Sourcex India 2025, organized by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) with support from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, was inaugurated on 26th March, 2025 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre, New Delhi. The event was officially inaugurated by Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Government of India, Shri Santosh Kumar Sarangi.

In his keynote address, DGFT, Shri Sarangi underscored the importance of Sourcex India in fostering a robust ecosystem for promoting India’s foreign trade, particularly exports. He reiterated the Government’s commitment to supporting sourcing from India through various incentive schemes and initiatives such as Make in India, Startup India, and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme. He highlighted that these efforts are aimed at enhancing manufacturing competitiveness, promoting the adoption of advanced technologies, and strengthening India’s position in global markets.

He further emphasized the role of digitization and ease of doing business in improving product quality and standardization, which are crucial for enhancing global acceptance of Indian goods. Additionally, he mentioned the Government’s ongoing efforts to explore new market access opportunities through Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with key international partners to boost exports further.

Officiating President, FIEO, Shri Ashwani Kumar described Sourcex India 2025 as a landmark event that strengthens India’s position as a leading global supplier of high-quality products. He emphasized the importance of direct engagement between Indian exporters and international buyers, highlighting the event’s role in expanding India’s trade footprint worldwide.

With participation from over 150 global buyers across 45+ countries, including regions such as Africa, CIS, EU, LAC, NAFTA, NEA, Oceania, SA, SEA, and WANA, Sourcex India 2025 is a key platform for Indian exporters to engage with international markets. The event features participation from Indian companies across diverse sectors, including Food & Beverages, Health & Beauty, FMCG & FMCD, Apparel & Garments, Textiles & Home Decor, E-Commerce Services, and Logistics. Additionally, the event showcases the work of 10 National Award-winning artisans from across India, supported by the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

SOURCEX-INDIA
In line with the vision of the Government of India, FIEO has launched “SOURCEX INDIA” (RBSM) in New Delhi from Coming soon!.

Sourcex India is India’s first Global Market Place for Indian brands to go global, covering both food & non-food FastMoving Consumer Goods (FMCG) as well as Services.

Sourcex India 2025 will help India companies to launch successful Indian brands to international markets. The event will also showcase India’s select services which have the potential to be franchised overseas.

For the event, more than 250 buyers from across the globe will be participating in the Event and will have their B2B meetings with Indian exhibitors. Reputed buyers representing big brands of Supermarkets, Hypermarket, retail chains and buying agents will be present.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Industry Visionaries to Unveil What’s Next in AI at GTC 2025

NVIDIA announced GTC 2025, the world’s premier AI conference, will return March 17-21 to San Jose, Calif. — bringing together the brightest minds in AI to showcase breakthroughs happening now in physical AI, agentic AI and scientific discovery. GTC will bring together 25,000 attendees in person — and 300,000 attendees virtually — for an in-depth look at the technologies shaping the future.

NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang will deliver the keynote from SAP Center on Tuesday, March 18, at 10 a.m. PT focused on AI and accelerated computing technologies changing the world. It will be livestreamed and available on demand at nvidia.com. Registration is not required to view the keynote online.

Onsite attendees can arrive at SAP Center early to enjoy a live pregame show hosted by the “Acquired” podcast and other surprise festivities. Virtual attendees can catch the pregame show live online.

“AI is pushing the limits of what’s possible — turning yesterday’s dreams into today’s reality,” Huang said. “GTC brings together the brightest scientists, engineers, developers and creators to imagine and build a better future. Come and be first to see the new advances in NVIDIA computing and breakthroughs in AI, robotics, science and the arts that will transform industries and society.”

AI is here, and it’s mainstream — powering the everyday brands that shape people’s lives. At GTC, some of the world’s largest companies, groundbreaking startups and leading academic minds will convene to explore the transformative impact of AI across industries.

With over 1,000 sessions, 2,000 speakers and nearly 400 exhibitors, GTC will showcase how NVIDIA’s AI and accelerated computing platforms tackle the world’s biggest and toughest challenges — spanning climate research to healthcare, cybersecurity, humanoid robotics, autonomous vehicles and more. From large language models and physical AI to cloud computing and scientific discovery, NVIDIA’s full-stack platform is driving the next industrial revolution.

At the conference, attendees can also look forward to curated experiences, including dozens of demos spanning every industry, hands-on training, autonomous vehicle exhibits and rides, and a new GTC Night Market featuring street food and wares from 20 local vendors and artisans.

More than 900 organizations will participate, including Accenture, Adobe, Arm, Airbnb, Amazon Web Services (AWS), BMW Group, The Coca-Cola Company, CoreWeave, Dell Technologies, Disney Research, Field AI, Ford, Foxconn, Google Cloud, Kroger, Lowe’s, Mercedes-Benz, Meta, Microsoft, MLB, NFL, OpenAI, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Pfizer, Rockwell Automation, Salesforce, Samsung, ServiceNow, SoftBank, TSMC, Uber, Volvo, Volkswagen, Wayve and Zoox.

Quantum Day Arrives

NVIDIA will host its first Quantum Day at GTC on March 20. The event will bring together the global quantum computing community and key industry figures.

Leaders from the quantum computing industry will join a panel with Huang from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PT, shedding light on the current state and future of quantum computing. The panel will be livestreamed and available on demand, and feature pioneers in quantum computing.

AI Training and Certification for Developers

NVIDIA is training the workforce of the future to equip them with critical skills for navigating and leading in an AI-driven future.

GTC attendees can participate in more than 80 hands-on instructor-led workshops and training labs provided by NVIDIA Training.

For the first time, onsite attendees can take certification exams for free — gaining a tremendous opportunity to validate their AI and accelerated computing skills and advance their careers.

In addition, new professional certifications will be available in accelerated data science and AI networking, as well as workshops in generative AI, agentic AI and accelerated computing with CUDA® C++.

 

Shri Ajay Bhadoo Appointed as CEO of Government e Marketplace

The Government of India has appointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce Shri Ajay Bhadoo, as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Government e Marketplace (GeM). He will assume this role in addition to his existing responsibilities in the Department of Commerce.

His appointment as CEO of GeM, India’s largest e-marketplace for government procurement, comes at a pivotal time as the platform transitions to a next-generation digital marketplace powered by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Currently, GeM has recorded a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of ₹4.58 lakh crore, reflecting a 28.65% year-on-year growth.

An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1999 batch from the Gujarat cadre, Shri Bhadoo brings over two decades of experience in policy formulation and implementation across diverse sectors, including urban infrastructure development.

In August 2024, Shri Bhadoo was appointed as Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce. Previously, he served as the Deputy Election Commissioner at the Election Commission of India. His extensive career also includes a tenure as Joint Secretary to the former President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, and leadership roles such as CEO of the Gujarat Maritime Board and Commissioner of Rajkot and Vadodara Municipal Corporations. Shri Bhadoo holds a degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s in Business Law from the prestigious National Law School of India University, Bengaluru

The Energy and Curiosity Here Are Truly Inspiring”: Dr. Brian Greene Visits Taj Mahal

“The passion for science and innovation that I have witnessed in India is unparalleled. The energy and curiosity among students here are truly inspiring,” said Dr. Brian Greene during his visit to the Taj Mahal. Praising India’s distinctive approach to education and scientific research, he emphasized the enthusiasm and ambition of Indian students to make a global impact.

“India is even more beautiful from the ground,” remarked former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, who has observed the country from space. Expressing his admiration for India’s aesthetic appeal, he lauded the exceptional craftsmanship of the Taj Mahal, calling it a testament to India’s rich legacy of engineering and design.

Dr. Brian Greene and Mike Massimino are currently visiting India, immersing themselves in the country’s rich scientific, educational, and cultural heritage. As part of their visit, they explored the iconic Taj Mahal, where they shared their admiration for India’s advancements in science, engineering, and craftsmanship.

Prof. Brian Greene, a renowned theoretical physicist, author, and professor of mathematics and physics at Columbia University, is celebrated for his groundbreaking contributions to superstring theory, including the co-discovery of mirror symmetry and the discovery of spatial topology change.

Mike Massimino, a veteran of two NASA space missions, holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and currently serves as a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University. As the first astronaut to tweet from space, he has played a significant role in space exploration, particularly in the Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions in 2002 and 2009.

Throughout his career, Massimino has been honored with multiple NASA Space Flight Medals, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the American Astronautical Society’s Flight Achievement Award. He currently serves as the Senior Advisor for Space Programs at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.

Dr. Greene and Mr. Massimino’s visit to the Taj Mahal highlights India’s growing influence in the global scientific community. Their journey serves as a bridge between India’s historical excellence in craftsmanship and its rapidly advancing role in science and innovation on the world stage.

Explore How RTX AI PCs and Workstations Supercharge AI Development at NVIDIA GTC 2025

 

Generative AI is redefining computing, unlocking new ways to build, train and optimize AI models on PCs and workstations. From content creation and large and small language models to software development, AI-powered PCs and workstations are transforming workflows and enhancing productivity.

At GTC 2025, running March 17–21 in the San Jose Convention Center, experts from across the AI ecosystem will share insights on deploying AI locally, optimizing models and harnessing cutting-edge hardware and software to enhance AI workloads — highlighting key advancements in RTX AI PCs and workstations.

Develop and Deploy on RTX
RTX GPUs are built with specialized AI hardware called Tensor Cores that provide the compute performance needed to run the latest and most demanding AI models. These high-performance GPUs can help build digital humans, chatbots, AI-generated podcasts and more.

With more than 100 million GeForce RTX and NVIDIA RTX™ GPUs users, developers have a large audience to target when new AI apps and features are deployed. In the session “Build Digital Humans, Chatbots, and AI-Generated Podcasts for RTX PCs and Workstations,” Annamalai Chockalingam, senior product manager at NVIDIA, will showcase the end-to-end suite of tools developers can use to streamline development and deploy incredibly fast AI-enabled applications.

Model Behavior
Large language models (LLMs) can be used for an abundance of use cases — and scale to tackle complex tasks like writing code or translating Japanese into Greek. But since they’re typically trained with a wide spectrum of knowledge for broad applications, they may not be the right fit for specific tasks, like nonplayer character dialog generation in a video game. In contrast, small language models balance need with reduced size, maintaining accuracy while running locally on more devices.

In the session “Watch Your Language: Create Small Language Models That Run On-Device,” Oluwatobi Olabiyi, senior engineering manager at NVIDIA, will present tools and techniques that developers and enthusiasts can use to generate, curate and distill a dataset — then train a small language model that can perform tasks designed for it.

Maximizing AI Performance on Windows Workstations
Optimizing AI inference and model execution on Windows-based workstations requires strategic software and hardware tuning due to diverse hardware configurations and software environments. The session “Optimizing AI Workloads on Windows Workstations: Strategies and Best Practices,” will explore best practices for AI optimization, including model quantization, inference pipeline enhancements and hardware-aware tuning.

A team of NVIDIA software engineers will also cover hardware-aware optimizations for ONNX Runtime, NVIDIA TensorRT and llama.cpp, helping developers maximize AI efficiency across GPUs, CPUs and NPUs.

Advancing Local AI Development
Building, testing and deploying AI models on local infrastructure ensures security and performance even without a connection to cloud-based services. Accelerated with NVIDIA RTX GPUs, Z by HP’s AI solutions provide the tools needed to develop AI on premises while maintaining control over data and IP

Dell Pro Max and NVIDIA: Unleashing the Future of AI Development: This session introduces Dell Pro Max PCs, performance laptops and desktops for professionals, powered by NVIDIA RTX GPUs. Discover how this powerful duo can help jumpstart AI initiatives and transform the way AI developers, data scientists, creators and power users innovate.
Develop and Observe Gen AI On-Prem With Z by HP GenAI Lab and AI Studio: This session demonstrates how Z by HP solutions simplify local model training and deployment, harnessing models in the NVIDIA NGC catalog and Galileo evaluation technology to refine generative AI projects securely and efficiently.
Supercharge Gen AI Development With Z by HP GenAI Lab and AI Studio: This session explores how Z by HP’s GenAI Lab and AI Studio enable on-premises LLM development while maintaining complete data security and control. Learn how these tools streamline the entire AI lifecycle, from experimentation to deployment, while integrating models available in the NVIDIA NGC catalog for collaboration and workflow efficiency.
Developers and enthusiasts can get started with AI development on RTX AI PCs and workstations using NVIDIA NIM microservices. Rolling out today, the initial public beta release includes the Llama 3.1 LLM, NVIDIA Riva Parakeet for automatic speech recognition (ASR), and YOLOX for computer vision.

NIM microservices are optimized, prepackaged models for generative AI. They span modalities important for PC development, and are easy to download and connect to via industry-standard application programming interfaces.

Indian Startups Raise $240.85 Million This Week, Bengaluru Leads In Funding Deals

Indian startups raise $240.85 million this week, Bengaluru leads in funding deals

During the week, 30 Indian startups secured a total of $240.85 million in funding including five growth-stage investments and 20 early-stage rounds.Bengaluru emerged as the leader in startup funding, with 12 deals secured during the week.It was followed by Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, and Patna.

Among business sectors, e-commerce startups received the highest number of investments, closing five deals, according to Entrackr report.

SaaS and fintech startups followed closely, securing three deals each, while companies in foodtech, healthtech, and manufacturing also attracted investor interest.

In the growth-stage category, edtech startup Leap raised $65 million in its Series E round led by Apis Partners.

B2B seafood startup Captain Fresh secured $30 million in its ongoing pre-IPO round.

SaaS IT management platform SuperOps raised $25 million, while a supply chain startup received $12 million in a Series C round from Evolvence India and Mirabilis Investment Trust.

Among early-stage startups, 20 companies collectively raised $107.15 million.

B2B SaaS startup Atomic work led with a $25 million Series A round, followed by investments in co-working firm Innov8, senior citizen-focused healthcare services provider Geri Care, telecom company Astrome Technologies, and mobility startup VoltUp.

Additionally, D2C handloom clothing brand Dressfolk and road safety products manufacturer Prisomoline raised funds but did not disclose the amounts.

On a weekly basis, startup funding remained stable but showed a slight dip of 3.22 per cent, down from $248.87 million in the previous week.

Over the past eight weeks, the average weekly funding stood at $349.53 million, with 26 deals per week.

Google pushes global agenda to educate workers, lawmakers on AI

Alphabet’s Google, already facing an unprecedented regulatory onslaught, is looking to shape public perception and policies on artificial intelligence ahead of a global wave of AI regulation.

A key priority, one executive told Reuters, comes in building out educational programs to train the workforce on AI.

“Getting more people and organizations, including governments, familiar with AI and using AI tools, makes for better AI policy and opens up new opportunities – it’s a virtuous cycle,” said Kent Walker, Alphabet’s president of global affairs.

As Google races to best Big Tech rivals including Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Meta in the AI arena, it is mindful of the heavy regulatory scrutiny it faces in its existing businesses in advertising and search.

In the European Union, Google has offered to sell a part of its ad tech business to appease regulators, Reuters reported. In the U.S., the Justice Department is attempting to force a breakup of its Chrome Web browser — though it may shift course under the administration of President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, governments globally are drafting new regulations on issues that could be exacerbated by AI, such as copyright and privacy. The EU AI Act, which seeks to assess risk and require disclosures from general-purpose AI systems, has received pushback from tech giants that could find themselves in the crosshairs of multibillion-dollar fines.

The DOJ has also sought to curtail Google’s advances in AI as a remedy in a federal case that found its search business to be an illegal monopoly.

Google executives see an opportunity to shape the narrative around a technology that has stoked emerging fears of mass job loss.

CEO Sundar Pichai announced in September a $120 million investment fund to build AI education programs. Deputies including Walker and Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer, are increasingly traveling globally to discuss policy recommendations with governments.

“There’s a lot of upside in terms of helping people who may be displaced by this. We do want to focus on that,” Walker said.

Efforts include expanding Grow with Google, a combination online and in-person program that provides training tools for businesses and teaches workers skills like data analysis or IT support that are meant to expand their career prospects in technical fields.

In December, the company said 1 million people had obtained a certificate for the program. It is adding specialized courses related to AI, such as one geared toward teachers, said program head Lisa Gevelber.

Courses alone are not enough to prepare workers, Walker said. “What really matters is if you have some sort of objective that people are working towards, like a credential that people can use to apply for a job.”

Google wants to increase experimentation on public-private partnerships, he said. The leading example so far, he said, is the “Skilled Trades and Readiness” program, in which the company has partnered with community colleges to train workers for potential jobs constructing data centers. Google is incorporating AI education into the program, he said.

“Ultimately, the federal government will look and see which proofs of concept are playing out – which of the green shoots are taking root,” Walker said. “If we can help fertilize that effort, that’s our role.”

In the long term, Walker said he expects a small fraction of existing jobs to be entirely displaced by AI, citing several studies commissioned by Google, Goldman Sachs, and McKinsey. Those studies suggest AI will be incorporated into most jobs in some capacity.

As part of Google’s efforts to prepare for this shift, it hired economist David Autor as a visiting fellow to study the impacts of AI on the workforce. Autor said in an interview that AI could be used to create more immersive training programs, akin to flight simulators.

“The history of adult retraining is not particularly glorious,” he said. “Adults don’t want to go back to class. Classroom training is not going to be the solution to a lot of retraining.”

(Reuter)

Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi greets everyone on 76th Republic Day

Republic Day marks the adoption of India’s constitution and the country’s transition to a republic on January 26, 1950. Every year, the celebrations marking the day feature spectacular military and cultural pageantry. 

Republic Day Parade 2025 will be a unique blend of India’s cultural diversity and military prowess, with special focus on 75 years of enactment of the constitution and Jan Bhagidari.

The theme for the tableaux at the Republic Day Parade 2025 has been decided as “स्वर्णिम भारत – विरासत और विकास” |

Greeting everyone on the occasion of Republic Day, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi remarked that today we celebrate 75 glorious years of being a Republic.

In separate posts on X, the Prime Minister said:

“Happy Republic Day. 

Today, we celebrate 75 glorious years of being a Republic. We bow to all the great women and men who made our Constitution and ensured that our journey is rooted in democracy, dignity and unity. May this occasion strengthen our efforts towards preserving the ideals of our Constitution and working towards a stronger and prosperous India.”

The Indian government has launched many welfare schemes since independence including schemes for healthcare, social security, and employment. E-governance in India has demonstrated the use of electronic tools and processes to improve governance and enhance government capacity to function efficiently.

On 76th Republic Day,  Mirabilia Business Magazine released 76 short clips demonstrating government led welfare schemes to mark the day and made a phenomenal record. 

The purpose is to build a strong and sustainable bridge between government capacity enablement and digital empowerment of masses and to strengthen capacities of local administration and institutions to reach the vulnerable groups with information on government entitlements. 

The broader view of “reaching out to the masses” is to communicate information or a message to a large and diverse group of people, essentially aiming to spread a message widely across a broad audienc