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The tropical rain forests (TRF) like Amazon or Western Ghats are considered as “the lungs of the planet”, contain about 200-300 petagram (1015) or approx. 1/3rd of the total atmospheric carbon and plays a crucial role in modulating the global carbon cycle, biodiversity and hydrological cycle. The 2023 AR6 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns if the CO2 emission and global warming continues unabated the TRF community may altogether collapse much before the end of this century, and will drive a global catastrophe affecting nearly 800 million people worldwide. However, scientists are sharply divided on this issue. Predictions made through climate-vegetation models suggest that just a 2˚C increase in mean annual temperature could increase the respiration rates and push trees to their photosynthetic threshold causing their mortality. This will be compounded by increased extreme events like variability in rainfall, droughts and wildfires. Yet others think that over longer time scale plants will adapt to these changes by changing their diversities or invading into favourable climate zones. This has indeed been found in the Andes where low elevation warmer region trees are invading into the colder higher altitude region. In the Himalayas the Rhododendrons blooming time is slowly changing. The only way to test these contradicting predictions is to study the evolutionary record of the TRF plant community and the climate in the past when the earth went through natural warming phase due to high CO2 emission.
Position of Indian landmass 56 million years back with location of Vastan, Gujarat (Yellow asterisk)
A team of scientists from IIT Kharagpur, Calcutta University and University of Western Ontario have studied detail records of TRF in sediments from Vastan coal mines of Gujarat deposited in coastal lagoons around 56 million years back. India was a tropical island then surrounded by oceans and Himalayas were yet to form. The period is known as Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) when global carbon dioxide rose to >1000 ppmv, an abnormally high level that the future global warming might reach. The PETM is the most rapid global warming event known in Earth’s history. An amount of carbon approximately equal to the total modern fossil fuel reservoir was released in the ocean-atmosphere system due to release of carbon stored in sea-floor sediments. The coal layers in Vastan are nothing but a spectacularly fossilized tropical rain forest containing huge amount of plant and pollen remains as well as variety of mammals and insects those lived in these forests. In fact, world’s earliest mammals evolved here due to this climate shift at PETM.
The Coal beds of Vastan that was once a dense tropical rain forest
“The study took several years of field and laboratory investigation. We had to date the sediments to confirm its PETM age and collected samples at centimeter intervals, analyzed the pollens to understand how the TRF community evolved in response to such extreme global warming. To understand how the climate changed during this super-greenhouse globe we analyzed isotopes of carbon in the plant organic matter and developed special techniques of measuring isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in micron size clay mineral kaolinite that precipitated in these lagoonal water. The climate was also monitored by analyzing oxygen isotopes in fossil teeth of small horse-like ungulate mammals those once roamed in these forests,” said Prof. Anindya Sarkar, the lead researcher of IIT Kharagpur. The study has just been published online in prestigious El Sevier Journal Global and Planetary Change.
Fossil remain of plant that grew during the super greenhouse earth
“Pollens are widely dispersed by air and water, resistant to decay and are invaluable indicators for reconstructing ancient biomes. Evidence of huge diversity (70 families and 256 taxa) of dense tropical rainforest trees like Sal, Mahogany, Palm, a variety of evergreen and mangrove plants are preserved in the sediment and coal beds of Vastan. No wonder that such rain forest harbored diverse animals including ancestors of early horses, snakes and insects,” said Prof. Subir K Bera of Calcutta University, an expert in ancient plants and co-author of the paper.
Pollens of 56 million year old rain forest trees
“We found a large anomaly in carbon isotopes exactly at 56 million year. This was such a characteristic signal for a super greenhouse globe with very high atmospheric CO2. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions in clays depend on land temperature and amount of rainfall and act as snapshots of past climate. Likewise, the isotopes in fossil teeth record the history of what water animals drank. As the CO2 began to increase, the land became abnormally hot >40oC. But to our surprise we found that the temperature came down to ~30oC during the later period, almost similar to today. The rainforest not only survived but also diversified during and after this global warming phase,” said Arpita Samanta, a former PhD student at IIT Kharagpur currently Assistant Professor at Asutosh College, Calcutta and the lead author of the paper.
An extinct fly preserved in tree amber of Vastan (photo courtesy Dr. H.S. Rana, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow)
“What helped the rainforest’s survival? We critically looked at the rainfall pattern and found that the warming intensified the rainfall and that possibly brought down the temperature. We call it rainfall buffered temperature. The increased rainfall and lowered temperature sustained these ancient rainforests of western India,” said Dr. Melinda K Bera, an isotope expert who painstakingly developed the novel clay based thermometer and a co-author.
“The Vastan record is unique in many ways. This is the first record of how tropical rainforest responded to elevated levels of CO2 and global warming in the past. The only other available record is from Neotropical South America. Vastan data shows that globally tropical plant community responded in tandem. Second, the increased rainfall during this super greenhouse earth exactly supports the IPCC prediction of intensified precipitation regime in case of a future extreme 4oC warming of the planet. Vastan is an ancient analogue of what our future greenhouse earth can be. Fossil fuel emission has increased the CO2 from pre-industrial level of 280 ppm to ~421 ppm in 2024. Climate models suggest that a doubling of CO2 will intensify the atmospheric circulation and consequently the rainfall. Nature already did experiment in the past that has lessons for us to learn. Many experts believe that the climate change due to such fast rate of global warming is now irreversible and collapse of rainforest or ocean biosphere is just imminent. The Vastan record shows that there may be some hope. At least the rain forest may take the heat stress and survive,” added Prof. Sarkar.
Reference: The Temperature-Precipitation Duel and Tropical Greening during the Early Eocene Greenhouse Episode by Samanta A. et al., Global and Planetary Change, Available online 16 October 2024, 104603:
By : Prof. Anindya Sarkar, Department of Geology and Geophysics, IIT Kharagpur Email: sarkaranindya@hotmail.com
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How is the growing population currently being affected, and how will it be impacted in the future by climate change-induced compound extreme events? This study delves into exposure of the Indian population to compound precipitation-temperature extremes, specifically hot-dry and hot-wet extremes. The study reveals an increase of over 10 million person-years of exposure across various regions in India. In densely populated areas, the increase in hot-wet extremes has been more pronounced compared to hot-dry extremes, a trend that is expected to persist into the future. The research identifies the Indo-Gangetic plain and southern coastal areas as future hotspots.
India being world’s most populous country and sixth most vulnerable to climate extremes, faces escalating climate challenges. The country’s reliance on rain-fed agriculture intensifies the repercussions of increasingly frequent dry spells and heavy rainfalls, a result of erratic precipitation patterns observed since the beginning of the 21st century. Further exacerbating the crisis, India has been warming steadily since the 1980s. This rise in temperatures has led to a spike in heatwaves, causing substantial human fatalities and posing serious threats to health, agriculture, and natural ecosystems. The simultaneous or successive occurrence of these temperature and precipitation extremes, known as compound extremes, poses a greater societal and environmental risk as compared to their individual occurrence.
The journal paper titled “Population Exposure to Compound Precipitation-Temperature Extremes in the Past and Future Climate across India”, authored by Prof. Rajib Maity, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. Harald Kunstmann, Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-IFU), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany and Ms. Subhasmita Dash, Research Scholar, IIT Kharagpur provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of climate change on the Indian population through the lens of compound extremes. The research, published in Journal of Hydrometeorology under the American Meteorological Society, delves into the increasing number of compound extremes events due to climate change and their societal consequences in terms of population exposure.
The study specifically focuses on compound precipitation-temperature extremes (hot-dry and hot-wet) across India, a region characterized by a wide variety of climatic regimes and significant variation in population density. Utilizing a copula-based statistical approach, the researchers evaluated changes in population exposure to these compound extremes in the past i.e. 1981-2020 and project future changes for the periods 2021-2060 (near future) and 2061-2100 (far future), under different future warming and socioeconomic development scenarios.
In recent years, from 2001 to 2020, India has experienced a notable increase in both hot-dry and hot-wet extreme weather events, surpassing the frequencies observed in earlier decades. The study highlights that densely populated regions in India are expected to experience more adversity due to the hot-wet extremes in the future as compared to the hot-dry extremes. Considering both hot-wet and hot-dry extremes, the influence of climate is identified as the predominant factor towards the increase in exposure. This emphasizes the crucial role that climate change plays in amplifying the population exposure to compound extremes in a warmer future. Regions like the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the southern coastal areas are identified as future hotspots with maximum increases in exposure under projected warming and population scenarios.
This study explores the population exposure to an increasing number of hydroclimatic extreme events owing to the warming climate. It is well agreed that the extreme events are increasing in terms of frequency as well as intensity due to climate change and that the exposure to compound extreme events (concurrent occurrence of two or more extreme phenomena) affects population, ecosystems, and a variety of socioeconomic aspects more adversely. The results indicate an increase of more than 10 million person-year exposure from the compound extremes across many regions of the country, considering both near and far future periods. The increase is as much as sixfold in many parts of the country, including the Indo-Gangetic Plain and southernmost coastal regions, identified as the future hotspots with the maximum increase in exposure under all the projected warming and population scenarios. The study helps to identify the regions that may need greater attention based on the risks of population exposure to compound extremes in a warmer future. It underscores the critical need to confront climate-related challenges arising from increasing exposure to compound extremes in India.
Prof. Rajib Maity Ms. Subhasmita Dash Department of Civil Engineering Research Scholar IIT Kharagpur IIT Kharagpur
Inputs By : Prof. Rajib Maity, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kharagpur Email: rajib@civil.iitkgp.ac.in
Edited By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007
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IIT Kharagpur (IIT KGP) signed a MoU with Central Council for Research (CCRH) in Homoeopathy on a collaborative study between IIT KGP and CCRH on the project titled “Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopic Study and Raman Study in Homeopathic Potentized Medicines and Characterization, Standardization and Analysis of the Imponderable Medicines (X-Ray, Electricity, Magnetis Polus, Australis etc.).The study include research activities, research schemes on Clinical Verification Research, Clinical Research, Drug Proving etc.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Subhash Kaushik, Director General, CCRH and Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Deputy Director, IIT Kharagpur in the presence of Prof. V. K. Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur. The study team included Dr. Ritika Hassija Narula, Research Officer/Scientist -2, CCRH and Dr. Chander Shekhar Tiwary, Assistant Professor, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Kharagpur along with Dr. Gurudeb Choubey, Scientist-4, CCRH and Dr. Shivendu Ranjan, IIT Kharagpur and other officials.
“A project based MoU has been signed between CCRH and IIT Kharagpur to undertake a fundamental research project on FTIR and Raman Study in Homeopathic Potentized Medicines and Characterization and Analysis of the Imponderabilia Medicines,” said Dr. Subhash Kaushik, Director General, CCRH.
The period of the project is for 3 years. All the patents will be registered with the help of National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) with joint ownership. Both the institute shall consult each other for any publication in respect to the project which shall be a joint publication.
Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur stated, “This MoU will be instrumental in the study of Homeopathic Potentized Medicines. We need to channelize the research projects that will give us the scope to develop and augment the field of medicine through technological convergence. In this study, Raman spectroscopy can be used to study the vibrational spectra of homeopathic medicines.”
By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer) Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007
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A total of 115 start-ups are currently being incubated, accelerated and graduated from across the country by the Agri Business Incubation Foundation (ABIF) at IIT Kharagpur. Out of 115, 37 Start-ups successfully participated in the ABIF Start-up EXPO 2024 organized from 24th – 25th October, 2024. Shri Partho Saha, CGM OFDD, NABARD, Mumbai attended the EXPO as the Chief Guest in the presence of Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Deputy Director, IIT Kharagpur; Shri P.K Bhardwaj CGM NABARD WBRO; Prof. Madan Kumar Jha, HOD, Agriculture and Food Engineering Department and Shri K.V Iyer, Director ABIF along with other senior professors.
Shri Partho Saha, CGM OFDD, NABARD & Chief Guest of the event in his keynote address, emphasized the critical role that start-ups and entrepreneurs play in creating employment opportunities and driving the economy forward. He emphasized on strengthening the rural SME sector, increasing efficiency of rural value chains and how agri-tech start-ups play a vital role in fulfilling these mandates.
“Just like a successful movie or a symphony is a culmination of various efforts, the Start-up EXPO 2024 is a convergence initiative of IIT Kharagpur and NABARD with participation of investors, FPOs and students envisaged to make it a successful event for the ABIF supported start-ups,” remarked the Guest of Honour Shri P.K Bhardwaj, CGM West Bengal Regional Office, NABARD.
Over two days, ABIF start-ups displayed their products and services to a wide audience comprising of investors, fund managers, professors, farmers, students etc. Product based start-ups displayed their products whereas machinery and service based start-ups were displayed through audio visual. Start-ups participated in Pitch Presentation Competitions in front of an expert panel comprising of investors, professors and fund managers to acquire seed money assistance from ABIF along with expert sessions.
The host and Chief Convener of the EXPO, Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Acting Director, IIT Kharagpur highlighted the activities by IIT Kharagpur to foster entrepreneurship and the start-up ecosystem through convergence among its various incubators like ABIF, AI4ICPS, SATHI, STEP and Research Park.
“What you are doing or what you are going to do will have a great impact in making India the 3rd largest economy in the world, therefore have patience and simply remember that farmers’ prosperity is the utmost priority,” said Mr. K V Iyer, Director ABIF to the participating start-up community.
Notable winners in the graduation stage were Syangbos Living Food and Beverages Pvt Ltd, Rural Rise Agrinery LLP and Tender Buds Tea & Crafts Pvt Ltd who won the seed grant of Rs 5 lakhs. Rudranjali Innovative Agritech Pvt Ltd, Aati Pual Mushroom Pvt Ltd and Rhodotion International Pvt Ltd, were awarded with a seed grant of Rs. 1 lakh each. In the acceleration stage, Bisuddha Enterprises, Savrog Udyog Pvt Ltd, Farm Genesis Technology Pvt Ltd, Shri Charbhuja Jaivik Farm, Aqua Doctor Solutions and PR Linseed Based Products were awarded Rs. 2 lakhs each as seed money. The 1st prize of Rs 2 lakhs for the best stall went to Kaffa Kuwwa Innovations Pvt Ltd with Ramanjali Organics winning the second runner up prize of Rs 1 lakh and Anwesha Jena from Makkai with the third runner up prize of Rs. 50000.
About ABIF:
Agri Business Incubation Foundation (ABIF) is a section-8 company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 at IIT Kharagpur. Funded by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and hosted by Agricultural and Food Engineering (AgFE) Department, IIT Kharagpur, ABIF is mandated to incubate, accelerate and graduate innovative ideas in agriculture, rural development, and allied domain for creating entrepreneurs and start-ups. ABIF is dedicated to execute the graduation of 125 Incubatees over the span of 5 years in Agriculture and allied activities; transfer low cost technologies at AgFE to small and marginal farmers; transfer action oriented climate smart and low cost technologies to rural community; Direct/Indirect employment generation to 1250 rural people and disseminate technologies developed through ABICs to benefit 25,000 farmers. The initiatives by ABIF at IIT Kharagpur manifests its commitment to the service of the nation and is expected to have a lasting positive impact on the start-up ecosystem across the country.
Inputs by: Mr. Manu Prem, CEO, ABIF, IIT Kharagpur Email : ceoabif@iitkgp.ac.in
By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007
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In a recent study by IIT Kharagpur in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute of Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, has developed and validated the efficiency of Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) models for high throughput soil analysis for impact at scale in small-holder systems.
Years of research at the Agricultural and Food Engineering (AgFE) Department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur shows that Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) may be used safely for rapid soil assessment. Conventional soil testing laboratories use wet chemistry-based soil testing methods that are time consuming and can become expensive when a large number of samples to be analysed. On the other hand, spectral reflectance of a soil sample can be rapidly measured in a non-contact mode and the results can be transformed to multiple soil parameters using calibrated spectral algorithms. Once the Diffused Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) algorithms are developed for a region, the algorithms may be used for analyzing soil samples collected from different fields and at different time of sampling. The technology is rapid, non-invasive and involves no chemical use, for estimating multiple soil parameters.
The DRS approach was shown to be effective for estimating 8 out of 17 soil parameters with as high as 80% accuracy. Specifically, the soil test crop response (STCR) ratings estimated through the DRS approach matched the wet chemistry-based STCR ratings to the tune of 43 to 100%. “This is a great opportunity because most nutrient management strategies are based on STCR ratings and these ratings may be safely estimated using the DRS approach in a very rapid manner,” says Professor B. S. Das from IIT Kharagpur. More than 60% of the new samples estimated with more than 70% accuracy indicates a huge opportunity to apply the DRS technique at different spatial and temporal scales. The partnership with ICRISAT has been very productive in developing these innovative methods for rapid soil health assessment, Prof Das further added.
“ICRISAT has been at the forefront of global efforts to advance sensor-based technologies,” says Dr. Jacqueline Hughes, Director General of ICRISAT. “Our recent work with NIRS-based spectroscopy for soil nutrient analysis, along with this pioneering research towards DRS models for soil analysis, ensures our commitment to deliver rapid and cost-effective alternatives to resource-poor agriculture systems.”
This is a step forward in making soil testing a feasibility through remote sensing. As the IEEE Standards Association embarks on standardizing soil spectroscopy as a standard method of soil testing (P4005 – Standards and protocols for soil spectroscopy), the efforts at IIT Kharagpur is a step forward in making soil testing through reflectance spectroscopy a reality. Developing methods for rapid soil testing for the benefit of millions of smallholder farmers of our country resonates well with IIT Kharagpur’s long commitment for low cost soil analysis for improved agricultural practices.
By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007
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A ground-breaking study led by Prof. Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath from the Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL) at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-Kharagpur), in collaboration with international researchers, has refuted previous claims of a severe ozone hole in the tropical stratosphere. The study provides reassurance that there is no significant ozone depletion in the tropics and no associated health threat.
The recent study entitled “No Severe Ozone Depletion in the Tropical Stratosphere in Recent Decades,” challenges earlier assertions of a year-round massive ozone hole in the tropics. The previous research suggested that such an ozone hole could potentially impact the health of about half of the world’s population residing in tropical regions.
Stratospheric ozone is an important constituent of the atmosphere. Significant changes in its concentrations have great consequences for the environment, ecosystems and public health. The researchers analyzed ground-based, ozonesonde and satellite ozone measurements to examine the ozone depletion and the spatiotemporal trends in ozone in the tropics during the past 5 decades (1980–2022). The amount of column ozone in the tropics is relatively small compared to high and mid-latitudes. In addition, the tropical total ozone trend is very small as estimated for the period 1998–2022. No observational evidence is found regarding the indications or signatures of severe stratospheric ozone depletion in the tropics in contrast to a recent claim. Also, the current understanding and observational evidence do not provide any support for the possibility of an ozone hole occurring outside Antarctica today with respect to the present-day stratospheric halogen levels.
Figure 1: The distribution of Total Column Ozone (TCO in DU) averaged over the tropics (30° S–30° N) from different satellites from 1978 to 2022. The light lines show the monthly distribution, whereas dark lines show the annually averaged value of TCO. The dotted line shows the decadal distribution of TCO from MERRA–2 and ERA–5.
Key Findings of the IIT-Kharagpur Study:
No Evidence of Ozone Hole: The study utilized an extensive array of ground-based, satellite, and reanalysis data, revealing that there is no robust observational evidence for a significant ozone hole in the tropics. Average ozone levels in these regions remain well above the critical threshold of 220 Dobson Units used to define the ozone hole.
Flaws in Previous Data: The earlier study that reported the ozone hole relied on inadequate data, primarily from surface to 11 km altitude, which is insufficient to accurately assess the ozone levels at the critical 15–20 km altitude. This study also identified high uncertainty and gaps in the dataset used by the previous researcher, which led to the inaccurate conclusions.
Ozone Trends and Dynamics: The IIT-led research demonstrates that any observed decrease in tropical ozone levels is due to atmospheric dynamics, not chemical depletion. Contrary to earlier claims, the study found either a small increase or no significant trend in ozone levels in the tropical lower stratosphere.
No Health Threat: Based on current atmospheric halogen levels, the study confirms that there is no immediate risk of an ozone hole forming outside the Polar Regions, and thus, no associated health threat to the tropical population.
“In contrast to a previous claim, our study finds that there is no ozone hole in the tropics and therefore, no health threat associated with that. Also, it is very unlikely to have an ozone hole in the tropics with respect to the current halogen levels. The average ozone values are always about 260 DU in the tropics, which is well above the ozone hole criterion of 220 DU. The slight decrease observed in the tropical ozone in recent decades is due to the changes in atmospheric dynamics, not because of chemistry, and this has also been known to scientific community for long.” said the lead author of the study, Prof. Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath, CORAL, IIT Kharagpur.
Rolf Müller, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, and Jerome Brioude, who collaborated from Germany, France, and France, respectively, also emphasized that the study’s results align with the current scientific consensus regarding ozone dynamics and atmospheric conditions.
“The study that claimed a tropical ozone hole used data from surface to 11 km altitude, which are insufficient to assess ozone distribution at 15–20 km, the core ozone region in the atmosphere. Also, the dataset used in that study has high uncertainty and large gaps, which make it unfit to claim any scientific finding. On the other hand, we have used all then available datasets in the tropical region and found that there is no severe ozone depletion,” stated the Research Scholar and author of the study G S Gopikrishnan, CORAL, IIT Kharagpur.
Prof. Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath Mr. G S Gopikrishnan
Associate Professor, CORAL Research Scholar, CORAL
IIT Kharagpur IIT Kharagpur
“Ozone holes are confined to Antarctica due to unique condition such as extreme cold temperatures, strong polar vortex and presence of polar stratospheric clouds for 4-5 months, and this particular state of the atmosphere is absent in the tropics. Ozone dynamics in the tropics is primarily influenced by atmospheric circulation patterns. Thus, the study that claimed a tropical ozone hole is based on a flawed theoretical framework and inadequate measurements.” added, Prof. Kuttippurath.
For more details, please refer to the full study: “No Severe Ozone Depletion in the Tropical Stratosphere in Recent Decades” published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007
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Is virtual reality teaching possible? How positive impact can digital content have on student assessment? Ahead of Teacher’s Day, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur organized a special one-day workshop to find answers to some of these questions. The Centre for Teaching Learning and Virtual Skilling (CTLVS) at IIT Kharagpur successfully conducted a one-day workshop titled “Empowering Educators With Digital Pedagogy and Technology,” on 4th September 2024. The workshop, aimed at school teachers from KVS, introduced innovative methods for enhancing teaching practices through digital tools and interactive technologies.
A total of 30 teachers from different branches of Kendriya Vidyalayas of Kolkata participated in the workshop titled ‘Empowering Educators with Digital Pedagogy and Technology’. They are taught the ins and outs of improving reading and assessment methods through technology-based teaching.
Apart from this, how using Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality can make teaching interesting for students and how game-based learning methods can be used-these topics were also taught in the day’s workshop. Kaushal Kumar Bhagat, Assistant Professor of Advanced Technology Development Center, one of the organizers of the workshop and Vice Chairman of CTLVS, along with other officials also held a detailed discussion with the participating teachers.
After the workshop, the participating teachers reported that their participation in the program increased their understanding of the use of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. It also gave students an opportunity to think about how technology can be used to make reading more interesting.
“Strategies have been taught to use realistic technology for assessment. I want to use that method in my teaching as well,” said one of the participating teachers.
When questioned why is this workshop relevant, Prof. Kaushal Kumar Bhagat said that as one of the initiatives of CTLVS, the main aim of this workshop was to teach how teachers can adapt to digital and technological changes in the education sector.
He further said, “The workshop also elaborated on the relevance of using technology in creating an appropriate learning environment. Based on the enthusiasm of the participants, it can be hoped that more teachers will be interested in digital learning in the future.”
Key topics covered during the workshop included:
Digital Pedagogy: Integrating technology to foster more engaging teaching methods.
Assessment and Evaluation: Using digital tools to improve student assessment processes.
Interactive Technologies like AR/VR: Exploring immersive learning experiences through Augmented and Virtual Reality.
Game-based Learning: Engaging students through gamification techniques.
Participants praised the workshop, calling it very informative and useful and emphasizing its practicality in today’s classrooms. One participant noted, “The AR/VR demonstration was eye-opening and gave us fresh ideas on how to engage students.” Another participant said, “The digital tools for assessment were very practical and something I can start using immediately in my own teaching.”
The workshop is part of a broader initiative by CTLVS to support educators in adapting to digital transformations in education and creating more interactive and immersive learning environments.
By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007
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To foster an ecosystem for cutting-edge research, commercialization of technologies, and strategic partnerships with industries in West Bengal, Hon’ble Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Education Dr. Sukanta Majumdar visited the IIT Kharagpur Research Park in Kolkata on 20th August 2024. The Research Park is a concept of integrated eco-system that provides research facilities including technical and infrastructure support along with other paraphernalia services. It focuses on R&D-driven innovation and product-oriented developmental activities using the institute’s wide expertise base and catering to the needs of the Nation and the interests of industry, entrepreneurs, and government agencies.
The IIT Kharagpur Research Park at Rajarhat, Kolkata, is a Section 8 Company, which is a globally recognized hub for innovation, research and technology transfer. With a built-up area of about 1.8 lakh square feet, a carpet area of 1.0 lakh square feet has been developed at Rajarhat, New Town, in Kolkata with funding from the Ministry of Education. It aims to emerge as a single window for national missions, start-ups, industry collaborations, host institutes’ incubators, R&D activities and outreach activities with different partners associated with the Institute and acts as an interface for the industry to collaborate on the commercialization of innovations.
The goals and objectives of the Research Park are to promote collaborative and interdisciplinary research through the sharing of facilities; Enabling technology transfer and commercialization of innovations; Supporting and incubating science and technology-based start-ups; Providing specialized training programs and workshops; Undertaking community outreach initiatives to promote awareness on scientific advancements; and Attracting international partnerships and projects to address global challenges.
The Research Park aims to facilitate the activities of academic units and Centres of Excellence at IIT KGP. Aiming to drive breakthroughs in science and technology research for the benefit of society through strategic partnerships and state-of-the-art facilities, the research park started a nursery industrial estate for small-scale industries at suitable places. It created a pool of sophisticated machine tools, analytical and test equipment, computers with semi-industrial processors and other facilities to support both industrial and central services to sponsored entrepreneurs.
At the same time, it will work with aspiring students, research scholars, staff and faculty members for technology and knowledge-based business development by hand-holding, ease of doing business, and providing IPR and patenting services, developing mechanisms to promote the dissemination of knowledge, cross-fertilization of ideas, and intellectual collaboration. Such interactions aim at enabling the creation of advanced technological solutions for the present and envisaged future industrial and social ecosystem.
During their visit, the Ministers took a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities at the IIT Kharagpur Research Park and met the TCS team of researchers and consultants. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has booked about 30,000 sq ft of space in the science and research park to house its research and development team.
Hon’ble Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan took cognizance of the collaborative efforts of the 9 Higher Educational Institutions in West Bengal including NIT Durgapur, IISER Kolkata, IIEST Shibpur, IIIT Kalyani, Visva Bharti, IIM Kolkata, NITTR Kolkata, GKCIET Malda, and IIT Kharagpur in terms of research, technology transfer and commercialization, entrepreneurship, training programs, community engagement and infrastructure development. Shri Pradhan reviewed the intuitions, their academic performance, research projects, industry collaborations, rankings and ratings of IIT Kharagpur and other centrally-funded higher education institutions (HEIs) in West Bengal, as well as their future plans for growth and development. He also reiterated the words of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, urging the institutions to reignite the spirit of Nalanda, aiming to transform them into world-class knowledge hubs and contribute to the vision of “Viksit Bharat.”
Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, remarked, “This visit highlights the continued focus of the Ministry of Education on strengthening India’s position as a global leader in education, research, and innovation. The IIT Kharagpur Research Park, with its advanced research capabilities and robust industry ties, plays a pivotal role in this vision. It fosters a dynamic environment for cutting-edge research and entrepreneurship, offering academic credits for start-up activities, supporting faculty-driven projects, and facilitating alumni startups through the EIR program and IPR licensing. Startups associated with the Institute or its technologies receive priority support.”
By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer) Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007
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As the country enters its 78th year of Independence, IIT Kharagpur also enters its 74th year of foundation on 18th August 2024 which was adorned by the eminent personalities. Shri Amitabh Kant, India’s G-20 Sherpa and Former CEO of NITI Aayog graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Dr. S P Somanath, Chairman ISRO; Dr. Samir V Kamat, Chairman, DRDO and Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Padma Vibhshan Awardee and Former MP, Rajya Sabha also graced the occasion as the Guests of Honour. The invocation started by hoisting the national flag and institute flag at the main building. Gitindra Saran Sanyal Faculty Excellence Awards; Young Alumni Achievers Awards, Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award; Staff Excellence Awards were conferred along with the institute employees who were felicitated upon completing 25 years of service.
Prof. Karabi Das, Dean Outreach welcomed all the dignitaries with her opening speech saying, “Today marks a significant milestone in our journey as we reflect on our rich history, celebrate our current achievements and envisioned our future filled with hope and innovation. It is my honour to see a diverse and distinguished group of people who have played a crucial role in shaping the trajectory of our institute. Our foundation day is not just a celebration of our history but a tribute of the collaborative spirit that propels IIT Kharagpur forward. When IIT Kharagpur was established in 18th August, 1951, it was found on the principles of excellence in education, ground breaking research, innovation and a strong commitment to societal impact. Today we have come a long way becoming global leaders in education and research which could not have been possible without the dedication of our faculty, brilliance of our students, ingenuity of our staffs and the continued encouragement and support of our Alumni. Today as we celebrate our Foundation, we also acknowledge the challenges that have defined our journey. Our institute’s strength lies in our abilities to adapt, innovate and lead with purpose, we are proud of the numerous contributions our communities have made in advancing technology and addressing the critical issues facing our world. The strong presence of all the dignitaries is the testament of all the strong network and collaboration that has helped us to grow. I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our Alumni for their continued engagement and contributions which have been essential for our growth and development along with my deepest gratitude to each and every member of the IIT Kharagpur family, your unwavering support, dedication and spirit have made a profound difference. Once again, I welcome you all to our 74th Foundation Day and look forward to a memorable day and inspiring day of reflection, celebration and forward looking dialogue.”
Prof. Rabibrata Mukherjee, Dean of International Relations congratulated all the awardees and welcomed everybody to the 74th Foundation Day of the Institute. He remarked that people might be wondering why is there a Dean of International Relations in an Indian Institute of Technology to which I would like to say that Shri Amitabh Kant ji is the testimony that we are no longer satisfied with what we are doing in the country. India is now poised to become global leaders and definitely technology and science is one such domain. While we are thriving to become the very best in the country, we are also competing and collaborating with the best in the world where incidentally are alumni are spread all over, if you talk about any institution, any organization, our alumni are present there. Today the world has changed a lot, previously when people needed to find some information, some data, people used to look in the newspapers, Encyclopedia Britannica, today when you want to check something where do you go, you go to Google which is headed by an IIT Kharagpur Alumnus. So, that is the level of internationalization that the IIT system has produced and I take lot of pride in telling everyone that this is the place that has given India its best known international brand that is the IIT System. So I welcome all of you here and to the Alumni and Young Alumni Achievers who are visiting us, you were students for 4 years but you are Alumni and KGPians for life. Just the way your teachers and professors have helped shaping you and your career either by attending the lectures and staying away from them, please understand that now the institute needs your help. We need active support, feedback, orientation, suggestions from the Alumni so kindly help us. You grow, you shine and along with you your Alma Mater will also shine.”
Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Deputy Director, IIT Kharagpur in her welcoming address said, “We are celebrating our 74th Foundation Day and we are entering the platinum jubilee celebration this year. As the institute of Eminence, IIT Kharagpur has successful glorious stories, which have revolutionized the scientific motivations. And if we look back, the first day the institute had started with 42 faculty members and 224 students and on today’s date we have around 17,000 student community and 800+ faculty members in this institute. If we see the different departments, centers and schools then we can find that around 58 such departments, schools and centers and the most recently added department is the AI department. Everybody nowadays is talking about AI and IIT Kharagpur has thought to start the Undergraduate B.Tech programme in AI and this year 51 students have joined this programme. If we see the magnitude and diversity of this particular institute, we can find that in this institute, we have several unique departments that start with ocean and naval architecture. It has new different centres of excellence like the Advance Manufacturing Technology, Advance Transportation, Safety and Reliability Engineering, Advance Manufacturing Engineering, Artificial Engineering, Precision Agriculture and Food Nutrition are few to name. Now the institute expands its horizons in the field of medical education. Many of you are aware that we have started the New Hospital which is called the Syama Prasad Mukherjee Institute of Medical Science and Research. None of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff, students and our Alumni. We owe our deepest gratitude to our current Member and future generations including our founding fathers who laid out the ground work of this institution, let us honour their legacy by upholding the values what IIT Kharagpur is today. In the recent address of our Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan ji, he emphasized a compelling vision of Indian Institute of Technologies. He highlighted that the need of IITs is not to just excel within the country but we have to go completely globally. IIT Kharagpur has already started and implemented the New Education Policy NEP 2020 and from this year we have given the flexibility of multiple entry and exists and double degree for the newly entered students of this institute. The major strength that lies with IIT Kharagpur is the globally recognized faculty members, students and the researchers as a result, in the Global QS Ranking, we are 222nd. In NIRF ranking also, we have improved a little bit which is not satisfactory, but we are working in that direction. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who have been a part of this remarkable journey, your passion, commitment and the vision have shaped IIT Kharagpur into what it is today. And together we will continue to drive its success into the future. Let us celebrate this day with pride, joy and renewed sense of purpose. Here is to many more years of excellence and innovations.”
Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur,remarked, “I welcome our Guests of Honours who are the two most important persons of India Dr. S P Somanath, Chairman, ISRO and Dr. Samir V Kamar, Chariman, DRDO along with Chief Guest Shri Amitabh Kant, India’s G-20 Sherpa & Former CEO of NITI Aayog. In addition to our long term association, Chairman DRDO has given us a 25 year DRDO project which is called the DRDO Industry Centre of Excellence. We are inculcating certain strategic and futuristic research in very important areas and I am sure that this project’s outcome will be utilized by DRDO, for the Deference requirement of the country. I would also like to thank our Guest of Honour Dr. Sonal Mansigh, Padma Vibhushan Awardee and Former MP, Rajya Sabha for taking out time and enchanting us with her mesmerizing performances. Our goal has been to be the top 10 universities in the world and we are rigorously working towards it. On the similar lines IIT started out with 224 students and now stands at 17000 students. Our own education research and consultancy with new infrastructure development have been aligned with the country’s growth and requirement. Being the first IIT and the indigenous IIT of the country, the IIT Kharagpur mothered the IIT system structure which was later followed by IIT Bombay and IIT Madras. IIT Kharagpur has the best AQI among all the other IITs, which is between 20-40 and the best atmosphere with beautiful and clean campus and I hope we also perform well in our sustainable initiatives. This is the first IIT to have implemented NEP 2020 in its letter and spirit and changed our course curriculum in 2020. We initiated that anybody who enters IIT Kharagpur should have atleast one course in AI. IIT Kharagpur has the largest number of faculty members working in AI as compared to other IITs and centrally funded universities, having a department in AI with 51 students. We already have an M.Tech in AI and now we are gearing up for having PhD in AI. We are the first IIT to have a Department of Education which was granted to us by the Ministry of Education to produce top quality students and teachers for schools. We are currently providing B.Sc & B.Ed in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Economics. There is a lot of flexibility in the current curriculum as well with students being allowed to pursue any other course they want apart from their parent domain. Having 59 departments, schools, centres and academies, we have branched out to Academy of Classical & Folk Arts where Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Padma Vibhushan accepted our invitation to guide us since last one year.”
Shri Amitabh Kant, India’s G-20 Sherpa and Chief Guest of the 72nd Foundation Day of IIT Kharagpur remarked, “For the growing India, we need innovation of the highest order which would require India to become an Innovation hub. This in turn will require us to invest in applied research and market oriented innovation for which we need a huge build-up of Academia-Research-Industry Partnership. We also need to build innovation, infrastructure talent with prototyping and testing to transition from labs to markets. The mistakes we did in our initial years was to establish research Institutes outside which were independent bodies, but all future researches should be part of the academic institutions like the IIT Kharagpur. All CSIR/DSIR institutions should be linked to the academic institutions as all the innovations in the world happens from the academic institutions where professors and students work together, that is how Silicon Valley was created. Industry oriented skills has to come from institutions like IIT Kharagpur and further innovation and research must come IIT research base. High quality patents can lead to huge competitive advantage for India and make India a market leader because patents must lead to commercially viable innovation and all patents must lead to commercial innovation. We also have to enhance the scientific and public innovation. India is paying much more in Intellectual Property Royalties (IPR) than in returns. We have 24000 PhD graduates in India, the US produces 68000 doctoral graduated. According to the economic survey only 51.25% of the Indian graduates are deemed employable. So, we are responsible for whoever we produce from the academic institutions, must not only be employable but should be highly innovative and should be an innovator, disrupting society in a manner that has ever seen before. We need to create many more institutions like ISRO and DRDO which will ensure that our defence imports are brought to zero and we become the world’s leading exporter with space entrepreneurs. The government has taken several initiatives, it has pushed for innovation, a new mission on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, pushed for 76000 crore scheme for semi-conductors and 25000 crore scheme for green hydrogen; 1.93 lakh crores on production linked incentive manufacturing in India so that Make in India & Start-up India receives huge impetus. In a very short time we have become the 3rd best start-up ecosystem in the world. To become the 5 trillion dollar economy in the next 4-5 years, the challenge for India is to raise its per capita income which can come from intuitions like IIT Kharagpur. IIT Kharagpur was the founder of all IITs, it has been the father figure to all IITs. It has not only inspired million of engineers in India but also encouraged all other IITs to become the Centres of Excellence so the future of India is truly in the hands of Institutions like IIT Kharagpur. Its energy, its vitality, its dynamism will shape India in the years to come.”
A total of 09 Faculty Excellence Awards, along with 30 Staff Excellence Awards. Until last year, the staff members who have who have completed 25 years of service were recognized and presented with a wrist watch as a token of appreciation for their unwavering dedication towards the service of the institute. This year for the first time opinions were shared and discussed with the faculty and staff members to suggest something that will have a greater impact of belonginess than just being a souvenir. Therefore, it is decided that a silver medal along with a designer box carrying the IIT Kharagpur logo will be presented to the employees who have completed their distinguished services in the institute. In regard to this, a design competition was organized in the institute to select the design of the medal and the box. The first placed was given to Mr. Sanjeev Halder from the Department of Agricultural & Food Engineering; the second place was give to Dr. Prakash Sharma from Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law and the third place was given to Mr. Sunil Patra from Computer and Informatics Centre. A total of 74 employees were recognized for their uninterrupted 25 years of service to the Institution.
When the Guest of Honours became the Awardees
In an exciting and surprising change of events the 74th Foundation Day of IIT Kharagpur was changed in to a quick set-up of Convocation Day for the Conferment of our Life Fellow Awards of 2023 to Dr. S P Somanath, Chairman ISRO and Dr. Smair V Kamat, Chairman, DRDO.
The Man, the Legend, the Achiever, Dr. Sreedhara Panicker Somanath is the Distinguished Scientist and Chairman of Indian Space Research Organization. Under his chairmanship, ISRO carried out the third Indian lunar exploration mission named Chandrayaan-3, making India the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole and the fourth country to demonstrate soft landing on the Moon. Dr. Somanath also served as the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram and Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. He is globally renowned for his contributions to launch vehicle design, particularly in the areas of launch vehicle systems engineering, structural design, structural dynamics, and pyrotechnics. Also served as a Secretary of the Department of Space and Chairman of Space Commission, he piloted the National Space Policy, draft Space Bill, facilitated IN-SPACe activation, engagement of ISRO with new space actors and leading the Indian Space Enterprise. He also played a crucial role in human rating of the LVM3 launch vehicle for the ambitious Gaganyaan mission for sending Indians to Space. Under his leadership, a new launch vehicle, TV-D1, was developed and successfully demonstrated the crew escape systems capability. An expert in the area of system engineering of Launch Vehicles, under his leadership seven PSLV missions, two GSLV missions and two GSLV-MkIII missions were accomplished successfully along with the successful demonstration of the Pad Abort Test (PAT). Awarded the Doctorate of Science (Honoris Causa) by SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu, Dr. Somanath has been providing leadership in motivating young minds through innovative programs of outreach and spreading the awareness of the power of space technology on the lives of common people of this country.
After receiving the award Dr. S P Somanath, Chairman ISRO, said “Thank you so much for this opportunity and selecting me for the Life Fellow Award. I would like to tell you that I am totally 100% made in India product. Whatever I did was from the knowledge and skill I acquired from the Indian Space Research Organization. I would like to thank my alma mater and TKM College of Engineering, IISc Bangalore and others. I thank all my teachers and gurus in ISRO and these institutions. Our work has been in building certain capabilities in this organization in the last 38 years along with the years I was working. I am fortunate to work with great people, motivators, leaders, who made ISRO what it is today and had the opportunity to follow their footsteps today and do certain works that made all of us proud like the Chandrayaan 3. This gives us more courage and determination to work towards achieving greater goals in the future. Whatever you are doing, it is great as an institution and the ability to connect with you is very important for all of us in ISRO and other scientific organizations in the world and in this country. There is a great vision ahead for all of us in ISRO and I will like you to be a part of it as well, contributing in your capability in different domains. I would be more than happy to connect the faculty of IIT Kharagpur with the scientist in ISRO for greater goals that we have set for ourselves. Thank you so much for the opportunity.
A Distinguished Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, Dr. Kamat stands on the pedestal of transformational leadership providing direction to several critical materials programmes in DRDO as the Secretary DDR&D and Chairman Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) such as development of high strength steels for naval ship hulls, development of high temperature titanium alloys and nickel base superalloy based components for aero engines, development of tungsten heavy alloys for kinetic energy penetrators, development of fused silica radomes for missile seekers, development of armor solutions for personnel as well as combat vehicles and stealth materials for airborne and naval applications. He has been conducting cutting-edge research and development on materials for various defense applications for the past three decades and has also spearheaded the development of naval systems such as advanced lightweight torpedo, anti-torpedo decoy systems, autonomous underwater vehicles, advanced hull mounted and towed array sonars for ships and fuel cells based air independent propulsion systems for submarines. Recipient of the Metallurgist of the Year Award from Ministry of Steel and Scientist of the Year Award from DRDO, Dr. Kamat is also responsible for setting-up state-of-the-art experimental facilities at DMRL such as Thin Film Lab, Small Length Scale Mechanical Testing Lab and Stress Corrosion Cracking test facility.
Dr. Samir V Kamat, Chairman, DRDO, “At the outset my greetings to you on your 74th Foundation Day. I am indeed humbled and honoured by this conferment of the Life Fellow Award. As you are aware, I am the Alumni of this institute and it is indeed special when you alma mater recognizes you. Whatever little I have achieved in my career is because of the strong foundation that I got in IIT Kharagpur. And let me say it is not only the knowledge I gained here but it is the life skills that I learnt here which has helped me in my career. So as Dr. Somanath said that when you work in organizations like ISRO and DRDO, it is not individuals who make the difference. It is a collective effort which goes in when you have to realize large systems and where I am standing today is because of all the collaborations and all the team work that several people contributed in achievements that we made. As Dr. Somanath said we are on the threshold of a transformation in the nation. The Prime Minister has given us a clarion call to become a developed country by 2047 and that we should become a technology leader. And this can only happen if academia, industry, R&D organizations work together, work in synergy and develop innovative technologies which are cutting edge, which are first in the world and I am sure, the way things are going forward in this country, this dream will be achieved even before 25 years are complete. So, thank the Director of IIT Kharagpur for granting me this Life Fellow Award, I will cherish this for the rest of my life.”
The Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award 2024 was awarded to Mr. Pankaj Kumar & Mr. Siddhant Aagrwal at IIT Guwahati for developing the technology of Floating Solar PV Technology. The Young Alumni Achiever Award was given to 32 young alumni of IIT Kharagpur honouring excellence in innovations, technological developments, research, community welfare, leadership, entrepreneurship, social impact, nation building, national interest and professional accomplishments.
The Alumni Endowed Chair Professorship Award – Prem Prakash Verma Faculty Award, was instituted by Mr. Sharad Verma distinguished alumni of IIT Kharagpur (1997/B Tech/CH/PH) in the year 2023. The award is given to support the State-of-the-art research in the domain of ‘Mechatronics’ from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering (ME), Electronics & Electrical Communication (E&ECE), Computer Science & Engineering (CSE), G.S Sanyal School of Telecommunication (GSSST) and Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship (RMSoEE). This year the award is given to Prof. Anandaroop Bhattacharya, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur for his outstanding contribution towards Teaching, Research and Institutional Development.
The G S Sanyal Faculty Excellence Award, instituted by the IIT Kharagpur Alumni Foundation (USA) since the year 2020, is awarded each year to a faculty member of the institute, based on his/her contributions to the students through student-related activities, such as social and cultural activities, technology, innovation and/or entrepreneurship. The purpose of the Award is to recognize a faculty member for going out of the way to help students in academics, social or other matters representing the best of legendary Prof. Gitindra Saran Sanyal. This year the award was bestowed upon Prof. Vikrant Racherla, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Prof. Debashish Chakravarty, Dean Alumni Affairs, IIT Kharagpur talked about Gurudakshina, an aesthetic giveaway by the Alumni of IIT Kharagpur. Guru Dakshina for my Alma Mater will be received from the Alumni of the institute which will help in making IIT Kharagpur self-reliant over a period of time. The funds received through Guru Dakshina shall alleviate the challenge of collecting funds by the students for Spring Festival, Kshitij, Sports Fest and even for increasing and improving hall amenities. Total 34 Pledges of Gurudakshina has been received with the current batch of students. Dr. V Narayanan, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, ISRO; Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. Debashish Chakravarty, Dean Alumni Affairs and Commander V K Jaitly, Chairman, C_cube Consultants are the donors who have already contributed their part of Gurudakshina to IIT Kharagpur.
Dr. Sonal Mansigh, Padma Vibhushan Awardee & Former MP, Rajya Sabha in her address said,” I am very happy to know about the Gurudakshina scheme as India really believes in this Guru-Shisya Parampara in which I have also learnt. Science and Arts are like Ganga and Yamuna, they always have met with each other. All Rishis and Munis were scientists and the ashrams were then the laboratories where experiments went on for decades and sometime centuries and then we got the results. IIT Kharagpur is one such ashram in modern day India and I am sure it will continue to produce great minds and great names who will contribute to India and to the world proving “Vasudeva Kutumbakam.” With this, I would like to share a quicks thought that, this is not the season for flowers anyway but my most favorite sweet is honey. You cannot describe the taste of honey except to say or use as an Upama or analogy saying as sweet as honey and all the beloveds are called honey. We have to have bees to collect Amitra from varied flowers and convert them to honey but it is not of their own use, it is for the common good and this is exactly the message of Vidya and Knowledge which is not only for self-glorification but it is to be shared, spread around so that the common good is achieved and the global benefits are achieved. I am sure, that IIT Kharagpur is the “Bee-Hive” producing honey, so I wish you all great brilliant years ahead and wish IIT Kharagpur great future, delighted to be a part of it.
“The institute is also working towards all the 12 areas in G-20 declarations and have conducted several programmes aligned with its vision in various disciplines like AI, semiconductors, energy and environment, working on sustainability, quantum mission, rare earth metals etc. By 2030, we will be 30 trillion dollar economy where the role of IITs will play a major aspect for growth and development along with the role of MSMEs which employs around 10 crore people with 27% GDP in employability, education and services. We also have various Centres of Excellence in Advance Manufacturing Technologies and Industry 4.0 , the SAATHI (Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes) centre with students and experts participating in capacity building to create good products for a global market. We are also working on 6G and beyond with a centre of excellence funded by one of our Alumni. From the last 30 years we are also working on communications and radar. We have instituted the first school of management in an IIT system, the Vinod Gupta School of Management conceived by our Alumnus Vinod Gupta along with the Academy of Leadership started by one of our Alumnus Partha Ghosh, which was never heard of before in an IIT. These unique inclusions will take us to the top 10 in the world in the coming years. With these strong foundations and strong alumni network with the likes of Mr. Sundar Pichai who has said that very soon he would develop a strategic partnership with IIT Kharagpur as well. So, we are growing towards a performance based direction not only as an academic institute, we are also becoming the knowledge economy for India and for the world. I would like to congratulate all the winners of the Young Alumni Achievers Awards, the people who have completed 25 years of services in the institute, the faculty and the staff excellence awards,” added Prof. Tewari
By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer) Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007
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The journey from idea to execution is a dynamic and thrilling adventure, where creativity meets action in a dance of innovation. It all begins with a spark—an idea that ignites imagination and hints at possibilities beyond the familiar. This nascent concept is then nurtured through careful planning and thoughtful creation, transforming abstract thoughts into tangible plans and prototypes. As the vision takes shape, execution becomes the thrilling final act, where strategy and effort converge to bring the idea to life. This phase demands not just commitment and precision but also a willingness to adapt and refine.
The result is a vibrant manifestation of creativity and hard work, where an initial thought blossoms into a completed project, resonating with impact and success. This is the story of Rapido, a mobile application on transport mobility which has come a long way after its inception in 2015. The ride-hailing start-up has raised a funding of $120 million (about Rs 1,000 crore) in primary capital from existing investor WestBridge Capital at a post-money valuation of $1 billion, showed regulatory filings thus making it the latest company to join the coveted unicorn club. The ride-hailing startup has become the third unicorn in India this year, after Perfios and Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal’s Krutrim AI.
Founded in 2015 by Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli, and Rishikesh SR, Rapido had raised $180 million in Series D funding round in April 2022, led by Swiggy, which valued the mobility startup at $800 million. Rapido has raised about $430 million till date. Mr. Pavan Guntupalli is an Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur who has completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering (2008-2012). Prior to Rapido, Mr. Pavan Guntupalli was a Software Developer in Samsung Research India, Bangalore from July 2012 to October 2013 where he contributed his diverse knowledge in Communication Protocols and was responsible for Operator Compatibility. He is also the Co-founder of Roppen Labs started from April 2014.
The investor poured in the fresh capital through three of its related entities – Setu AIF Trust, Konark Trust, and MMPL Trust, as per regulatory filings. The Hyderabad-based firm which started off as an auto and bike taxi aggregator, has also ventured into cabs. The company will expand its auto and cab offerings in newer cities across India. The market analysts are projecting that the Bengaluru-based bike taxi company is likely to raise another $20 million from global investors.
“With over 10 lakh bike taxi riders and around 20 lakh bike rides happening every week, it’s evident that bike taxis play a crucial role in Karnataka’s transportation ecosystem. This data highlights the significant demand and reliance placed on bike taxis for convenient and efficient mobility solutions across the state. Rapido expresses confidence that the transport department of the government of Karnataka will adopt a more comprehensive approach, in line with the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and the recent advisory issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways related to the grant of contract carriage permit to two-wheelers,” said Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder of Rapido.
We’re #1 choice of 10 Million people because we’re the solution of India’s intra-city commuting problems. With assured safety, we also provide economically priced rides. Our bike taxis can dodge the traffic during peak hours and get you to the destination in a jiffy! So when you think travel, think Rapido. With a lot of hardwork and perseverance we have made a place for ourselves in the market. As a brand and as a service, it is our constant endeavour to redefine ourselves.” – Rapido
Rapido, like its rivals Ola and Uber, has rolled out subscription-based plans for auto rickshaw drivers on its platform instead of charging a booking fee or commission on every transaction. Rapido has also forayed into cab-hailing services, essentially becoming a full-stack ride-hailing firm.
Rapido has raised $329 million in funding prior to the latest round. Nexus Venture Partners and Integrated Capital are among its other investors. The company has managed to reduce its burn to around $2-3 million a month and is on track for operational profitability by FY25-end. Rapido has also forayed into the hyper-local parcel delivery and cab service market as it looks to expand its offerings from auto and bike taxi services.
“We firmly believe that the revised approach will facilitate the grant of contract carriage permits to two-wheelers and bike taxis, aligning Karnataka with states that have successfully implemented similar models. This move is not only crucial for the growth of the sector but also ensures compliance with the existing provisions of Motor Vehicles Act 1988 and Motor Vehicle Rules,” Guntupalli added.
Rapido was among late-stage firms engaged in talks to raise a large round at a marginally higher valuation than its last fundraise. The new round, which is yet to be fully closed, could also see a secondary component being stitched up with some early investors exiting their positions. The company was valued at $825 million after its $180 million funding in April 2022. While Rapido is yet to disclose FY24 numbers, the firm’s operating revenue surged 3X to ₹443 crore during FY23.
“By leveraging the latest safety technologies and on-boarding/training for our captains. Every ride is tracked by Rapido with access to granular latitudinal and longitudinal. In line with our Safety First philosophy, we have been conducting a stringent Four-step Background Verification of every captain on our platform since hiring process, verification through third party vendor, captain training process, captain monitoring process and captain retention process.” – Rapido
By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer) Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007
Follow us on: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp; Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
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Times of India
Rishikesh SR, Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli (L-R)
