By our correspondent, Surat, 3 May 2013

Surat Municipal Corporation(SMC)’s endeavor to make the city better and better is unending. Restructuring of city is rarely found phenomena in India, but Surat is exceptional case.

Civic authority has proposed shifting of Kamela Darwaja slaughter house to Vadod. The existing slaughter house will be replaced with ultra modern automatic multi level car parking complex.

The car parking complex will be first of its kind in India after Delhi. The car will not need driver, and car’s placement in multilevel parking complex will be done automatically through machine. There are two such parking complexes proposed in Surat. The other will come up at Lakkad Kot. Proposal for shifting of slaughter house and its replacement with car parking complex will be discussed in the Standing Committee meeting of SMC on 6 May.

In another development, Surat Municipal Corporation has planned Rs two crore development/beautification of Adajan’s Gujarat Gas circle junction. The place will be made beautiful with landscaping, garden, parking facility, two fountains and attractive lighting decoration.

Mumbai, 23 April 2013

Bharti Airtel Limited (“Bharti”), a leading global telecom services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, and Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (“Reliance Jio”) today announced that they have signed an Indefeasible Right to Use (IRU) Agreement, under which Bharti will provide Reliance Jio data capacity on its i2i submarine cable.

i2i connects India to Singapore and is wholly owned by Bharti. The state of the art cable consists of eight fiber pairs using DWDM, capable of supporting multiple terabits of capacity per fiber pair. Its landing points are at Chennai in India and Tuas in Singapore. Reliance Jio will utilize a dedicated fiber pair on i2i. The high speed link will enable Reliance Jio to extend its network and service reach to customers across Asia Pacific region. It will connect Reliance Jio directly to the world’s major business hubs and ISPs, thereby, helping the operator to meet the bandwidth demand and provide ultra-fast data experience to its customers.

The deal marks Reliance Jio’s continued efforts to rapidly grow and expand both its international and domestic network and infrastructure by building an ecosystem with multiple carriers and service providers.

Bharti and Reliance Jio will continue to build on this strategic framework and consider other mutual areas of cooperation and development to leverage their respective assets towards offering their customers a much richer experience.

Bharti’s global network runs across 225,000 Rkms, covering 50 countries and 5 continents. It includes ownership of i2i submarine cable system connecting Chennai to Singapore, consortium ownership of SMW4 submarine cable system connecting Chennai and Mumbai to Singapore and Europe, and new cable system investments like Asia America Gateway (AAG), India Middle East & Western Europe (IMEWE), Unity, EIG (Europe India Gateway) and East Africa Submarine System (EASSy). It also has terrestrial express connectivity to neighboring countries including Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and China.

About Reliance Jio

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), India’s largest private sector company, is the only pan India operator with Broadband Wireless Access (‘BWA’) spectrum across 22 circles capable of offering fourth generation (4G) wireless services. With a portfolio of products to include high speed broadband connectivity, communications, entertainment, and cloud services, RJIL plans to deliver integrated digital services across the nation.

About Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 4 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company’s product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 269 million customers across its operations at the end of March 2013. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com

By our correspondent, Surat, 17 April 2013

Surat Police has started online application tracking system, through which an applicant will be able to know the status of his/her pending application before the police.

An applicant will need to access www.suratcitypoliceonlineseva.com and submit his/her application number. In response to this he/she will be able to know the latest status of application. This will save applicant from visiting the police station again and again to inquire about his/her pending application.

According to Surat Police Commissioner Shri Rakesh Asthana, in near future another online service will be launched for online tracking of applications pending in license branch.

New York, Agency video, 6 April 2013

The HTC First, a midrange smartphone with a custom skin of Android called ___Facebook Home___ that focuses on networking with your friends.

New Delhi, 22 March 2013

The Government of India has launched Android application for Passport Seva.

The MPassport Seva app supports the Android OS 2.1 and above versions. The iOS and Windows App will be available shortly according to the PassportIndia.Gov.In website.

To install the Android Passport application, device should allow installation of Non-market applications. To do this, application settings are to be accessed and unknown source checkbox should be selected.

The step two is about saving the mPassport_Se va.apk file to phone, after which installation starts and application installes message appears after some time. By pressing the Done button, one can return to the device home secreen or directly open the installed application.

In post installation check, application settings can be accessed. It is advisable to unselect the unknown source checkbox to avoid installation of any other non-market application.

The application can be accessed on this link, only through Android devises. A PDF guideline document is available on this link.

Gandhinagar, 21 March 2013

Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi was given Rs 2.15 crore dividend cheque of Gujarat government run company Gujarat Informatics Limited for year 2012-13.

Additional Chief Secretary Shri Ravi Saxena who was present on this occasion told that Gujarat Informatics Limited earned Rs 12.97 crore profit with highest Rs 27.35 crore turnover last year.

GIL Chairman and Managing Director Shri Gururaj Rao, Director Nita Shah and others were present on this occasion.

Ahmedabad, 21 March 2013

Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi while speaking at Google Big Tent event via Google+ Hangout today said IT + IT = I.

“Indian Talent + Information Technology = India Tomorrow.”

Modi talked about number of technology related initiatives his government has taken, ranging from Bhaskaracharya Institute(BISAG) to E-Voting, Sabarmati River Front Photography competition on Social media, 3-D holographic speeches at more than 50 places one time, Swagat and E-Gram initiatives among others.

Excerpts from his speech:

The crux of politics lies in connecting to the people.

“Alvin Tofler said, “The Illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” This applies to everyone and every field, but more so to politics and the political class.”

“The crux of politics lies in connecting to the people.”

“Politicians readily adopted technology that connected them to the people better. From pen and paper – to microphones and public address systems, from motion pictures – to the era of Television.”

“All these tools have been extensively used for political purposes since their introductions. They have greatly influenced politics, and in turn been greatly shaped by it as well. They have become synonymous with politics.”

“Today’s web-connected world has brought about another paradigm shift with the Internet. This is not just impacting politics, but is in a sense fundamentally redefining it.”

I have been saying IT+IT= IT. Indian Talent + Information technology= India Tomorrow.

“Earlier technological evolutions helped politicians more. Information technology has led to empowerment of people as well! This is very important for a large democracy like India.”

“I have been saying IT+IT= IT. Indian Talent + Information technology= India Tomorrow.”

“Information in the pre-internet era was more one-dimensional. It was limited to politicians bombarding their thoughts and views on citizens. Now it is a two way process. Citizens are empowered with wide access to information – from multiple channels. “

“In India earlier, a citizen’s connect to politics was limited to once in every five years – from one election to another. Now, one engages with, and is a part of the polity every moment! He shares information, raises questions, comments, and connects with others. He voices his opinion and gives his feedback.”

The internet has therefore truly empowered the citizen. It has forced the politician to perform.

“The time has come for the political class to adapt to this change and reinvent itself! It needs to embrace the internet’s many powerful facets. The political class needs to stop seeing technology as a problem creator, and start harnessing it in the right spirit.”

“When I am unable to reach huge gathering of people who have been waiting for me since hours. I then use a simple mobile to address them. At the other end a mobile instrument is put on the microphone. People are more than happy to hear me through the mobile on public address system.”

“In the 2012 elections I pioneered the using of 3D Holographic technology to reach out to multiple geographies at one go. I addressed voters at 53 places across the state. This unique concept not only helped me reach out to more geographies and voters, but also helped reduce the cost, time and energy required.”

“I interact with lakhs of my fellow countrymen and women through social media. I share my thoughts with them, as well as listen and learn from them. I understand their concerns as well as connect with their dreams and aspirations.”

“Former President Clinton aptly called it the new town square. In this age of internet democracy, citizens are netizens, who transcend the geographical borders of countries and continents.”

“Technology has merged politics with governance. The focus of the public sphere is on accountability, transparency and action. Good governance is the key political agenda now, be it in the developed or developing world. And this is driven by the internet, new communication media and digital convergence.”

The internet has been a game changer in the realm of information-based decision making.

“The internet has been a game changer in the realm of information-based decision making. It has transformed the policy making process. It has ushered in an age of direct democracy – where the common citizen directly engages in the policy making process and affects the policy outcomes, rather than being limited to doing so through his elected representative.”

Advanced technology is rapidly transforming the government-citizen relationship. Social media in particular, provides a great platform for the government to engage with citizens.

“In Gujarat, To ensure that people’s voice is heard, we use ICT for redressing grievances. I personally host SWAGAT sessions in my office. The unique aspect of this project is that the grievance of the common man is addressed in real time. We modify policies and systems based on repeated grievances. Our efforts have been applauded by the UN, receiving the UN Public Service Award in 2010 for ‘Improving Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness in Public Service’. “

“Gujarat is strategically using satellite mapping for better decision making. We have institutionalised this in the form of BISAG – Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics. We use this technology extensively – from our most modern, large scale projects like building Special Investment Regions and smart cities … to giving rights of forest land to tribals.”

“Earlier, when politicians used to lobby for infrastructure like schools and hospitals in their constituencies, we did not have any scientific method of deciding the allocations. Today, we map the demography, the need and the availability using GIS. We thus bring parity among the local communities. This has also given a new direction to local politics.”

“Resurvey of lands is very important for better land management and ensuring less disputes. It is required to be done every 30 years. But the last such survey was done in India from 1890 to 1930. Gujarat has undertaken resurvey of lands using state of the art technology – Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) and Electronic Total Station Machines (ETS).”

“Our e-Gram Vishvagram project connects all the district, taluka and village panchayats across the state with broadband. This enables video conferencing facilities at all villages, issuing of documents and certificates and a host of other e-services.”

“We use simple technology in disaster management services. Merely sending timely SMSs to citizens during the 2006 floods ensured that not a single life was lost in spite of heavy rains and flooding.”

“Voting is the bloodline of the political process in a democratic polity. India’s Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have simplified voting and counting – making it easy and fast.”

“In Gujarat, we have graduated from EVM voting to eVoting – launching on a pilot scale in Municipal elections. Our pioneering efforts have been acknowledged with many awards including the National award for excellence in government process reengineering.”

“Advanced technology is rapidly transforming the government-citizen relationship. Social media in particular, provides a great platform for the government to engage with citizens.”

“We organised the Sabarmati Riverfront Photography Competition on social media, several thousands participated. Amateurs as well as professionals sent entries in large numbers. The competition reached out to more than two hundred thousand (2,00,000) citizens and helped increase the popularity of the riverfront in a manner no paid ad campaign could have.”

“I find it extremely interesting to see how Netizens have evolved their own language and dictionary of words. Here neither the spelling nor the grammar matters. 140 characters can convey it all. This dimension also plays a very important role in empowerment. It gives people from different parts of the world the confidence to overcome their limitations in language. It enables them to go ahead to freely express and connect.”

Technology in itself is neither good nor bad. That depends on how it is harnessed.

“Technology in itself is neither good nor bad. That depends on how it is harnessed. While ‘Technology in Politics’ plays a crucial role … it would do us great good to stay away from letting ‘Politics into Technology’.”

“Deployed in the right way, technology can be an extremely powerful force, capable of bringing about great change! The challenge is how better we can connect the common man to this www world. We need to find solutions by which he can connect in his local language. We must focus our technological policies and innovations on the greater good – empowering people and nurturing a development based agenda.”

A video on this link

Ahmedabad, 21 March 2013

It is a very recent trend that technology has started playing a vital role in politics in India, and the trend-setter for this is quite undoubtedly Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendra Modi!

Shri Modi will deliver the address at Google’s Big Tent Activate Summit 2013 on the subject of “Technology in Politics” today after 2.15 pm & will also interact with Mr. Eric schmidt, the Chairman of Google Inc. via Google+ Hangout! Leading political leaders, bureaucrats, policymakers, journalists and distinguished guests from various walks of life would be watching Shri Modi speak at the summit.

The event will be available for live viewing onilne.

Ahmedabad, 20 March 2013

Eminent scientist and national research Professor Yash Pal will inaugurate the 9th international Convention of Automation of Libraries in Education and Research Institutions, CALIBER-2013, on the new INFLIBNET premises at InfoCity in Gandhinagar on March 21, 2013 at 3.30 p.m.

Gujarat Government’s Higher Education Commissioner Jayanti Ravi will deliver the keynote address. Parliament’s Additional Secretary R.K. Chadha will be conference director. Other dignitaries include noted architect Balkrishna Doshi and ex-AICTE Chairman and ex-UGC Vice-Chairman S.K. Khanna. International speakers include Mr. Aly Conteh from British Library, Dr Michael Witt from Purdue University and Dr. Walter Kny from World eBook Library.

The main theme of this three-day biannual convention is ‘Library Vision 2020: Moving towards the future’ with focus on redefining the library and information services in digital area.

Information and Library Network Centre (INFLIBNET) was set up in 1996 as an autonomous inter-university centre of University Grants Commission (UGC), now providing access to 7,500 journals and 11 bibliographic databases to 300 universities in India.

New Delhi, 12 March 2013

Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be one of the speakers at Google’s Big Tent Activate Summit 2013 in New Delhi next week (March 21, 2013). He will be on Google+ Hangout for twenty minutes to speak on ‘Technology in Politics.’

Modi’s Google hangout will be followed by Fireside chat with Eric Schmidt, executive chairman, Google and Alan Rusbridger, Editor, The Guardian. Sam Pitroda, Shashi Tharoor and Rajan Anandan, managing director, Google India are other speakers. (Full agenda here)

Google has organized ‘Big Tent’ events in Baku (Azerbaijan), Moscow (Russia), Seoul (South Korea) and Sendai (Japan) so far, and next destination is India.

A message on the official Google Events page says, “The Internet has already changed India. But we’re only at the beginning of a significant transformation as we move from just over 150 million to more than a billion Indians online in the near future. At this Big Tent Activate Summit, we’re bringing together leading Indian and international experts to discuss the changes we’re already seeing and to forecast those to come.”

By our correspondent, Ahmedabad, 3 March 2013

Google Developers Group(GDG) Ahmedabad has organized a Technical hackathon kind event named as “Mapathon 2013″ on 9th & 10th march 2013 at L.J. Institute Engineering and Technology to explore the Google Maps API for WEB & ANDROID App Development.

Mapathon 2013

Theme: Learn + Fun + Develop, Explore Google Maps API, Implement that on WEB & ANDROID App, Competition

Date: 9th & 10th march 2013 Time: 9:00 am to 8:00 pm

Venue: LJ Campus, Between Kataria Motor and Sanand-Sarkhej Circle, S.G. Highway, Ahmedabad-382210, Guajrat

Mapathon means Map + Hackathon

“Mapathon 2013″ event is organized in such a way that this event is going to cover the Implementation of Google maps API(Application Programming Interface) it means how to use Google Maps and its different features and API on your website and in your Android application at the time of Development. Google maps are available on web & mobile platform and these both platforms are going to include in the Mapathon 2013.

Hackathon is an event in which developers or coders get together and develop an application, Here in Mapathon after completing the teaching session there is a competition in which the participants will use the Google Maps API and develop some useful application.

At the end of the Mapathon those who have developed best application using the stuff that they have learned in the event will be declared as a winner and got some appreciation in terms of prize.

Speaker Details:

Ritesh Ambastha(WEB): Ritesh Ambastha is having a 7 Years of development and training experience on web and mobile technologies. His vast experience in building GIS specific platforms is the reason he is invited for this “Mapathon” event. He has worked as Research Assistant at IIT Bombay on a mapping product called SMaps in year 2006-07. Also, he had developed his ownMapserver based GIS engine at Mobiance Technology at Bangalore in 2007-08. To add more to this ,he worked as Deputy Manager for Technology at Reliance BIG Entertainment in year 2008-10 where he lead the entire maps development team. He is invited as an expert for the Web Track(Google Maps API).

Utpal Betai(ANDROID:Utpal Betai works as a Project Manager at Dev IT Solution. He has over 14 years of experience in the field of Information Technology and Academics combined. He was working as a Lecturer at Guajrat Vidhyapith Ahmedabad nurturing and shaping careers of numerous MCA students. He was working with various companies as an IT Consultant during his stay almost 6 years in USA. Currently he is leading a team of developers and managing Mobile App Development projects. He has successfully conducted more than 15 workshops on Mobile App Development using Android. He is invited as an expert for the Android Track(Google Maps API).

The detailed description is also available with this link : http://gdgahmedabad.com/event-gdg-ahmedabad-mapathon-2013/

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