Category: Education

Hot temper, cool parenting: Tips on managing your child’s meltdowns

By Ms. Fatema Agarkar, Educationist and Founder of ACE

Last year through the country-wide lockdown showed us what disruptions are all about. This second wave that engulfs our country and subsequently forcing many States into lockdown is indicative of how volatile our days have been and will continue to be, and the importance of treating the challenges, one day at a time. As homes turn into WFH office spaces, as bedrooms become make-shift classrooms, as devices are shared and used to communicate, learn and work, parenting in Covid19 times requires a different mindset. I have been saying this from the first lockdown in March 2020, that Pre pandemic efforts were blessed with an ability to shift some responsibility to the school, the classes that children enrolled themselves in, playdates organized. It is essential to have some ‘personal space’ be it for the children or the adults, but in the lockdown world, the ‘chain’ does not really break and the circle is a continuous series of days that at times may lead to frustration for both the adults and the children caught in that ‘bubble.’

The summer months in this country, do nothing to ‘calm’ nerves either, and as one waits for the cool monsoon months, and things to normalize, the reality of the times is that ‘normalization’ is still a distance away in this marathon called Covid. Therefore, it is important to put all of this in perspective, if we have to approach the next 15-18 months with a sense of purpose and make these months count more than ever.

Acceptance that these times are different and difficult will be a good starting point for parents. Approach it like a ‘forced’ adventure, one that can you in fact control. The priority must be wellness and wellbeing, and attention paid to what you are feeling, and compassion for what your children are experiencing. As adults, our conditioning over a period of time, allows us to ‘manage’ emotions, unfortunately, which children as ‘work -in – progress’ cannot have the same ability, and therefore they need direction and role modeling, tons of patience, and lots of unconditional love. It sounds easy to pen this down on paper, well, truth to be told, it is not. This navigation is maneuvering a ship through stormy waters, and while there will be calm that eventually happens, the timing is something that remains beyond control; hence it is important to create short-term and long-term goals to keep that ship afloat.

Some ‘cool’ tips:

1. Every educator has been emphasizing the need to create some sort of routine for your children. Children thrive when given freedom, but remember, they need to structure that in a way that allows them some purpose as well. Over the years, as a mother and an educator, I find that children feel ‘comforted’ when given freedom, but also a direction, a path, and some goals to achieve. It allows them to think and plan and gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility. These could be the fun exercises you lead every Sunday with them after watching their favorite serial. It is important that the environment is relaxed and not rushed, and Sunday works best devoid of work tasks (please keep them away), and their school routines. Think of this as a ‘contract’ between your child and you and defining the ‘week’s goal’ will help both parties to have clarity and reduce the disappointments that usually arise when a parent ‘expects’ something, and the child has totally missed the point because she/he was not paying attention and does something completely different. This routine would include negotiations on screen time, play time, study time, reading time, eating time, exercise time, bath time, tidying up time, tv time, etc. I use the word negotiation because this cannot be a one-way street with you dictating what time they should eat, sleep, etc. It involves a dialog and the rationale and explaining your points of you to get their buy-in and being open-minded to their suggestions. As adults, you can navigate this conversation to what you would eventually like it to be, but involving children in a discussion makes them ‘listen’ and also ‘locks’ them in
2. Have clear consequences for when the routine is compromised. I do not mean that for half an hour of extra playtime means they are denied their favourite meal. What I mean is that for resistance to give up screen time for extended periods, there must be ‘3 strikes’ after which the child automatically accepts that there will be consequences for ‘pushing’ the deadline cut-off. The importance of being consistent is also a clear sign for the children and must be adhered to. Often parents give in, and this then becomes a battleground when the parents do not want to bend the rules. This approach leads to fewer confrontations, and tears because once the child has consented to something, he/she is aware that there will be consequences and yes, expect some resistance and pleading and sometimes mood swings, but children get over this very quickly when they realise their parents mean business! This is the same moment to get over compared to when there are no rules.
3. Set your own expectations as a family. I cannot emphasize this. While I am a huge advocator for using social media sensibly, at times I realise parents start to use these comparisons. For that matter even on social chats when parents share notes with each other about their children – what works for your family is unique to your household circumstances and do not make the mistake of thinking it can be modelled along the lines of what someone else is managing. This is a huge trigger point for conflicts in homes, and best to always be appreciative of what others manage, but as a family, you have to set your own goals.
4. Humour – laughter and plain old ‘monkeying’ around is very important if you have to keep the mood light and lively. This also works wonders for acceptance levels when parents have to set deadlines. A happy, joyful atmosphere is important especially with the kind of overwhelmingly sad news that is reported every day. Your job as a parent is to keep your children safe, and happy and also to keep their morale up. They do not need to know all the facts of the world, as this leads to anxiety which is another trigger point for tantrums as children also get worried and are unable to always express this through words.
5. Knowing the pulse of your children and what works and what does not must be your biggest driving force. Leave the academic goals aside for a moment, know what makes your child happy, what is confusing your child, what is tiring your child, what is difficult for your child and accepting that, you will be able to reach out to different professionals – be it your child’s teacher in a school or a therapist for intervention. When you are not able to manage the emotions as a family, and the sooner you get professional help, the safer it is for your relationship. This could be a behavioral change or an academic dip, or even an emotional indifference, it is very important to spot the signs and address them quickly.
6. Ensure that the time you spend with your child involves quality interactions, and also some time for the child to manage independently explaining you have household chores or work tasks or need to connect with the family of friends socially (this is important for them to know so that they also put a price on these relationships). This ‘distancing’ is also healthy, as lockdown times demand every minute of your energy, and as an adult, it is unrealistic to believe you can sustain like a superhuman with the same tenacity. Distancing therefore allows for personal time, which is just the oxygen that your relationship needs. What it also does is that after your personal ‘quotient’ is in a happy place, allow you to give your child all the attention, energy which is the memory they must be left with. Not a parent who is drained with work tasks, and emotional about a friend not well who is leaning on them for support. This passes over to the child who will no doubt exhibit this behaviour in time as a response to something you may suggest as a way of ‘acting’ out. As they say, get the oxygen mask on yourself before you even begin to help those around you!

These are some basic reminders to get you through the months ahead. Remember, no parent has a complete fix on this, and no child is perfectly going to follow all rules and all one can do as a family is making this relationship about communication, mistakes, corrections with some funny and happy memories.

Happy parenting!

Top 3 Real Estate colleges to pursue your career in real estate industry

A job in real estate involves extensive understanding of the real estate market and finances, as well as familiarity with zoning and tax laws, insurance, and mortgages and banking, regardless of where you live. Real estate careers require a deep understanding of financial, analytical thinking, communication, and cooperation skills, which is why online real estate degree programmes highlight key business and finance principles for real-world application in the profession.

In today’s fast-paced world, real estate is about more than simply gorgeous houses. It’s a common misconception that a successful real estate job requires being a wealthy developer or a well-connected broker. There is so much more to accomplish, but before we get into the specifics of those roles, here are five reasons to choose this industry in terms of job stability and the potential for continuous development and growth:

Here is a list of some private and government colleges providing academic courses related to real estate-

1. RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University, Noida has courses for undergraduates and postgraduates. BBA in Real Estate & Urban Infrastructure is a full-fledged 3-year course. MBA in Real Estate & Urban Infrastructure, MBA in Construction Project Management, and MBA in Construction Economics & Quantity Surveying are 2-year courses in regular mode.

2. National Institute of Construction Management & Research (Pune) provides PG Diploma and Diploma courses in Infra, Finance & Urban Development. The institute also offers distance learning programs.

3. Global Institute of Construction Management & Research (New Delhi) also provides a 2 year PG Diploma course in Construction & Infrastructure Management, as a regular study program.

For the foreseeable future, the real estate industry will provide you with several opportunities to advance your career. As a rising country, India will require an influx of highly skilled and motivated young individuals to join the workforce and propel the sector to new heights.

Ariel University Warriors Cricket Team

Two weeks ago, Ariel University’s cricketeer’s participated in a special tournament conducted by the Punjab Brothers and Sisters (Israel) as part of the community’s Guru Nanak Jayanthi celebration.

The Ariel Warriors is comprised of mainly international students including doctoral, post-doctoral and exchange scholars who have chosen to further their studies at Ariel University.  Although there is no cricket pitch on campus, the students are currently using a basketball court that they have converted for their weekend practices.

“The players, both men and woman, are from primarily from India. The cricket pitch is a commonplace where most Indians meet. As cricket is a game that most of us grew up around it really is a connection to home as well as a great exercise and stress reliever,” said Vincent Joseph, one of the team members and originally from Kerala who is currently working towards his PhD in Chemistry at the university. “However, it is a challenge for us as all of our equipment must be imported from India and as students can be quite costly the registration and travel expenses, in addition to jersey’s and the needed items.  It is a wonderful game and we do hope that more students, both Israelis born and not, will join us and get a taste of something very “home” to us.”

Torch-bearing purposeful learning programs, SkillUp Online partners with Pacific Lutheran University

New Delhi, October 26, 2021: Catering to the needs of the rapidly evolving global job market and the needs of the Gen Z students, SkillUp Online has announced a strategic collaboration with Pacific Lutheran University to introduce new-age purposeful learning programs. To ensure that students and young professionals take full advantage of this transformative learning experience, notable institutions such as Sanskriti University and Rayat Bahra University have already signed up for this program. It is pertinent to note that SkillUp Online is working vigorously to offer futuristic and transformational learning programs to learners driven on the back of custom cloud computing solutions.

As of now, SkillUp Online has created a strategic and meticulous 3-year plan. Currently, the brand is working on setting a strong foundation for purposeful learning programs. The platform will achieve this by initiating a few selected courses and bringing in expert faculties through Virtual Instructor-led Training (VILT) that will be supported by fully assisted mentoring, including one-on-one mentoring. In 2022, SkillUp Online will be introducing more skill development and learning courses in its portfolio and shape the overall curriculum towards minor and major academic programs. Furthermore, by the end of 2023, the brand will introduce students and credit exchange programs to ensure that the modern-age generation can avail the best-in-class opportunities.

Apart from the aforementioned programs, SkillUp online will also begin with Thrive skill that is relevant and crucial for the overall development of the learners. In a nutshell, Thrive skills are a combination of human, soft skills, and futuristic skills such as next-gen tech skills. These skills will give learners an edge above their contemporaries during interviews and otherwise.

Speaking about this collaboration, Mr. J P S Kohli, Founder, and Chairman, SkillUp Group said, “We are thrilled to add one more feather to our cap. New India is a work in progress, but with the introduction of the National Education Policy 2020 encouraging foreign universities to set up campuses in India, we are sure the tide is turning towards a transformative learning environment. Pacific Lutheran University has a long and successful history of integrating professional education and civic engagement and has been earmarked as having one of the best business schools in the USA. Through this collaboration, we expect to empower and equip students and young professionals with advanced technical and interpersonal skills so that they can pave the way for exciting future endeavors.”

Representing Pacific Lutheran University, a spokesperson from the university said, “As educators, it is our privilege to associate with an organization like SkillUp Online which is working brilliantly for the holistic development of our modern-age human resources. The Gen Z crowd will be leading the future. As educators, it is our responsibility to arm our students with advanced technical and soft skills so that these young professionals can reach their full potential. Statistics have shown that developing industries such as the IT sector are gearing up to hire at least 1.3 billion employees. As a leading educational institution, we are trying to imbibe our students with futuristic knowledge and skills so that they can be at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology and digital era.”

Dr. Rana Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Sanskriti University, said, “We have always believed in offering our students pre-eminent and superior quality education. However, the current generation is far more competitive, sophisticated, and future-oriented. At such a juncture, where the talent pool of students is overflowing but the opportunities are only a handful, how can one have that advantage over others? The answer is simple. Students must stay updated with new-age skills and knowledge. However, there should also be a specific goal. This is why we are signing up for this purposeful learning program so that our students can learn and gain knowledge while steadily moving towards their ultimate goal.”

Vice President at Rayat Bahra University, Gurinder Singh Bahra, said, “We are excited to start a new chapter in our endless learning journey. We are sure that given the track record of SkillUp Online and their remarkable results, our students will be able to avail the extraordinary skills and knowledge through a purposeful learning program. We are confident that this program will help the students who will soon become the young professionals of tomorrow have an edge above their competitors and colleagues. In the age of roaring competition and limited opportunities, we believe these modernistic values, skills, and learning methodologies will help our students learn priceless lessons.”

On the back of prolific resources, unquestionable results, and inarguable benefits, SkillUp Online has offered services to mega tech giants like Microsoft, Centriq Training, IBM, HITACHI, VMWARE, and many more. Through its partnership with Pacific Lutheran University, more students and young professionals will be able to avail themselves of a chance of a lifetime to acquire knowledge through industry leaders and experts and prepare deftly for the future.

Pariksha announces an increase in talent pool by 50% in the next two quarters

New Delhi, 26 October 2021: Pariksha, India’s leading vernacular EdTech company, has announced that they will expand their talent pool by 50% in the coming two quarters. The start-up currently manages a workforce including 105 professionals. The company is looking towards strengthening its capabilities across marketing, sales, finance, HR and technology functions by hiring high-quality talent. Through the proposed hiring drive, Pariksha expects to increase its talent pool up to 150 professionals across senior and leadership levels.

Pariksha recently raised a pre-series A round of funding, a significant part of which is intended to be used for expanding its offerings and team size. The platform has been receiving overwhelming response both from the domestic and international market.

“In the last two years, the market has been growing exponentially. We have been witnessing massive growth. In order to offer better services, and expand the content portfolio we are onboarding talented professionals. During the pandemic, a number of enthusiastic and deserving professionals struggled to get jobs. Understanding that the start-up industry has been exhibiting the right growth environment, this might be an opportunity for the candidates, as well as Pariksha to explore a fruitful association,” said Mr. Karanvir Singh – Founder & CEO, Pariksha.

Pariksha will be scouting promising candidates holding graduate degrees in relevant fields from reputed institutions, and who are willing to explore their career in the EdTech space. Additionally, the company is looking to add 15 full-stack developers with considerable experience to its tech-team.

The startup will majorly be hiring for its Head office located in Pune. However, the sales profiles will be explored for positions across MP, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, UP, Punjab, and Gujrat.

Pariksha serves around 5M users, and has launched operations across 16 states and in 8 different languages. It boasts an over 500% better success rate than traditional avenues.

About Pariksha

Founded in 2015, Pariksha is India’s largest vernacular EdTech company, which is solving the massive challenge of accessibility and affordability of outcome-based education for the mobile 1st internet users of Bharat. The platform provides a variety of preparatory courses, both through synchronous and asynchronous classes for vernacular exams like – State PSC, State Police Services, State Teachers Services, State Forest Services, Indian Navy, Indian Airforce, etc. The startup is backed by an array of esteemed investors including Bharat Inclusion Seed Fund, LV Angel Fund, 9Unicorns, Venture Catalysts, INSEAD Angels.

Under the Mentor-Mentee Programme, MHRD & AICTE select three colleges of JIS as ‘Mentor Institute’

Kolkata, 25 October 2021: Adding another feather to its cap, three colleges under JIS Group have been selected by AICTE and MHRD, Govt. of India, as Mentor institutions under Mentor-Mentee Programme for the year 2021-22. The names of these three colleges are Guru Nanak Institute of Technology (GNIT), Narula Institute of Technology (NIT) and JIS College of Engineering (JISCE) respectively.

There are a total of 11 (Eleven) Institutes under Eastern India which got selected by AICTE and MHRD, Govt. of India as Mentor Institute under the Mentor-Mentee Programme. Out of these 11 selected Institutes in Eastern India, Seven Institutes are from West Bengal and out of these seven Institutes, three are from JIS Group.

After the remarkable and prestigious achievement of securing 4 NIRF Ranks for four Institutions under the same group recently, viz., NIT, GNIPST, JISCE and GNIT, it is a consecutive milestone achieved by JIS.

“JIS family always has always aimed to achieve success and recognition which will help its students to carve a niche in whichever field they decide to proceed. This would not have been possible without our dedicated teachers, non-teaching staff and parents who trusted us with the future of their wards.” added the Managing Director of JIS Group, Mr. Taranjit Singh.

About JIS Group: JIS Group is born out of Sardar Jodh Singh’s entrepreneurial vision of creating a difference in the society by educating people. Thus, his aspiration to serve the society by imparting knowledge and ensuring employability culminated into JIS Group Educational Initiatives. One of the largest educational groups of India and a renowned educational conglomerate of West Bengal, JIS is committed to focusing on a policy of consistent quality enrichment of the services provided to promote the growth and economic prosperity of the nation.

HR Association of XIM University hosts Kshitij’21

School of Human Resource Management, XIM University, New Campus, Odisha, and XIMAHR, the HR Association of XIM University, hosted its annual flagship business conclave Kshitij’21, with stellar success on 23rd October 2021.

The theme for the conclave was “Bespoke Compensation-Is That a Future Reality?” The event started with the lighting of the lamp, followed by a welcome address by Dr. Andrew Dutta, Dean, School of Human Resource Management, XIM University, New Campus, Odisha. Dr. Andrew Dutta shed light on the importance of compensation strategy in the post-pandemic era and the shift in the mindset of the organizations while devising compensation structures. Further, he talked about the rising awareness in organizations about the changing nature of compensation and its importance in an employee’s career trajectory. His address concluded on the note how the topic for the conclave would shape the actionability of the HR managers of the school in the near future.

Prof Fr. S. Antony Raj, S.J., Registrar, XIM University, Odisha, gave the inaugural address. Amongst many invigorating ideas, Prof. Fr. Antony Raj talked about the power of effective compensation strategy and its impact on culture, engagement, retention, and productivity. He mentioned compensation as the most important factor in employee engagement as it is critical to attract and retain top talent in the market. He concluded by focusing on shifting from cumbersome compensation practices to flexible yet personalized incentive plans.

Dr. Shantanu Rath, President NHRD Bhubaneswar Chapter, gave the keynote address. He provided a historical backdrop of the association of XIM University and NHRD and how Kshitij has evolved over the years. He spoke on multiple topics related to the changing nature of the workforce and workplace after the pandemic, the importance of customized and non-standardized compensation strategies, and the challenges HR leaders will face due to a hybrid workforce in devising a strategy.

The address was followed by the launch of HRXpert, The Annual Magazine of School of Human Resource Management, XIM University, New Campus, Odisha, by all the jury members. This was followed by the National Anthem, post which the “White Paper Presentation Competition” commenced. The jury members for the competition were-

1. Dr. Bijan Basini Mohanty, Retired Professor, PMIR Department, Utkal University
2. Ms. Vandana Jha, Executive Director, Aarohan Holdings & Advisors Pvt. Ltd.
3. Mr. Barttanu Das, Head-Corporate HR, Larsen & Toubro
Teams from across the country participated in the competition, and 11 teams were shortlisted for the final round. These teams presented their research on topics ranging from Hybrid Workforce, Multigenerational Workforce, and Digital HR. The jury carried out a detailed assessment of the teams through the Q&A round at the end of each presentation. The competition addressed pertinent issues related to the rapid technology change, upskilling and reskilling of employees, segmentation of customized compensation, and contingency planning.

The second half of the conclave was a panel discussion on “Bespoke Compensation-Is That a Future Reality?” The discussion was moderated by Mr. Dependra Mathur: Head Human Resource Development- Units at Infosys BMP. He has more than 17 years of work experience and has led prominent mergers and acquisitions worldwide. Moving ahead, he introduced the speakers for the forum and steered a knowledgeable discussion. The eminent panelists for the event were –

1. Ms. Amrita Das, VP HR, Head Talent Rewards and Talent Management, HCL Technologies, shared insights on total rewards and the various aspects covered by benefits and compensation, especially after the pandemic. She explained the challenges organizations face to quantify the total rewards and the current efforts of industry practitioners in laying out a framework around the rewards system. Further, she shared her observations on developing a compensation structure keeping in mind the needs of a multigenerational workforce. She concluded that having a wide array of compensation plans based on broader requirements of employees help in creating long-term value for the employees.

2. Mr. Amit Das, Director HR & CHRO, Bennett Coleman Company Limited. He addressed the topic of discussion from a business landscape standpoint. In which he talked about the VUCA world and the fourth business model. He highlighted the fast-changing employee demographics and diverse workplaces. Such diverse workplaces require regular overhauling and benchmarking of the incentive structures. He concluded by emphasizing a personalized, agile, and holistic rewards system for the GenZ and the millennials.

3. Mr. Shourya K. Chakravarty, CHRO, Quality Kiosk Technologies Pvt. Ltd. He started the talk by discussing how employee welfare is the basis of wellness nowadays. He shared his insights on the changing nature of the compensation structure that has been observed over the last two years. To tackle the changes, organizations have to move towards a more personalized approach in devising a compensation strategy as the employee’s requirements vary substantially. He later focussed on finding the right mix of compensation and benefits such as health insurance and vacations. He concluded by the necessity of personalized rewards in attracting top talent in the market.

After concluding the panel discussion, the moderator opened the platform for a Q&A session. Post this, the “White Paper Presentation Competition” results were announced, followed by a closing speech by Mr. Manash Ranjan Mandhata, NHRD Secretary and VP- Corporate HR, Maithan Ispat Ltd.

The conclave concluded with a vote of thanks by Ritika Mittal, Treasurer, XIMAHR, School of Human Resource Management, XIM University, where she extended her gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, speakers, moderator, faculty members, and everyone who contributed to its smooth functioning and flawless execution.

Is Edtech Replacing Teachers?

In today’s high-tech world, the question keeps arising- Is ed-tech replacing skilled teachers and tutors? However, the reality is contrasting to the popular myth. It has mostly been about providing accessibility of resources to students and aspirants. Also, contrary to popular belief, edtech is not just about providing alternate education to school kids or K12, it is also about providing training on relevant subjects, enabling education counselling efficiently, and making quality content available through technology. Beyond the air of online learning, there are some of the unique edtech models that have been utilizing AI, Data analytics and Machine learning to the fullest brim, to eventually make resources accessible including- knowledge, counselling, guidance, preparatory materials etc.

AdmitKard

AdmitKard aims to mentor students in the college application process. The platform is equipped with all that is required to end this stress about universities and the courses. The platform suggests the best possible universities through data backed algorithms, and apply to these universities from the same platform in a few clicks. The platform also recommends relevant current international students, called Mentors, who can provide real -experience sharing of their journey to studying abroad. Students get end-to-end guidance from availing the best education loans, academic and language test preparations, profile building, accommodation services and financial services.

Vidyakul

Vidyakul is a vernacular e-learning platform that helps state board students to learn academics via pre-recorded and live lectures. Vidyakul’s mission is to bridge the gap between students and teachers all over India by creating an online platform that enables students to meet renowned teachers for quality, integrated, interactive learning. Vidyakul works to provide students, parents, and teachers with a perfect online platform to solve all their problems related to learning and teaching online.

Pariksha

Pariksha is solving the massive problem of accessibility and affordability of outcome-based education for the mobile 1st internet users of Bharat. Pariksha is trying to solve the problems of students who live in tier-2 and tier-3 towns of India and are preparing for government jobs, as they have no proper access to computers, preparation materials and mentorship. It covers content for government exams in various fields including- teaching, banking, defence, railways etc.

Digikull

Digikull, is an Ed-tech startup that provides certified technical courses, with pay after placement only services. Offering an array of development courses starting from 17 weeks to 32 weeks. The brand has been achieving almost 100 percent placement for its highly skilled batches. The startup is weaved to address the requirements of both- the candidates and the corporate. The idea is to offer flexible pay after placement opportunities to the candidates and the skilled workforce to corporate.

MDI launches centre on digital economy, cryptocurrencies, cybersecurity

Gurugram, 21st October, 2021: Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon has launched a new Centre of Excellence on Digital Economy, Cryptocurrencies and Cyber Security (DECCS) aimed at encouraging academic deliberations and promoting research on emerging technology areas.

The Centre aims to examine social, economic, organisational, managerial, and political implications of digital economy. It will act as a think tank on issues related to digital economy, cybersecurity and cryptocurrencies, bringing in an India-specific context and discussion.

“The timing is perfect for setting up DECCS as October is the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month,” Lt Gen (Dr) Rajesh Pant, National Cybersecurity Coordinator in the Prime Minister’s Office, said during the virtual inaugural ceremony of the Centre held October 18.

Speaking on the theme “Challenges for Cyber Security Post Pandemic”, Pant said that the Covid-19 pandemic has turned the security architecture on its head.“The pandemic came as a radical uncertainty,” he said. “It hit us very hard. There was no control and there was no information on the way it was going. The case study of India should be seen around the world as a classic whole of nation approach and the manner in which we invoked our National Disaster Management Authority Act of 2005.”

Pant explained that when the National Disaster Management Act was invoked, people realised that a cybersecurity person has to be there for instant response for the systems to function. It was then that cybersecurity was made a part of the essential services.

He said that cyber criminals are becoming smarter by the day and taking advantage of people’s emotions. He alluded to the fact that 1.24 billion Indians are registered for the Aadhar Card scheme.

At the same time, he said that India has jumped in the Global Cyber Security Index from the 47th position to the 10th. Recalling that the infrastructure for Digital India was created in 2015, he said that now there is an Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre in the Union Home Ministry. He added that the infrastructure that was being created for Digital India from 2015 also “came to our help when we really needed it during the pandemic”.

“Our national networks were in place, the OFC (optical fibre cable) was in place,” he explained. “The MEITY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) had created these large public national platforms based on which we could implement our e-governance. Command centres of Smart Cities were converted into command centres for pandemic (control) including vaccination.”

To tackle cybercrime, Pant said that the Union Home Ministry now has Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. It became important to protect the critical information infrastructure (CII) in sectors like power, telecom, transportation and finance.

“So, to protect the CII, Industry 4.0 etc., that’s when the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre got into action. That’s where we focused on risk analysis so that our cyber physical systems do not get impacted,” he stated.

Dark web monitoring, he said, became another area of priority as a lot of cryptocurrency transactions take place through the dark web.

“So this is another area where a lot of work needs to be done. Since your centre (DECCS) is going into cryptocurrency, you need to have some sort of expertise in this,” he advised the virtual gathering.

Stating that many small and medium firms do not have funds for cybersecurity, Pant said that “we need everyone to spend 10 per cent of their IT budget on cybersecurity”.

Speaking on the occasion Prof. Rajesh Chakrabarti, Director of MDI Gurgaon, said that the areas of digital economy, cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence are no longer interest areas within management and public policy but “are the areas that drive everything that we do and transform everything that we do at a worryingly accelerating pace”.

“I am confident that DECCS will make significant contributions in the country in management and leadership,” Chakrabarti stated.

V. Srinivas, Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance, said that a centre for digital economy makes a lot of sense at this point of time as “we have seen the highest growth of digital platforms”.

, “I think the Centre for Digital economy should look at how a citizen’s journey can be simplified, how fintech can be studied better, what are the innovations that can be brought into fintech,” Srinivas opined.

The key themes and areas of research of the DECCS are digital platforms and new business models, digital transformation of government, emerging technologies for building digital capabilities, cyber laws, ethics, privacy, data protection and cybersecurity.

Prof. Anjali Kaushik, Professor of Information Management at MDI Gurgaon, is the Centre Lead of DECCS. Other members are Prof. Shiv S. Tripathi, Prof. Anupama Prashar, Prof. Prageet Aeron, and Prof. Parul Gupta.

About DECCS

The growth in the digital economy has led to the importance of issues pertaining to intellectual property, ethics, cyber security, privacy, cyber laws and regulations. At DECCS, we are focused on some of these issues and business models, strategy, and process-level transformations in the era of digital economies. The DECCS Centre of Excellence also aims to examine the solutions for addressing the cyber security risks and threat brought out by technology advancements in this era.

About MDI Gurgaon

Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon has been a trendsetter in the field of management education, consulting, high quality research and executive development. The institute has the distinction of being the first internationally accredited Indian business school having received international accreditation by Association of MBAs (AMBA) London in 2006. It was accredited by South Asian Quality Assurance Systems (SAQS) in 2006. The PG programmes in management offered by MDI are recognised and accredited by the All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi.