India launches BharatGen project for generative AI in local languages

Context:

• India on Sept. 30 launched BharatGen, an initiative to make generative AI available to citizens in different Indian languages, with Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh asserting that it was the world’s first State-funded project of its kind.
• Spearheaded by IIT Bombay under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), the initiative will create generative AI systems that can generate high-quality text and multimodal content in various Indian languages.

About BharatGen initiative:

• BharatGen initiative was the world’s first government-funded multimodal large language model project focused on creating efficient and inclusive AI in Indian languages.
• A key element of BharatGen is its open-source foundational models, which will help democratise AI across India.
• By making AI more accessible, a collaborative ecosystem would be created, where researchers and developers can work together to build innovative solutions.
• The project is expected to be completed in two years along with plans to benefit several government, private, educational, and research institutions.
• A core feature of BharatGen is its focus on data-efficient learning, particularly for Indian languages with limited digital presence.
• Through fundamental research and collaboration with academic institutions, the initiative will develop models that are effective with minimal data, a critical need for languages under served by global AI initiatives.

More info:

• Along with BharatGen initiative, officials also launched the four thematic hubs (T-Hubs) for Quantum Computing, Quantum Communication, Quantum Sensing and Metrology, and Quantum Materials and Devices, under the National Quantum Mission (NQM).
• The hubs will be at the forefront of research and innovation, setting the stage for India’s leadership in quantum computing, communication, sensing, and materials.
• Each T-Hub will operate under the Hub-Spoke-Spike model, supporting a cluster-based network of research projects (Spokes) and individual research groups (Spikes) alongside these central hubs to enhance coordination among research institutions, enabling them to pool resources and expertise.

China marks 75 years of Communist Party rule

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• China marks 75 years of Communist Party rule as economic challenges and security threats linger

News:

• China is marking the 75th year of Communist Party rule as economic challenges and security threats linger over the massive state.

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• The entirely state-controlled media ran constant reports on China’s economic progress and social stability, with no mention of challenges ranging from a declining birth rate to the disruption in supply chains that has harmed the largely export-driven economy.
• Commemorations were also held in the former British colony of Hong Kong and Portugal’s former territory of Macao, both of which returned to Chinese sovereignty in the late 1990s in a key indication of Beijing’s determination to overcome what it has called a “Century of Humiliation.”
• In recent decades, China has mounted military parades and displays of the country’s economic might only at the turn of decades, such as for the 60th and 70th anniversaries.
• The world’s second largest economy has struggled to regain momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A prolonged property slump led to a spillover effect on other parts of the economy, from construction to sales of home appliances.
• Last week, China announced a slew of measures to boost the economy, including lower interest rates and smaller down payment requirements for mortgages.
• Party leader and head of state Xi Jinping has largely avoided overseas travel since the pandemic, while continuing with his purges at home of top officials considered insufficiently loyal or being suspected of corruption or personal indiscretions.
• “The road ahead will not be smooth, there will definitely be difficulties and obstacles, and we may encounter major tests such as high winds and rough seas, or even stormy waves” Mr. Xi warned during a banquet on the eve of the anniversary.
• “We must be vigilant in times of peace, plan ahead, and rely closely on the entire Party, the entire army, and people of all ethnic groups across the country” he said, “no difficulties can stop the Chinese people from moving forward.”
• The anniversary also comes as China is facing growing frictions with neighbors including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines over territorial claims and their close relationships with Beijing’s chief rival, the United States.
• The Communists under Mao Zedong seized power in 1949 amid a civil war with the Nationalists, also known as the KMT, led by Chiang Kai-shek, who shifted their political, economic and military power to the now self-governing island democracy of Taiwan.
• Beijing continues to insist Taiwan must be annexed under Communist Party rule, by force if necessary, while the U.S. has provided arms to ensure its defense.
• China, meanwhile, has involved itself in disputes over its claims to most of the South China Sea and uninhabited islands held by Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and other neighboring nations.
• China’s military buildup and its recent launch of a nuclear capable ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean have raised concerns about a possible conflict.
• At home, Mr. Xi has made himself effectively leader for life by ending term limits and extending his power over key government and party bodies.
• China allows no competitive elections and the party retains near total control over the media that informs its 1.4 billion people.

Rectangular solar cells

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• Firm to produce ‘rectangular’ solar cells that require less land

News:

• With land for solar energy parks increasingly becoming a constraint, Solex Energy Limited, a Surat-based solar-instruments manufacturer, announced that it plans to manufacture India’s first “rectangular” solar cells.
• The solar cells commonly used in Indian panels are square but cut down in the middle (effectively making them rectangular).

More info:

• Solex’s cells would be made rectangular.
• This would increase the effective power produced by 7%, improve the structural efficiency of the cells, require no significant changes in associated installation costs, and, crucially, require less space for a similar power output.
• Normally, to produce 1 MW, a panel needs 2,000 solar cells. With this technology, we will need only 1,700.
• If three acres were required before, now you will need 2.5.
• The standard cells in vogue are squares of 182 mm length. The new cells that Solex hopes to locally manufacture by 2026 will be 182 mm wide and 210 mm long.
• The company has sourced this technology from China and the early batch of cells being deployed in India will be imported.

India aims for 280 GW:

• India has the world’s fifth-largest installed solar power capacity of 84 GW and aims to ramp up to 280 GW by 2030.
• A MW of solar power requires about 3-5 acres of land.
• This translates to 75,000 square kilometres of land.
• Finding land for solar parks has been a challenge and a source of fractious litigation.
• About 80% of India’s installed solar capacity is in solar parks, chiefly in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• In addition to this, the wide range in temperatures and climate means that solar cells operate at varying degrees of efficiency.
• Over the years, solar cells in India have evolved, and different technologies are being tested.
• In the international markets, a category called N Type TOPCON (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) cells is becoming popular, and they seem more suited for India in terms of climate and efficiency.
• While a few Indian firms are sourcing N-Type TOPCON, Solex’s variation is the N-Type TOPCON-R (for rectangular).
• The ‘Tapi-R’ series, as the company calls it – in a nod to the Tapi river in Surat – with its rectangular dimensions, comprises 132 half cut cells and delivers up to 625 Wp (the maximum power in ideal conditions in a cell) of power with a 23.14% module efficiency, the company claimed.
• It is particularly suited for large-scale solar projects in challenging environments, such as deserts, and barren land, according to a company statement.

Annual Survey of Industries

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• Annual survey of industries shows growth in manufacturing sector

News:

• India’s industrial sector is growing at a fast pace, said NITI Aayog CEO, while releasing the Annual Survey of Industries.
• The report was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation for the financial year 2022-23.

More on the news:

• Contrary to the criticism against the Centre, the manufacturing sector is growing at fast pace and providing jobs, added 22 lakh jobs in 2022-23.
• The report said the Gross Value Added (GVA) grew by 7.3% in current prices in the year 2022-23 over 2021-22.
• “Increase in input was 24.4% while output grew by 21.5% in the sector in 2022-23 over 2021-22,” the report said.
• 2022-23 witnessed a growth in industrial sector for majority of the important economic parameters like invested capital, input, output, GVA, employment and wages and even surpassed the pre-pandemic level in absolute value terms.
• When asked about the recent Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) results that cited stagnation in labour force in manufacturing sector, Mr. Subrahmanyam said the PLFS also looks at the agriculture sector, including food processing sectors.
• “PLFS is across the sectors. Contract labour is stagnant. This survey is not showing micro industries. This survey largely covers small and medium sectors,” he said.
• According to the survey, the main drivers of this growth in 2022-23 were industries like manufacture of basic metal, coke & refined petroleum products, food products, chemical and chemical products and motor vehicles.
• “These industries, taken together, contributed about 58% of the total output of the sector and showed output growth of 24.5% and GVA growth of 2.6% in comparison to 2021-22,” the government said.
• The estimated number of persons engaged in this sector in 2022-23 has exceeded the pre-pandemic level (that is 2018-19) by more than 22.14 lakh.
• “At the same time, average emoluments also registered an increase over previous year.
• Also, average emoluments per persons engaged in this sector had gone up by 6.3% in 2022-23 in comparison to 2021-22,” the report said.
• Among the major States, in terms of GVA, Maharashtra ranked first in 2022-23 followed by Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
• “The top five States, taken together contributed more than 54% of the total manufacturing GVA of the country in 2022-23.
• The top five States employing highest number of persons in this sector were Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka in ASI 2022-23.
• Taken together, these States contributed about 55% of total manufacturing employment in the year 2022-23,” the report added.

Brazil’s coast eroding faster than ever as Atlantic advances

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• In 2023, salt water almost reached a city 150 km from the mouth of the Amazon, killing freshwater fish and affecting local fishers

News:

• Global warming, combined with the silting of the Paraiba River, has contributed to the erosion of Atafona’s coast and caused the destruction of 500 houses, including the collapse of a four-story building by the beach.
• This is one of countless beachside communities losing their battles to the ocean up and down Brazil’s 8,500 km of Atlantic coastline.

More on the news:

• The sea level has risen 13 cm in the region around Atafona in the last 30 years and could rise another 16 cm by 2050, according to the United Nations report “Surging Seas in a Warming World” released last month.
• Coastal areas such as Atafona could see the ocean advance inland as much as 150 meters in the next 28 years.
• The combination of climate change and global warming … with a river that no longer carries sand to the beaches of Atafona, has caused a catastrophe for its residents and there is no hope that this situation will be reversed.
• Although dramatic, Atafona’s plight is not unique in Brazil.
• The beach in Ponta Negra, one of the most popular seaside resorts on the northeast shoulder of Brazil, is also shrinking.
• In the last two decades, it has lost 15 meters of white sand to the sea.
• The local government is bringing sand from elsewhere in an expensive effort to recover the beach.
• At the mouth of the mighty Amazon River, a fragile ecosystem is threatened with a loss of biodiversity as the river has lost strength in the region’s most severe drought on record, letting salt water from the ocean advance upstream.
• Salt water comes further up the river and this will change the whole biodiversity of that area.
• Last year, salt water reached almost as far upriver as Macapa, a city 150 km from the mouth of the Amazon, killing freshwater fish and impacting local fishing communities.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the U.N. body for assessing the science related to climate change, reported that sea levels are rising faster than ever, with the rate more than doubling in the past 10 years to 0.48 cm a year, compared to 0.21 cm annually in 1993-2002.
• The loss of land in coastal towns and beaches is inevitable with rising seas, questioning why city planning had not adapted.
• It is shocking to see houses being destroyed in Atafona. But you were not supposed to build houses there. You should have woods, a mangrove swamp, a sandbank, ecosystems that would naturally be prepared to hold the sea.