Skills ministry launches AI programme for school students
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
The ministry of skills development and entrepreneurship, on Tuesday, launched a national level initiative SOAR (Skilling for AI Readiness) aimed at embedding AI awareness and foundational skills among school students (classes 6–12) and building AI literacy among educators.'The programme seeks to bridge the digital divide by ensuring equitable access to AI education across geographies, thereby supporting the national agenda of inclusive, future-ready skilling,' the ministry said in a statement issued to mark the 10 years of Skill India Mission SOAR comprises three progressive 15-hour modules for students—AI to be Aware, AI to Acquire, and AI to Aspire—and one independent 45-hour module for teachers titled AI for educators.The program introduces concepts such as AI basics, generative AI, AI in daily life, programming fundamentals, ethics, cybersecurity and future career opportunities.On the occasion, Jayant Chaudhary, minister of state (independent charge), MSDE, said his ministry, through the National Skills Development Corporation , has mobilised $14.4 million through Skill Impact Bond (SIB) to transform how skilling is financed, with a clear focus on employment outcomes.Besides, the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) operationalized its advanced digital enterprise portal (DEP), officially named KaushalVerse and launched its revised comprehensive guidelines for the recognition and regulation of assessment agencies, 2025.'This state-of-the-art platform has been developed to streamline and democratize the core regulatory functions of NCVET, ensuring efficient, transparent, and responsive service delivery in the skill ecosystem,' the ministry said.These guidelines mark a significant step forward ensuring standardized, transparent, and outcome-based assessment across the country, it added.Even the revised guidelines for the recognition and regulation of awarding bodies, 2025, were unveiled to align with the evolving education and employment ecosystem and the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Credit Framework (NCrF).'These guidelines accentuate the integration of vocational education into mainstream systems, promoting flexible, multidisciplinary learning pathways,' it added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Thiruvananthapuram startup Netrasemi raises Rs 107 crore from Zoho Corp, Unicorn India Ventures
KOCHI: Kerala-based semiconductor startup Netrasemi has raised Rs 107 crore in the Series A round from Zoho Corporations Ltd & Unicorn India Ventures. This is the single largest funding raised by the startup compared to the earlier rounds. In the earlier rounds, the company had raised a total of Rs 125 crore. Speaking to TNIE, Jyothis Indirabhai, co-founder and CEO of Netrasemi, said, 'The funds raised will be used for accelerating research and development initiatives, expand manufacturing capabilities, enhance marketing efforts to capture larger domestic and global market share, bring four system-on-chip variants with advanced AI and video analytics features into production and address compute platform requirements of original equipment manufactures (OEMs) for surveillance, industrial robotics, and smart infrastructure products.' According to him, the startup has successfully completed the development of two System on a Chip (SoC) products. 'The company is focused on developing SoCs that enable optimal computing for smart IoT products, particularly for addressing complex workloads like video processing. These chips can be used in devices, making them capable of performing advanced AI-based analytics directly, eliminating the need to send data to servers or the cloud.' This capability is powered by Netrasemi's energy-efficient deep-neural AI acceleration core (NPU) and comprehensive portfolio of in-house silicon intellectual properties. In the last 12 months, the company has completed development of two Edge-AI chips with advanced video capabilities, initiated development of CCTV AI camera chip for Indian market, established partner agreements for evaluation boards and platform development, signed multiple MOUs with global partners for sample release and product R&D and secured interest and requirements from multiple OEMs for platform development using Netrasemi SoCs.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls AI the ‘greatest equalizer of our time', predicts it will create more millionaires than the internet
Synopsis Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, predicts AI will create more millionaires in the next five years than the internet did in twenty, democratizing wealth creation by making everyone a programmer, artist, and author. He envisions companies operating both physical and digital factories, with small AI teams generating billions in value. Reuters Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, predicts AI will create more millionaires in the next five years than the internet did in twenty, democratizing wealth creation by making everyone a programmer, artist, and author. He envisions companies operating both physical and digital factories, with small AI teams generating billions in value. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is no stranger to making bold claims, but his latest prediction might just redefine how we view the next era of innovation. Speaking on the All-In podcast hosted by venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, Huang forecasted that 'AI will create more millionaires in five years than the internet did in 20.' In an era where AI is evolving faster than policy and public understanding can keep pace, Huang's perspective offers both a reality check and a roadmap for those hoping to ride the next tech wave. The takeaway? The AI revolution is already here, and those who don't adapt may be left behind. When asked why he calls AI the 'greatest technology equaliser,' Huang responded with a transformative view: 'Everybody is a programmer now.' According to the Nvidia CEO, the traditional gatekeeping of coding languages like C++ or Python has faded. With AI interfaces, people now only need to express an idea in natural language to create something powerful. 'Everybody is an artist now; everybody is an author now,' Huang said, explaining that AI bridges the gap between imagination and execution. The CEO believes this accessibility will democratize wealth creation, empower creatives, and allow smaller teams to deliver enterprise-level impact. Huang believes that in the near future, every company will operate two factories—one physical and one digital. 'Tesla builds cars in one factory, and in another, it builds the AI that powers them,' he explained. This model, he claims, will soon apply to every major industrial business, not just tech startups. And the scale? Staggering. Nvidia plans to produce about $500 billion worth of AI supercomputers in Arizona and Texas over the next four years. These machines are expected to drive trillions in economic value across industries. In a conversation during the Hill and Valley Forum, Huang revealed the financial impact of compact, focused AI teams. Citing examples like OpenAI and China's DeepSeek—each initially staffed with about 150 researchers—Huang estimated these teams can produce value worth $20 to $30 billion, or roughly $200 million per person. 'No industry in history has ever had this kind of leverage,' he asserted, underlining how mid-sized teams, when backed with the right resources, can transform markets at lightning speed. In fact, Huang noted, 'I've created more billionaires on my management team than any CEO in the world. They're doing just fine.' In an unexpected insight into Nvidia's internal culture, Huang also shared his hands-on approach to employee compensation. He confirmed that he personally reviews every proposed salary and stock grant at the company—yes, all 42,000 employees—and uses machine learning to sort through recommendations. '100% of the time, I increase the company's spend on OpEx,' Huang said, 'because you take care of people, and everything else takes care of itself.' And yes, he jokingly added, he does 'carry stock options in his pocket.' Huang issued a word of caution for professionals stuck in old ways. 'Anybody who is not using AI is going to lose their jobs to someone with knowledge of AI,' he said. This wasn't framed as a threat, but rather a reflection of the new baseline in skill development. For those who've long felt tech was inaccessible, AI may offer an unexpected second chance to get ahead. 'The barrier between idea and execution has collapsed,' Huang declared.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
How a Bengaluru man tried to dodge tax by registering his Ferrari & Mercedes in other states but ended up paying Rs 1 crore in dues
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A businessman based in Bengaluru has landed in trouble for trying to dodge Karnataka's high road tax by registering his luxury cars in other states. According to a TOI report, he has now been made to pay nearly Rs 1 crore in pending taxes after a transport department department recovered Rs 61.9 lakh in tax for his Ferrari 812 Superfast, which was registered in Jharkhand, and Rs 37 lakh for his Mercedes-Benz, which was registered in Puducherry. Officials found that both cars were regularly being used in Karnataka, even though they were registered elsewhere.'He lives and works in Bengaluru. The Ferrari, which costs about Rs 5 crore, was registered in Jharkhand with just Rs 14 lakh paid as tax. If he had registered it here, the tax would have been close to Rs 1 crore,' a senior official from the transport department told per the rules, if a car registered outside Karnataka is used in the state for more than 12 months, the owner must pay Karnataka's road tax. 'He didn't follow this rule,' the official March, the department sent the businessman a notice asking him to pay the dues. He first claimed the Ferrari had only come to Bengaluru for servicing in January and would be returned to Jharkhand within three months.'But we gathered proof that both cars had been used here regularly for over a year. On Friday, we showed him the evidence and warned of legal action. He then agreed to settle the matter and gave cheques for the dues,' the official is the second such case in recent days. Earlier this week, the department collected Rs 40 lakh in tax from another businessman who had bought second-hand Rolls-Royce cars that once belonged to actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. Those vehicles were also running in Karnataka without paying local from TOI
