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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
UP PCS (Main) 2024 begins; papers feature AI, Make in India & startups
The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) commenced the Uttar Pradesh Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services (Main) Examination-2024, commonly known as UP PCS (Main)-2024, on Sunday across 34 centers in Prayagraj and Lucknow. Candidates coming out of a centre on Day 1 after appearing in UP PCS (Mains)-2024 in Prayagraj (HT Photo) On the first day, the morning session from 9 am to 12 noon featured the General Hindi paper, followed by the Essay paper from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm. The Essay paper was divided into three sections, each offering three topics. Candidates were required to write an essay of up to 700 words in Hindi, English, or Urdu on any one topic from each section. Each essay carried 50 marks, according to a candidate. In Section 'A', topics included Human Values and Literature, The Concept of 'New Woman' in India: A Myth, and The Impact of Youth Participation in Nation Building. Section 'B' covered Artificial Intelligence (AI): Opportunities and Challenges, Startups: India's Future, and Technological Innovations and Sustainable Development in Agriculture. Section 'C' included essays on India's Growing Popularity on the International Stage, Global Warming: A Crisis for the Future, and Make in India. The General Hindi paper featured two prose passages worth 30 marks each. Additionally, there was a 10-mark letter-writing task and a 10-mark circular-writing exercise. Candidates were asked to write a letter on behalf of the Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police to the District Police Superintendent, instructing strict measures to curb crime in the district. Another circular was to be written on behalf of the Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, addressing all state governments to enforce a complete ban on prenatal sex determination to support the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) campaign. Other questions in the General Hindi paper included antonyms worth 10 marks, one-word substitutes worth 10 marks, sentence formation and spelling correction worth five marks each, and 30 marks assigned for writing the meanings and usage of ten idioms/proverbs. The main examination will continue with two General Studies papers daily until July 2, totaling six papers. On the first day of the PCS main exam, candidates appeared satisfied with the papers. Most found the General Hindi and Essay papers to be of moderate difficulty. Ankur Gupta from Jaunpur, appearing for the mains for the first time, said the paper was easy and all questions were from the syllabus. Adesh Tripathi from Sultanpur, who has been attempting the mains since 2017, said the paper was good and no section was particularly difficult. First-time mains candidates Amit Agrahari from Jaunpur, Mehak Srivastava from Lucknow, and Sakshi Sonkar from Varanasi also found the paper manageable and said the questions were such that every candidate could answer them comfortably.
India Today
17-06-2025
- General
- India Today
Goodbye pencils, hello pens: The class VI moment we all waited for
For many of us who grew up in the '80s, '90s, or early 2000s, growing up didn't come with a grand declaration. It came quietly, in the middle of a school day, wrapped in an unexpected announcement from a teacher: "From tomorrow, you all can start using pens."It wasn't just a rule change; it was a transformation. One moment, we were chewing the ends of HB pencils and begging for sharper erasers; the next, we were clutching leaky Hero fountain pens or shiny Reynolds 045s, feeling older, more responsible, and just a little bit powerful. advertisementThere was something beautifully irreversible about ink. Unlike pencil marks, you couldn't just rub your mistake away you had to live with it, scribble it out, or (if you were brave) use a correction pen and hope no one noticed. It felt like the world was trusting us with something serious. "I remember coming home with an ink-stained pocket and my mom just gave me that look," laughs Ankur Gupta, 36, now a lawyer. "She didn't say anything at first - just handed me a lemon to scrub it out. That was my first lesson in pen responsibility."THE PRESTIGE OF PENS advertisement In those days, your pen wasn't just a writing instrument; it was a social marker. Fountain pens were considered intellectual, even noble. Ballpoints were dependable. Gel pens were cool. And if you had a Parker pen gifted by an uncle abroad or handed down from your father, you were fights were a real thing during free periods, and so was pen envy. Kids would show off glitter pens with coloured ink and scent, or the magical four-in-one pen with buttons for red, blue, green, and black."I used to trade my lunch for someone's Add Gel pen for a day," says Swati Mishra, 34, a school teacher. "That smooth glide? Worth every bite of aloo paratha." We kept our pens in pencil pouches as if they were fine jewellery. Some of us even had 'lucky pens' for exams, and there was heartbreak when they ran out of ink mid-paper. The classic blue-ink eraser - that two-toned terror - promised miracles but usually left torn paper and YOUR WORDS (AND MISTAKES) More than anything, pens made us feel mature. They taught us to be careful, to write neatly, to mean what we said because there was no going back. The shift from pencil to pen was an early brush with the permanence of adulthood. "That first pen gave me a weird confidence," recalls Rashmi Nair, 37, a communications manager. "I wasn't just writing notes. I was telling the world I was ready - for responsibility, for mistakes, for all of it." We live in a digital world now, where children swipe before they scribble. But for a certain generation, pens marked the start of something bigger. A messy, meaningful, ink-stained journey into growing up. Picture credit: Generative AI by Vani Gupta
India Gazette
16-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Vedanta Software: Empowering Digital Journalism Through Scalable SAAS Solutions
Vedanta Software New Delhi [India], June 16: Vedanta Software, an emerging IT firm from Chhattisgarh, India, is making significant strides in the digital publishing sector by offering powerful and accessible SAAS-based solutions tailored for news portals and ePaper platforms. The firm has developed two cloud-based Content Management Systems -- Epaper CMS and Newsportal CMS -- designed specifically for media houses. These tools enable journalists and editors to publish digital replica of their newspapers, publish news articles, create web stories, and share content on social media, directly from their desktop or mobile devices. Initially created to serve small and mid-sized news publishers, Vedanta Software's platforms have now been adopted by some of India's leading regional publications, including Dainik Jagran, Navbharat, and Haribhoomi, among others. 'Running a modern news platform shouldn't require technical expertise. Our goal is to make digital journalism cost-effective, accessible and efficient for publishers of all sizes, anywhere in the world,' -- Ankur Gupta, Founder, Vedanta Software The platform includes modern publishing features such as Area Mapping, SEO-friendly URLs, advertisement management tools, web story modules, multi-user access with role-based permissions, and automated news distribution via RSS. While headquartered in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India, Vedanta Software is actively expanding its footprint, aiming to bring its user-friendly publishing tools to regional newsrooms across Asia, and other global markets. For partnerships, media inquiries, or to schedule a product demo, visit or contact via email at contact@ or WhatsApp/Call: +91-9977139265. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by Vedanta Software. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Business Standard
16-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Vedanta Software: Empowering Digital Journalism Through Scalable SAAS Solutions
Vedanta Software New Delhi [India], June 16: Vedanta Software, an emerging IT firm from Chhattisgarh, India, is making significant strides in the digital publishing sector by offering powerful and accessible SAAS-based solutions tailored for news portals and ePaper platforms. The firm has developed two cloud-based Content Management Systems -- Epaper CMS and Newsportal CMS -- designed specifically for media houses. These tools enable journalists and editors to publish digital replica of their newspapers, publish news articles, create web stories, and share content on social media, directly from their desktop or mobile devices. Initially created to serve small and mid-sized news publishers, Vedanta Software's platforms have now been adopted by some of India's leading regional publications, including Dainik Jagran, Navbharat, and Haribhoomi, among others. "Running a modern news platform shouldn't require technical expertise. Our goal is to make digital journalism cost-effective, accessible and efficient for publishers of all sizes, anywhere in the world," -- Ankur Gupta, Founder, Vedanta Software The platform includes modern publishing features such as Area Mapping, SEO-friendly URLs, advertisement management tools, web story modules, multi-user access with role-based permissions, and automated news distribution via RSS. While headquartered in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India, Vedanta Software is actively expanding its footprint, aiming to bring its user-friendly publishing tools to regional newsrooms across Asia, and other global markets. For partnerships, media inquiries, or to schedule a product demo, visit or contact via email at contact@ or WhatsApp/Call: +91-9977139265.
Entrepreneur
09-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Kosmc AI Secures $200,000 Pre-Seed Round to Bridge Gap Creators and Commerce
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Kosmc AI, a social commerce infrastructure startup, has raised $200,000 in pre-seed funding from a group of undisclosed angel investors based in India and the Middle East. According to a press release issued by the company, the capital will be used to enhance its no-code product suite, expand affiliate integrations, and scale operations across India and Southeast Asia. Kosmc AI is tackling what it calls a fundamental mismatch between how users interact on social platforms and how commerce actually happens. While platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram drive high engagement, the company argues that monetisation mechanisms remain outdated and inefficient. "Social platforms are now where discovery and engagement begin, but monetisation still relies on traditional e-commerce systems," said Ankur Gupta, CEO, Kosmc AI. "Kosmc is building infrastructure that allows individuals and brands to convert conversations and content into commerce, without needing code, commissions, or technical complexity." With over 160,000 monthly active users across 25 countries, the platform primarily serves content creators, digital-first entrepreneurs, and early-stage consumer brands. Its toolset includes link-in-bio storefronts for direct sales via social media, chat automation to handle customer interactions, mobile-optimised checkout Smartlinks, and affiliate tools to connect brands with creators and micro-influencers. The rise of short-form video, chat-based transactions, and influencer marketing is reshaping how consumers discover and purchase products. Kosmc AI is aiming to serve as a backbone for this emerging model of commerce—one that bypasses traditional e-commerce gatekeepers. Manavta Narula, co-founder and COO, underscored the company's broader ambition. "Commerce today needs to be creator-first, mobile-native, and frictionless," she said. "We are building tools that allow anyone to own their narrative, engage meaningfully, and earn from their presence online without heavy dependencies."
