Latest news with #COEPTechnologicalUniversity
India Today
5 days ago
- Science
- India Today
World's first AI model cracks modi script, thanks to IIT Roorkee
IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India - July 18, 2025: In a landmark initiative that bridges India's rich historical legacy with the transformative power of artificial intelligence, the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has co-developed the world's first AI framework for transliterating the historic Modi script into Devanagari. Leveraging a Vision-Language Model (VLM) architecture, the model MoScNet offers a powerful tool for preserving medieval manuscripts and supporting large-scale digitization under initiatives like Digital India and project, titled Historic Scripts to Modern Vision, introduces MoDeTrans, the first dataset of its kind, featuring over 2,000 images of real Modi script manuscripts spanning three historical eras: Shivakalin, Peshwekalin, and Anglakalin, along with expert-verified Devanagari transliterations. The AI model MoScNet, led by Prof. Sparsh Mittal of IIT Roorkee, significantly outperforms existing OCR models and offers a scalable, lightweight solution ideal for deployment in low-resource research team also included contributions from students, Harshal and Tanvi, who pursued their studies at COEP Technological University (formerly College of Engineering, Pune) and Onkar, an alumnus of Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune. Their collaborative efforts played a key role in developing and refining the transliteration framework. Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, "This work shows how we can harness the power of AI not just for automation, but to revive our cultural heritage, empower academic research, and drive nation-building. It captures the true spirit of Viksit Bharat, preserving India's timeless wisdom and making it accessible to the world through technology."With over 40 million Modi script documents spread across India, including land records, Ayurveda manuscripts, and medieval science texts, the initiative addresses a massive gap in academic and archival research. Given the limited number of Modi script experts and the deteriorating condition of these records, this transliteration technology brings unprecedented efficiency and accessibility to heritage Sparsh Mittal, Principal Investigator, added, "We aim to democratise access to India's ancient knowledge using open-source, scalable, and ethically trained AI tools. We've built a transliteration engine and set the foundation for future AI research in Indic scripts and multilingual learning."The project aims to preserve India's medieval knowledge through AI-assisted digitization, while simultaneously developing scalable, open-source tools for historians, researchers, and government archives. By enabling future integration with national platforms such as BharatGPT and Bhashini, the model supports multilingual AI capabilities and enhances access to India's cultural assets. This contributes to key national missions including Digital India, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, and the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM). It also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11.4: "Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage." Furthermore, this AI framework holds the potential to be adapted for other endangered or ancient scripts globally, offering a replicable model for historical digitization across project exemplifies IIT Roorkee's commitment to innovative, inclusive, and impactful research, bridging the past with the future through responsible technology. The team has open-sourced the MoDeTrans dataset and MoScNet model on Hugging Face, ensuring global accessibility and encouraging community-driven innovation.- Ends
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
COEP Technological University celebrates 4th Foundation Day
COEP Technological University marked its fourth Foundation Day with a celebration at its Shivajinagar campus. A statue of renowned civil engineer and Bharat Ratna awardee M Visvesvaraya and a newly landscaped garden in front of the main building were inaugurated. In his address, professor Sunil Bhirud, vice chancellor of the university, reflected on the the institution's journey since it attained the status of a Unitary Technological Public University in June 2022. He highlighted the academic expansion with a targeted growth to 10,000 students by 2030. Chief guest Deepak Shetty, CEO & MD at JCB India Ltd, paid tribute to his mentors from COEP and hailed the unveiling of Sir M Visvesvaraya's statue as a fitting homage. He noted that the statue would serve as a daily reminder of ethical leadership and disciplined vision for future engineers. Ranjit Date, MD, Wipro Pari, spoke on the advent of AI and encouraged students to leverage AI as a tool for enhancing productivity and creativity, and to merge science, technology, and arts to address national priorities, including strengthening the defense sector.
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
MHT-CET sees record attendance in 2025 as more students opt for engineering
The number of students appearing for the Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (MHT-CET) has touched a new high this year, with over 7 lakh candidates taking the exam—marking a clear rise in the popularity of engineering and related professional courses due to higher employment opportunities. This is the first time in four years that student participation in the entrance test has not only crossed the 7-lakh mark in terms of registration but also in attendance, pointing to a renewed enthusiasm for engineering, pharmacy, and agriculture courses across the state. The State CET Cell, which conducts the exam, recorded 765,335 registrations in 2025, of which 705,600 students appeared—a significant jump from 675,445 appearances last year and 591,135 in 2023. Experts attribute the surge to multiple factors: the steady rise in demand for courses in computer science, artificial intelligence, and data science, the widening scope of core engineering branches, and improved accessibility for students in smaller towns. 'The engineering field is expanding—not just in new-age streams like AI and data analytics, but even in traditional areas like mechanical and civil, where industry applications are evolving. The growing number of seats in modern courses and rising student interest are closely linked,' said professor DN Sonawane, registrar, COEP Technological University. The physics-chemistry-mathematics (PCM) group alone saw 464,263 registrations and 422,863 students appearing for the exam. The physics-chemistry-biology (PCB) group followed with 301,072 registrations and 282,737 students appearing. 'The MHT-CET still holds relevance despite fluctuations in job markets and some engineering seats going vacant each year. Students are hopeful, especially as the scope of engineering is shifting and integrating with interdisciplinary fields,' said professor Vidyadhar Soman, a senior educationist. For many students, CET remains the gateway to a future shaped by technology and innovation. 'I chose CET because I want to study computer engineering with a focus on AI. This year's competition was intense, but it was also motivating. Engineering today is no longer just about traditional jobs—there's opportunity in startups, research, and emerging tech fields,' said Sneha Shetty, a Class 12 student from Pune. The trend is also driven by changing parental outlooks. Meenakshi Kalantri, whose son appeared for the exam, said, 'We encouraged him to go for CET because fields like computer science and AI are shaping the future. It's heartening to see more students from smaller towns aiming for professional courses that were once beyond reach. Education still holds power to change lives.' The MHT-CET's popularity—especially for engineering—comes despite concerns over vacant seats in recent years. Experts believe the shift reflects growing awareness among students and parents about the changing nature of engineering careers, and how professional degrees, especially in tech-related streams, remain relevant in a fast-evolving job market.
United News of India
08-06-2025
- Business
- United News of India
Maha: Fadnavis releases entrepreneur Dr Chaudhary's book in Pune
Pune, June 8 (UNI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday released Dr Pramod Chaudhary's book, "Pailatiravarun... Tar As Zhaal", which chronicles the latter's entrepreneurial journey. Speaking at the book release ceremony held at auditorium of COEP Technological University, the Chief Minister praised Dr Chaudhary's work in the ethanol sector, describing it as a form of national service by a visionary entrepreneur. He recalled that when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was at the Centre, the initiative to increase the ethanol blending percentage had begun, however, in the midst the Vajpayee government left office, causing the topic to be put on the backburner and delaying the ethanol mission. After the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, the ethanol topic gained momentum again, he said and pointed that Dr Chaudhary reviewed the ethanol policy, provided suggestions that were incorporated into it and since 2017-18, progress has accelerated. He noted that blending 20 percent ethanol with petrol has resulted in savings of over Rs one lakh crore in foreign exchange and informed that ethanol is being used in aviation fuel and predicted that vehicles will run on biofuels in the future. Fadnavis highlighted the potential for creating a policy to make current plastics biodegradable, which could lead to the development of industries based on this technology. He mentioned that Dr Chaudhary had prepared a report on creating a Compressed Biogas (CBG) project using agricultural waste, rice waste and Mahua flower waste in Gadchiroli. The state government would develop a policy to promote the development of the Gadchiroli district based on Dr Chaudhary's report, he added. UNI SP SS
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Pune Inc: How a 22-year-old spotted holes in India's digital transformation, and came up with solutions
Indian industry is digitising rapidly, but not uniformly — different sectors have shown unequal adaptability to digital modes. The India Digital Economy Report of January 2025 pointed out that the wholesale sector lags behind retail. In a single sector, such as banking, one can find that 95 per cent of payment transactions are digital, but processes like loans and investments remain largely offline and involve paperwork, with financial services generally less digitalised. Two years ago, Rushikesh Tanksale, who was waiting out the six months before his MTech studies started at COEP Technological University in Pune, came across companies stuck in a previous era. The 22-year-old BTech student's first experience was with a tractor manufacturer in Ranjangaon village with multiple electricity meters and transformers. After every eight-hour shift, the staff would manually write down, using pen and paper, the readings from each of the meters. 'I learnt that a lot of industries hesitate to upgrade because it takes time and the return on investment is not immediate. The hierarchical nature of companies, powered by babus who passed out before the digital revolution, also makes the transition difficult. The long processing time means that money is stuck, the pipeline is dripping, and such companies become roadblocks in the economy,' says Tanksale. He set up a startup with a bunch of interns, Two Registers, that creates customised automation software for mobile and web applications for organisations, institutions, and SMEs. For the tractor company, Two Registers developed a kit to digitise their meter reading and a few other processes. In another company, Two Registers saw that the task of getting work permits, such as for chimney cleaners to operate at heights, in a toxic environment and a high electricity area, was filled by hand using sheets of paper. 'The appended forms go to the first plant head, the second plant head, the third and to the final authority before the first pass is generated. In case of changes, you need to start from scratch,' says Tanksale. Two Registers created a software that has brought down the three-week work permit process to a week. 'They have a rotating holiday, so we cannot do much about reducing the time even further. The person who has to approve should be available,' says Tanksale. Today, his startup has 45 interns working on seven to eight different projects — and the challenge still lies in bringing a mindset change in the industry. The industries they have worked with range from automobile and construction to real estate. The company does not make a general product, but tailors software to a client's specific demand. A publisher and library client asked for a web-based platform with a system for audiobooks that Tanksale and the team created. 'There are opportunities in the market, but one just needs to have consistency and patience to look around. We try to focus on the smaller things that need attention rather than the bigger problems. This is what I have learned from my first two big projects. It is in the minor details that the Indian market is still functioning like it did 60 to 70 years ago. If we can digitalise these, it is a better option. We would be taking many companies ahead into the paperless era,' says Tanksale. Revenue is still in lakhs, and Tanksale aims to raise this to a couple of crores. 'If we get into the US market or European market, then the dynamics will change. A lot of foreign countries have a higher adaptability to digitisation,' he says.
