Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Wednesday, 7 September 2022

EmpowerMSME : partial launch as SETU

 


Context :

 Goyal launches SETU in US ; aims to connect Indian Startups with US investors

( MINT / 07 Sept 2022 )


Extract :


Union minister Piyush Goyal launched programme SETU, or Supporting Entrepreneurs in Transformation and Upskilling, in the Bay Area of San Francisco.


The initiative would connect startups in India to US-based investors and startup ecosystem leaders with mentorship and assistance in various areas including funding, market access and commercialisation.


SETU is designed to break geographical barriers between mentors based in the US who are willing to invest in entrepreneurship and sunrise startups in India.


 

The interaction will be supported through the mentorship portal under the Startup India initiative MAARG, or the Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience, and Growth programme, which is a single-stop solution finder for startups in India.


 

The portal has been developed with the idea to be made accessible from every corner of the country to connect with a mentor. A mentor will offer human intelligence in guiding the startups.

 

The core functions of MAARG are :


Ø  to improve ease of access,

Ø   use Artificial Intelligence for Matchmaking,

Ø  schedule meetings virtually,

Ø  host master classes,

Ø  provide a custom dashboard for relevant information, analytics, features, etc.,

Ø  host cohort-based programs ,

 

- that will allow startup ecosystem enablers to be become a part of the program and enable outcome driven activities.

 

 

It is estimated that about 90% of the start-ups and more than half of the well-funded startups fail in their early days.

 

Lack of experience in handling the business is a key issue, and founders require the right guidance for taking a decision and moral support.

 

As India heads towards becoming a supreme startup destination, the right guidance at the right time is paramount.

 

The Indian government invites stalwarts, seasoned experts, and industry leaders to give back to the nation by adding value to a startup’s journey.

 

MAARG is inviting applications from mentors across the world. Till date, more than 200 mentors have been onboarded MAARG { dipp-startups@nic.in }

 


MY  TAKE  :

 

8 years ago, on 17 Nov 2914,  I proposed EmpowerMSME.com , to the then

DIPP Secretary Shri Amitabh Kant through my following E Mails,  :


Reminiscing : Some past E - Mails to Shri Amitabh Kant re : www.EmpowerMSME.com

 

Extract :


Dear Amitabh ,


BENCH-MARKING   INDIA  INC

 Launching of  MakeInIndia web site was a great initiative


It can be made greater if its scope gets expanded to enable millions of SME (

Small Medium Enterprises ) to quickly learn / absorb the best Manufacturing /

Management practices of India's most successful companies

 

Can they be persuaded to share these data by uploading on MakeInIndia web site ?


It is time to convert Private Intellectual Property ( PIP ) , into National Intellectual

Property ( NIP )


I am not suggesting that any Company should reveal any of its " Trade Secrets /

Patents "

 


But if 
MakeInIndia has to become a resounding success , successful companies

must undertake to mentor 25 million SME

 

 hemen  parekh  /  17  Nov  2014  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Reply  from Shri  Amitabh Kant  ( 19  NOV  2014 )

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Hemen,


This is a mobile first initiative. The site has to be kept extremely light in content.

We will be happy to do it on DIPP.com

Too much content will make it too heavy.


Regards,

Amitabh Kant

 


Dear Shri Piyush Goyalji,

 

Thank you for SETU, which will enable large / organized / successful companies

from USA to mentor our Indian Start-ups


However , I urge you to enable our very own successful Indian Companies to do

this “ hand-holding “ through launch of :


www.EmpowerMSME.com

-       developed by L&T ( tested but not launched )



with regards,


Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  08 Sept 2022

 

 

Related Readings :

 

Ø  MSME : Need Mentoring by Large Companies…………[ 06 July 2022 ]

 

Extract :

 

Dear Prime Minister ,

You have rightly emphasized :

Ø  Empowering of MSME

Ø  Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance

Ø  Adoption of the latest technologies and innovation among MSMEs

Whereas there can be no doubt about the Government’s resolve to “ Empower MSME “ , what is urgently required is for country’s large / successful Companies to take on the responsibility of :

Ø  Mentoring of MSME

Ø  Passing on / Transferring to MSMEs, their best 

    business practices and documents 

  ( Manufacturing – Marketing – Selling – Funding – Sourcing etc ) which they have evolved in-house over the decades  after considerable “ trial and error “ and at huge costs ( Thousands of these are non-secretive and , sharing of which with MSME , do not harm the donor company’s interest, in any way )

 

Such pro-active “ knowledge transfer “ is possible through launch of a portal ,which was developed by L&T , some 5 years ago


 ( and, which can be “ launched “ within a week, if you so desire )


In this context my following write-ups will help the Government Secretary you select to implement this project :

Ø  Reminiscing : Some past E - Mails to Shri Amitabh Kant  re : www.EmpowerMSME.com

 

       

Ø  EmpowerMSME.com / User Interfaces for all web-pages / Logic / FAQ  

 

 

 

 

With Regards,

 

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  07 July 2022

 

 

 


Ø  Congratulations , Anilbhai Naik ………………….[ 08 Feb 2019 ]


 ==================================================


CC :


amn@larsentoubro.com

sns@lntecc.com

 

Garg.vinay@nic.in

adityaswamy@google.com

adeeswamy@gmail.com

vinod@indiasmeforum.org

president@indiasmeforum.org

info@indiasmeforum.org

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, 6 September 2022

E-Varsity

 


 

Context :

Digital varsity may offer courses from January: UCG chairman  /  HT  /  07 Sept 2022

 

Extract :


The National Digital University, is likely to offer some courses from January and fully function from June-July next year, University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said on Tuesday.


On February 1, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had proposed to set up a digital university to provide education that will be built on a “ hub and spoke model ”.

 

In this case, the university will act as the “ hub ” and several top higher education institutions in and outside the country will act as its “spokes”, Kumar said.

 

 Kumar said the university will use the government’s existing online educational platforms, including SWAYAM ( Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds ) portal and Samarth e-Portal.


 

“These are very advanced portals. We are likely to use them for our Digital University. It can be started off very quickly using these portals,” he said.

 

Besides, the UGC is revising regulations for online education

 

“The present online regulations have certain restrictions such as prohibiting universities from collaborating with ed-tech companies. We are now reviewing them to make them as flexible as possible,” he said.


 

“Even if a university does not have its own funds, it always has intellectual resources. They can collaborate with an ed-tech company and convert the intellectual resources into digital content and put it on a platform so that they can offer online degrees,” he added.


 

The revised regulations will also remove the cap on the number of online courses a university can offer, he pointed out. “The present regulations allow only up to 13 programmes. We are going to remove these limitations under the revised regulations. It will benefit our own students,” he said.

 

 

MY  TAKE  :

 

Dear Shri Jagdesh Kumarji ,

( cm.ugc@nic.in )


Thank you for incorporating some of my suggestions sent through my following e-mail

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  07 Sept 2021

 

 

Ø  National Skills University : Virtual is the only way …………[ 03 Apr 2021 ]

Extract :

 MY SUGGESTIONS :

( A )   Structure of the University

                It should be an AUTONOMOUS university as per DETAILED STRUCTURE

               outlined at :

          DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR UNIVERSITY   


( B )    Role

                 Ø  It should NOT engage in direct / face-to-face / physical Skilling on its

                      own campus


                 Ø  It should be a VIRTUAL university, offering ONLINE courses to anyone

                     desirous to take a course


                 Ø  It will mostly concern itself at

-        figuring out those hundreds of Skills required by the Industries / Businesses / Enterprises, and publish on its  Portal ( “ WHO wants WHAT skill “ type matrix ).


 For such compilation, it will invite TRADE ASSOCIATIONS – PROFESSIONAL BODIES


                 Ø  It will invite and collaborate with entities which can develop / create “

                     Skill Delivery Contents “ for these kills ( at levels such as, Semi-Skilled

                      / Skilled / Highly Skilled / Master Craftsman ) .


                      

                     For each of these LEVELS ( and for each SKILL ), it will develop

                     CERTIFICATION EXAM QUESTION BANKS for  download by Users

                     

                Ø  Such entities could be existing ITIsEngg Colleges Foreign

                    Universities – Public / Private Sector Companies and

                   - Online portals such as ByJuKhan Academy etc


                Ø  The cost / expense incurred by the Content Contributors, will count

                    against their CSR obligations


                Ø  University will be free to BUY such content from contributors


                Ø  University will approach entities like Google to join in this effort


                Ø  University will approach all Internet Service Providers for giving FREE

                    bandwidth to Users for downloading content or for streaming ONLINE

                    AR / VR instructions

                    

                Ø  University will approach AR / VR headset manufacturers ( such as

                    Occulus – Facebook – Apple –Google – Microsoft – IBM etc ), to

                    develop very light weight and cheap ( Rs 5,000 ) glasses for

                    REGISTERD users of Skills University ( Central Govt may consider

                    subsidizing such glasses to REGISTERED users ONLY )

 

                    Refer :

Microsoft gets contract worth up to $22 billion to outfit US Army with 120,000 AR headsets

 XR Learning Market in the US Surges to $6.7 Billion by 2026

Extract :

#   "In educational psychology, there are two phases of the learning process:

       knowledge transfer and learning transfer," comments Adkins


        Knowledge transfer is the transmission of information and skills to the

        learner.

       Learning transfer is the ability of the learner to demonstrate mastery in a

        real-world setting

       Next- generation XR Learning products (particularly the new augmented

       field force performance support  products) effectively accomplish both phases

       simultaneously

  

      

( C )    Portal

                Ø  It will have TWO sections, one for CONTENT CREATORS /

                    CONTRIBUTORS / DONORS , who ( after registering ) will upload their

                    content on the portal

                     

                Ø  Content itself could be TEXT- FORMS – IMAGES – DRAWINGS -

                    DIAGRAMS – PODCAST – VIDEO – AR/VR based INSTRUCTION SETS

                    etc

                     

                Ø  After thorough evaluation of the uploaded content, portal admin will

                    approve it for getting published /  making available for downloading by

                    USERS

                    

                Ø  Second section will be for CONTENT CONSUMERS / USERS ( who can

                    be any Indian Citizen ), who will need to register by providing full

                    details about himself / herself , such as ( Name – Current Address –

                    Aadhar Number–PAN details–Employed–Self Employed–

                    Trade/Profession - Mobile No – Email ID  etc )

                    

                Ø  A duly registered USER will be able to download ANY content

                    ( totally FREE – but only once ), details of which will be entered into

                    user’s “ Download History “ page

                    

                Ø  A “ Summary Download History Page “ ( Skill-wise / Industry wise /

                    User’s State wise etc ), for ALL the REGISTERED users,

                     ( anonymized / aggregated ) will show-up which SKILLS are in

                      demand


                Ø  Download will require :

                    > Internet enabled Mobile/Tablet/Desktop/Laptop…......for Text – Video

                        – Podcast 

                    >  Internet enabled AR / VR headsets ( glasses ) ………..for AR / VR

                        content


                Ø  Portal will allow any User to appear ONLINE in any Certification

                    Exam for any Skill, at any LEVEL ,and obtain a “digital-locker” based,

                    PASS CERTIFICATE

 

                   

Related Readings :

Ø  Thank You, Shri M Jagadesh Kumarji……………………….. [ 09 Feb 2022 ]

 ==================================================

CC :

Shri Mahendra Nath Pandeyji

(  Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship )

mahendranath.pandey@sansad.nic.in /  drmnpandeymp@gmail.com

 

pushpak@nextmeet.live

 

=====================================================

Added on  22  Feb  2023 :


Digital universities to increase accessibility to education and skill programmes ..