Indian Professionals Could Benefit from Fairer Exams

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- Professionals across India would benefit from an improvement in the fairness and validity of exams, according to Gary Gates, a senior executive at global computer-based testing company Pearson VUE. Mr Sharma said: “India is a success story in terms of professional assessment, but clearly much more can be done to raise standards. There are concerns about the effectiveness of a test in fulfilling the primary objective of being a legally defensible measure of a specific competence. It is crucial to address the challenges test owners in India face to meet the 21st century assessment needs of professionals, and through the application of measurement science and now computer-based testing, this can be achieved.”

Dr. Gates, senior vice president, global business at Pearson VUE, said that India has experienced rapid economic growth for some time now, and competitive professionals are keen to gain qualifications across professions such as law, healthcare and accounting. But in order for them to succeed and for qualifications to be recognised on a global scale, exam standards must improve.

There have been media reports about issues involving the quality and validity of exams along with prominent cases of exam fraud and the best way to combat this is by developing valid, fair and reliable exams according to global assessment best practices.

To help guide exam owners in applying these best practices to their own programmes, Dr Gates and Divyalok Sharma, senior director client development at Pearson VUE India, will be hosting a special event on how to raise India’s assessment standards.

Topics to be discussed at the event will include how to develop a fair, valid and reliable exam, as well as security, transitioning from pen-and-paper to computer-based testing and the New Age Examination platform.

The event, Improving India’s exam standards through global best practices, takes place at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 23rd February at 8:30am. See the website http://bit.ly/2jF2umw for further details.

Khadak Disowns Babble in Ichhapyaari Naagin

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- Sony SAB’s Ichhapyaari Naagin is riding high on emotional drama these days. Fed up with the rivalry and fights in the family, Khadak decides to live separately in the same house. But Babble gets sentimental and says that he wants to stay in both the sides of the family. He asks them to cut his body and divide it into two. Khadak gets annoyed with the drama and cancels the parting in the house.

An enthusiastic Babble (Mishkat Verma) makes breakfast for everyone, and they all love it. Khadak calls the lawyer the next morning and informs everyone that Babble was the reason why the separation was cancelled. Khadak fumes with anger and declares that he will dismiss all his responsibilities from Babble and disown him as his son. Babble breaks down when he hears this, but still Khadak goes ahead with his word and signs a legal paper disowning his son, Babble.

Commenting on the track, Mishkat Verma who plays Babble said that he is successfully able to stop the separation in the house, but his father Khadak, his father in the show has his own ego issues, which don’t allow him be empathetic towards my thinking.

Cisco Mobile VNI Forecasts Seven-Fold Increase in Global Mobile Data Traffic from 2016-21

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- By 2021, more members of the global population[2] will be using mobile phones (5.5 billion) than bank accounts (5.4 billion), running water (5.3 billion), or landlines (2.9 billion), according to the 11^th annual Cisco Visual Networking Index™ (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast (2016 to 2021). Strong growth in mobile users, smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT) connections as well as network speed improvements and mobile video consumption are projected to increase mobile data traffic seven-fold over the next five years.

By 2021, Cisco projects mobile data traffic will achieve the following milestones: Mobile data traffic to represent 20 percent of total IP traffic—up from just 8 percent of total IP traffic in 2016. 1.5 mobile devices per capita. Nearly 12 billion mobile-connected devices (up from 8 billion and 1.1 per capita in 2016), including M2M modules. Mobile network connection speeds will increase three-fold from 6.8 Mbps in 2016 to 20.4 Mbps by 2021. Machine-to-machine (M2M) connections will represent 29 percent (3.3 billion) of total mobile connections up from 5 percent (780 million) in 2016. M2M will be the fastest growing mobile connection type as global IoT applications continue to gain traction in consumer and business environments. 4G will support 58 percent of total mobile connections by 2021up from 26 percent in 2016, and will account for 79 percent of total mobile data traffic and the total number of smartphones (including phablets) will be over 50 percent of global devices and connections (6.2 billion)—up from 3.6 billion in 2016

The explosion of mobile applications and adoption of mobile connectivity by end users is fueling the growth of 4G, soon to be followed by 5G growth. Cisco and other industry experts anticipate large-scale deployments of 5G infrastructures to begin by 2020. Mobile carriers will need the innovative speed, low latency, and dynamic provisioning capabilities that 5G networks are expected to deliver not just increasing subscriber demands, but also new services trends across mobile, residential, and business markets. Cisco forecasts that 5G will account for 1.5 percent of total mobile data traffic by 2021, and will generate 4.7 times more traffic than the average 4G connection and 10.7 times more traffic than the average 3G connection.

Doug Webster, Vice President of Service Provider Marketing at Cisco, said that with the proliferation of IoT, live mobile video, augmented and virtual reality applications, and more innovative experiences for consumer and business users alike, 5G technology will have significant relevance not just for mobility but rather for networking as a whole.  As a result, broader and more extensive architectural transformations involving programmability and automation will also be needed to support the capabilities 5G enables, and to address not just today’s demands but also the extensive possibilities on the horizon.

Sanjay Kaul, Managing Director, Service Provider Business, Cisco India & SAARC  said that as India leaps towards a digital economy, 2016 alone saw a huge growth in mobile traffic – by 76% from last year and, by 2021 consumer mobile traffic will grow 7.4-fold at a CAGR of 49% y-o-y. Much of this growth will be fueled by massive consumer adoption of smartphones, IoT, smart devices and use of machine-to-machine connections with an estimated 1,380 million mobile-connected devices by 2021. As the Internet of Everything gains momentum, we are clearly headed towards a new era in Internet communications, with M2M connections predicted to increase 17-fold at a CAGR of 76% y-o-y. The way we use connectivity in devices today will change businesses, government, healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, retail, transportation and other key industries.

सिटिजन अवेयरनेस ग्रुप ने पंजाब सरकार से तंबाकू उत्पादों पर कर बढ़ाने कि की अपील

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- सिटिजन अवेयरनेस ग्रुप ने पंजाब के विभिन्न विभागों जैसे फाइनांस, टैक्सेशन और वेलफेयर डिपार्टमेंट से पंजाब स्टेट बजट2017-18 में तंबाकू के बने उत्पादों पर ज्यादा वैट लगाने की अपील की है। इस सिलसिले में ग्रुप के अध्यक्ष सुरिंदर वर्मा ने पंजाब के वितिय मंत्री परमिंदर सिंह ढिंढसा, स्वास्थय मंत्री सुरजीत कुमार जयानी, आईएएस ऑफिसर विन्नी महाजन और वितिय मंत्रालय के अतिरिक्त मुख्य सचिव सतीश चंद्रा को चिठ्ठी लिखकर पंजाब में तंबाकू के उत्पादों पर वैट बढ़ाए जाने की अपील की है।सुरिंदर ने इस चिठ्ठी में पंजाब में बढ़ते तंबाकू के उत्पादों और इसकी वजह से हर साल प्रदेश को हो रहे नुकसान पर जौर डालकर कहा है कि, केंद्र सरकार द्वारा देश में जीएसटी बिल को पारित करने से पहले ही हमें तंबाकू से जुड़े उत्पादों पर बैट को बढ़ाना चाहिए। क्योंकि तंबाकू के सेवन के मामले में भारत दूसरा देश है, जिसमें से पंजाब में 11.7 प्रतिशत लोग शामिल हैं। विश्व स्वास्थय संगठन (डब्लूयएचओ) ने भी अपनी स्टडी में पाया कि तंबाकू के सेवन से होने वाली बिमारियों की वजह से देश की अर्थव्यवस्था में भी फर्क पड़ता है। साल 2011 में भारत में तंबाकू की बिमारी की वजह से 1.04 लाख करोड़ रुपए का नुकसान हुआ। जो जीडीपी का 1.16 प्रतिशत था। साथ ही तंबाकू उत्पादों की बिक्री से सरकार को मिलने वाला रेवन्यू भी अनुमानित मुनाफे का 17 प्रतिशत ही मिलता है। तंबाकू उत्पादों पर वैट बढ़ाने से जहां पंजाब के लोग इसके महंगे होने से इसे छोडऩे की कोशिश करेंगे वहीं स्वास्थय में खर्च होने वाली रकम भी दूसरी बिमारियों को ठीक करने पर खर्च की जाएगी।

बाकी राज्यों से कम है पंजाब में तंबाकू से बने उत्पादों पर वैट:-

पंजाब में तंबाकू से बने उत्पादों पर मात्र 14.3 तक का वैट लगता है, इससे यह हर किसी के लिए आसानी से उपलब्ध होता है। मुख्यता उन गरीब लोंगों के लिए जिनकी आमदनी बहुत कम होती है। ऐसे परिवार के मुखिया तंबाकू का अकसर उपयोग करते हैं। तंबाकू से बने उत्पादों पर अगर वैट बढ़ जाए तो ऐसे लोग तंबाकू पर अपने पैसे नहीं खर्चेंगे और अच्छे खाने पीने पर अपना रुपया लगाएंगे। यह आखिरी मौका होगा जब पंजाब में तंबाकू के बने उत्पादों पर वैट को बढ़ाया जा सकेगा। क्योंकि जीएसटी के आने के बाद यह प्रक्रिया बहुत मुश्किल होगी। साथ ही तंबाकू पर वैट बढ़ाने से सरकार को ज्यादा रेवन्यू अर्जित होगा। इससे ये रैवन्यू सरकार पंजाब के विकास के लिए बनाए गए विभिन्न प्रोजेक्ट पर लगा सकेगी।

Poster of Punjabi film“Punjab Singh” Released

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- Another feather in the caps of Punjabi films to be added, “Punjab Singh” whose shooting is going to start from 12^th February. The first look poster of “Punjab Singh” was released here today. Taaj is going to be the director of the movie. This is his first film. Before this he has directed many music videos.

The film will be made under the banners of Big Heights Motion Pictures, Gill Brother Production in association with PRB and Jaisal Entertainment. The producers of the movie are Mahi Aulakh and Jagdeep Sarpanch. Director Taaj, Producers Mahi Aulakh and Jagdeep Sarpanch, Writer Gurjind Mann along with the leac actors Gurjind Mann, Sarthi-K, Kuljinder, Lead Actress Annie Sekhon, Yaad Grewal and Rupinder Rupi were present on this occasion.

The team of the movie said that this movie will be a Musical Action Drama based theme. The shooting will be done in Amritsar, Rajasthan and Nepal. A big importance is being given to the story as well as to the music of the movie. The music has been given by Gurcharan Singh, Diljit, DJ Narinder and Vikas Sunil. The lyrics of the songs have been penned by Gurjind Mann. Nooran Sisters, Ninja, Rupinder Handa, SarthK, Kamal Khan and Inderjeet have lent their melodious voices to the songs.

The Director, Taaj, said that this is his first film as a Director but he has huge experience in cinema and has done lot of homework on camera work. The audience will see this experience on the screen.  He further added that the story of this film is quite different from many other Punjabi films. The audience will be able to see a different cinema through this movie. This movie is the movie’s Hero Gurjind Mann’s second movie. We have seen Gurjind Mann in, “Once Upon A Time In Amritsar” and in a short movie called “Wandd”. This film will be a second film of film’s parallel Hero, Sarthi-K. We saw him in “Yaar Anmulle 2”, also. He said that audience will see him in a different role altogether. We have another Parallel Hero, Kuljinder Sidhu, who has gained lot of publicity before also with his movies like, “Sadda Haq”, “Yodha-The Warrior” and “Minni Punjab”.

The complete starcast of the movie includes Gurjind Mann, Saarthi-K , Kuljinder Sidhu, Annie Sekhon, Ashish Duggal , Aroon Bali, Anita Devgan , Bainy Mangat , Yaad Grewal , Davvy Singh, Rupinder Rupi , Shweta Grover, Mani Kular, Honey Shergill and Vikas Kohli.

The movie will be completed within 40 days schedule.

HICARE Brings Best in Class HEPASilent Filtration with Swedish Giant ‘Blueair Purifier’

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- HICARE, India’s leading pest control and home cleaning services company teams up with Blueair a Swedish world leader in clean air technology to reach 200 Indian cities through direct to home sales and service. Clean air is for everyone and for the past 20 years Blueair is working hard to create products that combine unparalleled performance, technological innovation and design. HICARE with its trained personnel will not only advice and install this superior air purifier but will also cater to the service and upkeep, delivering consumers a matchless convenience. Blueair has helped millions of people around the world to feel the benefits of breathing cleaner air. It is India’s turn to breathe easy.

Blueair HEPA Silent Technology captures 99.97% of all airborne particles down to 0.1 micron in size with its revolutionary combination of advanced filter media and an encapsulated particle-charging chamber which uses mechanical plus electrostatic technology ensuring your Blueair purifier delivers results far superior than any other the market has to offer. Blueair purifiers are made with love, exceeding industry standards, to create products that combine unparalleled performance, technological innovation with Swedish design. Constant innovation and striving to discover smarter clean air solutions ensures that you breathe clean and pure as nature intended.

Annika Waller, Blueair Chief Marketing Officer, world-wide said that we have identified India as a key market for Blueair, with rising awareness about good and healthy living, we are confident Blueair will soon become a part of everyday life here.

Girish Bapat, Blueair Director West and South Asia Region said that HICARE is the choicest partner for Blueair, their vast reach across 200 plus cities and trained personnel makes them, Blueair’s strength for direct to home and service, HICARE’s expert team will further differentiate our offering in India.

Himanshu Chakrawarti, CEO HICARE said that Blueair purifies are the world’s best, their vast product range, commitment to innovation, combined with HICARE’s strength of reach committed and experienced manpower are all set to take the market by storm. HICARE has always been consumer driven, the Blueair purifier is excellently priced in its class, we will make a real difference to the lives of the consumers that trust in us. Life in India is set to improve and we will be a part of this great journey.

HICARE will sell an exciting range of Blueair purifiers. Blue pure211, Blueair Classic 280i, 480i, 680i models have built-in clean air intelligence technology that integrates seamlessly with an app or a sleek Blueair Aware air monitor that helps consumer better understand pollutants indoor and speedily remove the contaminants. The Blueair Classic also offers an improved clean air delivery rate (CADR), filtering 20 percent more air on the faster speed setting and a substantially lower noise level and power consumption thanks to improved fan technology. Blueair Purifiers will be available for booking and purchase from 8^th Feb, 2017 on www.hicare.in and on 3988-9988with prices starting at Rs. 24,990/ onwards. These products are best in class, excellent value for money and very suitable for the discerning Indian home. Designed to fit your sense of style, the sleek Blueair unit fits seamlessly into any home or office. Its contemporary look has earned it the ‘Good Design Award’ 2016, by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, ‘Excellent Swedish Design’ honoring the best of Scandinavian design, ‘G Mark’ Japan’s Good Design Award, by Japan’s Institute of Design Promotion.

Whiz Juniors 2017 Discovers India’s Top 15 Tech Genius

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- At a glittering ceremony held at the NSCI, Worli, gathered were 75 talented tech whiz kids from all over India who were felicitated for winning awards in a fiercely contested gamified competition in the city today. The biggest Online Technology Competition of its kind, ‘WHIZ Juniors 2017’ was a pan-India contest organized by the Mumbai-based Clone Futura.

The winners who received awards are Soham Pednekar,Aadity punatar,Abhrajit Gogoi from Group A, Om Hemdev,Shiv Bhatt Arnav Chokhawala from Group B, Shresht Prasad, Shreyaan Daga,Viraj Thakur from Group C, Aahaan phadnis, Deepak Roshan, Pratham Chaudhary, Group D from Ajay Rawat, Salil Naik, Satvik Annapragada from  Group E. The Finalists were from Mumbai, New Mumbai, Jamshedpur, Panaji and Bengaluru.   

To applaud and encourage the winners and runners-up ranging from 2nd to 12th standard, eminent personalities were present including Gowri Ishwaran , the chief executive officer of the Global Education and Leadership Foundation Dr Jawahar Surisetti - Education Advisor to 3 state governments and Central Government, Perin Bagli, Regional Head of Maharashtra ICSE board and principals of prestigious schools.  

Vidushi Daga, Founder & Director of Clone Futura said that half of what technology students know today will be obsolete in 2-3 years, and in order to sustain a competitive advantage, students need to keep upgrading their technological skills. Vidushi Daga added that Whiz juniors’ gamified learning platform gives an opportunity to enhance the entrepreneurial and learning skills of young minds with fun, since today it is very important to empower children with the latest technology.

Vidushi Daga further added that this time we also had some special students who have reached the Top 75. One of them is Bhavya Shah,visually impaired student from Gopi Birla memorial school and other is Medansh Mehta from Euro school, Mumbai who surprised Satya Nadella with his new gaming application. This makes us proud that Whiz juniors exist to champion and promote excellence in Technology in all its forms without being biased. It seeks to celebrate power of knowledge of innovation, curiosity and creation amongst the present generations and also helps them in achieving their dreams.

Adding to this Perin Bagli, Regional Head of Maharashtra ICSE board said that Whiz Juniors is a wonderful platform to encourage and groom children to grow in life and succeed in achieving their dreams. She has personally witnessed the enthusiasm among children from her school (Activity School) coming up to her and sharing their tech ideas. It is surprising to see such creative ideation among today’s young generation, and she is glad that we have a platform like Whiz juniors to support them and make them one of India’s tech geniuses.      

Also present at the event was Padmashri Gowri Ishwaran, CEO of The Global Education and Leadership Foundation said that today’s kids have lot of thing to express. Their curiosity is to learn more and more and to compete with each other. She has seen drastic change in the students present here. The knowledge that they have gained through Whiz Juniors is remarkable. There are things related to technology that she might also not be aware of like complete knowledge of even making an app etc.

The tech competition was held in five levels according to the school grades (2nd to 12th standard). More than 70000+ students and 600+tech savvy schools across India participated. The rigorous process of checking and elimination by the experts over several rounds ensured that only the best among the lot came out as the winners.

Organ Donation:3 Critical Patients Get Fresh Lease Of Life With Transplantation Of Liver and Kidneys

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- After the  decision to donate organs of her daughter, she feels she's somewhere around us, said by Bala Devi, the grief stricken but brave-heart  mother of deceased Pooja, as she consented to donate the organs of her daughter, thereby, giving the “gift of life” to three critically ill patients here at PGI Chandigarh.

Time stopped on February 6 for Bala Devi when she got the tragic news of her daughter, Pooja, 26 years, a resident of Ram Darbar, being grievously injured in a hit and run case while going on her two-wheeler. The family immediately rushed Pooja to a nearby hospital in Mohali from where she was referred to PGI and was admitted here on the same day. But neither the fervent prayers of the family and friends nor the incessant efforts of the attending doctors and nursing staff could change the dark destiny as the head injuries during the accident had caused irreversible brain damage and  Pooja was pronounced brain dead on 7^th February after following the protocols of THOA.

Bala Devi, a widow herself who had raised her children facing all the odds of life,  is still in a shock, failing to come to terms with reality of her daughter being no more, as she shared that you know how difficult it is to raise a family after the demise of one’s husband. She and her children have been through enough. How could life have cheated us again? There is no greater pain than losing your child, that too, at such a prime age.

After the brain death declaration, the family, when counseled by the transplant coordinators here in PGI, consented for organ donation of deceased Pooja. Following which, the doctors went ahead with the retrieval of the liver and kidneys. Three persons, including one patient suffering from end-stage liver failure and two kidney patients underwent successful transplants within 24 hours of the decision.

Sulekh and Aarti, mournful but proud siblings of deceased Pooja, shared that we can’t forget -nor would we want to forget - her smile and her laughter and all her hopes and dreams. Now she lays silent-forever gone.

Talking about their courageous step of organ donation, they said that it was the toughest decision. What helped us take a call was that she could live on through other people. Hopefully, our decision for organ donation will help some other families turn lucky and save them from the pain and trauma of losing their family members, with which we will live till our last breath. This will be our biggest tribute to our dear sister.

Pooja’s mother Bala Devi and her siblings Sulekh and Aarti are brave-hearts whose decision of  organ donation is extremely courageous but very rare in a country of 1.2 billion people.

MCM to Hold Alumni Meet on 11 February

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- With the motto "To Care, To Share", The Association of MCM DAV Alumni (AMDA) is going to organize its Annual Alumni Meet “Rendezvous and Reminiscence 2017” on 11th February with the vision to foster meaningful camaraderie between the college and its alumni.

The event will provide a platform to not just reconnect and relive the golden memories of the time spent at MCM but also an opportunity to deliberate upon the constructive ways in which the institution and the alumni can work together towards mutual and social growth. The event will include 'Walk for a cause' to promote solar energy as an alternative eco-friendly resource.

Convener of AMDA Dr. Gurvinder said that the AMDA is a platform for the Alumni to get together periodically and contribute to the community and the Alma Mater.

The Principal, Dr. Nisha Bhargava, asserted that the event has been designed keeping in mind the crucial role that the alumni can play in the growth of the institution while contributing to social causes in a meaningful way.

PGI OPDs Closed on February10

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- All OPDs in PGI shall remain closed on 10th February, 2017  on account of Guru Ravidas's Birthday a gazetted holiday. Emergency services will function as usual.

‘Videocon Connect Young Manch Season 4’ Grand Finale:Tarun Rawat Wins Sponsorship Worth Rs 1 Lac

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 09^th February:- After scouting best of the talents from around Tri-city and the region, Videocon Connect Young Manch 4 culminated in an action-packed Grand Finale at Indradhanush Auditorium. Finalists adjudged by the jury panel comprising of famous singers Babal Rai, Gurnazar Chattha and choreographer Jas K Shan performed for the last time and out of the 12 worthy contestants, Tarun Rawat won the title of ‘Videocon Connect Young Manch 4’.The best singing sensation would be mentored by famous Music label Speed Records to help him/her launch their first music album. The live performances at Grand Finale were also streamed online on Connect Broadband Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ConnectPunjab/ for social media followers.

And if you thought that was all, wait till you hear the names of celebrities who set the stage on fire with their scintillating performances. To adorn the Grand Finale evening, Videocon Connect Young Manch 4 brought in famous Punjabi Singers Babbal Rai, Gurnazar and Armaan Bedil who took the stage by storm and entertained one and all.

Babbal Rai is a celebrated Punjabi Singer, songwriter and actor. Famous for his video "Australian Challa" made him a YouTube sensation. His recent blockbusters are ‘Yaar Jatt De, Naa Kar Gayi, Tera Naam and Kudi Tu Pataka.

Gurnazar Chattha went Live as a band in 2012. His renowned tracks in Punjabi movies include Avega Mahi & Yaaran Da Katchup in the movie Yaaran Da Katchup and song Kala Tikka.

Aarman Bedil is also famous a young Punjabi singer who gave super hit tracks like boofer, laavan, and Chunni.

In an intense and spirited finish, Tarun Rawat won the ‘Videocon Connect Young Manch Season 4’ title. The titles of 1^st runners up was won by The Toons and Shubham & Bhupesh whereas 2^nd runner ups were Sanjay Kumar and Kashinath, and were awarded with LED TV and Microwave.

                                      

Videocon Connect Young Manch Season 4 spanned for over 3 months and saw over 40 audition rounds held across various malls in Chandigarh, Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bathinda and Patiala. Season witnessed a record participation of over 5,000 students in different categories like acting, dancing, and singing. The finalists from various institutes had competed in the city finales to further compete in the grand finale for winning the coveted title.

Speaking about Videocon Connect ‘Young Manch’ Arvind Bali, CEO, Connect Broadband and Videocon Telecom, Said that through ‘Young Manch’ our intent is to create a strong connection with the youth segment. The fourth season has been widely welcomed and hugely accepted and has enjoyed a massive success. Previous seasons gave our nation the talents like Rupali Jagga, Himanshu Kanohjia, Gagan Verma and others. We will continue to groom participants and provides them with a platform to showcase their talent.