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Apr 23
When to Stop Studying for the GMAT and Start Working on Your MBA Application
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Admissions committees evaluate the GMAT/GRE in context — your background, your representation in the applicant pool, the strength of everything else in your file. The same score works for one candidate and falls short for another with identical numbers.
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23 Apr 2020, 23:01

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FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Building Beautiful Insides

17-year undergraduate stood at the entrance of the Oberoi Hotel in Hyderabad each day and for hours would quietly watch people walk by. The General Manager of the hotel observed this for many days and one day he got curious.

‘What are you doing standing here?’ he asked the boy.

‘I have nothing much to do after my classes, so I am standing here watching people.’

‘Would you like to work in your spare time?’

The boy gladly accepted the offer and joined the travel desk as a part-timer working the second shift or the night shift. A structured and organised way of working, however, was not his disposition. Creativity was his forte. He proceeded to pursue a job in advertising three years later with a PG Diploma under his belt. He was the youngest marketing officer in Associated Glass Industries.

The boy, Antony Rajkumar, PGPMAX Co’2013, is the National Strategy Director of TBWA, a global ad company, and is founder and Chief Storyteller of StoryWalker, founded in 2016. StoryWalker is a kids’ content company that creates original IP for children globally in the 3-6 and 7-10 age groups.

‘A personal experience with my daughter influenced me significantly. It made me believe that it’s easy for us adults to talk about courage, determination, etc. but for the young minds it is a puzzle. Such values can be best taught through stories.’ Antony writes stories for modern-day parenting. ‘Stories,’ he says, ‘can transport you to the unknown and can be used to instill enduring and beautiful values within.’ The STORYWALKER365, an app he has developed, has stories that are consumed by children delightfully and easily. He has started an initiative called 30Blocks, sharing stories and story-based activities for families with young children. ‘Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today,’ he quotes Robert McAfee Brown.

He also runs workshops for organisations and helps senior leaders craft and build their stories. ‘All celebrated leaders are good at inspiring not because they are great communicators but because they are authentic and stories help eke that out.’

At 30 he was offered branch manager role in the advertising business in a non-profitable company, without credentials or the requisite experience for the job, because 13 people had rejected it earlier. The opportunity to stem attrition and grow the company into a profitable business, which eventually he did, was a blessing. Leadership skills, ability to win business, and virtues he had never imagined existed within him flourished. The first ten years of his work life saw him in roles that came to him sooner than he had expected. At 35, he turned down an opportunity to become a COO of a company.

Antony had a lot to learn. He couldn’t ill-afford to spend 15-20 years of his career the same way. ‘I had to equip myself with version 2.0 of me. I had to challenge myself. I wanted it tough and hard. That’s what brought me to ISB.’ For all the money in the world he would do nothing that he wasn’t passionate about, he says. He wanted to be the best storyteller and that drove him insanely. ‘When you want something dearly, the only person who can stop you from getting it is you.’

Antony picked up on subjects that were distant to him, like process management, analytics etc. the exact things he later became a champion of in the organisations he served. He attributes this skill to the interest generated in the subject during the classes. ‘The way the professor taught has left a huge imprint in my mind. I have incorporated the learning in my daily life.’ Subjects can be dull, but a good educator can generate interest in it and make it an unforgettable experience.

ISB made Antony more resilient, more confident. His experience at the School is replete with aha moments. The School is a place of bountiful opportunities, he says. Meeting highly successful people and forming deep and special lifelong connections are one of the many. ‘In my life, I usually meet people in my profession the most. I may never breakfast or interact in a casual friendly manner with someone running an electronics company or the MD of a software company.’ The learning at the School was not just from the subjects but was also from one another.

‘We are all about connection. When I look at people and talk to them, I realise how similar our struggles are, how similar our organisational issues are, how similar the problems with our teams are.’ Storywalker was funded by 6 of his ISB friends. ‘Who would dare to put money on a story company? It’s all about relationships. They would reach out to me for any information on brand creativity or storytelling, and I would reach out to them for my doubts on their subject of expertise. It’s because there’s no agenda and I can rely on them.’

Things will not be the same all the time, he believes. ‘You need different kinds of jobs in the second phase of your life. You must be a sought-after person, a person who stands for something. That doesn’t happen early in the career.’ His earlier life experiences have made him look at these things closely. He observes and is open to learning from around him. ‘It is lonely at the top. You cannot share your fear with anyone and everyone, else you will be construed as weak. When you grow older and become wiser, you need people who will show a mirror to you, people you can fall back on, in whom you can confide. ISB gave me that cover.’

His advice to the current batch and for the course aspirants? ‘When you look back, don’t have regrets. Invest in relationships, invest in your learning, invest in discovering your true north. This is a lifetime opportunity that will not come again.’ He advises the aspirants to probe within on the reasons for enrolling. Wrong reasons don’t make the right decision, and you must discover your true calling to be successful.

ISB’s PGPMAX is a 15 month, Global Executive MBA level programme designed to meet higher career aspirations of Experienced Professionals and Business Owners/Entrepreneurs with 10 to 25 years of work experience Click here to know more.

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23 Apr 2020, 23:01

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FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Family Business Updates: April 24 2020

Facebook invests $5.7 billion in India’s largest telecom operator Reliance Jio –https://qz.com/india/1842729/facebook-invests-5-7-billion-in-mukesh-ambanis-reliance-jio/

FB Roundup : Walmart, Barbour, Grosvenor –https://www.campdenfb.com/article/fb-roundup-walmart-barbour-grosvenor

Tata Capital Growth Fund II invests $5 million in SaaS startup Indusface – https://www.livemint.com/companies/start-ups/tata-capital-growth-fund-ii-invests-5-million-in-saas-startup-indusface-11587632123667.html

Asian Paints takes measures to help contractors combat Covid-19 –https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/asian-paints-takes-measures-to-help-contractors-combat-covid-19/article31411840.ece

Tech Mahindra, IBM tie up to set up innovation centres- https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/tech-mahindra-ibm-tie-up-to-set-up-innovation-centres-11587455899341.html

Pandemic prescription: Resolve, resources and resetting of beliefs – https://www.garp.org/#!/risk-intelligence/operational/people/a1Z1W000005C9jjUAC

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30 Apr 2020, 02:00

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FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Family Business Updates: April 30 2020

Tech Mahindra board approves proposal to acquire 100% stake in Zen3 Infosolutions (America)

https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/tech-mahindra-board-approves-proposal-to-acquire-100-stake-in-zen3-infosolutions-america-11582551393976.html

Reliance increases stake in US-based tech company SkyTran to 26.3%

https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/reliance-increases-stake-in-us-based-tech-company-skytran-to-26-3-120042900655_1.html

Jaguar Land Rover recovers up to 75% production in China as demand returns

https://www.livemint.com/auto-news/jaguar-land-rover-recovers-up-to-75-production-in-china-as-demand-returns-11588159987336.html

Piramal, Tata Motors, Coastal Gujarat to issue NCDs to raise Rs 5,700 crores

https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/piramal-tata-motors-coastal-gujarat-to-issue-ncds-to-raise-rs-5-700-crore-120042801616_1.html

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FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Family Business Updates: April 30 2020

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04 May 2020, 03:00

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FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Lockdown: A threat to livelihood

Covid19’s spread has become a major threat not only to life but also to livelihood. The Government of India and the State Governments have undertaken several measures to check Covid’s spread since the first confirmed case on 30th January 2020. One crucial and significant decision taken by the Government of India, was of a 21 days country-wide lockdown haulting all socio-economic activities w.e.f. 25th March. However, the rise in Covid19 cases forced the Government to extend it till 03rd May in the second phase and the third phase would continue until 17th May.

The long-drawn lockdown is a cause of great concern for a developing country like ours. Over 21 percent of the population lives Below Poverty Line (BPL) and most are daily wage earners living hand to mouth. In rural areas, the situation is worse as employment opportunities available are limited. The lockdown stalemate prevents these people from earning, making them unemployed. This could generate negative externalities affecting the smooth functioning of economy in the long run and pose a threat to the gross national well-being.

The dependency rate in India is very high which essentially means an employed person provides livelihood support for many other people, either in the family or outside of the family. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Organisation (NSSO) in 2017-18, shows that about 36 percent of population in the county is in labour force (Figure 1).

This 36 percent of population, is either engaged or available to get engaged in various economic activities. The rest 64 percent of population does not participate in any economic activities and therefore, depends on this 36 percent population for sustenance. The dependent population includes children below the age of four (7.8 percent,), students (26.8 percent) and those engaged in various domestic activities, retired and those unable to earn (23 percent).

For any reason, even if a small fraction of the earning population fall out of the earning bracket, it threatens their own survival and of their dependents. Hence, any kind of economic shock endangers many lives. The survey further states that those in labour force are not paid enough to comfortably support themselves and their dependents.

And also not all those in labour force get employment opportunities. The PLFS 2017-18 shows that the rate of unemployment in the country stands at 6.5 percent in 2017-18. In the rural areas, the unemployment rate stands at 5.8 percent and in the urban areas at 8.1 percent, according to the labour’s usual principal activity status (Figure 2).

The activity on which a person spent relatively long time (major time criterion) during 365 days preceding the date of the survey is considered to be the usual principal activity status of the person. The unemployment rate is defined as total number of people who seek but do not avail any work as a percent of total labour force.

Excluding the unemployed labour force of 6.5 percent, the rest 93.5 percent which is about 33 percent of India’s population are employed in various economic activities. Importantly, a large share of these economic activities are non-formal in nature. They do not ensure regular wages/salaries. These activities are mostly agriculture, fishing, plantation, slaughtering, domestic help, daily wage workers etc. The share of labour force employed in these activities is as large as 78 percent in India – 87 percent in rural and 56 percent in urban.

The perennial economic structure of the country with respect to employment has not changed. Enterprenuers, especially small businesses and sole propeitor, have small risk appetite, because of the market and natural uncertainties, and with no social security or insurance to provide any cushion.

Also, unhealthy market competition and profit maximization does not ensure regular salaries to the employees. Hiring and firing happens as per benefit to the employer.

The PLFS 2017-18 shows that about 82 percent of labour force engaged in various economic activities do not have a job contract. This major share of labour force will be the first to become jobless in any kind of economic uncertainty, like the current lockdown. Further, the 3 percent labour force with a job contract for a year or less could also face this challenge if the contract is over just before, within or just after the lockdown is over.

Economic uncertainties because of lockdown affect a large share of population because of employment structure in the country. There are less social securities to ride over even short run economic crisis. Social security system in India is yet a non-starter.

About 10.6 percent of labour force employed in various economic activities is eligible for social securities like provident fund, pension, insurance and others. This share stands a little higher for urban labour force which is 15 percent. But, in rural areas only 6.5 percent of total labour force are eligible for social security benefits. And since India is largely a rural country with 70 percent of population living in villages, mostly the rural labour force remains out of social security benefits, making them most vulnerable to economic uncertainities.

Growing uncertainties and less lucrative jobs in the rural sector leads to urban migration for better earning opportunities. The rural sector provides food and nutrition to the entire country and adequate food stock is available to face any economic uncertainties. However, the misery of this very labour force remains unaddressed.

The labour force in the country is not financially secure, and hence the wave of reverse migration during the lockdown. They are the defence players to face the challenge of uncertainties like lockdown, flood and drought and at the same time forward players to win the goals and clinch the victory. The country could successfully face any kind of adversity and uncertainty if the interest of our nation-builders are protected.

Sridhar Kundu : Sr. Research Analyst, Bharti Institute of Public Policy

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04 May 2020, 03:01

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FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Lockdown: A threat to livelihood

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07 May 2020, 09:00

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FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Sharpening the Edges

The story starts when the world was in the throes of an internet boom in the late 1990s, opening up vistas of boundless opportunities. Inspired by the IT boom, Vandana and her husband launched a software company. Tides were favourable, and it was time to expand the business further and farther. Vandana set up a second base in Canada where she incorporated her company in 2000. The unfettered flow of VC funds in the market ensured she hit the ground running, bagging a lucrative e-commerce website deal within weeks of founding her company. She closely witnessed the rip-roaring rise of internet start-ups as also their resounding crash when the dot com bubble burst. For a technologist like Vandana, the entrepreneurial experience of doing business development in the hyper-competitive Vancouver and Silicon Valley markets was a rewarding learning experience of immense proportions, the lessons of which still hold true.

Vandana, PGPMAX Co’2013, is a Principal with Milliman, one of the top actuarial consulting firms globally. She leads tech ops, digital transformation, and health insurtech solutions in India. She was instrumental in forming and building the technology team in India, starting in 2005.

‘Witnessing the boom and the bust from so close was one of life’s valuable entrepreneurial experiences. Not only did some of my clients vanish into thin air but so did my revenue from them. The ones who survived were practical enough to course correct. That’s probably the best lesson I learned,’ she says. Setting up a business and running it through all the challenges did not mean she had mastered all the finer points of business. Some skills still needed to be sharpened. Life continued to show her the path. She returned to India after the birth of her daughter. ‘I became a full-time mom and part-time entrepreneur for a while. My husband took on the additional load on himself.’ A couple of years later, with her husband co-founding Milliman in India, they transitioned to Milliman. ‘Eventually, I reached a point where I wanted to enhance my learning in a structured manner. I wanted to understand the formal theory of business.’

‘I chose ISB among other options because of its high standard of course structure, content, and faculty. I was very clear about my choice. I have studied and worked internationally, so I realised ISB was the real deal.’ The like-mindedness among her peers and their zeal to get back to the classroom on the campus every month was very encouraging. ‘The incredible feeling of camaraderie, collaborative learning from my brilliant classmates, and the variety of perspectives we got from each other has enriched me a great deal. All my peers were successful professionals in their own right, yet they were driven to study and gain knowledge.’ A healthy detachment from routine and results while focussing on understanding the core lessons worked splendidly well for Vandana.

ISB has been a major turning point in Vandana’s life in more ways than one. She has grown into a thinking leader. ‘I think the PGPMAX experience made me more introspective. I can engage in business discussions on a range of topics because I understand its multi-dimensional nature a bit more.’ Vandana attributes this to her ability to consolidate and elucidate her learnings. ‘From my global exposure of conducting business I intuitively understood the elements but the case studies and discussions revealed other paradigms.’

Vandana’s Milliman team has seen a stupendous growth since 2005. ‘Our business is complex, competitive, and ever-evolving. For it to run like well-oiled machinery, every member of the team has a crucial role to play.’ She believes a leader has to have a vision, lead by example, and be there to guide and inspire people into doing what is needed to be done. More importantly, be a mentor and a channel for the team to grow. Empathy, humility, openness to learning and resilience are some key qualities for leadership success. ‘As a leader, it’s my responsibility to honour the position because it’s always about the team and the organisation, not about an individual.’

‘In our business, if you are not ahead of the curve, you will lose the edge rapidly. Technological advances happen in much shorter bursts of time. An attitude of a change agent has to be your second nature, which means you must accept change, learn, and adapt according to the environment.’ It was at ISB she learned the significance of unlearning more than learning, and that helped her formulate new concepts and frameworks with an open mind. ‘Even in life, I am a learner. It’s important to be open and recondition oneself from self-limitations. And so, as a leader, a high degree of self-awareness is mandatory,’ she says.

Vandana is proud to be part of the ISB alumni fraternity. ‘I have received help from alumni even if they haven’t known me very well and, I have done the same.’ She is active in the PGPMAX forums and supports several ISB initiatives viz. info sessions, CEO Story, Masterclass, student selection interviews, etc. ‘I am happy to contribute in any way that might help others, for instance, mentoring professionals or start-up entrepreneurs.’

‘Be boundless, be curious, be rigorous, and be open to learning. Base it all on perseverance and hard work. You will achieve more by giving more, be it your time or knowledge.’

About PGPMAX- 15 Month Global Executive MBA Equivalent Programme designed for Experienced Professional /Senior Executives and Business Owners -Click here to know more

About Vandana:

A technologist who loves to push the boundaries of innovation to architect impactful software solutions. And when I am not doing this, I can be found doing some outdoor activity, reading, travelling, cooking, or teaching yoga. Global Executive MBA from the Indian School of Business.

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07 May 2020, 09:01

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FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Sharpening the Edges

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07 May 2020, 21:00

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FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Family Business Updates – May 08, 2020

Tata Sons to infuse more capital into five firms – https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/tata-sons-to-infuse-more-capital-into-five-firms-impacted-by-coronavirus-120043000777_1.html

Reliance announces biggest rights issue of Rs 53,125 crore – https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/ril-announces-biggest-rights-issue-of-rs-53125-crore-share-sale-at-14-discount/articleshow/75474430.cms

Marico forays into the vegetable and fruit hygiene category –https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/marico-limited-forays-into-the-vegetable-and-fruit-hygiene-category-with-veggie-clean/article31471343.ece

How are Family Offices Restructuring Their Portfolios Due to Covid-19 –https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/350015

KEC International resumes operations at all factories –https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/kec-international-resumes-operations-at-all-factories/article31469615.ece

JSW Paints launches program to help painting contractors amid Covid-19 –https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/jsw-paints-launches-program-to-help-painting-contractors-amid-covid-19/article31516703.ece

Dabur India resumes production at all manufacturing locations –https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/fmcg/dabur-india-resumes-production-at-all-manufacturing-locations/articleshow/75560295.cms

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FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Family Business Updates – May 08, 2020

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12 May 2020, 06:00

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FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Sample Collection and Transportation – An overlooked pawn in the fight against COVID19

Sarang Deo, Hemanshu Das, Aman Kabra, Max Institute of Healthcare Management (MIHM), Indian School of Business
Ending the lockdown in India will require an increased testing rate so that we can identify the symptomatic faster. It allows us to isolate both the patient and their infectious contacts quicker and reduce the transmission. This will be critical to the proverbial “flattening the curve.” As India rapidly increases testing capacity, district administrators will need to keep an eye on the availability of resources for sample collection and transportation – and ensure there aren’t any bottlenecks for getting the samples to the testing facility.

Over the past two weeks, ICMR has rapidly increased the testing capacity from conducting 3700 tests at the start of lockdown to over 18000 tests on April 11. The testing capacity will increase further with the procurement of kits, labs running 24*7, and the inclusion of antibody testing. ICMR aims to achieve 100,000 tests a day to effectively control the epidemic.

Currently, local administrators attend to testing requests for individual patients one at a time through either of two sample collection and transportation (SCT) protocols – bring the collection facility to a patient or transport the patient to a facility. The process involves two types of resources – an ambulance for transportation, and a phlebotomist to collect the sample. As the demand for testing scales up, district administrators will have to decide on a suitable SCT protocol and ensure the availability of sufficient resources. Moreover, SCT forms more than one-fourth of the current COVID19 testing cost – making it imperative to improve resource utilization and reduce incurred cost.

We have developed a decision support tool to assist district administrators evaluate the required number of resources based on the choice of SCT protocol. We find that neither of the current SCT protocols might be feasible as the number of samples increase. The availability of both ambulances and phlebotomists might become the bottlenecks in the sample collection and transportation process. However, an aggregated model of sample collection, wherein multiple samples are collected in a single trip, can significantly reduce the need for resources.

The following diagram illustrates the three SCT protocols.

The primary insights from the study are (see attached figure below for reference):

The number of required phlebotomists is lowest when patients are transported to the facility irrespective of the number of samples.
The aggregated model for sample collection can significantly reduce the requirement of ambulances.
At a low sample volume (less than 100), the three collection models have similar resource requirements, with the constraint of ambulance or phlebotomist being the determining factor between the protocols.
With an increase in the number of samples, the aggregated model appears preferable, i.e., the marginal increase in the number of phlebotomists is overshadowed by a substantial reduction in required ambulances.

For instance, for a large city with a million-plus population where the samples collected are doubled, the need for ambulances reduces by 4X for the aggregated model in comparison to transporting patients to a facility. However, the requirement for phlebotomists increases by only 10%.

In summary, our findings suggest that districts will have to move towards the aggregation model of sample collection and transportation to ensure that the availability of ambulances and phlebotomists does not become a constraint in the fight against COVID19. However, we acknowledge that the model will have to be modified and adapted to match the ground realities.

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12 May 2020, 06:01

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FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Sample Collection and Transportation – An overlooked pawn in the fight against COVID19

The primary insights from the study are (see attached figure below for reference):

The number of required phlebotomists is lowest when patients are transported to the facility irrespective of the number of samples.
The aggregated model for sample collection can significantly reduce the requirement of ambulances.
At a low sample volume (less than 100), the three collection models have similar resource requirements, with the constraint of ambulance or phlebotomist being the determining factor between the protocols.
With an increase in the number of samples, the aggregated model appears preferable, i.e., the marginal increase in the number of phlebotomists is overshadowed by a substantial reduction in required ambulances.

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14 May 2020, 22:00

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FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Family Business Updates, May 15, 2020

ICMR, Bharat Biotech tie up for Indian COVID-19 vaccine – https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/coronavirus-icmr-bharat-biotech-tie-up-for-indian-covid-19-vaccine/article31547614.ece

Airtel picks IBM, Red Hat to build 5G-ready cloud network – https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/airtel-selects-ibm-red-hat-to-build-open-cloud-network-for-5g-emerging-tech/articleshow/75678833.cms

Bajaj Auto commences re-opening of dealerships across India – https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/bajaj-auto-commences-re-opening-of-dealerships-across-india/article31556153.ece

Ratan Tata on impact of coronavirus: Entrepreneurs will adapt and create – https://www.livemint.com/companies/people/ratan-tata-on-impact-of-coronavirus-entrepreneurs-will-adapt-and-create-11589182164234.html

Jindal Steel’s export jumps 109% despite coronavirus lockdown-

https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/jindal-steel-export-sales-jumps-109-during-coronavirus-pandemic/story/402921.html

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FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Family Business Updates, May 15, 2020

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FROM ISB Admissions Blog: आईडीपी: ग्रामीण भारत और कृषि व्यवस्था को समझने का उपयोगी माध्यम

उपेंद्र सिंह, कंसलटेंट, इंडिया डाटा पोर्टल

बेहद पुराना जुमला है – भारत एक कृषि प्रधान देश है, एक जमाने में इस देश की 85 प्रतिशत आबादी गांवों मेँ निवास करती थी और भारत जैसे विशाल देश की अर्थव्यवस्था अधिकांशतः इन गावों पर ही निर्भर थी। ग्राम वासियों की आजीविका खेती किसानी और गृह कुटीर उद्योगों के सहारे आगे बढ़ती थी। आज इस देश की एक बड़ी जनसंख्या ग्रामीण इलाकों से निकलकर कस्बों और शहरों में बस रही है लेकिन इस बात से इंकार नहीं किया जा सकता कि आज भी गांव की उत्पादन कार्य कौशल इस देश की मजबूत अर्थव्यवस्था के लिए उतना ही अहम बना हुआ है, जो अब से आधे दशक पूर्व था। ऐसे में शहरी और ग्रामीण संरचना व्यवस्थित रहे, इसके लिए मीडिया को उसकी जरूरत के अनुसार पर्याप्त और भरोसेमंद सूचना सामग्री का मिलना, एक महत्वपूर्ण मसला है। इसलिए यदि आप पत्रकार या शोधकर्ता हैं और ग्रामीण अर्थव्यवस्था पर लिखते हैं तो इंडिया डेटा पोर्टल (आईडीपी) आपके लिए अतिरिक्त जानकारी जुटाने का एक उपयोगी माध्यम हो सकता है।

तो अब सवाल उठता है सूचनाएं जुटाने के लिए सार्वजनिक तौर पर तथ्य और आंकड़े उपलब्ध हैं तो उनकी जानकारी कितनी सुलभ और विश्वसनीय है? अमूमन मीडिया कर्मियों को अपनी स्टोरी लिखने के लिए अनेक ऑनलाइन माध्यम उपलब्ध होते हैं परंतु किसी विशेष विषय पर गलत डेटा से बचने के साथ साथ भरोसेमंद स्रोतों तक पहुंचते हुए, उसकी जरूरत के अनुसार आंकड़े मिल जाएं, तो स्टोरी की गुणवत्ता बढ़ जाती है।

इस संदर्भ में एक ख्यातिप्राप्त उच्च शिक्षा संस्थान, इंडियन स्कूल ऑफ बिज़नेस (आईएसबी) से सम्बद्ध इकाई भारती इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफ पब्लिक पॉलिसी ने महत्वपूर्ण पहल करते हुए एक ‘वन स्टॉप ओपन डेटा पोर्टल’, आईडीपी को विकसित किया है। भारती इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ पब्लिक पॉलिसी (बीआईपीपी), इंडियन स्कूल ऑफ बिजनेस (आईएसबी) पब्लिक पॉलिसी क्षेत्र में अनुसंधान और शिक्षा पर केंद्रित है। यह संस्थान विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में सैद्धांतिक चुनौतियों जिनमें मुख्य रूप से कृषि और खाद्य, पर्यावरण, शिक्षा, वित्त, शासन और डिजिटल आइडेंटिटी इत्यादि शामिल हैं, पर काम करता है।

इंडिया डेटा पोर्टल भारत के ग्रामीण इलाकों और मूलरूप से कृषि उपज के आंकड़ों को व्यवस्थित ढंग से प्रस्तुत करता है, साथ ही साथ इन आंकड़ों को ग्राफिक्स के तौर पर भी तैयार किया जा सकता है, जिसके लिए पोर्टल में 33 विजुलाइजेशन उपलब्ध हैं। यह पोर्टल इसलिए भी महत्वपूर्ण है क्योंकि इसे आज के दौर की सूचना क्रांति के तहत मीडिया संस्थानों को ध्यान में रखकर बनाया गया है। इसका उद्देश्य कई स्रोतों में बिखरे विषयों और क्षेत्रों के सरकारी डेटा को एक स्थान पर उपलब्ध कराना है, जिसका प्रयोग नीति निर्माता, शोधकर्ता, छात्र और पत्रकार सभी कर सकते हैं। पोर्टल मेँ 6 क्षेत्रों के 35 से अधिक डेटासेट उपलब्ध हैं, जिन्हें तिमाही अंतराल पर और इसके इन्डिकेटरों को प्रतिदिन अपडेट किया जाता है। पोर्टल के 6 प्रमुख क्षेत्रों में वित्तीय समावेशन और कृषि शामिल हैं, और इन दोनों से संबंधित चार अन्य संबद्ध क्षेत्र हैं।

परंतु तकनीक पर आधारित सूचना तंत्र का पूरी कुशलता से प्रयोग किया जा सके, इसके लिए पत्रकारों और कृषि विशेषज्ञों को डेटा से कहानियों को समझने, व्याख्या करने और उन्हें खोजने के लिए प्रशिक्षित करने की भी आवश्यकता है। अपने इसी दायित्व को समझते हुए आईएसबी आईडीपी की रूपरेखा और उसमें मौजूद आंकड़ों पर मास्टरक्लास और वर्कशॉप ट्यूटोरियल आयोजित करता है ताकि पत्रकारों और कृषि विशेषज्ञों को इसके इस्तेमाल समुचित जानकारी हो सके।

आईडीपी पोर्टल को 31 जनवरी —— को इंडिया इंटरनेशनल सेंटर, नई दिल्ली में लॉन्च किया गया था। लॉन्च मेँ डेटा फॉर स्टोरीज़ ने स्पष्ट किया कि डेटा का इस्तेमाल करते हुए कैसे कहानियों, अंतर्दृष्टि, पैटर्न और जानकारी को रोचक तौर पर पेश किया जा सकता है, क्योंकि स्टोरी को तैयार करने वाला संख्याओं और उसके ग्राफिक्स की पेंचीदगियों मेँ खो भी सकता है। जबकि सच्चाई यह है आईडीपी द्वारा तैयार्ट किए गए डेटा एक बार देखने के बाद प्रयोगकर्ता को काफी आश्चर्यचकित कर सकते हैं। पोर्टल से जुड़े प्रबंधकों का दावा है कि आईडीपी मेँ उपलब्ध डेटा की विश्वसनीयता पर सवाल इसलिए नहीं उठाया जा सकता, क्योंकि भारत में डेटा को मजबूत पद्धति के साथ सांख्यिकीय प्रणाली के माध्यम से एकत्र किया जाता है और यह पत्रकारों को बिना अधिक प्रयास के डेटा से अपनी रिपोर्ट तैयार करने में मदद करता है। भारत डेटा पोर्टल पर प्रामाणिकता के लिए प्रत्येक डेटासेट के साथ उसके स्रोतों को भी शामिल शामिल किया गया है। आईडीपी एक ऐसी शुरुआत है जहां लोग डेटा के साथ समर्थित मुद्दों पर विस्तार से चर्चा कर सकते हैं। अपनी उपयोगिता साबित करते हुए आज यह पोर्टल अंग्रेजी के साथ साथ हिन्दी, बंगाली, तेलुगु, उड़िया, मराठी इत्यादि 5 स्थानीय भाषाओं में उपलब्ध है।

यह पोर्टल जंपस्टार्टइंडिया@आइएसबी की पहल के अंतर्गत दो प्रकार के डेटासेट उपलब्ध कराता है – आईडीपी डेटासेट और हाई फ्रीक्वन्सी इंडिकेटर्स यानि एचएफआई – एचआरआई।

आईडीपी अपने प्रयोगकर्ता को प्रोत्साहित करता हैं कि वह संबंधित जानकारी के लिए कभी भी पोर्टल के अधिकारियों से संपर्क कर सकता है। सूचना प्राप्ति के विभिन्न माध्यमों के तहत आईडीपी अब मोबाईल एप पर उपलब्ध है, जिसे एंड्रॉइड और आइओएस दोनों ही प्लेटफॉर्म पर डाउनलोड किया जा सकता है।

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“The views expressed in this article are personal. Upendra Singh is a Consultant at India Data Portal.