A Solution to solve Mumbai's Vaccination Problem - an open letter to CM of Maharashtra

Hope you are doing well.....

The whole country is in deep COVID crisis. In Maharashtra too, the cases are rising. If we don't prevent this sooner, we will be in deep shortage of medical supplies and this can give rise to a big health emergency. 

The only way in which we can prevent this is by Mass Vaccination of everyone in Mumbai and Maharashtra. Vaccination prevents infection of COVID and hospitalization in all age categories to a great extent. Countries like Israel and UK are a great example. As centre has not allowed Maharashtra to allow door to door vaccination, I have another idea of undertaking mass vaccination in Mumbai (can be expanded to all of Maharashtra too). After 1st May when vaccination will be opened for all adults, this will help reduce the burden on the current vaccination centres

The idea-

There are a lot of grounds and parks in every locality of Mumbai. They are now idle because of the current mini lockdown. There are many nurses and attendants too in every society /locality who can give the vaccine to people. We can setup small camps in every locality of Mumbai (25 in each ward) and give vaccines to people. This will be similar to the concept of blood donation camps and other health check up camps being regularly setup in our areas. Using this method, we can give vaccines to at least 250 people in a single day at each centre. As there are 24 wards in Mumbai, we can give the vaccine to 1.5 Lakh people per day in addition to the current network. That translates to 4.5 CR people in a month's time. 

For the administration part at these vaccination camps we can take help of 20 to 30 year olds like me who are good with using Technology. College students and NGOs can be also used.

There will be many youngsters who will be interesting in working for this and help steer this crisis.

Hope you all find it useful and will be glad if this can be implemented......

Arvind Gupta - An Unsung Hero of India

Heroes are an inspiration for everyone. Here, I will introduce you to unsung hero of India. An IIT Kanpur Engineer who quit his job at Telco and began teaching science to the children of India. When Arvind Gupta quit his job, his mother came to his defence stating ‘good, now he will do something noble with his life’. He has been inspiring generations of students to learn science with their own hands on ‘Tarang’, the DD show, since the 1980s.

Gupta, who started toy-making a decade before he appeared on the science show, has made 6,200 short films on toy-making in 18 languages in the last 35 years that are available on his website and YouTube, all to prove a point that science cannot be learnt by rote, mugging up definitions and formulae.


He is still working to make education more accessible. He has so far uploaded around 4,000 books and articles on his website. Even with his failing health, at present he is busy translating books in Hindi. He has already translated over 175 books till date,most of which he has translated himself.

Sudarshan Khanna, former chairman of education and research at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, admits to have been inspired by Gupta’s "indigenous, innovative and freely available art".


Impressed by Gupta’s work, Khanna, in 2001, set up a toy innovation centre at the NID and followed by a full-fledged post graduate programme in toy and game design in 2002.

He also distributes CD’s packed with a massive collections of e-books and videos to the schools he visits. He has been recognized by organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, International Toy Research Association, Boston Science Centre, Walt Disney Imagineering and Research.



His popular TED Talk: Turning Trash into Toys for learning gives an insight into his work and philosophy. This talk was among the 10 best TED Talks compiled by Sir Ken Robinson and Sugata Mitra's 5 favorite education talks.

To take the DIY movement and learn science with fun, an organisation called TechShiksha runs Science, Electronics and DIY clubs across various locations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. TechShiksha is an IIT Bombay Alumni initiative working with young innovators to create an atmosphere for creative learning and innovation throughout India.We believe that education should be more hands on and students should get a platform to discuss, create and build. Visit their website to acquaint yourself with the innovative courses they offer

To know more -

Techshiksha

Arvind Gupta: Teaching Science by Creating Toys from the Trash Can - The Better India

Meet Arvind Gupta, a toy-maker who proved science is fun

Arvind Gupta - Wikipedia

The Leicester City of India

Everyone loves a good underdog story. Last year in May 2016, Leicester City scripted history by becoming the EPL champions and it was talked about for months. We can now say that history has been made in India too. Aizwal FC have become the first team from the North-East to win the I-League and they've really made India proud. Aizawl FC won their maiden I-League title following a dramatic season finale, which saw them going toe-to-toe with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan. On the final day of the season, Aizawl, who had 36 points from 17 matches, needed only a draw to be crowned champions ahead of Bagan, who trailed them by three points. Their 1-1 draw against another club from the Northeast, Shillong Lajong, confirmed the stunning achievement for Aizawl FC, who, in the process, became the first team from the Northeast to win the national championship.

What was the journey of Aizawl FC like?

It’s an incredible tale at many levels, not because Aizawl were relegated to the second division last year. That was their debut season and Aizawl’s young, untested players were seen as not good enough at this level and the team’s nightmare ended with them being bundled out of the league. This season, as the clubs from Goa boycotted the league due to a tiff with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Aizawl were brought back, just to make the numbers. The reinstatement happened barely a month before the start of the new season in January.

Every great team needs a great coach. Khalid Jamil was appointed as Aizawl FC’s head coach just before the start of the 2016-17 season and he delivered it for them. Jamil, born in Kuwait to Indian parents, had been sacked by Mumbai FC last season after a seven-year stint with the team. The club thought he wasn’t ambitious enough and termed his seven years with the team “a failure”. A similar scenario was observed with Claudio Ranieri too.

At the start of this season, Aizawl’s target was to avoid relegation, which was understandable for a club with modest means. In Mizoram, they joke about how one Mohun Bagan player can pay for the entire Aizawl team. Unofficial estimates put their annual budget at Rs 1.25 crore, which includes players’ fee, food, travel, stay and medical expenses. That is one crore less than what Bagan reportedly pays its costliest player, Haiti’s Sony Norde.

But just like Bengaluru had shown three years ago, Aizawl too have proven that teams with virtual unknowns can win big. And win in style. Every match day, sceptics waited for this bunch of novices to trip but they have played on. They remained unbeaten at home and played a brand of football that is synonymous with teams from the Northeast – attacking, yet sublime. The packed stands, even on weekdays, were testimony a state that is crazy about its football. The culture and passion of the states like Mizoram, Assam & Shillong have created an example for others to follow.

Hilex Water Tank Overflow Talking Alarm

The road ahead for Aizawl FC looks very bright and the recent decision that the I-league and ISL merger won't be happening for at least 2-3 years gives them hope to carry forward their legacy and provide a platform to showcase North East football.

What if Indian states were kids at school?

1. Andhra Pradesh : The hardworking boy who does all the work assigned to him sincerely. He is taking engineering after school.
2. Arunachal Pradesh : The girl who sits quietly, lost in her own world, in a corner of the class.
3. Assam : The jovial guy who is always cheerful. And yes, he prefers tea to coffee.
4. Bihar : The boy who always makes the loudest noise in the absence of the teacher, but has a kind heart.
5. Chhattisgarh : The introverted guy who always listens to the crowd and seldom speaks.
6. Goa : One of the most popular guys. He parties all day and night.
7. Gujarat : The guy who lends his pen to others, and never forgets to take it back. He has visited the bank more than the school canteen.
8. Haryana : The guy who has the ability to scare juniors by his accent. People try to imitate him to get some quick popularity points.
9. Himachal Pradesh : That fair girl in the class who is approached by everyone - be it for homework, or for club events.
10. Jammu And Kashmir : The girl who tried to do everything right, but is almost always sad because of in-school politics.
11. Jharkhand : The new comer boy in the class. He is the wicket-keeper captain of the school cricket team. ;)
12. Karnataka : The tech-savvy boy in the class who introduces trending technological topics in class.
13. Kerala : The one with the most likes on his Facebook profile picture! He sits in the very back, but almost always performs well in exams. He also has awesome football skills.
14. Madhya Pradesh : The person who sits in the middle of the class! He is friendly with both the first benchers as well as the back benchers.
15. Maharashtra : That social person in class whom everyone loves. He is the most vibrant guy in class.
16. Manipur : The girl who is full of grit and determination and is representing the district in boxing
17. Meghalaya : The girl who always is staring at clouds! Okay, bad pun. The silent girl who likes the smell of soil during rain.
18. Mizoram : Awesome person. Does his work quietly and that’s it.
19. Nagaland: The person obsessed with cultural fests. Dances amazingly.
20. Odisha: Nagaland’s best friend. Has won many medals in cultural activities.
21. Punjab: The most swag guy in the house. The party animal, who is sometimes seen with Goa.
22. Rajasthan: When most of the classmates get uncomfortable or when the day is too hot in summer, or too cold in winter, this guy relaxes.
23. Sikkim: The guy who stands behind Goa in ‘line’ during assembly.
24. Tamil Nadu: Brings amazing dosa to class. Totally obsessed with films. Absolute Rajini fan. Make friends with him, and he will remain friends with you throughout your life.
25. Telangana: New admission. Also, a first bencher. Definitely engineering after school.
26. Tripura: Sincere and hardworking. First bencher.
27. Uttar Pradesh: Back bencher who has ideas that are going to be successful outside the class. One of the best athlete in the class.
28. Uttrakhand: Himachal Pradesh’s best friend. Hardworking and sincere.
29. West Bengal: One of the best literary-oriented guys in class. The ‘dada’ of the class. The only person to be in both cricket as well as football teams in school.
30. Delhi: The best batsman in the school cricket team right now. Make him angry, he will cuss you. Make him angrier, he will sit for protest in front of you!

Source - Quora

BHIM APP - Can it suppress PayTM and Freecharge?

About BHIM AppThe neat, clean and simple interface of the app is a welcome departure from other apps from the government. This is in tune with its stated purpose of simplified payments.

How to Use the BHIM appTo make use of BHIM app you will need to have an account with any of the 32 banks that have joined UPi (list of banks at the end of the post). The app is currently available only in English and Hindi. Given the wide diversity of languages in India, more languages are expected to be added soon. Also the phone number you use for the app needs to be associated with your bank account. At the moment it allows only one phone number and bank account to be linked with the app at a time. However, there exists an option to change accounts.

Unlike many other apps BHIM doesn't need a plethora of permissions from the user. It asks for access to SMS (to verify mobile number) and to make and manage phone calls (they say they need it to verify your phone with UPI). And in case you want to scan a QR code, it will ask for an additional permission to access the camera. Unlike many other apps, this app doesn't fetch a verification code from an incoming SMS, but instead sends out an SMS for phone number verification.

ReviewThere is much reason to feel optimistic about the BHIM app launched yesterday. As soon as I came to know about it, I downloaded it and tried to register my mobile number and bank account. There were some errors at first while registering the bank account, but after 3–4 times, I was successful. It may be due to the server overload produced due to many registrations at a time. Other than being impressed by its simplistic interface, I was amazed how the Indian government has designed such a user friendly app. This is the same reason why Whatsapp has become the most popular messaging platform. BHIM app can surely become the app for the masses (even the people who are less inclined towards technology).

Here are a few reasons which can make you use the BHIM app instead of PayTM, Freecharge and others :-

1. While BHIM has all the benefits provided by other mobile wallets, the one big advantage is that the transactions happen directly from the bank accounts and there are no charges associated with transfers.
2. The transaction limits (maximum of Rs 10,000 per transaction and Rs 20,000 within 24 hours) are more flexible than that for the other apps.
3. It is government backed and the money is transferred directly from bank account to bank account without an intermediary.

However, BHIM app mostly won’t provide the cashbacks that the other wallet providers offer.These are early days for the app and more features and improvements are expected soon.

What happened to Ash Ketchum's original Pokemon in Indigo League?

I am a huge fan of Pokemon (mainly the Kanto Chapter- the Indigo League) . It was an integral part of my children just like many of my friends. Ash Ketchum’s original 6 Pokemon team consisted of Pikachu, Charizard, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Pidgeotto, Butterfree, and an honorable mention, Muk. He caught them and their fates are as follows:

1. Pikachu - Given to him by Professor Oak, the bond between the two grew and grew, and Pikachu remains with Ash over 700 episodes later.
2. Charizard - Charmander was found abandoned by its trainer, but Ash rescued it and nursed it back to health. It would eventually evolve into Charmeleon and Charizard very quickly, but as a result lost its respect for Ash. After being frozen in an ice beam attack on the Orange Islands, Charizard would regain its obedience to Ash’s orders. Eventually it would be left at a special camp for Charizards in order to strengthen its skills.
3. Squirtle - Originally a member of the Squirtle Squad, a bespectacled quartet of delinquents, the leader would join Ash’s team early in the show. Eventually it would return to its squad, converted into a firefighting team, but can be called upon when Ash needs Squirtle’s help.
4. Bulbasaur - Bulbasaur was befriended by Ash, but Ash decided to capture him in a more conventional sense, in a battle. Bulbasaur would go on to resist evolution, preferring its current form, and live at Professor Oak’s laboratory, serving as a peacekeeper between all the different pokemon there.
5. Pidgeotto - Caught in Viridian forest, Pidgeotto served as one of Ash’s strongest pokemon. However when a flock of fellow Pidgeys and Pidgeotto’s was threatened, Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot in order to save them. Ash would subsequently release Pidgeot, who would serve and protect its newfound flock.
6. Butterfree - Caught as a caterpie in Viridian Forest, Caterpie quickly evolved into a Butterfree, and was one of Ash’s favorite pokemon. Upon meeting a female pink butterfree, Butterfree was released in order to live happily with her

Quora - 2016 Year in Review

2016 was an exciting year for Quora. In March, they announced that over 100 million people come to Quora every month to ask and answer questions, contributing to the dialogue on almost every topic imaginable. We also introduced new answer pages, started an ads beta, launched Spanish Quora, and more.

This year hundreds of experts hosted Quora Sessions to answer questions and share their knowledge directly with the world. Some of our 2016 Sessions hosts included Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine, Arianna Huffington, Thomas Friedman, Chris Anderson, Bill Gurley, Gloria Steinem, Glenn Beck, Lawrence Lessig, John Urschel, Eva Longoria, Bob Myers, and Elizabeth Warren.

So, naturally, 2016 comes to wrap here is a Year in Review.

One hallmark of the Quora experience is questions that matter to you personally—there’s a different Quora for every user, based on their unique interests and actions.
Lets start looking forward to 2017 for a more exciting experience!

Source - Quora.com