Research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in India started in the 1960s. Since then, the scene has changed dramatically as far as AI and machine learning are concerned. The article outlines six recommendations for nurturing AI research ecosystem to develop national level capabilities in India.

Accurate weather forecasting plays an important role in planning human activities. As opposed to conventional physics-based weather models, data-based models make use of past data to apply machine learning for the task. This helps capture the heterogeneous nature of weather and can predict it efficiently.

The current capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which primarily leverage data collection, storage, computing and communication technologies are moving into the territory of science fiction. The governments of several countries have announced their AI strategies. In response, the NITI Aayog has released a discussion paper in 2018 in which healthcare is highlighted as one of the areas with a potential for high impact.

AI comes with a promise of overcoming a majority of healthcare barriers that beleaguer India. This feature explores few AI applications that are currently in use in India and outlines challenges that need to be overcome in the coming decade.

The only cliff geoheritage site recognised as a National Geological Monument—the Varkala lies about 55 km northwest of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. The linear wave-cut cliffs and beaches have a vibrant cultural heritage and serve as a major tourist attraction. However, unmanaged anthropogenic activity and intense erosion are pushing the cliffs landwards.

Zawar in Rajasthan is the world’s oldest mining and metallurgy site, dated to have existed around 750 BCE, marking ancient India’s acumen in the sector. Zinc and lead mined from the Aravalli rocks, extracted through a unique distillation process was shipped to Europe to bolster brass instrumentation for the industrial revolution. A geo-archaeological site of this importance thus mandates a holistic conservation.

The updation of NRC has been a major demand since the 1980s when the Assamese sub-nationalism started coming to the fore. After almost three decades of struggle, the design of its implementation is finally taking shape.

Old age problems are often compounded by illiteracy, poverty, age bias, informal employment and gender, besides inefficient welfare schemes. Urgent steps need to be taken to address the concerns.

With an aim to understand the factors that influence employment decisions among the urban elderly male population, the G’nY team interviewed four octogenarians hailing from varied backgrounds.

While on the one hand, the burgeoning global population is faced with food scarcity, on the other hand, the question of food wastage is as exigent as ever. As India is one of the largest global food producers, SINTEF Ocean, a leading research institute based in Norway, has partnered with top Indian institutions in an effort to address the issue of food wastage.