India's Semiconductor Mission gets ₹4,600 cr boost as Modi govt approves 4 new projects

With six government-approved projects already in various stages of execution, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved four more semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). These four proposals are from SiCSem, Continental Device India Private Limited (CDIL), two others will be set up in Odisha. CDIL is located in Punjab, and one will be set up in Andhra Pradesh.

Five S 5S at Workplace

1. Sort (Seiri)

This step involves identifying and removing unnecessary items from the workplace.The goal is to keep only what is needed for the work process and eliminate clutter. 

2. Set in Order (Seiton):

Once unnecessary items are removed, the next step is to organize the remaining items in a logical and efficient manner. This includes assigning designated locations for tools, materials, and equipment, making them easily accessible and traceable. 

3. Shine (Seiso):

This step focuses on thoroughly cleaning the workspace, including equipment and surrounding areas. Cleaning also serves as a form of inspection, helping to identify potential problems or hazards. 

4. Standardize (Seiketsu):

Standardizing involves creating consistent procedures and practices for maintaining the improvements made in the previous steps. This includes establishing visual controls, standard operating procedures, and regular cleaning schedules. 

5. Sustain (Shitsuke):

The final step is to ensure that the improvements are maintained over time. This requires ongoing effort, including regular audits, training, and employee involvement. 

the 13 Kaizen practices:

1. Continuous improvement: This involves constantly looking for ways to improve processes, products, and services. For example, a manufacturing company may use continuous improvement to identify and eliminate bottlenecks in its production process, improve product quality, and reduce waste.
2. Gemba walks: Gemba Walks involve going to the place where the work is being done to observe and identify areas for improvement. For example, a manager at a call center may go to the floor where customer service representatives are taking calls to observe the process and identify opportunities for improvement.
3. Standardization: Standardization involves creating a set of standard procedures and processes for performing tasks. For example, a hospital may develop standard procedures for administering medication to ensure consistency in the process and improve patient safety.
4. Visual management: Visual aids, such as charts, graphs, and signs, can help make processes easier to understand and identify areas for improvement. For example, a warehouse may use visual management to track inventory levels, identify stock shortages, and improve the efficiency of the picking process.
5. 5S workplace organization: The 5S methodology (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain) is a system for organizing and maintaining a clean, efficient workplace. For example, a restaurant may use 5S to organize the kitchen and ensure that all tools and equipment are easily accessible to improve the efficiency of the cooking process.
6. Small group improvement activities: Small group activities involve teams of employees working together to identify and solve problems. For example, a software development company may use small group improvement activities to identify and solve problems with their development process, such as improving code quality or reducing defects.
7. Quality at the source: This involves building quality into the process to prevent defects and errors from occurring. For example, a car manufacturer may use quality at the source to build quality into their production process, such as implementing visual inspection stations to catch defects before they move downstream.
8. Cross-functional teams: Cross-functional teams bring together employees from different departments to work on common goals. For example, a marketing team and a product development team may work together to develop a new product launch strategy.
9. Total productive maintenance: Total productive maintenance focuses on preventing equipment breakdowns and keeping equipment in good working order. For example, a food processing plant may use total productive maintenance to ensure that their equipment is always in good working order to prevent downtime and improve production efficiency.
10. Pull production: Pull production is a system where production is triggered by customer demand, rather than by pushing products through the system. For example, a clothing manufacturer may use pull production to produce garments only when customer orders are received, reducing the amount of inventory and waste.
11. Kanban: Kanban is a system for managing inventory and production, where inventory is replenished only when it is needed. For example, a hardware store may use kanban to ensure that their shelves are always stocked with the right amount of inventory, reducing stock shortages and improving customer satisfaction.
12. Just-in-time (JIT): JIT is a system for producing and delivering products just in time to meet customer demand, minimizing inventory and waste. For example, a bakery may use JIT to produce and deliver fresh bread to local restaurants only when it is needed, reducing waste and improving the quality of the bread.
13. Kaizen events: Kaizen events are focused improvement activities that bring together employees from different departments to solve a specific problem or improve a specific process. For example, a healthcare provider may use a Kaizen event to improve patient wait times by analyzing the flow of patients through their facility and identifying ways to reduce delays.

AI could wipe out '40-50% white-collar' Indian jobs: Atomberg founder warns about 'end of the middle class'

Mumbai-based entrepreneur and Atomberg founder Arindam Paul has raised serious concerns over the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on India’s white-collar job market. In a recent LinkedIn post, Paul cautioned that AI advancements could significantly reduce employment opportunities in the IT services and BPO sectors, posing a major threat to the country’s middle class and economic stability. Paul emphasized that India’s manufacturing sector is not generating enough well-paying jobs to compensate for potential AI-driven job losses. He wrote, “I don’t think most people, including our leaders, understand how big a threat AI could be to our economy. Our manufacturing is nowhere close to where it should be in terms of generating jobs that pay Rs 3-6 lakh per year. Our IT services and BPOs will see a significant reduction in manpower, and in many cases, in their business.”

Which jobs will not be replaced by ai?

It is widely touted that ai will create more jobs than it replaces. Further to that, many in certain industries will breath a sigh of relief that ai will not threaten their vocation and livelihood. These are some of the jobs that will not involve repetitive tasks and be prone to disruption. This means that ai will not replace those that perform them in the open labor market.

1. Teachers

Teachers often represent a reference point for many of us. Often, our academic decisions are partly based on how inspiring a particular teacher has been with us in the years prior. For all these reasons, it is almost impossible that we will have a fully digital teaching experience in the Future. 

2. Lawyers and judges

These positions have a strong component of negotiation, strategy and case analysis. A lot is based on the personal experience and knowledge of each specialist.  It requires a certain set of skills to be able to navigate complex legal systems and argue in defense of a client in court. There is a human factor involved when it comes down to consider all the various aspects of a trial and take a final decision that could turn into years in prison, in the case of a Judge.

3. Directors, Managers and CEOs

Managing teams inside an organization is a matter of Leadership and this is not a stack of behaviors that can be written down in a code and processed in a linear way.  A CEO is also the person responsible for sharing the company’s mission and value down to the team. It is very unlikely that investors will ever feel comfortable investing in a company managed by robots or algorithms.

4. HR Managers 

Although ai does assist in the hiring process to make sifting through CVs so much easier and quicker, Human Resource Managers still cover a variety of very important tasks inside an organization. Hiring new professionals is just part of their prerogatives. They also are a key position inside the organization for maintaining the staff motivated, detecting early-on signs of discontent, and manage them if possible. 

5. Psychologists and Psychiatrists 

Although a lot of face recognition technology is currently being used to develop initial AI counseling care and support, given the growing demand, mental health is a very delicate topic. Human touch is essential when it comes down to supporting people to succeed in their lives in all of the aspects that it can entail.

6. Surgeons

For sure, technology has seriously increased the accuracy with whom we are today able to diagnose and detect diseases in any medical report. Micro robotics also enhance the precision of the surgeons when it comes down to operation, enabling less invasive procedures. 

But being a surgeon requires the ability to connect with the patient on so many other different levels while taking a vast number of the factor under consideration at the same time. Experience, knowledge, and skills acquired throughout the years are all factors that need to be condensed in a matter of minutes during an operation.

7. Computer System Analysts

No matter how automated we become, there will always be the need of a human presence that can run maintenance work, update, improve, correct, and set-up complex software and hardware systems that often require coordination among more than one specialist in order to properly work. 

Reviewing the system capabilities, controlling the workflow and schedule improvements and increase automation is only part of a Computer System Analyst, a profession that is a great demand in the last years.

8. Artists and writers

Writing especially is such an imaginative fine art, and being able to place a specific selection of words in the right order is definitely a challenging endeavor. 

So even if AI technically would have the capacity of absorbing the content of most books in the world, in probably any language and come up with a somewhat personal style of communication, the magic and thrill of creating art with words is something that is pretty much going to rest in our domain of competition in the years to come.