Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has developed a software tool called ‘Bahubhaashak’ (polyglot) that will allow real-time translations of lectures inside classrooms in multiple languages with the help of artificial intelligence.

The Speech-to-Speech Machine Translation (SSMT) system allows translations from English to Hindi, English to Marathi and Hindi to Marathi. Developed by the Center for Indian Language Technology (CFILT) at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay, Bahubhaashak was initially funded as a pilot project by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) in 2020. It is now a full-fledged programme that is part of the Ministry’s National Language Translation Mission (NLTM) and will be deployed for monetisation.

The process of translation involves four steps. First, speech in a language is converted into text through Automatic Speech Recognition, and corrected for vocal disfluency such as fillers like "uhh" and "umm". Next, through machine translation the text in one language is converted into another language of choice. Finally, this text is converted into speech in the same language. The whole process takes between one or two seconds.

To enable translations, the programme developers scraped 60 lakh sentence pairs from various websites, including Wikipedia and government ones. Then through "supervised learning", where a correct sentence pair in two different languages is entered, machines are taught to predict the output correctly and translate.

"We are planning to provide this technology to private engineering colleges to enable them to translate English lectures into local languages. We are also talking to Bombay High Court to help them translate into Hindi court cases that are transferred to them from lower courts in local languages. We also expect a lot of interest from the tourism industry and travel portals like MakeMyTrip," Professor Pushpak Bhattacharya of IIT-Bombay told The Hindu.

The tool is available as a web service and there is also a plan to develop a mobile application that will be freely available to all, at least in the beginning, the Professor said.

The CFILT is now working on two more projects under NLTM called ‘Ishaan’, which focuses on languages from the northeast where text-to-text bi-directional translation will be provided between English and Assamese, Bodo, Manipuri and Nepali; between Hindi and Manipuri; and Assamese and Bodo. Under project Vidyapati bi-directional text-to-text translation will be available between Hindi and regional languages such as Bengali, Konkani, Maithili and Marathi.

The project was part of an exhibition during a two-day fair from October 14-15 at IIT-Delhi where all 23 IITs in the country displayed their research and development work. The emphasis of the fair was to take innovations developed by IITs to the industry so that they can be commercialised as well as to find solutions to local problems, according to Pawan Goenka, Chairperson of Board of Governors, IIT Madras.

The government support for Bahubhaashak comes in the backdrop of the National Education Policy 2020 emphasising on promoting multi-lingualism and Indian languages and recommending mother tongue or local language as medium of instruction in schools, colleges and universities. The All India Council of Technical Education has already translated 22 books of first-year engineering programmes in 12 scheduled Indian languages and Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to launch Hindi version of MBBS books in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

The law that was passed by the government and presented to the National Assembly and approved in 2015, regarding the installation of hundreds of cameras in the streets and public places as part of its multi-pronged strategy to control public security, deter criminals and put an end to crimes and accidents, has resurfaced with the same controversy that it infringes on the privacy of a conservative society, although many support the idea calling it an advanced step and an important tool to fight crime.

A total of four areas - Abdullah Al-Salem, Shamiya, Yarmouk and Qadisiya - were to be equipped with "street cameras" in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior. Some people, who considered installing cameras in this way as an “infringement on freedoms”, revolted, while others asserted that the horrific crimes in Kuwait claimed innocent victims, call for diversifying mechanisms to enhance security and expand the circles of “collective effort” to achieve this, stressing that the fight against crime requires a collective effort that is not limited to the security services only, reports a local Arabic daily.

In the opinion of former and current lawyers, as well as senior officials in cooperative society boards, the importance and funding of installing cameras, as well as its characteristics and functions, determine whether it constitutes an infringement of people's freedoms.

Security sources confirmed that surveillance cameras are installed in the main and secondary streets to maintain security and combat widespread crimes, not to spy on residents. The source said that these cameras are under the supervision of the security authorities and are linked to the Operations Room of the Ministry of Interior and are also used in judicial departments as criminal evidence that helps in imposing the correct judgment and identifying criminals.

In order to reduce crime, the source explained that the installation was based on a cooperation protocol signed by the Interior Ministry and the Union of Cooperative Societies. A long time ago, cameras were used in developed countries to protect people and preserve their rights during accidents, thefts and crimes.

With the approval of the Ministry of Affairs, the Dahia and Mansourieh Cooperative Society successfully implemented the initiative of the Ministry of Interior regarding the installation of a security monitoring system for internal roads in residential areas under cooperative societies.

The former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Dhahia and Al-Mansuriya Co-op, Abdulwahab Al-Faris, said that the project was signed by the association on May 3, 2021, based on the directives of government agencies and the approval of the Board of Directors at the time, with the aim of providing security protection for the Abdullah Al-Salem and Al-Mansuriya suburbs.

Al-Fares added to Al-Qabas that the goal of the project is to support the security system, as the cameras were linked to a special system of the Ministry of Interior, which supervises it, and that the association was keen to implement it in order to preserve security in the two regions.

In response to a query by MP Osama Al-Shaheen, commented on Twitter about the initiative to install cameras and their presence outside the association’s borders, Al-Fares stated that “the control room, of course, belongs to the Ministry of Interior, not the association, and the photography is not viewed for security and legal reasons and according to what is regulated by law.”

In turn, the head of Dahiat Abdullah Al-Salem and Al-Mansuriya cooperative society Ahmed Al-Rashed confirmed that the association does not manage surveillance cameras at the entrances and exits of the suburbs, indicating that the association only paid the cost of the tender for the installation of cameras, so that it is managed by the “Interior Ministry”.

Al-Rashed added to Al-Qabas that the cooperation with the Ministry of Interior was related to financing only, and that cooperative societies did not cooperate with any other parties except for the executing company.

Camera features and functions include

- Monitoring entrances and exits to residential areas

- Connecting residential areas to the “Dakhiliyah Operations” system

- Monitoring all secondary electricity substations

- High accuracy of license plate reading features

- Monitoring crimes to protect people and preserve their rights

- Provides forensic evidence in identifying criminals

 

 

 

The College of Nursing at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training announced it will start receiving applications from male and female students to join the nursing team at the Ahmadi Hospital, in cooperation with the Kuwait Oil Company, through the authority’s official website as of Sunday, Oct 23, 2022, reports Al-Jarida daily.

The college said, in a press statement, said the applicant must be a Kuwaiti, hold a high school certificate in science, must be qualified as per the college requirements, the age of the applicant must not exceed 28 years for undergraduate students, and 26 years for diploma holders, must pass the medical test at the Ahmadi Hospital. The applicant who meets the conditions is subjected to a personal interview, and appearing for the personal interview does not mean acceptance. “Applicants who do not meet the conditions, will be rejected,” said a source.

 

 

 

 The Public Authority for Civil Information launched a new service of changing the residence address for citizens through the Sahel app. PACI stated in a statement that this new service allows changing the addresses of property for those staying on rent and other on ownership.

The rental property address doesn’t change unless there is a proof of residence in the property especially in case of demolition, construction or other obstacles related to housing.

 

 

 

This month, the Public Authority for Manpower resumed working on the salary certificate for the private sector after a hiatus of more than two years, and canceled the pledge form that had been in place then. In addition, the application for issuing a salary certificate is submitted through the authority’s electronic services, explaining that to obtain the certificate, the employer or the authorized signatory can electronically submit the application.

PAM announced adding the service of issuing salary certificates to its "Ashal" service, so that employers or authorized signatory can apply from their workplace.

 

 

 

 

The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is going to be organized at Indore in Madhya Pradesh from 08-10 January, 2023. The PBD website was launched jointly by the Hon’ble External Affairs Minister of India and Hon'ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on 13th October 2022.

Registration process has started and interested participants can visit the PBD website at: https://www.pbdindia.gov.in/en The website contains all details relating to 17th PBD- Registration, Programme etc.

PBD 2022 will be a 3 day convention with:
● Day 1- Youth PBD
● Day 2- Inauguration
● Day 3- Main convention.

Delegates will have options to participate as an individual or as a group. Therefore, interested participants will have to opt at the time of registration.

For more details on PBD 2022 please visit PBD website at https://www.pbdindia.gov.in

 

 

 

 

It said surveillance cameras are linked to the Ministry of Interior's Operations Room, which monitors security in various regions of the country 24 hours a day.

A local Arabic daily reported that the Ministry of Interior project was implemented in cooperation with cooperative societies in Dahiyat Abdullah Al-Salem, Shamiya, Yarmouk, and Qadisiyah.

Using solar-powered cameras, the sources said that cooperative societies supported the installation of the cameras in model areas, as part of their societal role and as part of their contribution to serving the region's residents, without incurring any financial cost on the part of the Ministry of Interior.

It is expected that cameras will be installed in all regions in order to monitor violations and maintain security, monitor vehicle entry and exit around the clock, thereby reducing crime, theft, armed robbery, or encroachment on private or public lands.

 

 

 

 

 

The Kuwait Municipality approved the first initiative for the beautification of Kuwait City by a real estate company and according to a letter it issued to the Municipal Council, it mentioned that it (Kuwait Municipality) had received an initiative from one of the real estate companies to build and maintain a multi-storey car park within the development and beautification plan of the Kuwait City and surrounding areas on the land belonging to the state in the Sharq, Bloc 7 which is part of the beautification of Kuwait City project.

A local Arabic daily said this is based on a resolution made by the council of ministers in its meeting held on 9/16/2021 to assign the Kuwait Municipality in coordination with the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources, the Environment Public Authority The Public Authority for Roads and Land Transport, and the authorities it deems appropriate to complete the works related to beautifying the city of Kuwait and highlight its cultural features, and seek the assistance of whom it deems appropriate from the experts, initiatives, cooperative societies, associations of public interest and the private sector.

A real estate company presented this initiative to the Council of Ministers at its meeting No. 31-2022/2, which issued Resolution No. 621 dated 8/8/2022, accepting the offer.

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, Kuwait Municipality met with other concerned authorities to review temporary camping locations and shed light on the modifications made in this regard in preparation for the November 15 to March 15 spring camping season.

A local Arabic newspaper reports that the municipality determined the value of securing the camp's site at 100 dinars refundable, and 50 dinars non-refundable, assuming the camp is used by its licensee.

The spring camping committee met Monday to study and update the temporary sites temporarily allocated for 2022/2023. The committee meeting was chaired by the Deputy Director-General for the Municipal Affairs of Hawalli and Ahmadi Eng Fahd Al-Shatili, in the presence of representatives from all government agencies, to develop a work mechanism to determine the tasks entrusted to each entity.

Eng Al-Shetili told the daily the meeting reviewed the camping sites, presented the organizational plans for the sites, and discussed the proposals of the concerned authorities, the amendments made to these sites, and the terms and conditions for licensing the camps.

He added that the formation of field teams at the governorate level was discussed to survey, prepare and clean all sites, stressing the removal of any camp set up outside the areas designated for camping.

Shepherds have also been advised to stay away from high pressure overhead power lines and to coordinate with the concerned authorities in order to preserve the environment and wildlife.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ministry of Public Works (MPW) has extended the term of a working group to supervise the implementation of the Kuwaitization program in its project contracts for a period of 3 months, reports Al-Anba daily. The team formed in this regard is headed by the Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Planning and Development Affairs, with 9 members, provided that the team meets outside official working hours. The team is responsible for following up the implementation of the regulation on contracts subject to its Kuwaitization decision, and developing a comprehensive plan for the implementation of the Kuwaitization program.

It is responsible for ensuring the accuracy, integrity and procedures of the Kuwaitization program through contracts. The team also recommends to the concerned authority the imposition of the penalties stipulated in the contract concluded with the contractor in the event of breach of his obligations stipulated in the contracts and related to Kuwaiti labor, and prepares short and long-term plans that show employment opportunities for Kuwaiti workers in the contractors’ contracts and submits its proposals in this regard to the follow-up team of the program Kuwaitization.

The team interprets the provisions of the regulations to the concerned authorities and determines and prepares the executive procedures for implementing the provisions of the regulations and submitting them for approval by the competent authority. The technical committee for implementing the work teams and committees system shall submit a monthly periodic report on the team’s work, specifying in it the monthly work plan, what has been accomplished and the percentage of completion. The report is to be submitted in the last week of each month and at the end of the last working day of the month

 

 

 

 

A trial operation of "Apple Pay" has begun at some malls in Kuwait, using iPhones and Apple smartwatches. The trail run is in preparation for its public use in all commercial outlets in the country. The 'Apple Pay' payment is accepted at all points of sale connected to the Kuwait payments network.

Kuwait's Ministry of Finance and Direct Investment Promotion Authority had earlier agreed to operate the service with Apple.

 

 

 

 

 

Fahad Al-Shatili, Deputy Director General of Kuwait Municipality's Sector Affairs for the Hawalli and Al-Ahmadi Governorates, said that the committee for updating and studying camp sites with government agencies discussed organizing work and sites for spring camping in 2022/2023 and following up on recommendations for evaluating the efficiency of the concerned authorities' performance to combat desertification.

In a press statement Tuesday, Al-Shatili said that a working mechanism had been established to define the tasks assigned to each party, review the agenda, and define the terms and conditions for licensing camps. He explained that the formation of field teams at the governorate level was also discussed to survey, prepare and clean all sites, including coordinating in order to remove any camp established outside the areas specified by the Kuwait Municipality.

To preserve the environment and wildlife, the municipality will issue warnings to sheep owners to relocate outside the designated zone, stay away from high pressure lines, and coordinate with the concerned authorities. To ensure campers' safety, coordination has been made to establish service sites (central markets, fire stations, security centers, health centers, and ambulance centers).

 

 

 

 

An Arab daily reported that education officials are considering all solutions to traffic congestion in coordination with the Civil Service Commission, as long as they do not affect educational activities. In this regard, the Undersecretary of Public Education, Osama Al-Sultan, set the work hours for three periods in a proposal which is in view of the beginning of the current school year’s traffic congestion caused by the large number of schools, especially private schools and private hospitals in the suburb of Sabah Al-Salem. The accompanying daily traffic congestion may result in accidents and employee delays from work, especially due to the lack of parking for employees and auditors, according to the official.

According to the proposal, a flexible working system, adapted from other countries, solves the congestion problem and may be helpful to the public as it carries out the government's duties and aligns them according to the Civil Service Commission's mechanism in terms of time, place, and how work is performed. The proposed official working hours is divided into three time periods as follows:

- The first period starts at 7 am and ends at 2 pm and the employee benefits from the grace period until 7:30 as a reward for attendance.

- The second period starts from 8:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm.

- The third period starts at 9:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm.

On the other hand, Muhammad Ayed Al-Ajmi stated that the proposal guarantees adherence to the number of official working hours in accordance with the decisions of the Civil Service Commission (7 hours per day) through a flexible footprint to achieve a number of positive results, including reducing traffic jams, uninterrupted services in the educational district, allowing time to coordinate and finding a balance between work and social life reducing absenteeism, as well as the increase in productivity of employees because this flexibility provides sufficient work time duration for employees. He noted that this flexible working method using the biometric system will increase productivity in a comfortable and appropriate atmosphere for the employee, as well as reduce days of absence and allows flexible hours in completing private work and doctor’s appointments, necessary for 50 percent of the total employees so that the work runs regularly, and that the General Administration of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational Zone is on a trial basis.

According to sources, the Ministry of Education focuses on this proposal, noting that relevant sectors are currently studying it from all angles. There is also a call to include traffic awareness programs in the educational curricula.

The Kuwait Society for Traffic Safety's president, Badr Al-Matar, has called for mass transportation to solve traffic congestion. He stressed that the traffic crises and severe congestion witnessed in most areas at the beginning of every school year are not insurmountable, provided that they rely on advanced and modern means of mass transportation and speed up the implementation of the metro for students, as well as for passengers, pointing to the need to spread the culture of mass transit. He also reiterated the importance of including traffic awareness programs within the educational curricula of kindergartens up to the secondary stage, in a manner that is appropriate for each school stage with the aim of instilling awareness and adherence to traffic rules among students from a young age.

Al-Matar pointed out that the idea of changing the timing of school hours will not reap any fruits, but rather will cause confusion for everyone, as well as the annoyance for parents because there are a number of children in the same school with different academic levels. As he wished the students success in their educational endeavors, he praised the efforts of the Ministry of Interior officials to maintain safety and security.

 

 

 

 

Consultant of internal medicine, digestive system and liver Dr Wafaa Al- Hashash said about 160,000 citizens and residents will develop cirrhosis within 10 years, due to the steatosis of the liver in the country, reports Al-Jarida daily. Al-Hashash said in a press statement that fatty liver disease affects more than 20 percent of the world’s population, noting that “according to global statistics, “we now have among 4 million 800,000 people with fatty liver, and the disease will develop after 10 years and about 20 percent of them will have cirrhosis, and this percentage will be about 160,000.”

Al-Hashash advised patients to go for early detection of liver cirrhosis, explaining that there are modern techniques that help in this detection, such as the “Firscan” device, which is used to measure the percentage of cirrhosis or liver scarring without the need for a sample, as well as measures the percentage of fat in the liver.

She pointed out that the “Viruscan” device uses a very advanced technology, as it measures the stiffness and flexibility of the liver in a short time using ultrasound in a fast and painless manner, and without any interference inside the body The device also examines the liver area, which is at least a hundred times larger than tissue sample taken through liver biopsy, and it also calculates the level of fat in the liver more accurately than the usual ultrasound device, and without pain.

She pointed out that this device is available in the Ministry of Health, the public and private sectors, and the device was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2013. She explained that fatty liver is the number one cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer globally, and not only in Kuwait, and its first cause is obesity.

 

 

 

 

As part of its commitment to enabling modern financial technologies in Kuwait and promoting innovative business models, the Central Bank of Kuwait has introduced a new product into the local market under an experimental regulatory environment that targets a group of volunteer customers before approving its use.

The Central Bank of Kuwait said in a statement to a local Arabic daily that the new product is an electronic wallet which is designed to benefit domestic workers and low wage employees as well as Kuwaiti employers by allowing them to pay wages and rewards electronically in a quick and easy way, according to the CBK.

Through the electronic wallet, domestic workers will be able to keep their money safe, withdraw from an ATM machine or transfer it to another person's account, and even make cross-border money transfers with licensed exchange companies in Kuwait.

According to the CBK, the new product targets low-income consumers without bank accounts. These financial services will facilitate their access to their money and benefit from these services through their smart phones.

Kuwait's Central Bank expressed a strong desire to support innovative business models based on modern financial technologies, which provide value to users as well as the local market. The role of the experimental regulatory environment in testing and developing such innovative financial products in a safe environment is highlighted by the general framework of the experimental regulatory environment.

The CBK concluded by affirming that it will continue to play its role as a catalyst in the field of financial technologies in the State of Kuwait, in a way that contributes to achieving the State of Kuwait’s 2035 “New Kuwait” vision.

 

 

 

 

The Head of the Public Health Department in Jahra Health Region, Dr. Firas Al-Shammari, announced the transfer of the Expatriate Labor Examination Center in Jahra from Jahra Health Center to Jahra Hospital 2, specifically in the old outpatient clinics, starting today, reports Al-Anba daily. Dr. Al-Shammari said in a statement an integrated center has been equipped in Al-Jahra Hospital 2 for examining expatriate workers, noting that the new center will receive large numbers of patients, with approximately 500-600 visitors per day.

Dr. Al-Shammari pointed out that the center will contribute to the speedy completion of the largest number of tests and transactions, as it contains 6 rooms for blood testing, malaria and vaccination, as well as 4 reception counters. He pointed out that the center will operate in two shifts, morning from 8 am to 1 pm and evening from 2 to 6 pm, and praised the efforts of the center’s secretary, Sultan Al-Enezi, to find out the equipment needed by the center.

He explained that the transfer of the new Labor Examination Center to Jahra Hospital 2 came on the instructions of the Director of Jahra Health District, Dr. Muhammad Owaidah Al-Ajmi, with the aim of relieving pressure on the Jahra Health Center as well as expanding the labor examination services in the new center to facilitate the visitors and complete their transactions as quickly as possible.

 

 

 

 

The Ministry of Interior announced all files of driving licenses for expatriates who obtained them during the previous years will be looked into based on the orders and instructions of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, reports Al-Rai daily. The Public Relations and Security Media Department of the Ministry of Interior confirmed that whoever is found to have obtained a driver’s license in violation of the rules and regulations in force issued by Ministry of Interior, will be summoned and the license will be withdrawn.

Based on the licenses register, the sources estimated that there are about 1.4 million driving licenses in the country, of which about 800,000 are for expatriates. According to the records of the General Traffic Department 2.2 million vehicles are registered. The sources confirmed that screening expatriates’ licenses will contribute in one way or another to alleviating traffic congestion on the country’s streets.

 

 

 

Kuwaiti Farmers’ Union warned of heavy losses, which could lead Kuwaiti farmers to give away their produce as a result of lack of support. The country’s marketing outlets also yield poor financial returns from production and sales processes. Members are calling for necessary government intervention and to save farmers who suffer from heavy losses at the beginning of the current agricultural season.

In an interview with an Arabic daily, Abdullah Al-Dammak, the head of the Farmers' Union, said that prices for most crops are declining, and that the government should intervene in order to save the farms. In light of the severe losses incurred by farmers during the past summer months, which have been extremely costly, it is difficult to continue this situation.

Additionally, Dammak emphasized the need for increased farm support and for the government to stand by the farmers throughout the year. In addition, he said that the current situation compels the offering of plant products and crops by some farmers in the markets and associations for free, especially since the return is not commensurate with the volume of production costs, starting with agriculture and labor wages, then harvesting and unloading the cartons, which now costs higher than the selling price. He also told the paper that the union is working towards harnessing all its capabilities for the benefit of farmers, in order to support and enhance food security.

In order to prevent farmers from avoiding planting due to the continuous losses, he stressed that cartons of some vegetables are sold at prices ranging from 30 to 50 fils. Therefore, the next government and the National Assembly need to intervene quickly and urgently to prevent farmers from becoming reluctant to plant.

 

 

 Commenting on a warning issued by the Health Ministry of Qatar on consumption of Indian shrimps fresh or frozen due to bacterial disease, the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition of Kuwait stated that this type of shrimps has been prohibited from importing to Kuwait since 2017, reports Al Jarida. 

 

It was based on the recommendation of the Food Safety committee issued by Ministerial Resolution No 3 in the year 2017 with the exception of frozen shrimps without head and shell except for tail. The authorities confirmed that frozen Indian shrimp with head and tail removed has been tested in a Kuwait laboratory and approved to be fit for human consumption.

 

 

 

 

 The General Directorate of Residency Affairs Investigations seizes (45) persons in violation of the residence and work law within a week, and deports (6112) persons of different nationalities during the months of August and September

The General Directorate of Residency Affairs Investigations from 28th Sep 2022 to 6th Oct 2022 arrested 45 expats of various nationalities violating residence and work law. In the month of August 585 were arrested through 43 security campaigns. In September 204 were arrested through 52 security campaign 

In Aug 3,451 were deported. In September 2,661 expats were deported.