2 Rajasthan govt employees develop 250 mobile apps in 8 years to make learning easy for students
Jaipur (PTI): Two Rajasthan government employees have developed more than 250 mobile applications in eight years to provide study material in Hindi to rural students free of charge.
Known as "App Gurus", Surendra Tetarwal and Suresh Ola got to work in 2015 to make learning easy for students who were finding it difficult to get study content in their preferred language, Hindi, online.
Both Tetarwal and Ola, hailing from Sikar district, have postgraduate degrees in computer sciences. While Tetarwal is a sales tax officer, Ola is a headmaster in the education department.
Tetarwal and Ola's efforts to help students pursue education with ease have won them recognition and both central and state governments have conferred them awards.
Among the major awards received by the duo include National ICT Awards 2019 by Union Ministry of Education; Rajasthan Bhamashah Shiksha Vibhushan Samman 2019-20 for donating mobile apps to state government for up-gradation of education in the state; and Rajasthan E-Governance Award 2016-17 for remarkable contribution in the field of e-governance by mobile apps in the field of education.
"We developed these mobile applications in our free time after government service hours. While we were preparing for competitive exams, we found that rural students were not able to get study content in Hindi. We first uploaded content on blogs (for the students) and later in 2015 started developing subject-specific mobile applications," Ola said.
He said applications carry the study material for primary, middle and senior secondary classes, as well as for students pursuing graduation and post-graduation.
He said they have donated about 100 mobile applications to the state government to further develop study content and cater to the needs of the students.
"Our mobile applications have been downloaded by lakhs of users and have crores of page views," Tetarwal said, adding during the Covid pandemic, students greatly benefited from these apps.
The apps are available on Google Play Store for free, he said.
Ola said keeping in mind the importance of ICT in education, they have also created a free, open-source mobile app maker platform -- HYPERLINK "http://theappstation.com"theappstation.com -- for the teacher community.
With its help, thousands of teachers have contributed to the digitalisation of education by creating their own mobile apps without any technical knowledge, Ola said.
From this platform, mobile apps related to audio, video, quiz, notes, calendar, radio, chatbot and other features can be created by drag and drop method, he added.
"Currently, server shifting work is going on presently and the platform will be live in the next four-five days," Ola said.
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Maharashtra cops bust ₹1.2 crore worth drugs in Bengaluru ahead of New Year
Bengaluru: With New Year celebrations just days away, the Maharashtra Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), with assistance from the Bengaluru City Police, has seized drugs worth about ₹1.20 crore from different parts of the city.
The seizure was made during coordinated raids conducted by Maharashtra police teams at Horamavu, Yerrappanahalli and Kannur areas on the outskirts of Bengaluru. During the operation, police recovered around 4.1 kg of solid MDMA and 17 kg of liquid MDMA, with a total estimated value of ₹1.20 crore.
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Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwara, who briefed senior police officers during a meeting in the city on Sunday, said the operation was part of intensified action against drug trafficking that has been underway across the state since October and November. He said the Maharashtra police had first arrested an accused in Mumbai on December 27, based on whose information another accused was traced and arrested in Bengaluru through a joint operation involving Maharashtra police and the Bengaluru City Police.
According to the Home Minister, the accused had stored mephedrone, a chemical used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs. Based on inputs from the Mumbai arrest, a coordinated operation was carried out by the Bengaluru City Police, Mumbai Police, the Narcotics Control Bureau and other investigating agencies. He dismissed claims that Bengaluru police had not acted in the case, stating that the operation was a result of joint efforts.
Dr Parameshwara also rejected reports claiming that three drug manufacturing units were operating in Bengaluru, calling such information false. He said senior Bengaluru police officers, including deputy commissioners, were present during the raids along with Maharashtra police officials. He added that the fight against drug networks was being carried out in an organised manner at the national level, with intensified enforcement since October.
Clarifying reports that suggested drugs worth ₹58 crore had been seized, the Home Minister said those figures were incorrect. He stated that the total quantity of drugs recovered was around 4 kg in solid form, valued at ₹1.20 crore. He noted that in several cases, Karnataka police also act on information provided by accused persons arrested in other states, and such coordination should not be portrayed as a failure of local police.
He warned that strict action would be taken if lapses were found at any level, including against deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners or local officers, adding that disciplinary action could go beyond suspension if required.
Senior officials, including Director General of Police Dr M.A. Saleem, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, joint commissioners and deputy commissioners from various wings, were present at the meeting.
Reacting to the development, former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP MLA Dr C.N. Ashwath Narayan alleged that the Home Department had failed to curb the organised production, transport and sale of drugs in the state. He said the fact that Maharashtra police were conducting raids in Karnataka reflected poorly on the state’s law enforcement machinery.
BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra also criticised the government, claiming that Bengaluru was fast turning into a “drug hub” and questioning the effectiveness of the state’s intelligence and police systems. He said the involvement of police from other states in exposing drug networks in Karnataka was a matter of serious concern and an embarrassment for the state administration.
