Semiconductor push
This refers to ‘Bharat Semiconductor Research Centre soon’ (March 5). With approval given for three more units, the government’s vision to make India a semiconductor nation is appreciable. The upcoming units will add up to 80,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to government estimates.
However, the shortage of talent in specific jobs can be worrisome in the coming years. For a labour surplus economy like India, this scenario can be transformed into a golden opportunity by providing specific courses in our education system with the help of private players at affordable cost. Although such courses are available in private education institutions, the cost runs into lakhs of rupees and is unaffordable for middle-class students. Therefore, government support in this area will help reduce the talent gap in specific skills required for the semiconductor industry and will also foster inclusive education.
Laxmi Yadav
Haryana
Container rates
This refers to ‘Maersk hikes container rates by $1000 to US, Canada’ (March 5). With no sign of an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict and Houthis’ relentless attack on cargo vessels, other container companies may also follow suit. This will leave Indian shippers in a vulnerable position, especially apparel shipments which must reach the destination well before the fashion season begins. Despite adequate insurance and ECGC cover, small and medium exporters’ turnover and profits are likely to take a hit.
Rajiv Magal
Halekere Village, Karnataka
Publicise GST
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has exhorted all the GST formations to use technology to plug the loopholes and also provide better taxpayer services It is imperative that the government keeps the tax laws simple. GST, for instance, is an indirect tax and has wide coverage. The common man should know how much GST is paid on the commodities he buys. The powers-that-be should first leverage the technology to enlighten the people on the tax, as it is GST that pushes up the prices of commodities, albeit it is inevitable.
S Ramakrishnasayee
Chennai
Advisory on AI
This refers to ‘MEITY’s advisory on AI creates a flutter’ (March 5). No doubt that the advisory’s stance on labelling the Prime Minister in unduly harsh terms, as demonstrated by ‘Gemini’, underscores the need to avoid biased narratives.
However, MEITY’s decision to exert control over all social media intermediaries as part of due diligence and grievance redress obligations may be deemed an overreaction.
The key flaw in the mentioned case is not rooted in the use of unlawful input data but rather in ‘Gemini’ inadequately testing the data and neglecting to assess the ‘bias-variance’ trade-off before model implementation. Achieving accuracy in an AI model necessitates a thorough evaluation of its performance, accuracy, and generalisation capabilities across various stages of testing.
In light of this, MEITY’s advisory places significant emphasis on safeguarding against bias and misinformation, which is commendable.
Srinivasan Velamur
Chennai