New Delhi, Nov 25: The government has launched a landmark Cyber Security Innovation Challenge (CSIC) 1.0 for students and researchers to work upon real-world cyber challenges, positioning the field as a viable career path and strengthens India’s homegrown cyber resilience.

The initiative, launched under the Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) project of MeitY, aims to building not only skilled professionals and positioning cyber security as a viable career path, but also catalysing homegrown, product-oriented solutions.

S. Krishnan, IT Secretary, emphasised the need for a two-pronged national cyber security strategy — expanding awareness of emerging threats while strengthening technological capabilities. He highlighted that CSIC 1.0 addresses both imperatives.

Krishnan said that cyber security demands a ‘whole-of-nation’ approach, echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘whole-of-government’ strategy.

Acknowledging the collaborative presence of MeitY, CERT-In, NSCS, AICTE, C-DAC, DSCI, and leaders from academia and industry, he stressed the importance of nurturing winning ideas beyond the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage, creating pathways for them to evolve into scalable solutions through collaboration with startups and industry partners.

Vinayak Godse, CEO, Data Security Council of India, provided an engaging walkthrough of CSIC 1.0’s five-stage structure and extensive problem statements, developed through months of intense deliberation between DSCI, C-DAC, and the ISEA team.

He highlighted that this first-of-its-kind initiative enables students and researchers to innovate and develop entrepreneurial mindsets from the early stages.

Professor V Kamakoti, Director IIT Madras, mentioned that the innovation challenge under ISEA Project highlights our enhanced understanding of core challenges and positions us to craft transformative solutions.

The 10 domain specific problem statements highlight areas which are aligned to the cyber security needs of the nation and require fresh, innovative thinking.

Dr Sanjay Bahl, Director General, CERT-In, highlighted ISEA’s critical role in fostering innovation that shifts the paradigm from reactive defense to proactive security.

He noted that the Innovation Challenge creates a vital platform uniting R&D, academia, and industry, with solutions from academic institutions envisioned to reach the market as deployable products.

Mumbai: Mumbai woke up on Tuesday to a mild and noticeably cooler morning, with minimum temperatures dipping just below 23°C. Early risers stepped out expecting a pleasant start to the day, but many were met instead with a dense blanket of smog hanging low over the city’s skyline. Commuters reported reduced visibility, eye irritation and breathing discomfort, highlighting the growing rise of pollution-related ailments across the city.

What began as a refreshing early morning soon turned into a stark reminder of Mumbai’s worsening air-quality crisis. A thick haze clung stubbornly to major roads, residential belts and commercial zones, with light winds doing little to disperse the pollution that has been steadily accumulating throughout November.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that clear skies are likely to persist through the day, with maximum temperatures expected to climb to around 34°C by afternoon. The report added that while the early-morning chill may continue for a few more days, there is no immediate clarity on when the city’s deteriorating air will see meaningful improvement.

Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 316, placing it squarely in the severe category today. This represents a steep spike compared to readings earlier in the month, when several locations still fell under moderate or poor categories. Today’s data, however, showed a widespread decline across industrial belts, coastal zones and densely populated residential suburbs.

The Wadala Truck Terminal recorded the day’s worst air with an AQI of 364, indicating deeply hazardous levels. Chembur (338) and Colaba (337) followed closely, both registering severe pollution. Western neighbourhoods such as Juhu (332) and Worli (331) also reported severe readings, showing that the pollution wave has spread uniformly across the city’s eastern, western and central corridors.

Suburban pockets showed slightly better but still troubling numbers. Kandivali East reported the lowest AQI of 140, placing it in the poor category. Other major zones, including Sion (302), Mumbai Airport (308), Malad West (308) and Bandra (310), all remained under the severe category.

For reference, AQI between 0–50 is considered good, 51–100 moderate, 101–150 poor, 151–200 unhealthy and anything above 200 severe or hazardous, a range into which large swathes of Mumbai have now fallen.

Mumbai, Nov 24: A sudden overhaul of the security system has created confusion among doctors at Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle after they noticed the absence of guards in the Out-Patient Department (OPD).

The hospital has witnessed several assaults on doctors in recent weeks, increasing anxiety among staff and prompting the Cooper Hospital unit of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) to raise concerns with the administration.

On November 8, three doctors were attacked by a man after a 60-year-old patient died during treatment. Shockingly, the security personnel present in the emergency ward allegedly remained passive during the incident, raising serious questions about the efficiency of the contracted security agency.

Following the incident, the BMC administration removed around 150 personnel of the outsourced agency and initiated the process to appoint a new one. It later emerged that both the old and proposed agencies were operated by the same individual under different company names.

As the appointment of a new agency will take time, the BMC temporarily deployed its own staff. About 90 personnel were pooled from various departments and assigned to Cooper Hospital. The abrupt shift led to confusion among doctors, who initially believed no security had been deployed.

Chief Security Officer Ajit Tawade said the misunderstanding has now been cleared. “Doctors were not aware that BMC security personnel had been deputed,” he said. Tawade added that 90 guards will be deployed round the clock in three shifts, with fewer staff required at night. Previously, 150 guards were posted across the hospital.

Under the revised arrangement, one guard will be assigned to each floor instead of every ward or OPD, raising concerns about reduced vigilance.

“With limited manpower, we cannot post guards in each ward or OPD. Doctors are demanding the same strength they had with the private agency. We deploy security in the same manner at Sion, KEM and other hospitals. At present, we are functioning with only 50 percent of the required strength,” Tawade said.

MARD president Dr. Chinmay Kelkar said doctors have been assured that security deployment will be gradually increased. “If there is no improvement, we will be forced to go on mass leave,” he warned.