The Indian Institute of Management has earned a sobriquet of ‘Quality and Excellence” owing to its immersive Management Education and cutting edge, hands-on exposure to the industry, so much so that getting education from these premier institutions has become a coveted career dream. These 20 institutes that came into being in three generations have carved a niche for themselves not only in Management programs but also beyond.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) offers Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) as the flagship program across all its 20 institutes, the duration of which is 2 years. The Post Graduate Programme offered by the IIMs is equivalent to regular MBA degree programs. Along with the PGP, the IIMs offer Executive Post Graduate Programme (EPGP), Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) and various other part-time and certificate courses.

Let us take a look at some of them that strike a tangent with the Management courses but also go beyond:

Post Graduate Programme In Food And Agri-business Management (PGP-FABM) – IIM, Ahmedabad

The 2-year full-time course was previously known as PGP- ABM program. In the first year, of course, students of PGP (Flagship) and FABM study a common syllabus – students of FABM study a few extra subjects. In the second year of the program, FABM focuses more on agro-based subjects. The objective of the Post-graduate Programme in Food and Agri-business Management is to transform young men and women into competent professional managers for the agriculture, food, agri-business, rural and allied sectors. The program caters to the needs of enterprises serving these sectors, both domestic and international. The program will build sensitivity to domestic and international market needs and span the entire agricultural value chain. The program specifically attempts to: Equip the participants with the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes for managerial decision making and implementation in the unique context of agribusiness. Encourage entrepreneurial capabilities in participants to make them effective change agents in agri-business. Develop participants’ capabilities to become leaders and nurture in them a commitment for integrity, ethics and social purpose. 

Master of Business Administration (Business Analytics)- IIM Bangalore

The Post Graduate Programme in Business Analytics is a 24-month full-time program designed to give you the tools and techniques to become an expert in this evolving, high-demand field. It is structured to enable you to define business and social challenges, use analytical tools and techniques to identify patterns, gain insights, develop business strategies and make sound management decisions. It provides you with an overview of management disciplines and an in-depth understanding of data science.

PGP in Enterprise Management (PGPEM)-IIM Bangalore

This program is offered by IIM Bangalore and is a 22-month weekend residential program. The programme can be pursued by mid-level and senior executives having at least four years of work experience after Graduation. 

Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics ( PGDBA) – IIM, Calcutta

The Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA) – jointly offered by IIM Calcutta, IIT Kharagpur, and ISI Kolkata – aims to help shape the emerging profession of business analytics by delivering a cutting edge interdisciplinary educational experience to graduate applicants with an aspiration of building a career in this field. PGDBA is a two-year full-time residential diploma program aimed at creating business analytics professionals employable by leading Indian and foreign firms. This program is designed for those who have an analytical mindset, are interested in tackling challenging business problems, and possess an inclination towards mathematics. Some of the salient features of the programme include courses taught by reputed faculty members at the campuses of three globally renowned institutes, hands-on business analytics training at a related company, continuous interaction with industry leaders throughout the course of the diploma programme, and the availability of placement opportunities at all the three institutes jointly offering this programme.

Executive PGP for Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing(PGPEX-VLM)- IIM, Calcutta

The program introduces courses on Green Manufacturing, SAP ERP, and Breakthrough Management along with ISO 9001 Lead Auditor Training. The course includes 36 weeks of classroom study, which includes lectures, case studies, tutorials, lab sessions, videos, individual and team assignments, guest lectures from Japanese faculty. The diploma will be jointly awarded by IIMC, IITK, and IITM. Students have to undergo 7 weeks of internship in the industry along with 2–3 weeks of industry visit in Japan under the aegis of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Post Graduate Program in Sustainable Management (PGP-SM) – IIM, Lucknow

Post Graduate Programme in Sustainable Management (PGPSM) is a two-year full time, the residential program being conducted by IIM Lucknow at its Noida campus. The programme helps students develop an ethos of environment and social responsibility of businesses and equip them with holistic thinking and skills. The well-designed curriculum focuses on developing the capability to recognize the inter-connectedness of the economic performance of the business with social and environmental systems. Students would also be able to produce policy-relevant results.

Post Graduate Program in Agribusiness Management (PGP-ABM) – IIM, Lucknow

The two-year Post-Graduate Program in Agribusiness Management is a full -time residential course designed to developing agribusiness leaders, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs with vision, competence and appropriate attitude for promoting/ growing agribusiness and agro-based enterprises with a strong international orientation. The program is spread across 6 semester which includes an international immersion program.

Online Programs – IIM, Kashipur

The online certificate programs give flexibility to students and professionals who want to learn something at their own convenience. Any certifications(whether online or offline) is worth it if you make the best out of it. It helps you implement the knowledge and expertise in your career domain by scaling up your career growth.

The online certifications are in :

• Executive Certified Program in Digital Marketing
• Executive Certified Program in Marketing Analytics and Customer Valuation
• Executive Certified Program in Entrepreneurship
• Strategic Management Course

Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Management(EPGDSM)- IIM Rohtak

IIM Rohtak has started a specialized program in “Sports Management” for experienced professionals, sports graduates, and sports enthusiasts. This program is for industrious participants interested in working in the sports, entertainment and related industries. On successful completion of the academic requirements of the two-year program, the students will be awarded “Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Management”.The Programme consists of 6 terms spread over a period of 2 years. This will include a total of 560 interactive sessions with a mix of Offline Sessions, Online Sessions, Project Work, and Industrial Visits.

Executives Post Graduate Program – Managing Business in India and China- IIM Shillong

The students will be exposed to double Industrial Internships in China and in India for 8 weeks each. After successful completion, students will receive Executive PG Diploma from IIM, Shillong, India, and Certificate of Participation from OUC, Qingdao, China. It also includes international immersion, during which participants will spend around 4 months at Ocean University.

Summer School at IIM, Udaipur

The Summer School for Future Leaders in Development is a six-week course organized by the Center for Development Management at IIM Udaipur and the Stanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, USA. The Summer School brings together students from Duke, students from prominent Indian universities and early career staff members from Indian non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It is aimed at future development leaders seeking careers in the academic field, in practical areas of development and in related sectors dealing with contemporary socio-political challenges.

Summing up:

Therefore, if you wish to make your dream come true by walking out with coveted education programs from these premier institutions there are many options apart from the flagship PGP that you are familiar with. You can chisel your professional skills and increase your chances of getting the job you want. And, If you’re already working, you will be able to return to the office with new insights and strategies that you can implement immediately.

In an age where there is an explosion of information, multiple versions of facts & conflation of views and facts, the need for correct facts becomes paramount. This is exactly what the Ministry of Information Services does, i.e. bring correct information.Building a robust network of information systems to inform the masses about what the government schemes are, what kind of new plans are introduced, new initiatives on the ambit etc. is essential. In this regard, IIS officers ensure the right channelization, dispersion, and dissemination of information in all the leading media frontiers to make information readily available to the Indian population.

About Indian Information Service( IIS)

The Indian Information Service (IIS) is the administrative civil service under Group A and Group B of the Central Civil Services of the executive branch of the Government of India.

Indian Information Service officers are the media managers of the Government of India. They act as a vital communication link between the Government and the people by way of disseminating information and communicating various Government policies and schemes to the public at large; and also collecting and providing valuable feedback to the Government for policy formulation.

Most IIS officers work in various media units which are under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting such as DD News, All India Radio, Press Information Bureau, DAVP etc. During their tenure in the Press Information Bureau, they are posted with various Ministries as spokespersons to handle the Ministry’s information and communication needs and help in policy formulation.

IIS officers are also posted as spokespersons to various constitutional bodies such as Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Election Commission of India and statutory bodies such as Central Bureau of Investigation. Besides postings all over India, an IIS officer also gets posted to a few foreign assignments under Prasar Bharati.

Genesis

Indian Information Service (IIS) was established as an organised central service named Central Information Service (CIS) on 1 March 1960. Prior to 1960, these posts were manned by officers recruited separately by each media unit. In 1987, CIS was bifurcated into IIS Group ‘A’ and IIS Group ‘B’.

Recruitment

IIS Group-A officers are selected through two modes,

Direct recruitment through the prestigious Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to the various Civil Services of the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.

And also through promotion to IIS Group-A from the Senior Grade officers of IIS Group-B.

UPSC Indian Information Service Education Qualification

It is an administered civil service cadre. This service comes under the Ministry of Information and broadcasting. Officers for IIS are selected through the Civil services exams conducted by UPSC.

Candidates must have a Degree from a recognized University or Institute, Diploma/Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism/ Mass Communication from a recognized University/Institution. OR Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from a recognized University/Institute.

Training

After the officers are allocated the Service depending on their rank and preferences in the Civil Services Exam, they undergo a three months Foundation Course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration Mussoorie. This is followed by nine months of professional training at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. During the training period there is also a 3-week training module for IIS Officer Trainees at Film and Television Institute of India Pune. Thereafter, an IIS Probationer undergoes one year On-Job-Training, during which he/she is attached to various media units under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting such as-

• Press Information Bureau
• All India Radio
• DD News
• Registrar of Newspapers for India
• Publications Division[5]
• Directorate of Field Publicity
• New Media Wing of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
• Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity
• Electronic Media Monitoring Centre

Posting offered after training 

The ministry of information and broadcasting has its own media houses that help in the dissemination of information from the government to the public. IIS officers are stationed in these media units to serve the government’s interests. 

• Many IIS officers work in DD News, All India Radio networks, Prasar Bharathi, etc. 
• They also serve as officers in Press information bureaus. In these bureaus, they get higher postings leading them to represent respective ministries in the form of spokespersons. 
• IIS officers are also deputed as spokespersons to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the election commission of India, and also the Central Bureau of investigation. 
• They are also deputed internationally on foreign assignments. 

Work profile

By its very nature of handling the information and communication, the Service enjoys a great diversity in its nature of work and responsibilities. The Ministry of I&B lists the functions of an IIS officer in its official mandate as

• To plan and execute the media strategy to provide publicity to various programmes/schemes of the Government for the welfare of the people across the country.
• Organisation of press conferences and visual publicity campaigns for disseminating information to the people on the various activities and policies of the Government of India through various tools of mass communication.
• Control, supervision and guidance to News Services units of All India Radio and DD News including regional news units.
• To look after administration and coordination work of PIB headquarters and day to day publicity works of the Government.
• To guide, supervise and control the field publicity units of the Central Government spread across the country and to issue timely directions for effective monitoring and evaluation of field units.
• To monitor the complex legal issues involved in the verification of titles, registration and circulation for Newspapers in India.

Career prospects

Soon after the probationary period of an IIS officer, he gets posted to a media unit attached to the government of India. Again, the tenure at the media unit is dependent on the number of vacancies and requirements they have at the point of time of induction. So broadly speaking, an IIS officer travels through these roles to achieve seniority and related benefits in his career progression. The path traversed by the IIS officer is listed below for quick reference: 

• In the initial posting as the junior grade officer, he serves as the Assistant Director. 
• In the first promotion to a senior role, he is posted as the Deputy Director. 
• In the junior administrative cadre, he is appointed as the Joint Director or as the Deputy Secretary to the Government of India. 
• He is also posted as the Director in the junior administrative cadre. 
• In the senior administration cadre, he holds the post of Additional Director General, which is equivalently termed the joint secretary posting to the Government of India
• As a selection grade officer, he is posted as Director General. 
• In higher administrative grades, he can be posted as Principal Director General. 

Recruitment Notification:

Hindi Translator vacancy in Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Recruitment 2020

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced recruitment notification for the post Hindi Translator eligible candidates can submit their application before 27-04-2020.

Covid 19 was called a Pandemic by WHO and it sent us all packing…              

That simply meant we all opened our laptops in the comfort of our homes.   

 Home. 

Lovely! That’s what we’ve  always wanted ? Haven’t we?

While securing ourselves from the virus outside, we made ourselves more vulnerable to the viruses that could enter our systems, our data more susceptible to attacks and ourselves more prone to phishing. With the security immunity being low, the chaotic scape is a perfect breeding ground for phishers, hackers and scammers to feed on.

We as individuals and organizations made ourselves susceptible. 

Big, small, mid sized all are equally vulnerable… The following news items say it all.

HACKERS ARE TARGETING UK UNIVERSITIES TO STEAL CORONAVIRUS RESEARCH, NCSC WARNS

THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS PUTS TELCOS BACK ON THE MAP AS STRATEGIC PROVIDERS

SCAMMERS ARE NOW TAKING ADVANTAGE OF US SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF FUND IN PHISHING EMAILS

When I read these,  I could not stop myself from mumbling these famous lines from Julius Caesar-

Mischief, thou art afoot

Now, since mischief has set afoot, can we let it take the course thou wilt? 

(Which literally meant, mischief you are astir, do what you intend)

What can we do? 

The Zero Trust Tenet:

Covid made us get into a zero trust mode. Everyone is looked as a potential carrier of a virus. Apply the same analogy to cyber security. Data breach, ransomware, phishing attacks can come from anyone and anywhere and when they do, you cannot simply gasp and say

You too, Brutus?

( How can you breach and betray me? As a friend)

You simply cannot trust anyone. Zero Trust tenet means not trusting anyone. And I mean absolutely ‘No one and no action’. Every action, every hit is monitored, how users interact with an application, from what device, how many users access the application within the organization and how many without. For instance, you are a giant company where there are many hits in a  single time frame, you may use AI and ML to build a behavioral file for each user. As soon as a suspicious behavior is seen, an immediate remediation can take place.

Wear the zero trust hat and authenticate every action in your architecture.

Guard your cloud.

We are undoubtedly living in uncertain, fluid times with an increased pressure on our digital resources, and we may continue to do so in the near future.

If you are using a Cloud or a SaaS solution, you are trusting that vendor with the security of your corporate data. Even if you can, are you sure you have armed yourself enough viz a viz the end points that access the data?

For example, you may not allow your employees to have direct access to a SaaS resource while they are using their own machine and may require them to tunnel to the system,  you may still need to have DLP software, filters, antivirus screening in place. 

And additionally, in case you have been caught off guard, a knee jerk shift to remote devices and networks will lower your immunity in terms of security, leaving some security gaps, including cloud misconfiguration leading to data breaches.

What NEXT?

A report by Learnbonds.com says that besides boosting their cybersecurity spending, as the top IT priority this year, around 55% of major organisations will boost their investments in automation solutions, revealed HFS Research survey conducted in April. Smart analytics, hybrid or multi-cloud and artificial intelligence follow, with 53%, 49% and 46% of those bodies asked naming them as their leading IT investments this year.

Therefore, in whichever domain of business you are in- whether in healthcare or telecom or e retail, now is the time to future guard yourself and all your data wherever it resides- on your machines, applications or cloud. 

It’s time to UP your expense on cyber security. 

The security of our networks, applications, enterprises, cloud platforms lies not in scrambling to figure out and come up with a patchy solution, but to override and preempt all possible vulnerabilities and threats you might be exposed to, so that some years hence you may say,

I CAME… I SAW, I

CONQUERED

                              -Julius Caesar 

Reach me at: gchhabra@sagunaconsulting.com

Gateway of the Defence Services

Wish to get into National Defence Services? Gear up for the National Defence Academy in 2020. Learn what all it entails and how to successfully clear one of the most coveted exams of the country.

NDA 2020 exam is going to be held by UPSC to select candidates for admission into training academies of the Indian Military, Navy and Air Force. The exam is conducted twice a year; the next year’s dates are 19th April 2020 and 6th September 2020. To be eligible for selection, you will have to qualify the written exam and interview following it and will be able to fill your application form from 8th January 2020 (April exam) and 10th June 2020 (September exam). 

NDA 2020- Highlights:

• The filling and submission of the application form can only be done in online mode.
• Candidates having problems with the online application submission can contact the facilitation counter.
• In case you submit multiple applications, you must make sure the application submitted later is complete in all respect as the application with the highest RID will only be considered.
• The discrepancy in the admit card can make it invalid and therefore must be corrected by communicating the Commission.
• In case you have resigned or withdrawn on disciplinary grounds from any of the training academies of Armed Forces, you will not be eligible to apply.
• Candidates appearing for SSB interview for the first time for a particular type of Commission will be offered traveling allowance.

A few days ago, there was a furore about the biggest cyclone in a decade and of bridges being swept away. The Amphan cyclone, as it was called,  was predicted to be one of the deadliest. Have you ever wondered who makes all the predictions? To get into a  precise prediction and trend analysis, what are the tools we require? Which department takes care of all this?

All this and much more comes under the department of Meteorology which is in turn  a branch of Atmospheric Sciences,  focusing on predicting weather and climate, and studying the forces that bring about change in our environment. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India takes care  of meteorology, weather forecast and seismology. It is also one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres of the World Meteorological Organization. It has the responsibility for forecasting, naming and distribution of warnings for tropical cyclones in the Northern Indian Ocean region.

Education 

To get into an undergraduate course, you must have cleared 10+2 with Science stream. The course would be of three to four year duration. You can get into a  Master’s  course and then linearly progress to a PhD programme in Meteorology. Many institutes offer admission to M.Tech/ M.Sc through a valid GATE score.

You would learn  about Fundamentals of Meteorology, Weather Measurement & Analysis, Weather Forecasting, Atmospheric Physics and Thermodynamics, Global Atmosphere, Marine Meteorology etc. You would also study some statistical concepts like data collection, analysis and forecasting; and computer modeling.

The Meteorological Department of India offers many job opportunities for you from technical assistant, Group A and B. If you are graduate or postgraduate in PCM group,you can apply for Technical Assistant, Sr.Tech Asstt in the IMD whereas if you are an M.Phil or Ph.D, you may be eligible to apply for Group A and B Posts.

Some of the posts are:

IMD Scientist:

IMD has recently issued a latest recruitment notification to fill up vacancies for Scientists posts. Interested & eligible applicants can apply online at official site http://www.imd.gov.in. IMD Scientists is for New Delhi, India students. 

The minimum qualification has been specified as:

You should have passed a Master’s Degree in Physics / Meteorology / Atmospheric Sciences or equivalent with at least first class (60%) in the qualifying degree. A Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics / Instrumentation /Communication Engineering or equivalent with at least first class (60%) in the qualifying degree. Once selected, students have to go through a 1-year advanced course in Meteorology at IMD campuses in Pune or New Delhi.

The Selection Procedure  is of three stages- Prelims Exam, Mains Exam and Interview. Candidates qualifying in the prelims exam will be eligible to appear for the mains exam. After you clear the Mains exam, you will be eligible for the interview.

Filling up of three(03) post of Scientist G in IMD,New Delhi on direct recruitment basis

Owing to Covid, the Ministry of Earth Science (MOES) has extended the last date of receiving applications for Scientist G and other posts on its official website.

SSC Scientific Assistant:

It is Group B GP 4200 Post in IMD and is a combination of scientific cum Met. Observer Post. It includes lots of Work as a Meteorologist with Forecasting and Advanced meteorology. The eligibility criteria is that you should be a citizen of India or a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee. You should be a graduate in Science (with Physics as one of the subjects)/ Computer Science/Information Technology/ Computer Applications OR Diploma in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from a recognized Institution/University or equivalent. However, according to New court Ruling even B.Tech and BE are eligible to apply for SSC Scientific Assistant. You should not exceed the age of 30 years.The qualifying Degree or diploma referred above should be in First Class (60% marks) or 6.75 CGPA on a 10 point scale. The qualifying Degree or Diploma referred above must be of three (3) years duration after (10+2) examination. The applicant must have passed 10+2 Examination from a Recognized Board or equivalent in Science with Physics and Mathematics as core subjects.

The disqualifications to this post are:

No person

a)Who  has entered into or contracted a marriage with a person or having a spouse living or

1. b) Who having a spouse living has entered into or contracted a marriage with any person 

Is eligible for the aforesaid post.

Examination Pattern

The question paper,a computer based,  is of  two parts, Part – I & Part – II. Both Part-I & Part-II are conducted for a duration of 2 hours. It comprises 200 questions carrying 200 marks for two hours duration. Part ! consists of General Intelligence & Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, English language & Comprehension and General Awareness( 25 questions from each topic). Part II would test you on Physics, Computer Science and Information Technology, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. For 100 marks based on which option out of the 3 disciplines you choose.In case if more than one candidate scores the equal aggregate marks, tie will be resolved by applying using methods like Total marks in the Computer based examination (Part-I & Part-II), Marks in Part-II, Marks in Part-I, Date of birth, with older candidates placed higher and also the first name of the candidates in alphabetical order.

India Meteorological Department Senior Research Fellow (SRF):

For being a Senior Research Fellow, you need to have a Postgraduate degree (MSc/M.Tech) in Meteorology/ Environmental Sciences or M.Sc.(Agriculture) in Agrometeorology/ Agricultural Physics / Agronomy / Soil Science/ Agricultural Statistics or B.Sc.(Ag) with MCA in Computer Science/ Computer Applications from a recognized University / Institution or B.Tech. in Agricultural Engineering / Computer Sciences / Environmental Sciences Desirable : Candidate with knowledge/ experience in Meteorological data processing/ remote sensing/ GIS/ Crop Simulation Modelling preferred.

Institute Watch:

• IIT Delhi
• IIT Kharagpur
• Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune
• Andhra University, Visakhapatnam
• Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital
• Center for Atmospheric and Oceanic Science (CAOS), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore
• Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala
• Shivaji University, Vidyanagar, Kolhapur, Maharashtra

Sample Questions (English)

SPOTTING ERRORS 

Directions for the following 20 items : 

Each question in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your answer in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e. (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your answer should be indicated as (d). 

1. He asked her that(a)  whether she knew (b) what had happened last week (c) when she was on leave. No error (d)
2. Until you do not go to the station(a) to receive him(b) I can hardly feel at ease. (c) No error (d)
3. I did not know where they were going(a) nor could I understand (b) why had they left so soon(c). No error (d)

Pharmacovigilance – Keeping up the Vigil

One sector that would always boom and is recession proof is Healthcare and its cousin, Pharma. With many drugs hitting the market, there is a  growing need for vigilance and a check to prevent and monitor the adverse effect of drugs. There is a complete science to it. It is called Pharmacovigilance.

Let us understand what it is and what are the careers in this growing field.

Pharmacovigilance (PV or PhV), also known as drug safety, is the pharmacological science relating to the collection, detection, assessment, monitoring, and prevention of adverse effects with pharmaceutical products. As such, pharmacovigilance heavily focuses on adverse drug reactions, or ADRs, which are defined as any response to a drug which is noxious and unintended, including lack of efficacy.Medication errors such as overdose, and misuse and abuse of a drug as well as drug exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding, are also of interest, even without an adverse event, because they may result in an adverse drug reaction.

Simply put, Pharmacovigilance, is drug safety. It can be defined as the study and prevention of adverse effects caused by pharmaceutical products. Pharmacovigilance is the reason that many drugs are withdrawn from or not even brought into the market at times.The government supports and helps to implement courses in pharmacovigilance as their primary goal is to ensure students of medicine are aware of the adverse effects of certain pharmaceuticals. Pharmacovigilance makes it possible to implement quality systems in all pharmaceutical companies that manufacture large amounts of medicine.

Information received from patients and healthcare providers via pharmacovigilance agreements (PVAs), plays a critical role in providing the data necessary for pharmacovigilance to take place. In fact, in order to market or to test a pharmaceutical product in most countries, adverse event data received by the license holder must be submitted to the local drug regulatory authority. Ultimately, pharmacovigilance is concerned with identifying the hazards associated with pharmaceutical products and with minimizing the risk of any harm that may come to patients. Companies must conduct a comprehensive drug safety and pharmacovigilance audit to assess their compliance with worldwide laws, regulations, and guidance.

Who are Pharmacovigilance officers?

Pharmacovigilance officers are drug safety officers. They are responsible for monitoring and reporting the effectiveness and any adverse effects or side effects of pharmaceutical products on the market in the general population and in hospitals and research trials. They must liaise closely with medical and drug company representatives, patients, doctors, and other healthcare professionals to record the effectiveness of drugs and other treatments. The data is meticulously recorded, analyzed and processed because the informed opinions of pharmacovigilance officers will help pharmaceutical companies maximize product safety and performance, and cut down on adverse effects.

Genesis:

Pharmacovigilance (PV) was officially introduced in December 1961 by an  Australian doctor who first suspected a causal link between serious fetal deformities and thalidomide, a drug used during pregnancy: Thalidomide was used as an antiemetic and sedative agent in pregnant women. In 1968, the World Health Organization (WHO) promoted the “Programme for International Drug Monitoring”, a pilot project aimed to centralize world data on adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In particular, the main aim of the “WHO Programme” was to identify the earliest possible PV signals. 

Career scape:

Pharmacovigilance is a great career option for life science and pharmacy graduates. It is a scientific discipline that is primarily concerned with reporting and analyzing of drug side effects. It is primarily due to the work of Pharmacovigilance professionals that the drugs in the market that we consume are mostly safe and those that are found harmful are taken off the market. Pharmacovigilance professionals continuously monitor the safety of the drugs in clinical trials as well as the drugs already being sold in the market. After a drug side effect is reported, the Pharmacovigilance professionals enter the event in relevant databases, follow up with the case to gather more information and forward these reports to regulatory authorities and other applicable bodies. The Pharmacovigilance professionals identify signals in data that may point towards a potential side effect and probe the case further.

Job responsibilities:

• recording and reporting adverse reactions received from healthcare professionals and consumers
• conducting in-depth interviews with patients and healthcare professionals
• developing a thorough knowledge of products
• completing periodic safety update reports on drugs and other treatments
• writing and reviewing serious adverse effects reports and forms
• flagging up early warning signs of adverse effects of drugs
• minimizing the risk of serious side effects
• completing safety audits
• working on clinical trials of new drugs

Getting in :

Candidates of pharmacovigilance can pursue both certificate and diploma courses.In order to pursue a career in pharmacovigilance, the minimum eligibility criteria to apply for the course is:

• A postgraduate or graduate degree in Bioscience/Life Sciences (with any of the following subjects: Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Genetics, Biotech) with at least 50% marks in aggregate
• A postgraduate or graduate degree with Chemistry as a subject with at least 50% marks in aggregate
• A postgraduate or graduate degree in Pharmacy or Pharmaceutical Sciences
• A postgraduate or graduate degree in Medicine

Institute scape:

• Institute of Clinical Research, India, postgraduate diploma in Pharmacovigilance. 
• Clinical Research Institution and Management Academy, CREMA, Mumbai, and Bangalore offering postgraduate diploma in Pharmacovigilance.
• Apeejay Stya University, Gurgaon, Certificate in Drug Regulatory Affairs.
• Innovative center for BioSciences Clinical Research, Mohali,postgraduate diploma in Pharmacovigilance. 

Career Pathways:

Till a few years ago, B.Sc and M.Sc graduates were hired for Pharmacovigilance. Soon companies started getting B.Pharm people in the same pay scale as B.Sc n M.Sc. hence companies started hiring Pharmacy graduated and postgraduates. You can make a career in creating, Individual Case safety reports(ICSR’s), PSUR Periodic Safety update reports, Signal detection, Risk Management, Medical Coding, and Medical Writing.

An entry-level job in Pharmacovigilance is DSA (Drug Safety Associate). DSAs are mainly involved in case  creation, checking for MSI (Minimum safety information – a patient, a reporter, a suspect drug and an adverse event), reconciliation and followup process, data entry of all information available in the document and medical coding. Once a candidate has 2-3 Years experience and builds required skill sets (Medical coding, narrative and scientific writing, good understanding of medical terms and basic understanding of regulatory affairs, ICH-GCP and compliance) he can go on to become a DSS (Drug Safety Scientist). 

Top recruiters:

You can find good job options in the following sectors:

• Pharmaceutical Companies (MNCs & Indian) & Biotech companies.
• Clinical Research Organizations.
• Regulatory Agencies like DCG (I) & CDSCO
• Pharmacovigilance units in Medical colleges & Hospitals

Asian clinical trials serene, Bioserve, Clin invent, Clintec international, Clinigene, Dr Reddy’s lab, Elly Lilly,  Glaxo SmithKline, IGATE clinical research, Johnson & Johnson, Lambda therapeutic research, Lupin limited, Matrix laboratories ltd., Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Pharmanet, Quintiles, Ranbaxy, Roche India, Sristek, Siro Clinpharma, Synchron, Sanofi Aventis, Torrent Pharma,  Reliance life science,  Amed,  Accutest, Actimus, Adroit insights, Alembic, Asian Clinical Trials.

The Road Ahead:

The career in  Pharmacovigilance is quite bright. At present, India is the fourth largest producer of pharmaceuticals in the world and therefore is a surfeit of drug brands with more than 6,000 licensed drug manufacturers and over 60,000 branded formulations. India offers unique advantages for the growth of Pharmacovigilance that include rapid induction of New Chemical Entities (NCEs) and high technology pharmaceutical products in the market, an abundance of patients with genetic diversity, presence of Lakhs of formulation in the domestic market and a large world-scale Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) database.

All this makes India an escalating platform for an exciting and lucrative career in Pharmacovigilance.

Let’s retire the Pitch 

#1 Deepak, Can we chat today at 2? I have a super business idea to talk about…

#2 We will try to build the brand by exploiting social media while reaching out to potential partners to create the cross promotional opportunities. This might  will lead to higher marketplace visibility for our value proposition.

When in investors meetings, Do you come across claims similar to these? If yes, here are some common responses.

#1- Oh, not again..

#2- Damn- This is nonsensical balderdash delete- delete permanently- never show this message again.

Phew!

What’s wrong with the way we pitch.? 

We are so pushy when we sell, that we desperately grope for ’I’s and get lost in them.

So, what do we do? 

Having been in the Management Consulting industry for close to a decade now, and being tossed over by people multiple times, we’ve gone to a point where we can actually help companies pitch to investors and come out victorious.

Here’s how:

If you pitch, they will itch:

Well, you heard it right. DO NOT PITCH. The moment you pitch, there is a queasy feeling in the pit of the stomach” This guy wants me to shell out some money”. Try this.

Tell a story not of your brand or product, but of what is happening around you. Whether it is customers or investors, they will get hooked to what you say. And when you do this effectively, you will create a stronger connection between you and your buyers. This connection is often based on the fact that they can relate to your brand on a personal level, giving them even more reason to buy.

The famous novelist Virginia Woolf once said, “ Life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged; life is a luminous halo, a semi transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end.”

Strike at that consciousness. Appeal to the heart. Back it up with facts. 

Approach linear, and you have lost it. Start by naming the undeniable shift in the world that creates big stakes and huge urgency for your prospect.

The heart and the head go hand in hand…

If your elevator pitch is long, they will take the staircase:

When I go for networking events, one of the questions that I ask everyone who I meet is” What does your company do? Or which business are you in- Often times, I have seen CXO’s go on a monologue describing their business and I stifle a yawn.

This is precisely what you should not do while pitching. You start with a crisp and brisk elevator pitch that is hyphenated between small talk and how your product or service would solve a problem or make their lives easier. have a well-crafted pitch that takes no longer than a minute to deliver in an unhurried — but rehearsed manner. 

Brevity is the soul of wit…

If you meander, they would wander:

Professional investors, such as venture capitalists and serious angel investors, do not have long attention spans. The reason is not necessarily that they have attention deficit disorders but that they need to consider, evaluate, and choose among so many investment proposals that 30 minutes of uninterrupted time is all you can reasonably expect to have to present your proposal. 

Be sure to talk about the initial pain point your product solves.How did you come across it? Why are you solving it? Why is your approach the best one and how can you solve the problem for more people as a result of raising capital?

Be clear, simple and easy to act upon. 

Omit the fluff…

If you just talk about API’s want to know about KPI’s

You may be a tech geek going aboard about the cutting edge technology you would use in the product. Period. That interests only you.

Great investors understand KPIs. They would be interested in knowing what your KPI’s would be.

For example, a basic KPI such as Total Sales is critical for understanding if the company is performing well. “Underlying” KPIs are equally as important. For example, if sales are affected by 1) number of visitors to your website, 2) number of visitors who complete a contact form, 3) number of proposals you issue to these leads, and 4) the proposal closing ratio, then you should have a mechanism to track each one of them. It’s critical to identify the KPIs you will track in your business and list them in your strategic plan.

The numbers should say it, ALL…

They ask, you answer:

When you pitch a product, you do that to make the world a better place, create a long-term business that will keep you engaged and richly employed, and bequeath a legacy that will take care of your progeny. In contrast, the investor’s thinking process is usually “How do I make a lot of money in a short to moderate time frame?”  whose thinking process controls whether the entrepreneur closes on an investment?

Therefore, you must ensure your PowerPoint presentation and business plan address how the investor will make money from investing in your product or PoC. 

Be prepared to answer  investors questions about how the investment will be monetized through, among other things, licensing agreements with larger companies or a strategic sale of itself to a larger company.

Keep your food where your mouth is, or rather where your investor’s mouth is…

Repeat this for every pitch you do and after 3 or 4 pitches you should notice you’re getting fewer questions 

You would not only have pitched perfect but also been able to ride over the conundrum of the ‘yawn’ and ‘delete in the mind’ options of the investor.

That’s when you retire the pitch and bring to life real results.

After all, you get patted for trying and paid for producing.

The total vacancies will be divided into following categories:National Defence Academy: 360Army: 208Navy: 60Air Force: 92Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme): 55

NDA application form 2020 – The application forms are made available online for both NDA 1 and 2. NDA application form comprises two parts – I and II. To submit the application form, candidates need to pay the requisite examination fees of Rs 100. The examination fees can be paid both online and offline. 

NDA Admit Card 2020 – The admit card is released three weeks before the exam. For exam scheduled to be conducted on April, NDA 2020 admit card is expected to be released in the last week of February. NDA 2 admit card 2020 is expected to be issued in August since the exam is scheduled to be conducted in September. 

NDA Answer Key 2020 – The official answer key is released after completion of the selection process. However, several coaching institutes release NDA answer key unofficially within a few hours after completion of the test. 

NDA Result 2020 – The result is announced online on the official website. NDA 1 result for the written exam is expected to be released in June while the final result will be declared in November. NDA 2 result 2020 for written exam will be announced in December and the final result will be declared in May. 

NDA Eligibility Criteria 2020

Candidates need to fulfil the following eligibility criteria inorder to be eligible for the exam. 

Age Limit: Candidates who have been born not earlier than July 2, 2001, and not later than July 1, 2004, are eligible to apply for the NDA 1 exam. The date of birth is calculated as mentioned on the Matriculation or Secondary School Leaving Certificate or in a certificate recognised by an Indian University as equivalent to Matriculation.

Educational qualification: The educational qualification is different for different academies. Candidates can check the educational qualification prescribed for different academies below-

Army Wing of National Defence Academy: Candidates must have passed Class 12/HSC under 10+2 pattern of school education or equivalent from a recognised board or university. 

Air Force, Navy and Naval Academy of National Defence Academy: Candidates must have passed Class 12/HSC under 10+2 pattern of school education with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a State Education Board or a University. 

Preparation Tips for Paper 1:

The written exam constitutes two Papers i.e. Maths and General Ability Test. Each Paper  is 2 ½ Hours. The maximum marks for Maths Paper is 300 and for General Ability Test it is 600. The two Papers will be of objective type. 2.5 marks is allotted to each question with a deduction of 0.833 for wrong answer. You have 150 minutes for 120 questions so you have to be quick along with being accurate.

The Maths  Paper will cover topics like Integral Calculus, Differential Equations, Trigonometry, Algebra, Vector Algebra, Matrices and Determinants, Analytical Geometry, Statistics & Probability. The syllabus for mathematics is covered in NCERT books of 10th ,11th and 12th. After going through the basics from NCERT, also truck through the concepts from some of  the following books:

• Mathematics for NDA and NA: National Defence Academy and Naval Academy by R.S Aggarwal
• Quantitative aptitude for competitive examinations by R.S Aggarwal
• Study Package Mathematics NDA & NA by Manjul Tyagi and Amit Rastogi

Preparation Tips For Paper 2 – General Ability

Part A: English

The English test is for 200 marks and covers topics like vocabulary, grammar and usage and comprehension. To prepare for this section read at least 2 to 3 newspapers daily. It would help you build vocabulary, get to the  meanings of difficult words in context and also help you linearly track an event and form a perspective. 

Part B: General Knowledge

The GK test is for 400 marks and will check your general understanding and insight into the Current Affairs within the country, and outside. The test will comprise six sections: General Science, Indian history, Physics, Geography, Chemistry and Current Events.

Sectional cutoff : One needs a minimum of 20 % in both the sections of written examination which means a minimum of 60 marks in maths and 120 marks in general ability.

Overall cutoff: NDA cut off 2020 for final selection is the marks secured by the last finally recommended candidates. The cut off for this stage is decided out of 1800 marks (900 marks of written exam + 900 marks of Interview.

Online content

Browse and collect previous year question papers and solve them. Try to solve the question paper 15 minutes before the finishing time, so that you would have time to revise. This will help you in understanding the exam pattern better and learn which type of questions comes in the exam and how.

Take online mock tests regularly. It will help you stay up to date with your preparations. Some of the top online forums are: 

• SSB Crack
• Unacademy

Wide range of courses and contents with adequate options. Free easy to access video lectures and peer forums for discussions.

• Wi-Fi study

Course content available in pen drive for a nominal fee. Hosts forum interaction sessions in Hindi and English.

• TCY online

Test samples, solutions and study materials available at a nominal fee

• Time

Institutionalized setup with supportive counselling and crisp content access

Phase 2

SSB Interview (Psychological Aptitude Test and Intelligence Test) The SSB Interview is the second and final round of the NDA Selection Process. The SSB Interview round comprises two separate tests – Psychological Aptitude Test and Intelligence Test.

Hone your Body:

Maintaining not only your health but also your physical strength is important. The type of diet and exercise and eating routine mentioned above must be followed timely.Work hard on yourself and you can also join a gym. You can consult a dietician and a personal trainer at the gym to have you through the right type of diet and exercise every day in a better way.

Focus on Communication Skills:

Work on your English speaking skills.Reading the newspaper on a daily basis is the best way to improve your English speaking skills.

Phase 3 Final Selection 

Candidates are finally selected for admission to admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA and INAC based on their performance in written exam and SSB Interview. The final allocation will be done as per the number of vacancies subjected to candidates eligibility, medical fitness and merit-cum-preference.