On June 06, 2022, Information Data Systems (IDS), an Information Technology (IT) Services and IT Consulting company based in Michigan, United States of America (USA), has unveiled the Bharat Blockchain Network (BBN) (Academic Blockchain Consortium) & Polyversity (Educational Metaverse).
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India (GoI) launched the initiatives in the presence of officials from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) at an event held at the AICTE Auditorium in New Delhi, Delhi.
- Both initiatives are supported by AICTE and powered by IDS, with the goal of upskilling or reskilling one crore students in emerging technologies.
Other Dignitaries
Rajeev Chandrashekar, Minister of State for Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; Sanjay K Murthy, Higher Education Secretary, MOE; Professor Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE; & Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, GoI were among the other dignitaries present.
Bharat Blockchain Network (BBN)
i.The Bharat Blockchain Network (BBN), India’s first nationwide hybrid blockchain network, is built by IDS.
ii.It is intended to enable blockchain projects of academic significance in the areas of governance, issuance of verifiable credentials, skill badges, student transfer, and audit trail, in accordance with NEP 2020.
- IDS has collaborated with over 100 academic institutions.
Polyversity (Educational Metaverse)
i.Polyversity, a virtual university, is India’s Largest Educational Metaverse, with over 100 Academic Partners establishing virtual campuses, including the AICTE’s campus, to make education more accessible, immersive and meaningful.
ii.During the event, AICTE unveiled its metaverse version, which is a simulated digital environment that uses augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
- The AICTE is the first accreditation agency in India to open a virtual office in the metaverse.
- Polyversity will assign land parcels to academic partners.
Note: Aravind Voruganti, Vice President of IDS presented Polyversity, Metaverse walkthrough, and facilitated the launch of BBN and Polyversity by Avatar of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
- Sudharshan Reddy Minumula, CEO of IDS
Significance of BBN & Polyversity:
i.The BBN-Academic Blockchain Consortium, with AICTE assistance, would be a significant step forward for India.
ii.In accordance with India’s New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, IDS and Polyversity Metaversity are among the 260 new digital universities that will raise gross enrollment rates and enable a more skilled workforce.
iii. AICTE has partnered with industry partners such as IDS to bridge the skill gap. While, IDS has plans to teach blockchain technologies to 500,000 students.
Information Data Systems (IDS):
i.Information Data Systems (IDS) is a multinational firm headquartered in Michigan, USA, that provides services to Fortune 500 clients in a variety of industries. It was founded in 1996.
ii.IDS is one of only 17 Hyperledger Certified Service Providers and 7 Hyperledger Training Partners in the world.
About Ministry of Education (MoE):
Union Minister – Dharmendra Pradhan (Rajya Sabha – Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS) – Annpurna Devi (Kodarma Constituency, Jharkhand); Dr. Subhas Sarkar (Bankura Constituency, West Bengal); Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh (Inner Manipur Constituency, Manipur)
Departments under MoE – Department of School Education and Literacy; Department of Higher Education