TCS probes fake resume racket

BANGALORE, INDIA: India's top IT services provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has initiated an internal investigation to identify and take action against employees who had submitted fake resumes.

A news report said that TCS sacked at least 20 employees who had provided fake resumes to get jobs with the company.

TCS mentioned about a racket in an e-mailed statement, which hints at the involvement of more people.

Earlier, instances of recruitment firms acting in collusion with jobseekers who fudge their resumes to improve chances of getting jobs were reported in the media. Wipro even approached the police against a few such firms.

"As a customer focused organization, security is of paramount importance to us," a TCS spokesperson said in the statement. "We have a stringent background verification process in TCS. We take this process very seriously and have issued action against the errant employees. We have launched an internal investigation to identify the entire ecosystem and all involved in the racket."

The spokesperson, however, refused to provide more information. "We will not be able to share more than (what is said in) the statement," he said.

Last week, Infosys Technologies said it had sacked 100 employees in the fiscal year `07 due to discrepancies found in the resumes submitted at the time of joining.

No respite

The menace of fake resumes assumed alarming proportions in 2006. Though it served as a warning bell, the industry has not witnessed any respite. Indian IT firms are taking stringent measures against those who indulge in "padding" or fudging their resumes.

Earlier firms used to make reference checks only on those with more than 10 years of experience. But now almost all employees had to undergo such checks.

Quoting industry sources, Madan Padaki, co-founder and CEO of MeritTrac Services, said anywhere between 15-25 per cent of all CVs in the marketplace are fake. CVs are faked in three major areas: with reference to skills, technical knowledge and work experience, salary, designation and qualification and references.

The problem of fake resumes is universal in nature and not confined to any specific sector. The magnitude of the problem though varies based on the scale of recruitments.

"Recognition of this problem by companies has again been dependent on the scale of recruitments. While the IT industry was quick to sense this menace and take measures to curb it," Padaki said.

The existing talent landscape has precipitated the problem of fake CVs becoming a major area of concern for corporates.

He added: "The scarcity and diffusion of employable talent and the sheer numbers in terms of applicants as well as the great demand for talent has placed tremendous burdens on recruiting teams. In the chase for numbers and quality along with the lack of bandwidth of recruiting teams has over time resulted in the slackening of procedures contributing to this scenario."

What next?

Padaki opined that scientific assessments are the most important element in eradicating this problem, but the whole recruiting process needs to be geared up to leave no loose ends.

"CV screening should act as a first checkpoint, followed by scientific testing of skills, personal interviews and thorough reference checks. These are just some of the scientific measures that can be adopted internally. Apart from this efficient vendor identification and management of talent sources is essential," he further said.

Nasscom's National Skills Registry helps in background checks. Speaking at the recently concluded Nasscom annual HR summit in Chennai, Raju Bhatnagar, vice-president, Nasscom, said about three lakh registrations have been done online so far.

A panel of about 13 nominated members helps in checking the background and claims of those registered.

Further, Nasscom in January launched NAC-Tech with MeritTrac as the assessment partner, which aims to certify skills for the IT space and create a national benchmark for quality.

Earlier, Bangalore-based MindTree Consulting published a book titled All About Integrity, in a bid to check the menace of fake resumes, which had been around since the 2000 IT boom.

Source: http://www.ciol.com//News/News-Reports/TCS-probes-fake-resume-racket/15708107966/0/

Online Storing of data - 50GB

Now, how would you like 50GB of free online storage space with the option to share? Yes, I thought so.

Well at adrive.com just click the big black button to get your 50GB and sign-up and click the link in the activation e-mail which you are sent to complete.
Once logged in managing your files is really simple, though the downloader/uploader runs on java so you will need to have that function activated to work successfully.
Click on My Files at the top then use the Upload feature to begin backing-up data from your hard drive. The site is still in beta but the FAQ says they will be adding a feature to automatically back up all the files on your computer soon.
Once your files have uploaded you will see a link giving you the option to share them. Click this link to add the file to your shared drive, and a URL will be generated for others to click on to access that file.

Tata Motors to introduce Air Car - Is it the next big thing?

Tata Motors is taking giant strides and making history for itself. First the Landrover-Jaguar deal, then the world’s cheapest car and now it is also set to introduce the car that runs on air, compressed air to be specific.



With fuel prices touching nearly $150 per barrel, it is about time we heard some breakthrough !

India’s largest automaker Tata Motors is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets in August of 2008.

The Air Car, called the MiniCAT could cost around Rs. 3,50,000 ($ 8177) in India and would have a range of around 300 km between refuels.

The cost of a refill would be about Rs. 85 ($ 2). Tata motors also plans to launch the world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano priced famously at One lakh rupees by October.

The MiniCAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued not welded and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators etc.

India's Spice unveils a mobile with a built-in optical drive

In Barcelona, Tech Digest has had a look at Spice's Movie Phone, which is expected to go on sale in India this summer, with photos. Stuart Dredge says:
The phone has a 2.8-inch screen, and its headphone jack doubles as a TV-Out port for connecting to a big-screen TV. But it's that optical drive that makes it stand out - you slot the tiny discs into a tray that pops out from the back of the phone - much like loading UMDs into a PSP.

You can fit a two-and-a-half hour film onto one of the discs - and a bit more if the compression is tweaked. The 40 films that'll be available at launch are mainly Bollywood movies, and Spice told me they're readying 1,000 more through deals with studios. The films will be sold in mini DVD-like cases for the equivalent of $5.



The phone uses the Vmedia disc format (FAQ) with drives developed and manufactured by Panasonic Communications in Japan. The same drives are expected to appear in other phones and small devices, including home players. Longcheer Technology is doing a handset for sale in China.

Note: dual layer 2GB discs and recordable drives are on the way.

Sure, you can put a movie on an SD card. However, small optical discs can ultimately be manufactured in large volumes for a few pence/cents each.

India overtakes U.S to become 2nd Largest Wireless Network in the world

This was on cards - India has become the second largest wireless network given the exceptional growth in Mobile subscribers in India.



According to latest release by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory authority of India), the total wireless subscribers base stood at 261.09 million at the end of March 2008, compared to 255 million subscribers in U.S. A total of 10.16 million wireless subscribers have been added in the month of March
2008 as against 8.53 million wireless subscribers added in the month of February 2008.
Another landmark that march saw was reaching a total telephone connections to 300 million (wireline+wireless). The overall tele-density is pegged at 26.22% at the end of March 2008 as against 25.31% in February 2008.

Indian Motorcyclist Abroad: Dilip Rogger

India top bike racer Dilip Rogger moves into top gear internationally
1st Indian racer to compete in Asian GP




India’s topmost international two wheeler racer Dilip Rogger from Chennai is all set for a hectic season in the Asian arena. The 22 year college going computer science student will become the first Indian to compete in the 6 round Asian GP races this year. The first round of this event will be held at the Sentul Circuit in Indonesia on 2nd and 3rd June. This will be Dilip Rogger’s first season in the higher level of the sport. He will be racing on a Honda CBR 600 cc motorcycle.
Over 20 riders from Indonesia, China, Macau, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, India and a few European countries* will be seen in action in the championship. Dilip Rogger will be the sole Indian taking part in this event. Despite his best efforts Dilip has still not been able to get a full fledged sponsor. One of his well wishers is the current Chief Minister of Pondicherry, Mr. Rangasamy who has done his bit for this promising young racer.
Among those in action this weekend will be 5 times ASIAN GP champion Hamaguchi, and top contenders like Fuiad, Inakaki, and Yashuda.

Leading teams like Team Petronas Racing, AG Hammer Singapore, Suzuki Indonesia and Yamaha Thailand are some of the big teams participating in this year’s Asian GP.

Well known riders in the European circuit will racing on behalf of the teams participating or as privateers since this championship has been drawing some of the best international bike racers regularly.

World's Cheapest Car Unveiled, Costs $2,500

Nano will also have a 30-litre fuel tank and four-speed manual gearshift. The car will come with air conditioning, but will have no power steering.

The car comes with front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 20 kmpl in city and 26 kmpl on highway.

The base model of Nano is expected to cost Rs 1 Lakh excluding levies.
”Since, promise is a promise the standard dealer version will cost Rs 1 lakh,” said Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata.

He also said that that the car is eight per cent smaller bumper to bumper, than the Maruti 800 but at the same time 21 per cent larger in its interiors and can sit up to four people.

It's official folks, here comes the world's cheapest car - The Tata Nano. The car was unveiled today at India's largest automotive show and has received much attention. The car is powered by a 2-cylinder, 33 horsepower motor, and has a top speed right around 60 MPH. It has four doors, seats five, has seatbelts but no radio, air conditioning, or airbags, and is basically a deathtrap. However, in a country where "two-wheeled scooters...are often crammed with entire families", it's definitely a step up in the safety department. And for $2,500 it's hard to beat. However I would recommend they change the name if they plan on selling it over here, because where I'm from Tata Nano is slang for a really, really small breast.
A couple more pictures and a video of the car after the jump.

A shape-shifting car from BMW --- GINA

Building concept cars lets designer's imagination forget about rules and limits and create everything they want.

The result is often outstanding. Thus, BMW offered to our attention an outlandish model - a shape-shifting car covered with fabric - the GINA Light Visionary Model.

It is made neither of steel nor of aluminum or carbon fiber. The model's body consists of seamless fabric stretched over a movable metal frame. This combination allows the owner to change its shape according to his desire.

It runs and drives as a usual one. Actually, the car was designed for the BMW Museum in Munich, because creating a practical car wasn't the goal for the producers.

While building the car, the team of the designers and engineers were allowed to forget about usual principles and make something incredible. So, the car is going to remain just the concept, it is not suitable for series production.

The car was built on the Z8 chassis and features a 4.4-liter V8 and six-speed automatic transmission. The producers assure that polyurethane-coated Lycra is resilient, durable and weather resistant.

The aluminum frame, that the Lycra is stretched over, is controlled by electric and hydraulic actuators that let the driver change the body shape. Thanks to completely new technologies, there will be no problem if you want to have a big spoiler on the back of the car or wider fenders.

The doors open in jack-knife way and are absolutely lank when closed. The access to the engine was made through a cut in the hood. The most important thing is that the shape of the car can be easily changed, but the fabric won't be damaged.

The interior of the car was made to create the maximum comfort for the driver. Moreover, this concept GINA provides all the safety of a modern car.

The company hopes that GINA will help to change the design of future innovative cars.

Source: http://gadgets.infoniac.com/a-shape-shifting-car-from-bmw.html