The Kashmir Pulse

As the demand for deploying and managing machine learning models in production environments grows, MLOps (Machine Learning Operations) has now emerged as a crucial discipline in 2024. MLOps tools facilitate collaboration between data scientists and IT operations, streamlining the process of building, deploying, and monitoring machine learning models. These tools ensure scalability, reliability, and efficiency, allowing organizations to derive actionable insights from their data.

With advancements in technology, a variety of powerful MLOps tools are now available, each offering unique features to enhance the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle. This blog explores the best MLOps tools to know in 2024, highlighting their capabilities and benefits for modern enterprises.

MLOps is rapidly growing as organizations increasingly rely on machine learning models for decision-making and innovation. This expanding landscape requires skilled professionals who can efficiently deploy, monitor, and manage these models in production.

Pursuing an MLOps course equips individuals with essential skills in model lifecycle management, automation, and collaboration between data science and IT operations. This knowledge is crucial for building a career in the dynamic tech industry, enabling professionals to contribute to effective AI integration and innovation within organizations.

What is MLOps?

Machine Learning Operations, or MLOps for short, refers to the procedures and equipment created to automate and simplify the deployment, oversight, and administration of machine learning models in real-world settings. It ensures that machine learning models are reliable, scalable, and maintainable by bridging the gap between data science and IT operations. The whole machine learning lifecycle—from model creation and testing to deployment and continuous monitoring—is covered by MLOps.

By facilitating collaboration between data scientists, developers, and IT teams, MLOps helps organizations efficiently manage their machine learning workflows, enabling faster deployment of models, reduced operational risks, and improved model performance and reliability.

Top MLOps tools

Qdrant

Qdrant is an open-source vector similarity search engine optimized for the real-time processing of unstructured data, such as images and text. It excels at performing efficient similarity and nearest neighbour searches, making it ideal for applications like recommendation systems and semantic search. Qdrant supports seamless integration with machine learning frameworks, enabling developers to build advanced AI applications that leverage its fast search capabilities, even with large-scale datasets.

LangChain

LangChain is a framework designed to facilitate the development of applications using large language models (LLMs). It provides tools to integrate LLMs with external data sources and APIs, allowing developers to build complex applications for tasks such as text generation and data enrichment. LangChain supports chaining multiple functions together, enabling sophisticated data processing pipelines and empowering developers to create versatile, AI-driven applications.

MLflow

MLflow is an open-source platform that manages the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle, from experimentation to deployment. It provides tools for tracking experiments, packaging code into reproducible runs, and managing model versions in a centralized registry. MLflow’s interoperability with various machine learning libraries and frameworks makes it a popular choice for teams looking to standardize their workflows and enhance collaboration across different platforms.

Comet ML

Comet ML is a machine learning experiment management platform that helps data scientists track, compare, and optimize experiments. It logs metrics, hyperparameters, and outputs in real time, providing insights into model performance. Comet ML’s visualization tools enable users to analyze experiment results, while its collaboration features allow teams to share findings in shared workspaces. Its integration with popular ML frameworks makes it a versatile tool for managing experiments and improving productivity.

Weights & Biases (W&B)

Weights & Biases (W&B) is a comprehensive MLOps platform for experiment tracking, model management, and collaboration. It provides real-time tracking of model metrics and hyperparameters, allowing users to optimize experiments effectively. W&B’s customizable dashboards offer powerful visualization tools, facilitating data-driven decision-making. With robust collaboration features and integration with various ML frameworks, W&B is widely used for managing machine learning projects and enhancing team productivity.

Prefect

Prefect is an open-source workflow management system designed to automate the orchestration of data workflows and tasks. It provides tools for scheduling, monitoring, and managing complex data pipelines, supporting dynamic workflows and task dependencies. Prefect’s robust error handling ensures reliability, even in the face of failures. Its integration with various data sources and processing tools makes it an efficient choice for automating data workflows in diverse environments.

Metaflow

Metaflow is a human-centric framework developed by Netflix for building and managing real-life data science projects. It simplifies scaling data workflows by providing an intuitive interface for managing complex pipelines. Metaflow supports data, code, and model versioning, ensuring reproducibility and transparency. Its integration with AWS enables cloud-based operations, making it a popular choice for data scientists seeking to streamline workflows and enhance collaboration.

Kedro

Kedro is an open-source Python framework that enforces software engineering best practices in data science projects. It provides tools for creating reproducible, maintainable, and modular data pipelines, encouraging a structured approach to code organization. Kedro’s focus on reproducibility ensures that data workflows are consistent across environments. It integrates with popular ML and data processing libraries, making it a versatile tool for managing data science projects from experimentation to production.

Pachyderm

Pachyderm is an open-source data versioning and pipeline system built on Kubernetes. It offers version control and provenance tracking for data, ensuring reproducibility and transparency. Pachyderm automates the execution of data pipelines with support for parallel processing. Its integration with Kubernetes enables scalable data operations, making it suitable for large-scale projects. Pachyderm’s ability to track data changes over time ensures reliability and compliance in data science workflows.

LakeFS

LakeFS is an open-source data version control system that provides Git-like capabilities for data lakes. It allows teams to manage and version large datasets, supporting branching and merging of data for collaboration. LakeFS ensures reproducibility in data analysis and machine learning experiments by offering comprehensive versioning for datasets. Its integration with existing data lake storage systems makes it a valuable tool for managing large-scale data operations efficiently.

Feast

Feast (Feature Store) is an open-source feature store for machine learning that manages and serves features for training and online prediction. It centralizes feature storage and retrieval, providing low-latency access for real-time predictions. Feast integrates with data warehouses, lakes, and ML frameworks, supporting large-scale feature management. By enabling consistent feature availability across environments, Feast facilitates efficient model training and deployment.

Featureform

Featureform is a platform designed to simplify feature engineering and management for machine learning. It provides tools for creating, managing, and deploying machine learning features, centralizing the storage and reuse of features. Featureform’s integration with various data sources and ML frameworks facilitates seamless workflows, while its collaboration features enable teams to work together on feature development, enhancing productivity and consistency in model building.

Deepchecks ML Models Testing

Deepchecks is a tool focused on testing and validating machine learning models, ensuring performance and reliability. It provides automated checks and validations, identifying potential issues and biases in model predictions. Deepchecks integrates with popular ML frameworks, enhancing model testing processes and offering insights into model assumptions and performance. By ensuring robust model validation, Deepchecks helps teams deploy reliable AI systems and maintain model quality over time.

Conclusion

The landscape of MLOps tools is rapidly evolving, with innovative solutions like Qdrant, LangChain, and MLflow leading the way in 2024. These tools enhance the efficiency and scalability of machine learning operations, making them essential for organizations looking to optimize their AI workflows.

Undergoing MLOps training provides individuals with hands-on experience and in-depth knowledge of these tools, equipping them with the skills necessary to manage complex ML projects. This course typically opens doors to numerous career opportunities in the tech industry, as demand for skilled MLOps professionals continues to grow in the AI-driven world.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse

Professional Services Automation (PSA) stands at the forefront of the technological revolution, reshaping the fast-paced world of professional services. Offering comprehensive tools covering project management, time tracking, billing, and more, PSA enables firms to streamline operations, enhance client satisfaction, and improve the bottom line. By integrating these processes, businesses can drive efficiency and pave the way for growth.

Understanding the full breadth of PSA is crucial for those looking to invest in their organization's future. Below, we delve into the myriad details that make up professional services automation.

A comprehensive overview of Professional Services Automation

Professional Services Automation, or PSA, refers to a suite of software designed to help manage and automate various business processes within service-oriented organizations. It is a centralized platform that integrates different operational segments, including project management, resource planning, and customer engagements. Doing so provides a unified view of all aspects of a business, allowing for greater control and management insight.

PSAs are particularly valuable to consultancies, IT service providers, law firms, and other businesses that operate on a project-by-project basis. They empower these operations with tools to handle complex tasks, from scheduling and resource management to billing and reporting. This results in a harmonized workflow that reduces the manual effort typically involved in project administration.

The core objective of PSA software is to increase operational efficiency and profitability. It achieves this by eliminating redundancies and streamlining processes, thus freeing up valuable time for professionals to focus on delivering exceptional service. Moreover, these systems often come with analytical capabilities, allowing companies to extract insightful data to inform strategic decisions.

Many organizations actively seek platforms that offer robust components of professional services automation as a testament to its importance. Adopting such systems is no longer a luxury but a necessity for staying competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace.

Key functionalities of Professional Services Automation software

PSA software stands out for its wide array of functionalities catering to service-driven businesses' diverse needs. Core features typically include project management tools that provide visibility into project timelines, deliverables, and milestones. These tools allow managers to allocate resources effectively, ensuring they are fully utilized and projects are delivered on time.

Time tracking is another fundamental facet of PSA systems. Precise recording of worked hours is essential for accurate billing and payroll. Advanced PSA solutions offer effortless time entry, approval workflows, and integrated billing rates, simplifying what can often be a convoluted process. Time-tracking data also aids in performance analysis, enabling better forecasting and planning.

Resource allocation capabilities within PSA software help firms avoid over or underutilizing staff, a common challenge in professional services. Businesses can align the right people with suitable projects by predicting project demands and mapping out resource skills and availability. This optimizes productivity and increases employee job satisfaction, ensuring a balanced workload.

The impact of PSA on business efficiency and client satisfaction

The accurate measure of the effectiveness of PSA lies in the tangible improvements it brings to business efficiency. Organizations implementing PSA observe a marked decrease in administrative overhead as the software automates and streamlines many manual processes. Freed from the tedium of administrative tasks, professionals can dedicate more time to serving clients and growing the business.

Client satisfaction is another critical metric positively influenced by the adoption of PSA. Consistency in project delivery, communication transparency, and billing accuracy contribute to a superior client experience. Happy clients are more likely to remain loyal, provide repeat business, and refer additional clients, setting the stage for sustainable business growth.

Analytics and reporting tools within PSA software also play a crucial role in strategic planning. With data-driven insights about performance, profitability, and client interactions, businesses can fine-tune their operations, making informed choices that propel them ahead of the competition. Such strategic agility is invaluable in today's ever-evolving service industry landscape.

Overall, Professional Services Automation is an indispensable toolset for modern service organizations aiming to succeed in an increasingly digitized world. The comprehensive functionalities and enhancements it brings to crucial business areas illustrate why PSA adoption is surging across various industries. With increased operational efficiency and client satisfaction scores, PSA is a pivotal investment for businesses committed to ongoing improvement and growth.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse

Adapting practical tools that help automate and improve work processes is essential in today's competitive business world. Among all the products developed by Zoho, the Zoho CRM and Zoho Workplace are two exceptional solutions that, together, form an integrated environment for companies of different sizes.

Here are several reasons why their integration proves highly beneficial:

Unified Data Management

Zoho CRM manages customer relationships, where customer data like contact details, communication, and sales records are stored. By connecting Zoho Workplace with productivity tools like Zoho Mail, Docs, and Sheets, the flow of all the communication and collaboration activities can be aligned with the customer data. Such integration avoids fragmentation and offers views of customer engagements jointly with projects and shared documents.

Enhanced Collaboration

Zoho Workplace enables the coordination of multiple teams with app sets aimed at creating, editing, and sharing documents. Integrating with Zoho CRM allows teams to share documents pertinent to a particular deal and discuss these issues within the CRM interface. For instance, using Zoho Writer, which is integrated with Zoho CRM, the sales staff can prepare presentations and submit them in a timely and integrated manner to clients.

Streamlined Workflows

Businesses today require automation to realise efficiencies in their operations. Zoho CRM automates many vital processes in the sales and marketing cycle, like customer segmentation, email marketing, and task management. When integrated with the automation of Zoho Workplace, which goes up to the document approval workflows and project management tasks, businesses can fully automate the lead generation process to the project delivery. This integration eliminates interference, decreases errors, and shortens response times, improving efficiency.

Seamless Communication Channels

Next, communication must be clear to foster rapport with customers and internal organizational structures. Some ways that can be used to connect with each other using Zoho Workplace include Zoho Mail for messaging, Zoho Cliq for messaging, and Zoho Meeting for messaging and video. When integrated with Zoho CRM, such communication tools help sales and support teams have proper customer communication without diverting to other applications for internal interactions. It results in efficient response to inquiries and thus enhances satisfaction of customer needs.

Comprehensive Analytics and Reporting

In Analytics and Reporting, Zoho CRM and Zoho Workplace are equipped with comprehensive features. Zoho CRM reveals information about pipelines and revenues, conversion rates, and customer activity, whereas Zoho Workplace analyses productivity indicators, actions with documents, and teamwork dynamics. By integrating these analytics, companies can obtain a broad view of their different aspects and drive the formulation of robust decisions that enhance profitability.

Scalability and Customization

Allowing custom fields and rules in Zoho CRM and Zoho Workplace makes adapting to organisations’ needs more accessible. Whether upgrading fields and workflow in CRM or creating a new dashboard and company template in Workplace, flexibility exists for adapting platforms to fit businesses’ needs. These customizations guarantee that the integrated solution will be tailored to the organisation's goals and objectives, follow the business's growth curve, and reflect customers' changing needs and expectations.

Wrapping Up

Overall, the use of both Zoho CRM and Zoho Workplace for managing customer relationships and improving enterprise productivity is a perfect fit. Consequently, businesses can improve operational performance, guarantee sustainable top-line growth, and deliver value to shareholders and other stakeholders through the adoption of Master Data Management, improved collaboration, efficient workflows, integrated communication channels, innovative analytics solutions, and scalability.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse

Professional Services Automation (PSA) stands at the forefront of the technological revolution, reshaping the fast-paced world of professional services. Offering comprehensive tools covering project management, time tracking, billing, and more, PSA enables firms to streamline operations, enhance client satisfaction, and improve the bottom line. By integrating these processes, businesses can drive efficiency and pave the way for growth.

Understanding the full breadth of PSA is crucial for those looking to invest in their organization's future. Below, we delve into the myriad details that make up professional services automation.

A comprehensive overview of Professional Services Automation

Professional Services Automation, or PSA, refers to a suite of software designed to help manage and automate various business processes within service-oriented organizations. It is a centralized platform that integrates different operational segments, including project management, resource planning, and customer engagements. Doing so provides a unified view of all aspects of a business, allowing for greater control and management insight.

PSAs are particularly valuable to consultancies, IT service providers, law firms, and other businesses that operate on a project-by-project basis. They empower these operations with tools to handle complex tasks, from scheduling and resource management to billing and reporting. This results in a harmonized workflow that reduces the manual effort typically involved in project administration.

The core objective of PSA software is to increase operational efficiency and profitability. It achieves this by eliminating redundancies and streamlining processes, thus freeing up valuable time for professionals to focus on delivering exceptional service. Moreover, these systems often come with analytical capabilities, allowing companies to extract insightful data to inform strategic decisions.

Many organizations actively seek platforms that offer robust components of professional services automation as a testament to its importance. Adopting such systems is no longer a luxury but a necessity for staying competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace.

Key functionalities of Professional Services Automation software

PSA software stands out for its wide array of functionalities catering to service-driven businesses' diverse needs. Core features typically include project management tools that provide visibility into project timelines, deliverables, and milestones. These tools allow managers to allocate resources effectively, ensuring they are fully utilized and projects are delivered on time.

Time tracking is another fundamental facet of PSA systems. Precise recording of worked hours is essential for accurate billing and payroll. Advanced PSA solutions offer effortless time entry, approval workflows, and integrated billing rates, simplifying what can often be a convoluted process. Time-tracking data also aids in performance analysis, enabling better forecasting and planning.

Resource allocation capabilities within PSA software help firms avoid over or underutilizing staff, a common challenge in professional services. Businesses can align the right people with suitable projects by predicting project demands and mapping out resource skills and availability. This optimizes productivity and increases employee job satisfaction, ensuring a balanced workload.

The impact of PSA on business efficiency and client satisfaction

The accurate measure of the effectiveness of PSA lies in the tangible improvements it brings to business efficiency. Organizations implementing PSA observe a marked decrease in administrative overhead as the software automates and streamlines many manual processes. Freed from the tedium of administrative tasks, professionals can dedicate more time to serving clients and growing the business.

Client satisfaction is another critical metric positively influenced by the adoption of PSA. Consistency in project delivery, communication transparency, and billing accuracy contribute to a superior client experience. Happy clients are more likely to remain loyal, provide repeat business, and refer additional clients, setting the stage for sustainable business growth.

Analytics and reporting tools within PSA software also play a crucial role in strategic planning. With data-driven insights about performance, profitability, and client interactions, businesses can fine-tune their operations, making informed choices that propel them ahead of the competition. Such strategic agility is invaluable in today's ever-evolving service industry landscape.

Overall, Professional Services Automation is an indispensable toolset for modern service organizations aiming to succeed in an increasingly digitized world. The comprehensive functionalities and enhancements it brings to crucial business areas illustrate why PSA adoption is surging across various industries. With increased operational efficiency and client satisfaction scores, PSA is a pivotal investment for businesses committed to ongoing improvement and growth.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse

How can businesses stay competitive in a constantly shifting market? The answer is to keep improving and maximising their processes. Identification of inefficiencies and streamlining of processes depend on Business Process Analysis. Professionals can learn the skills they need to break down and improve business processes by getting extensive Business Analysis Training.

Combining these effective technologies helps companies not only increase their responsiveness and agility but also create an always-improving culture. Unlocking ongoing success and creativity in any sector depends on this confluence of deep process knowledge and adaptive approaches.

Read on to find out how integrating Agile principles into your business process analysis will let your organisation soar to greater heights.

Understanding Business Process Analysis

Business Process Analysis (BPA) is the study and assessment of company processes meant to find inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and opportunities for development. It offers a thorough knowledge of process operations, their interdependence, and their effect on organisational objectives. Using flow charts, process maps, and SWOT analysis, among other tools and approaches, BPA helps companies maximise their operations and match processes to strategic goals.

The Agile Methodology

Agile is a flexible, iterative, collaborative method of project management and product creation. Originally from software development, Agile has been embraced in many different fields because of its speedy delivery of value and capacity to change with needs. Agile approaches including Lean, Scrum, and Kanban stress customer feedback, ongoing development, and the capacity to adapt in reaction to shifting market conditions.

The Synergy of BPA and Agile

Combining BPA with Agile approaches lets the analytical rigour of BPA blend with Agile's dynamic, adaptive character. Here’s how this integration can be achieved and the benefits it brings:

Enhanced Process Understanding

BPA offers an in-depth analysis of current procedures, pointing out areas that require development. Agile teams base their identification and prioritising of their work on this comprehensive awareness. Agile teams can see the whole picture, grasp dependencies, and decide where to concentrate their efforts by organising activities by mapping out processes.

Improved Prioritisation

Agile's key principle is giving work top priority depending on value delivery. BPA facilitates this prioritising by pointing up which procedures most affect corporate objectives. Teams may first address high-impact areas by integrating BPA insights with Agile's iterative methodology, generating value progressively and always enhancing processes.

Iterative Process Improvement

Agile's iterative cycles—such as Scrum's sprints—fit really nicely with BPA's constant improvement attitude. Every sprint offers chances to apply improvements, evaluate their success, and get comments. This cyclical process guarantees that procedures change in response to input and real-world conditions and that improvements are always underway.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Agile methods stress cooperative cross-functional teams. Including BPA in this structure motivates Agile teams, process owners, and business analysts to work together. This cross-pollination of knowledge guarantees that process enhancements are aligned with corporate goals, pragmatic, and doable.

Flexibility and Adaptability

Agile's adaptability is among its key benefits. BPA sometimes points up places that call for major renovations or overhauls. Agile's flexible character lets teams pivot and apply these changes little by bit, therefore lowering the risk involved with major process modifications. Given today's fast-paced corporate climate, where agility can be a competitive advantage, this adaptability is vital.

Real-Time Feedback and Continuous Learning

Real-time feedback and constant learning are what Agile excels in and fit very nicely with BPA's aim of continuous development. Key Agile tool, regular retrospectives offer a methodical approach for considering what is working and what is not. Lessons learned from these retrospectives can guide the next BPA, therefore fostering a virtuous cycle of ongoing development.

Practical Steps for Integration

To successfully integrate BPA with Agile methodologies, organisations can follow these practical steps:

Initiate Joint Workshops: Organise seminars bringing Agile teams and process analysts together to jointly map out procedures and pinpoint areas needing development.

Establish Clear Objectives: Clearly defined, quantifiable goals for both Agile and BPA projects to guarantee congruence with general corporate objectives.

Create Process Backlogs: Create a process improvement backlog that connects with the sprint backlog of the Agile team so that, in every iteration, process-related chores are given top priority and completed under control.

Implement Incremental Changes: Use Agile's iterative method to gradually apply process enhancements, getting comments and adjusting as necessary.

Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement: Promote a society in which input is actively sought out and acted upon and ongoing development is prized. Sustaining long-term gains depends on this cultural change.

Utilise Technology: Use technology to help to integrate. Agile project management tools and process management tools can help to simplify work and give a view of development.

Conclusion

Combining Agile approaches with business process analysis provides a potent mix of analytical knowledge and flexible implementation. Organisations that use the strengths of both strategies can improve their procedures, react better to change, and provide more value to their clients.

This integration offers a route to ongoing operational excellence and competitive advantage as companies negotiate the complexity of a fast-changing environment. Also, one can master BPA techniques with The Knowledge Academy courses.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — Markets in Kashmir witnessed a thin footfall of shoppers ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the festival of sacrifices, while the trade leaders term the recession, inflation and online marketing as the main reasons behind the sluggish market.

The shopkeepers told the news agency KNO that they were expecting a good sale but said the markets lacked enthusiasm. They said the flow is even low than Eid-ul-Fitr.

People were seen jostling and swarming around mutton and bakeries shops; however, the overall market sentiment was low, the shopkeepers said, adding that their business has shrunk and the middle-class people are facing the music when they have to get the necessary items on Eid despite facing a huge financial crunch.

Sameer Ahmad, a trader from Anantnag, said that despite Covid restrictions in the last two years, sales were good and whosoever was visiting his shop was purchasing at least a couple of items. "This time, the sales remained at an all-time low because the customers are not in a position to afford items."

Another trader from Srinagar said, “Sales on Eid-ul-Fitr were low but today, it is very low. We are very much worried." He added, “Inflation and poverty due to COVID-19 lockdowns have badly hit J&K and the poor are hardly able to make ends meet.”

Irfan Ahmad, a shopkeeper dealing with readymade garments, said he used to make lakhs of rupees in sales on festive occasions but this year, very few customers are visiting his shop. “One out of 10 customers is able to afford an item,” he said.

President, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Javaid Ahmad Bhat, said that business is slumping in Kashmir as well as in other parts of the country, including Delhi, due to the recession. He said that online shopping is also playing a part as the young generation prefers online shopping.

"Market is not good, and as per the ground situation, business is down by around 50 per cent as compared to Eid-ul-Azha last year,” he said and added that the horticulture sector was hit last year and its impact is coming to the fore. "The handicrafts and industries are also suffering badly."

President, Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF), Mohammad Yaseen Khan said that business is very down mainly because of inflation and markets are witnessing a very low rush. He said that people owe money to financial institutions as in the last few years, business was almost on halt and people have to first clear the debt amount.

"There is no business on the ground, that too on the festival. We won’t say how much per cent down is business but the fact is that there is no business on the ground,” Khan said, adding, “Even the main markets that used to remain jam-packed on such occasions are deserted today.”

The KTMF president said the government has been spending money for development purposes like Smart City Project and they can't do anything about inflation.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — In wake of the recent attacks on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, the administration in several districts here have ordered the shopkeepers and other business establishments to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras within the period of 14 days and asked them inform the local police immediately in case of any suspicious movement or activity.

Separate orders were issued by the District Magistrates by the virtue of Section 144 CrPC, 1973, the copies of which lie with the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO).

The districts include Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Anantnag, Doda, Rajouri and others. The order reads that in installation of CCTV cameras outside banks/ATMs, jewellery shops, petrol pumps, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, cinema halls, wine and beer shops, eating joints, ready-made garment shops, show-rooms, small markets, educational institutions, places of worship, bus stands, railway stations, airports, hospitals and offices would help in curbing such attacks.

“In view of prevailing persistent threat relating to recent increased incidents of selective targeting of the innocent citizens in Jammu and Kashmir by the anti-nationals and subversive elements, which requires several measures, including the use of appropriate technologies, to safeguard the life and property,” the order reads.

It added, “The benefits of advancements in technology are being reaped by every sector be it education, investment, management, health or public service and many states/UTs of the Union of India now employ video surveillance as a tool to monitor public movements and to prevent crime and terrorism.”

“The role of CCTV cameras in improving safety and security cannot be undermined because they not only help in deterrence, surveillance and detection of crime but are very important tools for the law enforcement agencies in the prosecution and bringing the culprit/offender to the book,” it further added.

“The crucial importance of urgent installation of CCTVS has been stressed in a number of Security Review Meetings at higher level,” the orders read.

There exist a number of banking and financial/business establishments like banks/ATMs, jewellery shops, petrol pumps, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, cinema halls, wine and beer shops, eating joints, ready-made garment shops, show-rooms, small markets, educational institutions, places of worship, bus stands, railway stations, airports hospitals and offices, where transactions are held in cash or a place frequented by large number of people with a likelihood of gathering of 50 people or more at a time, where CCTV cameras are not installed to cover the outer areas of such establishments.

Criminals, anti-social and anti-national elements, in the past, have targeted these business establishments causing loss of life and property, the orders read, adding that installation of such CCTVS would not only help in controlling crime but will also help in flourishing of business, tourism and overall growth of the society by preventing danger to human life and safety, thwart/prevent terrorist activities, which may improve the security of UT and general public order and tranquillity.

It said, “In order to deter criminals, anti-social and anti-national elements from committing crimes, the installation of CCTV outside such establishments would work as a force multiplier, which would inspire further confidence in general public/customers visiting these establishments."

"Now, therefore in exercise of the powers conferred upon me by virtue of section 144 CrPC, 1973, District Magistrates do hereby make this written order for strict compliance by the owners of such establishments and market associations of such markets whether registered or not, who shall within a period of two weeks (14 days) from the date of publication of this order shall take the following steps," it said.

It added, “The cameras should be installed/located in such a way that it should cover the approach areas at the entry and exit points of establishments/market association of shops and also entry and exit points of parking lots of the establishment/market association of shops up to a distance of 40 meters.”

“Ensure that the CCTV system installed is in working condition at all times, 24x7 even when the establishment is closed. The CCTV system should be of good quality with minimum resolution of 1920 X 1080 minimum illumination of 0.01 Lux, a focal length of 3.6 mm, a built-in IR retention period of 30 days, with a feature to playback as well as download the recording. Provide the CCTV footage to the police and other law enforcement agencies whenever demanded,” it said.

It said, "Inform the Station House Officer of their nearest Police Station in case any suspicious movement or activity is observed in the CCTV system."

"This order promulgated, shall come into force with effect from 5th April 2022 to and shall remain in force for the period of 60 days, unless withdrawn earlier, and subject to further extension or modification. Any contravention of this order shall attract legal consequences as are contemplated under section 188 of the India Penal Code 1860,” the order says.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse