California State Assembly recognises Sushant Singh for his contributions to Indian cinema
Washington: The California State Assembly in the US has recognised late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput for his efforts to promote India's rich culture and heritage and his immense contributions to Indian cinema.
Rajput, 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14. The Mumbai police has been probing the alleged suicide following an accidental death report complaint lodged by Bandra police.
The California State Assembly in a certificate of recognition noted Rajput's "immense contributions to Bollywood cinema" and appreciated his "philanthropic community work as well as his efforts to promote India's rich culture and heritage".
The actor's sister Shweta Singh Kirti who lives in the US received the certificate on Rajput's behalf. The actor had often expressed his desire to work in Hollywood. Indian community leader Ajay Bhutoria presented the recognition from the California State Assembly to Suhant's family.
The recognition of the Bollywood star was led by California Assemblyman Kansen Chu.
It's a great privilege for me to accept this honour from California State Assembly, on behalf of my brother, in remembrance and appreciation of his philanthropic work and contributions to Indian cinema," Shweta told PTI on Saturday.
"I thank the Assembly members and the Indian-American community for their continuous support in these hours of crisis," she said.
Her husband Vishal Kirti said the California State Assembly has recognised Rajput's contributions to Indian cinema and the community on the auspicious occasion of India's Independence Day.
Millions of Indian Americans are watching the proceedings of the ongoing campaign for getting #JusticeForSushantSinghRajput, Rajput's brother-in-law Vishal said. "Indian-Americans are looking up to the Indian government to get Sushant Singh Rajput death case an unbiased investigation," he said.
On July 25, Rajput's 74-year-old father K K Singh, who lives in Bihar, filed a complaint with police in Patna against his son's rumoured girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family members accusing them of cheating and abetting his son's suicide.
The CBI recently took over investigation into the case and re-registered the Patna police FIR. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also questioning Chakraborty, her family members and others in connection with a money laundering case linked to the death of the actor.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
AI-powered robotic canal cleaning system commissioned in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) (PTI): In a major step to phase out manual scavenging and ensure the safety of sanitation workers, the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation commissioned G-Spider, an AI-powered robotic canal-cleaning system, at the Amayizhanchan canal near the railway station premises at Thampanoor here, officials said on Thursday.
The system was launched by Minister for Local Self-Governments MB Rajesh at a function presided over by Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor VV Rajesh on Wednesday.
The AI-powered canal cleaning project is a joint initiative of the city corporation and Technopark-based Genrobotic Innovations, which developed Bandicoot, a robotic scavenger.
As per the agreement, Genrobotics will bear the full cost of deploying the robotic system, while the corporation will supervise its operation and maintenance.
Speaking at the event, the minister said Genrobotics has set an example of how innovative ideas can be transformed into impactful entrepreneurship.
He said that of the seven compressed biogas (CBG) plants to be commissioned in the state for solid waste management, one will be set up in the state capital.
Rajesh said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the Rs 100-crore CBG plant at Brahmapuram in Kochi on February 28, adding that 90 per cent of the nine lakh metric tonne of accumulated waste at the site has already been removed.
He further said work on the Palakkad plant will be completed in February, while construction of another plant in Thrissur is progressing, and a plant at Changanassery is in the pipeline.
The minister added that the construction of four sanitary plants will be inaugurated next week.
In his address, the mayor reiterated the corporation’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technologies for waste management and lauded the Genrobotics team, stating that the civic body would explore all possible ways to utilise the company’s technology.
Repeated manual cleaning efforts in the area had led to serious safety incidents, including the death of sanitation worker Joy in 2024.
In this backdrop, the corporation initiated the deployment of robotic cleaning technology in strict compliance with the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, with the aim of eliminating human entry into hazardous canal-cleaning operations, officials said.
Corporation Deputy Mayor Asha Nath GS, Divisional Railway Manager Divyakant Chandrakar, and Genrobotic Innovations CEO and co-founder Vimal Govind MK were present on the occasion.
G-Spider is designed to operate in complex, high-risk canal environments without requiring human entry.
Built on a cable-driven parallel robotics architecture integrated with AI-enabled vision and sensor systems, the robotic platform enables precise detection, assessment and removal of accumulated waste.
The system uses machine vision and intelligent sensors to autonomously identify and assess waste in real time, dynamically adapting to varying waste types, water flow conditions and structural constraints within canals, officials said.
Guided by AI-driven vision algorithms, the robotic mechanism performs precise waste extraction through a five-degrees-of-freedom configuration, enabling accurate positioning, stable gripping, and reliable debris removal.
The extracted waste is automatically transferred to designated collection vehicles, enabling a fully hands-free, end-to-end canal cleaning process from detection to disposal, they added.
