India, UAE share values of non-discrimination: Indian Ambassador reminds countrymen in UAE
Abu Dhabi: The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Monday reminded its countrymen against discriminatory behavior in the wake of Corona Virus spread.
In a tweet from the official twitter handle, Indian ambassador to the UAE, Pavan Kapoor noted that the two countries share the value of non-discrimination. He also added that discrimination was against the moral fabric and rule of law of the two countries.
“India and UAE share the value of non-discrimination on many grounds. Discrimination is against our moral fabric and the rule of law. Indian nationals in the UAE should always remember this.” The tweet stated.
The reminder to Indians by Pavan Kapoor, come a day after Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had voiced similar views and had stated that the COVID-19 doesn’t see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking.
“COVID-19 does not see race, religion, colour caste, creed, language or borders before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood,” Modi had said in a tweet which was shared by Kapoor.
The coronavirus outbreak has exacerbated Islamophobia in India, resulting in anti-Muslim campaigns across the country. Reports have emerged of Indian hospitals segregating Hindus and Muslims or refusing to admit Muslim patients.
Calls for the economic boycott of Muslims have intensified in recent weeks amid reports vilifying them for spreading the virus.
Alarmed by the developments, several prominent social media handles in the region have expressed outrage over the “ill-treatment” of Muslims in India.
Last week, Princess Hend Al Qassimi, a member of a UAE royal family warned that “anyone that is openly racist and discriminatory in the UAE will be fined and made to leave the country.”
She also slammed Dubai-based Indian expat Saurabh Upadhyay who had put out several tweets targeting Muslims and ridiculing Islam. Sharing screenshots of his tweets, Al Qassimi said: “You make your bread and butter from this land which you scorn and your ridicule will not go unnoticed.”
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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.
