Chhattisgarh forest officer felicitated for use of AI-based elephant tracking app
Raipur (PTI): A Chhattisgarh-cadre Indian Forest Service officer has bagged the 'Eco Warrior Award 2024' for using an artificial intelligence-based tracking and alert application to prevent human-elephant conflicts, officials said on Sunday.
Varun Jain, deputy director of the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) in Gariaband district, received the award in the "best use of technology in conservation" category at an event in Delhi last week, they said.
Jain and a USTR team developed the 'Chhattisgarh Elephant Tracking and Alert' application in association with the FMIS (Forest Management Information System) and wildlife wing.
They have been using the app at the reserve since February 2023.
Talking to PTI, Jain said the app serves as an early warning system by sending out alerts through phone calls, SMSes, and WhatsApp messages to people living in a 10 km radius whenever trackers on foot patrol detect the presence of tuskers.
The AI system identifies villages in a 10 km radius of the elephant herds and dispatches notifications through phone calls, voice messages, and text messages to residents, specifically people whose mobile numbers are linked to their names and GPS locations, he said.
Alerts are specifically sent to "kotwars" (village-level revenue personnel), panchayat members, and forest management committees, Jain said, adding that audio messages are also circulated as a warning.
The official claimed there have been no human-elephant conflicts in the USTR area since the launch of the app one and a half years ago.
Besides acting as a warning system, Jain said the app also facilitates the systematic collection and analysis of data, providing invaluable insights to make informed decisions about elephant corridors and habitat development and proactive measures to mitigate human-animal conflicts.
He pointed out that 15 forest divisions facing the elephant menace in the state have adopted the app, considerably reducing such conflicts.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
