Kerala launches massive AI literacy drive targeting 6 lakh parents
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), the technical arm of the state General Education Department, has launched a massive artificial intelligence literacy drive targeting the adult population.
Titled 'Sarvam AI Mayam' (AI is Everywhere), the initiative is considered as the largest such artificial intelligence awareness programme to be implemented in the country, official sources said here on Sunday.
Under the initiative, students of the Little KITEs IT clubs will provide AI training to 6 lakh parents through the state's public schools, according to an official statement.
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The programme, which is scheduled to run until June 30, 2026, is being implemented across 2,200 Little KITEs units, with each unit training an average of 300 parents, it said.
The two-hour training module is designed to give equal importance to both the opportunities and the risks associated with AI.
According to K Anvar Sadath, CEO of KITE, the initiative begins with a simplified introduction to Machine Learning—the core technology that allows machines to process data and make decisions like humans.
To illustrate the creative power of AI, parents are shown videos where the classic paintings of Raja Ravi Varma are brought to life through animation.
The sessions focus heavily on the practical use of AI in daily life via smartphones, he explained.
"Parents are trained to use AI-powered tools to identify birds and plants or to translate signboards from other languages, such as Tamil, into Malayalam in real-time."
The training also offers hands-on experience in using AI assistants to write poems, plan travel itineraries, and generate recipes from available household ingredients.
Additionally, the module demonstrates how AI can be used for photo restoration to preserve and enhance old family photographs.
Alongside these practical benefits, the project issues vital warnings about the digital landscape's potential dangers, the official added.
The curriculum includes specific techniques for identifying AI-generated deepfake videos, forged images, and cloned voices, providing parents with the necessary precautions to avoid falling for such scams.
It also aims to build resilience against emotional misinformation and "fake news" on social media while emphasising the importance of internet etiquette.
Parents are also introduced to 'Samagra Plus Learning Room,' an AI-based educational platform developed by KITE to help them support their children's studies.
This initiative serves as a follow-up to the successful cybersecurity training provided to 400,000 parents in 2023-24, as per the statement.
Sadath noted that the training will incorporate the most recent security standards, including the IT Intermediary Amendment Rules 2026, which are set to take effect on February 20, 2026.
The ultimate goal of 'Sarvam AI Mayam' is to ensure that every citizen possesses the skills to distinguish between reality and deception in the AI era, with students leading the charge in educating their own families, the official added.
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Activists write open letter to Odisha govt flagging anti-Christian violence
New Delhi: Activists and rights campaigners John Dayal, Aakar Patel, Vidya Dinker and Harsh Mander have expressed serious concern over the alleged rise in violence and intimidation against Christians in several districts, accusing both Hindutva organisations and sections of the police of targeting the minority community.
In a strongly worded communication addressed to the state administration, the signatories said they had received disturbing testimonies from affected people regarding social boycott, denial of burial rights, physical assaults and police intimidation.
According to the activists, Christians in some areas were allegedly boycotted by villagers, while people who traded with them, employed them or provided them shelter were also targeted.
The letter also highlighted what it described as “gruesome” incidents involving the prevention of burials of Christians within village burial grounds and even on privately owned lands belonging to Christian families. The activists said there were cases where bodies remained unburied for days due to opposition from local groups, while in some instances burials were allegedly forced to take place in forest areas outside village limits. Funeral prayers were also reportedly disrupted.
The signatories further alleged that in certain districts the violence escalated into physical assaults on Christians. They claimed that some victims were tied to trees and beaten, while others were allegedly placed inside sacks and assaulted. The letter also mentioned a few reported instances of sexual violence and attempts to burn people alive, which, according to them, were stopped at the last moment.
Expressing particular concern, the activists said many victims had testified that police personnel joined hands with Hindutva organisations to force Christians into signing “compromise” agreements. These agreements allegedly required them to give up their faith and stop collective worship.
The letter also accused the police of registering serious criminal cases against victims of attacks instead of taking action against the attackers. According to the signatories, many of those attacked were detained in police stations and jails, while in some cases the police themselves allegedly played a direct role in intimidation and violence against Christians.
Stating that there appeared to be a “complete breakdown in the constitutional machinery of the state” in relation to Christian minorities, the activists urged the administration to uphold and protect the constitutional and religious rights of all citizens without discrimination based on religion, caste or creed.
The letter was signed by John Dayal, Aakar Patel, Vidya Dinker and Harsh Mander.
