Motorist dies after falling into roadside pit in Kerala's Thodupuzha; Minister orders probe
Thodupuzha (Kerala) (PTI): A 27-year-old man died after allegedly falling into an open roadside pit near Thodupuzha in Idukki district, police said on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Jeys Benny, a native of Muthalakkodam.
The accident occurred late Monday night when his two-wheeler plunged into the large pit dug on the side of the road as part of the construction work, they said.
Though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, his life could not be saved.
As the issue triggered heated protest, state Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Mohammed Riyas ordered a probe into the tragic incident.
He said the deputy chief engineer of the PWD has been entrusted with a probe into the incident and will take further action after receiving his report.
"Stringent measures will be taken if the negligence happened from the side of the Public Works Department," Riyas said.
In the CCTV visuals aired by TV channels, the bike could be seen plunging into the open pit.
According to local residents, the pit has been left open for over a month without adequate safety measures such as barricades or warning signs.
Following the incident, local residents staged a protest at the accident spot, alleging negligence on the part of the PWD.
Workers of the Opposition UDF also protested at the local PWD office demanding action against those responsible.
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India focused on practical applications of AI to solve population-scale challenges: Vaishnaw
New Delhi (PTI): IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said India is focused on practical applications of AI, including enterprise productivity, and solutions for population-scale challenges such as healthcare, agriculture, and climate change.
Speaking at a research symposium at the AI Impact Summit, the minister also expressed happiness over the strong participation and optimism shown by young people at an AI Expo on Tuesday.
He informed that about 2.5 lakh attendees, mostly under the age of 30, took part across the exhibition area.
"It was a phenomenal response when I interacted with the young minds. I was so surprised by the optimism that most of the young people expressed towards this opportunity which is coming for them," Vaishnaw said.
The minister said he was feeling hopeful for a totally new future for India and for the world.
"We, in India, are very focused on AI in the edge, AI for use cases, AI for solving real-world problems, AI for improving the productivity in the enterprises, for population-scale problems like healthcare, like agriculture, like climate change. These are things we are focussed on here in India. And the AI submit brings that opportunity," he said.
The minister asked participants of the symposium to come out with solid concrete suggestions on how to make AI safe. AI is a great tool and should be used for the benefit of humans.
The India AI Impact Summit, one of the country's largest global gatherings on artificial intelligence, has brought together policymakers, industry leaders and technology experts, and deliberations are on around AI innovation, governance and real-world applications in New Delhi.
