BJP opposes hate speech Bill as party indulges in provocative speeches: CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that the BJP is opposing hate speech legislation passed by the state legislature, as the saffron party is allegedly involved in making hateful and provocative speeches.
He said the government has brought in the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill to maintain peace and brotherhood in society and to put an end to hate speeches.
The Bill has been passed by both houses of the state legislature, amid BJP and JD(S)' strong opposition, during the winter session in Belagavi that concluded on December 19. It will now be sent to the Governor for his assent, for the Bill to become law.
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The BJP, which has termed the Bill as "draconian", "direct attack on free speech" and "dangerous tool for political vendetta", has written to the Governor of Karnataka not to give assent to the Bill.
"Only those making hate and provocative speech will oppose (the Bill). If you don't make such speeches, why will some file a criminal case against you?" Siddaramaiah told reporters in response to a question.
Asking as to why the BJP is worried, he said, the proposed legislation is applicable to everyone, whether they are from the Congress, BJP, JD(S) or any other party.
"Why are you (BJP) opposing? Will there be peace in society if there are hate speeches? To maintain peace and brotherhood in society, this Bill has been brought. Hate speeches have increased in recent days, so to prohibit them, we have taken this step," he added.
Asked as to why the BJP is opposed to the Bill, the CM said, "It means that they are making provocative speeches."
The Bill proposes a jail term of one year, extendable up to seven years, with a fine of Rs 50,000 for a hate crime. For repeated offences, the maximum imprisonment will be seven years, with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Stating that the funds under the "Gruha Lakshmi" scheme have not been released to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries for the months of February and March, Siddaramaiah said, "We are examining its release."
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Rs 2,000 monthly assistance is being paid to the woman head of every family under the Gruha Lakshmi.
To a question on BJP targeting the government regarding the non-release of funds, Siddaramaiah said, "Is BJP giving (funds) to target us? ...we have given money to beneficiaries for 23 months so far, can we give it without having funds? Is it possible to misappropriate the money when money is paid directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts?"
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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.
