Karnataka CM, Deputy CM working like brothers, high command to decide on leadership: Pilot
Bengaluru (PTI): Playing down the power tussle in the Karnataka state unit of Congress, AICC General Secretary Sachin Pilot on Monday said, both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar are working like brothers, and whatever decision the Congress high command takes on the matter will be acceptable to everyone.
Speaking to reporters here, with Deputy CM D K Shivakumar seated next to him, he said, "When PCC (state Congress) President (Shivakumar) has called the Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) his elder brother, and the chief minister says he (Shivakumar) is my younger brother, that settles the matter."
ALSO READ: Decision on leadership change should be made by Rahul Gandhi, says CM Siddaramaiah
"Let me tell you that the Karnataka government has functioned with full integrity and dedication. Whatever promises we made as a party before the polls, we are fulfilling all of them. We are working strongly, and I can assure you in 2028 the Congress party will come back with a thumping majority," Pilot said to a question on the Congress high command's reluctance to end the power tussle.
"Whatever decision the party takes, it is acceptable to every Congress worker in the state. We are singularly working to make sure that we deliver on our promises and win back the state in 2028," he added.
Responding to a question on the high command not solving the leadership issue in the state, while pointing out that a similar power tussle existed in Rajasthan, between him and the then CM Ashok Gehlot, Pilot said, Everyone will abide by whatever decision is taken by the leadership of the party. "We will work together."
"Tell me which leader of the party, whether it is the chief minister or the Pradesh Congress Committee President, has said that they will not abide by the party high command's decision. When everything is left to the Congress high command, the party will decide whatever it has to. Our collective objective is to strengthen the Congress across the country, including Karnataka," he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
