Bhubaneswar (PTI): Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will collaborate with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar for artificial intelligence (AI) driven surveillance and other projects, officials said.

A meeting was held between DRDO and IIT Bhubaneswar officials here on Tuesday. Binay Das, director general (DG) of Electronics and Communication Systems (ECS) cluster, DRDO, and many senior scientists and officials of both institutions were present in the meeting.

During the meeting, nine sanctioned projects of the ECS Cluster of DRDO were handed over to IIT Bhubaneswar while another 7 projects are in process to be sanctioned with Rs 18 crore funding.

IIT Bhubaneswar will work on the sanctioned projects, which would be beneficial in electronics warfare, AI-driven surveillance, power systems, radar systems etc, officials said.

S R Samantaray, head of the School of Electrical sciences of IIT said the collaboration of IIT Bhubaneswar and DRDO will contribute to the emerging research and development need of defence applications, creating a platform for 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat'.

This form of collaboration will enhance the sustainability of defence research programmes and will be part of the eco-system for nation building, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Binay Das advised researchers and faculty members associated with various DRDO-sanctioned projects to work systematically with proper review and risk management systems to complete the projects in time and come up with unique solutions.

He said that DRDO is going through a transformation from technology chasers to become technology enablers and trendsetters.

"The goal is now to move beyond attaining self-reliance to setting standards for the Indian armed forces, for others across the globe, to emulate. In this context, this collaboration, and the further opportunity to set up a Centre of Excellence at IIT Bhubaneswar would prove crucial," he added.

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Kochi (PTI): The Kerala High Court on Tuesday declined to issue any interim order putting on hold the screening of Malayalam film 'L2: Empuraan' starring superstar Mohanlal.

Justice C S Dias ordered to issue notice to the Centre and the Censor Board seeking their stand on the plea by Thrissur-native V V Vijeesh who has claimed that continuing to show the movie poses a risk of inciting communal violence and disturbing public order.

It listed the matter for hearing after the vacation.

The court also questioned whether the petition was filed in publicity interest by the petitioner.

During the brief hearing of the matter, the court also asked what was the problem when the Censor Board had certified the film for public viewing.

It also expressed doubts about the petitioner's intention behind filing the plea.

It also pointed out that no case was filed anywhere against the movie.

The state government said that no case has been lodged against the film in Kerala.

Meanwhile, Antony Perumbavoor, one of the producers of the film, earlier in the day announced that the movie has undergone cuts to remove scenes of little over two minutes.

He said the decision to carry out the edit was a joint one of all the producers and actors, including Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran, and it was not out of fear of anyone.

The movie has faced intense criticism from the Sangh Parivar with regard to some portions of the film.

'L2: Empuraan', the second part of the 'Lucifer' movie, a trilogy planned by the Prithviraj-Mohanlal team, has become a topic of hot debate over its critique of right-wing politics and the covert mention of the Gujarat riots.

On March 27, the day of the movie's release, the Sangh Parivar vehemently criticised the film on social media, while the Congress and Left platforms celebrated the film for portraying the right-wing politics as "villainous".