Chhattisgarh forest officer felicitated for use of AI-based elephant tracking app
Raipur (PTI): A Chhattisgarh-cadre Indian Forest Service officer has bagged the 'Eco Warrior Award 2024' for using an artificial intelligence-based tracking and alert application to prevent human-elephant conflicts, officials said on Sunday.
Varun Jain, deputy director of the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) in Gariaband district, received the award in the "best use of technology in conservation" category at an event in Delhi last week, they said.
Jain and a USTR team developed the 'Chhattisgarh Elephant Tracking and Alert' application in association with the FMIS (Forest Management Information System) and wildlife wing.
They have been using the app at the reserve since February 2023.
Talking to PTI, Jain said the app serves as an early warning system by sending out alerts through phone calls, SMSes, and WhatsApp messages to people living in a 10 km radius whenever trackers on foot patrol detect the presence of tuskers.
The AI system identifies villages in a 10 km radius of the elephant herds and dispatches notifications through phone calls, voice messages, and text messages to residents, specifically people whose mobile numbers are linked to their names and GPS locations, he said.
Alerts are specifically sent to "kotwars" (village-level revenue personnel), panchayat members, and forest management committees, Jain said, adding that audio messages are also circulated as a warning.
The official claimed there have been no human-elephant conflicts in the USTR area since the launch of the app one and a half years ago.
Besides acting as a warning system, Jain said the app also facilitates the systematic collection and analysis of data, providing invaluable insights to make informed decisions about elephant corridors and habitat development and proactive measures to mitigate human-animal conflicts.
He pointed out that 15 forest divisions facing the elephant menace in the state have adopted the app, considerably reducing such conflicts.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
