Republic Day: Kerala Guv says Centre, states not enemies, should work together for Viksit Bharat
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Monday said Centre and states were not enemies and that they should working jointly for the country's development.
He unfurled the national flag to mark the 77th Republic Day celebrations at the Central Stadium here.
Later, inspecting the parade, the Governor received the salute from various police and armed forces contingents.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other state ministers also attended the event.
In his speech after the parade, Arlekar said the Centre and the states were not enemies and must work unitedly.
He said that in a parliamentary form of democracy, it does not mean that the Centre and the states should function in opposing roles.
"We are not enemies — neither the Centre nor the states. Everyone has to follow the path of coming together, hand in hand, for the progress of this country. Only then can we achieve Viksit Bharat (developed India)," Arlekar said.
He said coordinated efforts were required to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
"The aim of achieving Viksit Bharat can be realised only through Viksit Kerala," he said.
He also congratulated the recipients of the Padma awards and remembered former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
"Achuthanandan created a legacy not only in the political field but also in the social sphere," Arlekar said.
He appealed to the people of Kerala to actively participate in the upcoming Assembly elections and exercise their franchise.
"Let us show that Kerala is moving towards 100 per cent voting this time. Voting is not just a privilege and a duty, but also a right" he said.
Earlier, in his Republic Day message, the governor called upon citizens to commit themselves to the goal of Viksit Bharat and highlighted the enduring significance of Vande Mataram as a symbol of national integration and inspiration.
Arlekar said India's performance as a nation was rooted in its ethos and traditions, adding that the country is the world's oldest democracy. It is regarded as the "mother of democracy".
"That is why the world is watching India's performance," he said, adding that the nation has great expectations from the next generation and future leaders.
India was moving ahead without obstacles and emerging as a global leader in several fields, he said, while stressing that the past should not be forgotten.
"This democratic form of governance has been achieved by the people themselves. As stated in our Constitution — ‘We, the People’ — we dedicate the Constitution to ourselves," he said.
He said India had never envisioned itself as a theocratic nation and had declared that every religion, belief and path would be respected and allowed to flourish, calling it the beauty of India's cultural democracy.
Referring to economic growth, Arlekar said it was often argued that democracies could not grow as fast as other systems, but India had disproved that notion.
"For many years now, we have shown that even as a democracy, we can grow economically at a high pace. We are the fastest-growing major economy in the world and will become a developed nation in the near future," he said.
He said this achievement was not an overnight miracle but the result of sustained contributions by the people towards economic and social progress, adding that the nation was grateful to all its people.
Speaking about Kerala, the Governor said the state was indebted to its earlier generations of leaders and reformers who laid a strong cultural foundation. He said Kerala had always been considered a leader in dharma, culture and modern fields such as education, healthcare and social reform.
He said Kerala had led the country in several areas, including digitalisation, and that the state government's digitisation efforts had yielded positive results.
"Our tradition and modernisation have come together to strengthen our economy and society. Kerala has once again shown the way in agriculture, industry and educational reforms," he said.
Noting that Kerala is a 100 per cent literate state, Arlekar said the state should continue to lead in this field while striving for excellence in other sectors.
Recalling the national song Vande Mataram, the Governor said it had been deeply ingrained in the minds and hearts of the people and had inspired generations in the freedom struggle. He noted that the song is completing 150 years this year.
"Let us celebrate 150 years of Vande Mataram with great joy, as it has always guided and inspired us," he said.
Meanwhile, the Republic Day parade was led by first-in-command Wing Commander Vikas Vasisht of the Indian Air Force and second-in-command Captain Abhishek Dube of the Indian Army.
Platoons from the Indian Army's Madras Regiment Battalion, Indian Air Force, Malabar Special Armed Police, India Reserve Battalion, Kerala Women Police, Rapid Response and Rescue Team, Thiruvananthapuram City Police, Fire and Rescue Services, Excise and Forest departments, Sainik School, NCC cadets, National Service Scheme volunteers, Students Police Cadets, Bharat Scouts and Guides, and Aswarooda Sena took part in the parade.
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.
Not UN’s role to regulate AI, says Guterres as world body plans annual global dialogue
United Nations (PTI): It is not the UN’s role to regulate AI, Secretary General Antonio Guterres has emphasised as he pointed to an annual global dialogue being planned at the international organisation on AI with participation from all countries, governments, private sector as well as civil society.
Guterres will soon be arriving in New Delhi to attend the India AI Impact Summit, the first-ever summit on Artificial Intelligence hosted in the Global South.
In an exclusive interview to PTI ahead of his visit to India for the Summit, Guterres outlined efforts by the international organisation aimed at global cooperation on Artificial Intelligence (AI), emphasising that these are “perfectly in line” with the strategy demonstrated by India in its leadership of the AI summit.
Guterres highlighted three key areas under the Global Digital Compact initiated at the UN to contribute towards the global AI architecture.
ALSO READ: Modi invites Bangladesh PM to visit India, says looking forward to working closely
The first is the creation of a new high-level Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence comprising 40 experts from around the world.
The UN General Assembly last week appointed the 40 members recommended by Guterres to the independent panel.
Head of the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) at IIT Madras Balaraman Ravindran is among the global group of 40 distinguished experts recommended by Guterres to serve on the panel for a three-year term from date of appointment.
Guterres said that through the panel, “We will have a totally independent and universal…scientific body (that will be) able to tell the world at each moment where are we in relation to AI? What are the advances that were made? What are the discoveries that were established? What are the risks of (various) mechanisms or instruments, and to do it in a totally independent way.”
He described this as a “fantastic source” of information for governments to take the right decisions in policies and measures in relation to AI and “for the people at large to know public opinions, in democratic countries like India that is very important.”
Guterres also pointed to an annual global dialogue being planned at the UN on AI with participation from all countries, governments, private sector as well as civil society.
Emphasising that it is not the UN’s role to regulate AI, Guterres said the global dialogue will be a “platform where everybody can come and everybody can discuss, and where we can learn with each other and eventually come to some possible consensus on the best way to maximise the opportunities of AI and minimise its risks.”
Lastly, he expressed hope that his proposal of a fund will be approved.
“There was an agreement in the General Assembly in order to support developing countries to build capacity to be able to benefit from AI. So these are three very important contributions of the UN and I believe that these contributions are perfectly in line with the strategy that India has demonstrated in the leadership in the preparation of the present Summit,” he said.
The UN chief has proposed a voluntary global fund of up to three billion dollars to support countries in the field of AI capacity building.
The Global Digital Compact, adopted at the 2024 Summit of the Future, had set out a shared vision for an open, safe and inclusive digital future.
Among its commitments was the creation of an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI to advance scientific understanding and ensure that international deliberations are informed by the best available evidence, the UN has said.
Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, told reporters that Guterres is scheduled to participate in the Summit’s opening ceremony, a plenary with heads of state and government, as well as a session on the role of science in international AI governance.
The Secretary-General will have bilateral meetings with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will also meet with other global and tech leaders attending the Summit, as well as members of the International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence.
While in India, Guterres is also scheduled to take part in a roundtable organised by the UN to discuss renewable energy and energy transition.
"With India emerging as a global leader in renewable energy expansion, the discussion will bring together senior figures from industry, finance, policy and civil society to identify concrete steps to further accelerate renewable energy deployment, strengthen grids and storage, and mobilise investment at scale.
“This engagement is part of the Secretary-General’s continued efforts to advance a faster, fairer and more inclusive global energy transition, aligned with the Paris Agreement,” Dujarric said.
United Nations India said in a statement that over 30 events organised by the UN system are scheduled during the five-day summit, and will include sessions on AI for resilient agriculture, health systems innovation, ethical AI governance, women’s leadership in technology, digital capacity-building in the Global South and responsible business practices.
The statement by the UN in India said that discussions will focus on “how AI can accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals while safeguarding human rights and addressing emerging risks”.
At the Summit, Guterres will be joined by senior UN leaders, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk; Under-Secretary-General and UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology Amandeep Singh Gill and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Kamal Kishore.
Also participating are Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva; Director-General of the International Labour Organisation Gilbert Houngbo and Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
