Final decision on reopening K'taka schools for classes 1-5 after festival season: Minister Sudhakar

Vartha Bharati | 03-10-2021 | 17:40:00 IST

Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar

New Delhi, Oct 3: Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Sunday said a decision regarding reopening of schools for classes 1-5 in the state will be taken after the festival season.

He also said the state government has reopened educational institutions not in a "hurry" but in a phased manner after discussion with parents and experts.

"We will take a decision shortly after the festival season. Let the Dussehra vacation get over," he said.

Sudhakar said that a final call will be taken after consultation and the Cabinet's decision.

Asked about a school in Bengaluru being shut after children tested COVID-19 positive, he said the government is aware of it. But that one incident cannot determine whether to reopen schools for classes 1-5, Sudhakar said.

"That school is shut now and many children are isolated. Two children had symptoms and they are not in a serious condition. We are keeping a watch on every school in the state," he said.

It has been more than a month that schools were reopened for classes 6-8 in the state and "we have not received any reports of concerns from schools so far", he added. Sudharkar said, "We were to reopen schools for classes 1-5 because medically speaking immunity in children up to 12 years is highest."

Since children are small and keeping parents' concern in mind, the government focused on reopening educational institutions in a phased manner, he said.

On reopening of educational institutions, Sudhakar said, "We did not take decisions in hurry. Even now if we see children are facing problems, then we will immediately take back our decision."

The Karnataka minister mentioned that the first dose has been administered to over 80 per cent of the entire eligible population of 4.98 crore in the state, while the second dose to 37 per cent so far.

In September, the state administered the highest single-month vaccine doses of 1.48 crore, he said.

"At the same speed, we will complete the entire eligible population by the end of December 31," he said.

Sudhakar, however, said there are "10-15 per cent of the population who still have not taken a single dose in the state", and the government is planning an outreach programme to create awareness.

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Fact Check: Vande Bharat will pass through snow-covered Kashmir. But this photo is AI

20-01-2025 ¦ 20-01-2025 IST

A photo of a white and blue train in the middle of snow-covered mountains and tall trees is going viral on social media. Those sharing it claimed that this breathtaking view was from the Kashmir Valley and that this train was a Vande Bharat.

Sharing the photo on Facebook, one person wrote, "This photograph is not from Switzerland. It's from our beautiful India. The view of the Vande Bharat train traveling through the snow-covered valleys of Kashmir is truly breathtaking".

India Today Fact Check found that this photo is not real and likely made using Twitter’s Grok AI chatbot. However, the Vande Bharat Express will soon be launched in Kashmir.

OUR PROBE

We noticed a few inconsistencies in the viral photo. Being an electric train, Vande Bharat Express trains have high-rise pantographs that collect power from overhead electric wires running over the tracks. However, the pantographs are missing in the viral photo, and the electric wires are running on the side of the train instead of being overhead.

We also observed the word “GROK” written at the bottom-right corner of the viral picture. Grok is an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, a company founded by Elon Musk. Among other use cases, the chatbot is commonly used by X users for generating images that bear its watermark. It is thus likely that this photo was created using Grok AI.

Reverse searching the viral photo, we found a Facebook post dated December 28, 2024. It contained the viral photo, along with other similar photos of trains running in the snowy landscape. The caption stated that these photos were AI-generated.

We also ran the viral photo through various AI detection tools such as Hive Moderation and Is it AI. Their results also stated that there was substantial evidence of generative AI being used to create the photo.

It is noteworthy that the Indian Railways is planning to introduce a new Vande Bharat Express train that will operate between Katra and Srinagar railway stations, making it the first semi-high-speed train to run in the Kashmir Valley. The train is currently undergoing trials and is expected to be launched after January 20, 2025. It is said to have additional features, such as advanced heating systems, so that it can operate smoothly in extreme weather conditions.

Thus, it is more than clear that the viral photo making the rounds on social media was AI-generated.

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