Honey trap attempts charge: Minister Rajanna yet to file complaint, says G Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna is yet to file a complaint on the alleged attempt to honeytrap him and other politicians, to investigate the matter.
He also said that if there is a specific complaint in connection with alleged tapping of political leaders' phones including those from opposition in the state, it will be investigated.
"A complaint should be given. Upon its receipt, an investigation will be conducted. This will be my response regardless of how many times you ask," Parameshwara told reporters here regarding the allegations of honey trap attempt.
To a question on a public interest litigation filed in Supere Court seeking a direction to probe an incident of alleged honey trap coming up, he said, "let's see what the judgement is."
When pointed out that no complaint has been filed by Minister Rajanna, in connection with the alleged honey trap attempt, even six days after the issue raised in the legislative assembly, the Home Minister said, "You should ask him (Rajanna), instead you are asking me. Can I make him file a complaint? He has to file the complaint, whenever he feels fit, after that the department's work will begin."
Responding to a question, was there any pressure on Rajanna or him amid speculations over the alleged involvement of their own party leaders in honey trapping, he said, "I don't know, ask him. There is no pressure on me in connection with the case. Once the complaint is given, investigation will begin....I have already announced a high level probe. The Chief Minister will decide on the nature and level of the probe, but there is a need for cause of action, so a complaint has to come."
Rajanna on Thursday had told the Assembly that honey trap attempts were made on him and that at least 48 politicians across parties have fallen victim to this.
The issue had created noise in the Assembly. While the Home Minister has announced a high level probe into it, opposition has demanded for a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge.
Regarding the allegations of phone tapping, Parameshwara said, no one has given any complaint to him or any police station in this regard.
"I have noticed that Leader of Opposition R Ashoka has spoken about phone tapping, I have not come across any such thing. If any one gives a specific complaint, we will take it and it can be verified," he said in response to a question.
Ashoka on Monday had accused the Congress government of "tapping" the phones of key state leaders, including ministers and ruling party MLAs.
To a question whether there were any attempts to spy on some ministers involved in "dinner meetings", Parameshwara said, the intelligence department was with the Chief Minister, and that he hadn't heard of such things or have any such supecions.
Asked about the speculations that an "external intelligence" was spying on Ministers involved in dinner meetings including him, he said, let anyone keep watch, no problem.
"We are not holding such meetings in hiding. We had met in Minister Mahadevappa's house to discuss internal reservation (among SCs). Yesterday we met the Chief Minister on this matter. As part of the preparation for the meeting with the CM, we had all met earlier (at Mahadevappa's residence)," he added.
Asked whether any inquiry report had been submitted by Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta in connection with the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actress Ranya Rao, the Home Minister said he was not aware of it and was not sure whether any interim report had been submitted to the Chief Minister.
"We don't discuss with him (Gupta) on a day-to-day basis regarding the probe, he was given a week's time, he may give the report. Once it is given, we will get to know," he said.
The Karnataka government has appointed Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta to probe the role of Ramachandra Rao, a DGP-ranked police officer, if any, in the alleged gold smuggling activity of his step daughter Ranya Rao.
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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.
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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.
