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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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe a second case of sexual assault against expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, police officials said on Friday.

The SIT will be led by G Poonguzhali, Assistant Inspector General at the Police Headquarters.

The team also includes a DSP rank officer and sub-inspectors, officials added.

The second sexual assault complaint was received by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, which it forwarded to the state police chief.

ALSO READ: Cong expels rape-accused MLA Mamkootathil from party's primary membership

Following this, the Crime Branch registered a case and launched an investigation.

Crime Branch officials said the email complaint contained only the sender's email ID and no other contact details.

As part of the probe, they have sent a reply email requesting that the complainant contact them and provide her statement.

The complainant has alleged that she was sexually assaulted under the false promise of marriage, a Crime Branch official said.

However, details such as the location and date of the alleged incident are not currently available to the police.

The SIT will attempt to trace the sender of the email and record her statement, which is crucial for further investigation, the officer said.

Mamkootathil was expelled from the Congress party on Thursday after a court here rejected his anticipatory bail petition in another rape case.

Police said he is currently absconding, and a manhunt is underway in Kerala and neighbouring states.