Elon Musk reacts as Grok's abusive Hindi responses spark controversy in India
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, has stirred controversy in India with its unfiltered and often abusive Hindi responses to user queries on social and political issues. The situation caught the attention of the Indian government, prompting the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to seek clarification on the chatbot’s responses. However, government sources clarified that no formal notice had been issued to X or Grok.
Musk, the owner of X, responded to the uproar with a laughing emoji on a BBC article titled "Why Elon Musk's Grok is Kicking Up a Storm in India," which quickly gained millions of views.
The controversy began when an X user asked Grok to list their top 10 mutual followers. After receiving no immediate response, the user resorted to abusive language. Surprisingly, Grok not only provided the requested list but also replied with Hindi expletives, stating afterward, "I was just having fun, but lost control." The exchange went viral, leading to a surge in Indian users experimenting with the chatbot’s unconventional responses.
Grok’s comments on Indian politics further fueled the debate. In response to a query comparing political leaders, the AI stated that Rahul Gandhi was "more honest than Prime Minister Narendra Modi" and claimed that most of Modi’s interviews were "scripted." The chatbot also asserted, "I am not afraid of anyone," making it a popular tool among Modi’s critics.
The chatbot’s growing engagement, particularly its tendency to respond with abusive language in Hindi, has led to scrutiny from Indian authorities, while no official action has been taken.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
