UNPRECEDENTED WELCOME.
Besides President of Indonesia, PM Modi was received by 4 other Ministers including Foreign Minister, Minister of Palace and Cabinet Secretary.
International crude prices have gone through the roof in the last 1 month from around 70 dollars/barrel to around 122 dollars/barrel. Consequently, petrol and diesel prices for consumers have gone up all over the world. Prices have increased by around 30%-50% in South East Asian countries, 30% in North American countries, 20% in Europe and 50% in African countries.
The Modi Government had two choices- either increase prices drastically for citizens of Bharat as all other nations have done or bear the brunt on its finances so that Indian citizen is insulated from international volatility.
Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji, in keeping with his Government’s commitment of last 4 years since the conflict in Russia-Ukraine started, decided to take a hit on its own finances again to safeguard the Indian citizen.
Government has taken a huge hit on it taxation revenues to ensure very high losses of oil companies (approximately 24 Rs/litre for petrol and 30 Rs/litre for diesel) at this time of sky high international prices are reduced. At the same time, export tax has been levied as international prices of petrol and diesel have skyrocketed and any refinery exporting to foreign nations will have to pay export tax. My gratitude to Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi Ji and Hon’ble FM @nsitharaman Ji for this very timely, bold and visionary decision!
Just got back from the @OfficialINDIAai Impact Summit in Delhi yesterday, and honestly, it left a really bad taste. I went as a researcher and someone building an AI startup for promoting Indian languages, really looking forward to Yann LeCun's 3.45 talk on world models in the research symposium. From 3 pm though, security just locked down every single entry for "VIP movement." They told us to walk all the way around the premises. I did it too, like a fool, sweating for 25 minutes, only to get to the hall and hear the exact same thing again: "Abhi VIP movement hai, entry band hai." People who were already inside the venue? I saw them get evacuated too to clear space for the VIPs.
And this wasn't even once. In the morning, when I was walking from Gate 7 to Gate 4, near Gate 5 everyone got stopped, made to turn back 100-150 meters and just stand there for 10-15 minutes because of another VIP movement. Both times, I felt like a third class citizen at an event that was supposed to be for people like me. Never felt so out of place and disrespected at anything AI related. The whole summit is, sorry was, meant for researchers, founders, builders who are grinding in the field every day. Instead we get treated like we don't matter, blocked for hours so some minister or official can pass through.
And don't get me wrong. There were a lot of good things too, the @Sarvam launches were gold (much love and respect to them) and I met amazing startups at the booths building so many good products, but overall it came across way more like a government PR show to tell the world "look, India is doing AI" than a real gathering FOR the AI community.
We have crazy good talent in AI here. If we ever want to be taken seriously on the global stage, we have to drop this VIP nonsense and start giving respect to the actual people doing the work. Not treat us like background noise.
The good thing is that I have understood which events I need to avoid from now on. The ones that actually care about the community over the photo ops are the only ones worth going to. I hope things will be better soon!
Wtf is happening?
After we raised serious questions about the Jal Shakti Mission awards, a local newspaper in Barmer, Rajasthan filed an RTI seeking records of 91,000 tanks reportedly constructed under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The district administration’s response?
They have NO RECORDS. Yes, No Records.
The same district that claimed 91,000 tanks.
The same achievement cited for national recognition.
The same administration that received an award from the President.
No files.
No documentation.
But a national honour?
If records don’t exist, on what basis was the award granted?
What data was sent to the Ministry?
Who verified the numbers before conferring recognition?
Public money. Presidential award. Zero paperwork?
Either the records exist, publish them.
Or explain how a district received national recognition without documented proof.
🚨 VIP Culture is Destroying India's Spirit
• Events
• Temples
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Road Traffic etc
From Politicians To Bureaucrats
Everyone Loves To Be Treated Like a VIP
“It was a complete waste of time”
Halls were vacated, people asked to leave as the PM was coming.
The man here says had he known that PM was coming, he and many others like him wouldn’t have attended.
AI Summit turned into a disaster because of one man‘s PR! Shame!
Laptop
Camera
Earbuds
Pen drive
Car/Bike keys
Palmtop computer
Battery-operated gadgets
These are prohibited items at India’s AI Summit.😭🤡
These items are banned under security protocols for VIP movement.
This proves that the India’s AI summit is more focused on VIPs & their photo-ops than on AI itself.
India needs an educated Prime Minister who can think beyond PR.
Official Prohibited Items List at India’s AI Impact Summit 🤡👇
• Bags - please arrive empty-handed. Thoughts optional.
• Car keys - park somewhere… and throw your key 🔑
• Laptops - absolutely unnecessary at a tech event.
• Earbuds - listening is clearly optional.
• Water - what is this, survival mode?
• Sharp objects - including sharp, uncomfortable questions during panels.
Welcome to the AI summit where innovation was restricted,execution was missing, and enthusiasm had to pass security clearance.
At this point, the only thing allowed was optics.
If this is how we host AI events,
maybe the real artificial intelligence
was expecting logic.
Just to shoot this reel, Modi got the venue of AI Impact Summit vacated for 6 hours.
The worst part is, security officials asked AI engineers to leave their products and when they returned, products were stolen.
What a shame! AI Impact Summit is ‘Make in India’ 2.0
DE-DOLLARISATION, ANYONE?
MODI'S INDIA IS MAKING MOVES. India’s holdings of US Treasuries are at a 5-year low. Probably RBI is wanting to sell dollars to stabilize rupee. A closer look reveals a pattern where India, China etc. are cutting dollar assets and diversifying.
India is on the cusp of debacle after the advent of AI . Massive loss of jobs in IT sector. Govt will increase taxes to cover for shortfall and higher inflation for the pay commission. Bad days are coming.