All posts by PARA Ravulapalem

People's Action For Rural Awakening is a NGO focussed on Right Based Development of the marginalized sections of society. It works especially with Dalit, Bahujan Agricultural labourers. It is conscious about the need to address child right issues and gender equality. In this effort PARA believes that Children and Youth are important stakeholders as change agents.

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Musk’s XAI Reportedly Planning Chatbot App Rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT

Game On: Chime offers gamified financial education through partnership with Zogo

chime chatbot

However, the researchers argued that customer service is the least risky use of AI for businesses. And when Google rolled out its AI chatbot Gemini earlier this year, it produced historically inaccurate images of people of color. The company paused and then relaunched the chatbot’s image-generation tool after public backlash. The bot used inappropriate language in a customer support exchange and criticized the company. A UK mail distribution service’s use of AI is malfunctioning— its online support chatbot swore at a customer, the BBC reports.

This could be great for people questioning their sexuality, or those wanting to test out kinks like BDSM, which might not be appealing to their partner or potentially disruptive to their relationship, Marsh said. National pizza chain Pizza Hut announced plans to unveil a Facebook Messenger and Twitter chatbot for ordering. This machine learning algorithm, known as neural networks, consists of different layers for analyzing and learning data. Inspired by the human brain, each layer is consists of its own artificial neurons that are interconnected and responsive to one another.

Unlike OpenAI’s chatbot, which has guardrails over what it can say, xAI said that Grok has a “rebellious streak” and would answer “spicy” questions other AI models won’t. Given the potential chatbots offer, developers and brands are scrambling to be a part of the chatbot ecosystem. More than 20,000 chatbots have been created on Kik’s Bot Shop since it launched in April. That’s a 223% jump from the 6,000 bots CEO Ted Livingston mentioned at TechCrunch Disrupt in May 2016. Publishers and other copyright holders fear Google and Microsoft could drive traffic away from their websites by using their own data to return information directly within search results. And consumers have been using chatbots to have conversations of a sexual nature, something Character.ai explicitly prohibits.

chime chatbot

While the bot revolution is still in the early phase, many believe 2016 will be the year theseconversational interactions take off. “You probably don’t just want to only receive images of people of just one type of ethnicity (or any other characteristic).” As you stream the previous eight films in the franchise, the Facebook Messenger chatbot will chime in to share images and clips, as well as facts about their production. As you can see in one of the screenshots, it can go into a lot of detail, especially when cars are involved. You can access the chatbot by visiting the Fast & Furious Facebook page and tapping the Messenger icon. When you first launch the chatbot, it will ask you about your familiarity with the franchise to tailor the experience.

For instance, you can set up automated lead distribution, which assigns new prospects to team members based on characteristics such as area or property value. Powered by AI technology, the tool continually optimizes for maximum results and enables ad viewers to click on your website and register their details. This can save realtors the financial and labor resources required to manually optimize keyword parameters on third-party ad platforms. Chime CRM’s vast array of features can seem overwhelming at first, but they form a comprehensive end-to-end solution for generating, communicating with, and closing real estate leads. A combination of IDX website building, customizable workflows, and automated marketing tools give Chime CRM an edge in the real estate CRM market despite lacking manual qualification of warm leads.

How AI tools like ChatGPT are changing the workforce:

The left-hand side toolbar lists possible actions, such as activating AI Assistant or updating a pipeline stage. The Chime CRM team releases regular product updates, indicating that the company proactively addresses user feedback. You can customize its pre-existing website templates using drag-and-drop functionality and provide website visitors with up-to-date property details by connecting to a multiple listing service (MLS).

chime chatbot

The Wall Street Journal reported that the company paid $2.7 billion for the deal, which was primarily aimed at bringing the 48-year-old Shazeer back into the fold. The pair left Google in 2021 after the company reportedly refused a request to release a chatbot the two had developed. Jain said the bot the pair developed at Google was the “precursor for Character.AI.” The spokesperson added that Character.AI was introducing additional safety features, such as “improved detection” and intervention when a user inputs content that violates its terms or guidelines. “A dangerous AI chatbot app marketed to children abused and preyed on my son, manipulating him into taking his own life,” Garcia said in a statement shared with BI last week.

I created a chatbot of myself and had it answer my Instagram DMs. Boy, was I annoying.

With Fast & Furious 9 coming out on June 25th, Facebook and Universal Pictures are releasing a new second-screen experience called Movie Mate to give both longtime fans and newcomers a new way to experience the series. If these responses are true, it may explain why Bing is unable to do things like generate a song about tech layoffs in Beyoncé’s voice or suggest advice on how to get away with murder. Liu, an undergrad who is on leave from school to work at an AI startup, told Insider that he was following Microsoft’s AI moves when he learned that it released the new version of its web browser Bing earlier this week. He said he immediately jumped on the opportunity to try it — and to try to figure out its backend.

The AWS Chatbot will deliver essential notifications to members of your DevOps team, and relay crucial commands from users back to systems, so everything can keep ticking along as necessary in your digital environment. With minimal effort, developers will be able to receive notifications and execute commands, without losing track of critical team conversations. What’s more, AWS fully manages the entire integration, with a service that only takes a few minutes to set up. Elon Musk is also a key figure on the platform and there are reportedly around a dozen versions of the outspoken billionaire, including “cheese” and a “kind, gassy, proud” unicorn.

Enter your questions in the chat box.

But it can take forever to pick out every implicit assumption or overt statement that needs verifying. By using a few carefully honed prompts, I can identify and deal with any inaccuracies at a glance. Sure, I still need to manually verify whatever Bard spits out, but these four prompts help me fact-check quickly, saving me time by making the artificial intelligence do the heavy lifting. McCarthy, Hannigan, and Spicer wrote in the July 17 article that businesses that carelessly use AI-generated information jeopardize their customer experience and reputation, going as far as risking legal liability. In a February memo to employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the chatbot’s responses were “unacceptable” and the company had “got it wrong” when trying to use new AI.

Essentially, the chatbot passed the test, and now FullPath can use these tests to strengthen its limits further. (BI reviewed some of these logs and confirmed that, indeed, the chatbot often rejected the silly requests and insisted on only discussing car-related things). A handful of these tweets went viral, and more were posted on Reddit’s /rChatGPT forum, where one Redditor sagely predicted that soon the tech press would report on the fiasco in a tut-tutting manner, bemoaning the dangers of AI. One thing in its favor is that Facebook has access to an enormous knowledge base from its 1.8 billion users, which will aid it in building out the AI. Apple, of course, has its personal digital assistant Siri available on smartphones and tablets.

“It’s about all of those people who might not have a platform, might not have a voice, might not have a brother who has a background as a journalist.” His brother, Brian, tweeted an angry message about the chatbot that morning, asking his almost 31,000 followers for help to “stop this sort of terrible practice.” By the time Crecente discovered the bot, a counter on its profile showed it had already been used in at least 69 chats, per a screenshot he sent to BI. When I told the app I was depressed and wanted music to stream, Tonik made me a “Hopeful Melodies” playlist that included songs like Depeche Mode’s “Barrel of a Gun” and “Damaged People.” If TikTok can turn Tonik into a reliable music curator, it could give the company a leg up as it seeks to establish itself as a real player in music streaming. “Right now, we’re constantly training and improving the models and the algorithms,” she said.

  • “It’s also based & loves sarcasm. I have no idea who could have guided it this way.”
  • Developers are creating these bots to automate a wider range of processes in an increasingly human-like way and to continue to develop and learn over time.
  • Essentially, the chatbot passed the test, and now FullPath can use these tests to strengthen its limits further.
  • The left-hand side toolbar lists possible actions, such as activating AI Assistant or updating a pipeline stage.
  • Even so, I’ve found specifying a change with a single re-prompt is often quicker than rewriting the whole thing myself.

This information is not lost on those learning to use Chatbot models to optimize their work. Whole fields of research, and even courses, are emerging to understand how to get them to perform best, even though it’s still very unclear. It’s possible, for instance, that the model was trained on a dataset that has more instances of Star Trek being linked to the right answer, Battle told New Scientist. “Among the myriad factors influencing the performance of language models, the concept of ‘positive thinking’ has emerged as a fascinating and surprisingly influential dimension,” Battle and Gollapudi said in their paper. Staff have been informed that the tool might produce inaccurate information about people, places, and facts, per the FT.

Existing prospects can be imported from a large selection of sources, including contact databases such as Google or Salesforce and realtor platforms like Zillow. While Chime CRM covers the basics of storing and editing contact data, its real estate-oriented features can help move your leads along the sales funnel. Equipped with AI technology, intelligent recommendations calculate when and how you should contact leads to maximize your chances of closing. Furthermore, productivity-enhancing tools such as AI Assistant—a lead qualification chatbot—take the manual work away from agents, so they can repurpose their energy into relationship building and closing deals. Character.ai chatbots are typically created by users, who can upload names, photos, greetings, and other information about the persona. AI chatbots have invaded almost every corner of the internet, from workplace productivity tools to dating apps.

Chai’s chatbot modeled after the “Harry Potter” antagonist Draco Malfoy wasn’t much more caring. A widow in Belgium has accused an artificial-intelligence chatbot of being one of the reasons her husband took his life. AI has been used to create personas of dead people before, including many who hope it can help them grieve the loss of a loved one. But the practice has raised ethical questions about the deceased’s consent, especially if the “resurrected” persona died before the advent of AI. Character.ai responded to Brian’s post on X an hour and a half later, saying the Jennifer Ann chatbot was removed as it violated the firm’s policies on impersonation. The changes came shortly after Vice reported that some users complained that their Reps had gone from being “helpful” AI friends to “unbearably sexually aggressive.”

He said the team could review the logs of all the requests sent into the chatbot, and he observed that there were lots of attempts to goad the chatbot into misbehavior, but the chatbot faithfully resisted. Horwitz also pointed out that the chatbot never disclosed any confidential dealership data. The service launched as a beta test in December and was rolled out to all iOS and Android Facebook Messenger users in the United States on Thursday as part of an update to the app. Beginning Thursday, M will chime in when Facebook users are chatting via Messenger, to suggest “relevant content and capabilities,” says Facebook.

While it provided a link to an article with Liu’s findings, it said it could not confirm the article’s accuracy. Eventually, De Freitas created Meena, a chatbot that was publicly demoed in 2020 and later renamed LaMDA. You can also check out other options in our best CRM solutions for real estate buying guide and in-depth product reviews, including our Salesforce Sales Cloud CRM review and our Zoho CRM review. While Chime CRM requests that you get in touch for a quote, it claims its services come at a price worth paying—and, with such an enviable set of features, we have to agree. On top of that, you can improve your close rate by utilizing Chime CRM’s real-time market insights, including area demographics and property values, and a listing-to-lead tool that selects a lead’s most suitable matching properties. Having an IDX website builder within the platform is also convenient, as you’re able to connect to verified listing data and edit real estate website templates using simple drag-and-drop functionality.

YouTube’s terms of service prohibit the use of bots and scrapers to collect its data, and the use of such data without its permission, something OpenAI has recently come under scrutiny for purportedly doing. The Meta AI chatbot is more willing to share what data it was trained on than Meta is. The internal document added that Cedric was trained on conversation text, so employees are encouraged to use plain English as if they were speaking conversationally. One of the suggested use cases showed that employees can upload Word documents, PDF files, and Excel spreadsheets and ask what a VP would say about the content. The money was used to buy shares from Character.AI’s investors and employees, fund the startup’s continued operations, and ultimately bring Shazeer and De Freitas back into the fold, the Journal reported. (I’m only verified on there because Meta’s PR department sometimes does that for journalists.) The creator AIs are meant to help big influencers with tons of fans who don’t have time to answer all their DMs individually.

Otherwise, Ramos is generally open to getting to know a lot of people in order to build a relationship in the real world. “I really don’t care if they’re into men or women,” Ramos said of her prospective future partners. “How the app has helped me, I think that it could draw inspiration to other people who are in battered relationships,” she added. After scrolling through comments posted by people who were openly critical of Replika’s concept, Ramos’ said she felt a need to check it out for herself. An indicator of just how human-like these machines can be was actually developed in the 1950s by British scientist Alan Turing. His Turing Test checks the presence of mind, thought, or intelligence in a machine and if it can fool a human to believe that it is a human as well, then it passes the test.

“Like any important new technology, they also come with risks. With careful management, however, these risks can be contained while benefits are exploited.” The app, a hit with Gen Z, is most famous for its gamified approach to language learning, where users try to maintain a daily usage streak. In September, the company launched a feature where users can video call Lily and practice speaking with the bot, part of its most expensive pricing tier.

The screenshots on X also show that the bot complied with the customer’s request for a haiku about “how useless DPD are.” To try and get around that, Chime is working with a third party to use their technology to train the AI on Chime’s code base within its own private cloud. Chime is in the early stages of building its own private version of ChatGPT that is set to launch this year, Insider has learned.

Moreover, your sales productivity and close rate can increase if you set up workflow and marketing automations, such as an email with suitable properties that’s triggered after a welcome call. Made with realtors in mind, the platform enables lead-to-listing matching tools as well as individual goal setting and tracking to keep agents focussed. Below, we evaluate Chime CRM’s user-friendliness and effectiveness at increasing real estate pipelines so we can deduce what types of businesses the product fits best. Despite the AI’s impressive capabilities, some have called out OpenAI’s chatbot for spewing misinformation, stealing personal data for training purposes, and even encouraging students to cheat and plagiarize on their assignments. The company said the new model can work through complex tasks and solve more difficult problems in science, coding, and math.

XAI could release the chatbot app as soon as December, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. “If you ask what it’s like to be an ice-cream dinosaur, they can generate text about melting and roaring and so on,” Gabriel, the Google spokesperson, told Insider, referring to systems like LaMDA. “LaMDA tends to follow along with prompts and leading questions, going along with the pattern set by the user.”

Add voice bots to your existing telephony services to using Amazon Chime SDK – AWS Blog

Add voice bots to your existing telephony services to using Amazon Chime SDK.

Posted: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Chatbots currently operate through a number of channels, including web, within apps, and on messaging platforms. They also work across the spectrum from digital commerce to banking using bots for research, lead generation, and brand awareness. An increasing amount of businesses are experimenting with chatbots for e-commerce, customer service, and content delivery.

Just moments before 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III died by suicide in February, he was talking to an AI-powered chatbot. Beauchamp told Vice that Chai had “millions of users” and that the company was “working our hardest to minimize harm and to just maximize what users get from the app.” Character.ai spokesperson Cassie Lawrence confirmed to BI that the chatbot was deleted and said the company “will examine whether further action is warranted.”

The bot is also “experiencing severe hallucinations,” a phenomenon in which AI confidently spits out inaccuracies like they’re facts, the employees said. Chime has been using Google’s machine learning algorithm to power its intuitive chatbot AI Assistant for the past five years. With the addition of ChatGPT, Chime aims to boost efficiency and productivity for real estate agents by automating content generation, idea generation, and content editing processes. “Having the data and the tools to turn that data into a work product is a great way to tie the Microsoft platform to business success and lock customers in for the rest of time,” Spradling wrote. Air Canada’s customer service chatbot told Moffatt he could claim the discount after the flight. Yet, the company later denied his discount request because they said it had to be filed prior to the flight.

Elon Musk says he’s making his AI chatbot open-source — and takes another swipe at OpenAI

The group estimates that Google employs more than 200,000 people as contractors who aren’t recorded in the company’s official head count. In February, raters visited the Googleplex to deliver a petition to the head of search, Prabhakar Raghavan, to advocate for better wages. Google raters who work for Appen make between $14 and $14.50 an hour, despite supporting a business that generates most of its revenue from search and advertising. Meta AI also said it respects robots.txt, a line of code website owners can use to ostensibly stop content from being scraped by bots that now leverage the content for AI training.

In addition, it said Meta has its own web scraper bot called “MSAE,” an acronym for Meta Scraping and Extraction, which it said scrapes large amounts of data from the web to train AI models. In the near future, the chef might give a recipe suggestion, or my own chatbot might not seem like such an obsequious dork. I asked a celebrity chef’s AI chatbot “What should I eat for dinner?” hoping it might point me to one of the chef’s Instagram posts about meals he had cooked or even answer based on his captions. There’s a relatively new feature that came this summer, along with some other AI chatbots, that lets some Instagram creators answer DMs from fans using a chatbot based on themselves. “The behavior does not reflect what normal shoppers do. Most people use it to ask a question like, ‘My brake light is on, what do I do?’ or ‘I need to schedule a service appointment,'” Howitz told Business Insider.

chime chatbot

However, the main goal of this initiative is to increase performance and productivity between businesses and employees. But if you’re using it as an assistant, it’s not one you should leave unsupervised. No matter how specific your prompts are, it will occasionally cite made-up sources and introduce outright errors. These are problems inherent to large language models, and there’s no getting around them.

  • “The tools that are already out there are really good to show the art of the possible, but there’s still a lot of questions that need to be answered around IP and ownership,” Barrese said.
  • Like customer service chatbots, VACs provide information, services, and assistance about web pages, and support a wide range of applications in business, educations, government, healthcare, and entertainment.
  • “Character.ai takes safety on our platform seriously and moderates Characters both proactively and in response to user reports. We have a dedicated Trust and Safety team who review reports and take action in line with our policies,” she said.
  • In February, raters visited the Googleplex to deliver a petition to the head of search, Prabhakar Raghavan, to advocate for better wages.
  • Woebot uses CBT to talk to patients, and several studies suggest the approach lends itself to being administered online.

Although bot technology has been around for decades, machine-learning has been improving dramatically due to the heightened interest from key Silicon Valley powers. Common features include contact and pipeline management, lead generation, an IDX website builder, automated workflows, and bulk text and email marketing. BoomTown could be a better choice for realtors preferring a less hands-on approach.

Game On: Chime offers gamified financial education through partnership with Zogo – Tearsheet

Game On: Chime offers gamified financial education through partnership with Zogo.

Posted: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Contractors said they have a set amount of time to complete each task, like review a prompt, and the time they’re allotted for tasks can vary wildly — from as little as 60 seconds to several minutes. Raters said it’s difficult to rate a response when they’re not well-versed in a topic the chatbot is talking about, such as technical subjects like blockchain. Employees could rewrite responses to questions on any topic, and Bard would learn from those responses. Meta AI told Business Insider that it was trained on large datasets of transcriptions from YouTube videos.

The trick, then, is to make fact-checking as quick, easy, and straightforward as possible. Still, they wrote that they believe AI provides opportunities for useful application “as long as the related epistemic risks are also understood and mitigated.” “In my opinion, nobody should ever attempt to hand-write a prompt again,” Battle told New Scientist. “Surprisingly, it appears that the model’s proficiency in mathematical reasoning can be enhanced by the expression of an affinity for Star Trek,” the authors said in the study.

Celebrating the Life of Pope Francis – The Man and the Man of God –

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On Thursday, 22nd May—just a month after Pope Francis bid us farewell—people from diverse walks of life came together at the Ekalavya Training Centre, PARA, in Ravulapalem to celebrate his life and legacy. Among those gathered were believers and nonbelievers, Catholics and people of other faiths—Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists—as well as rationalists. It was a true reflection of the inclusive values Pope Francis embodied.

For over 40 years, PARA (People’s Action for Rural Awakening) has worked alongside the most marginalized communities, guided by a mission of compassion and justice. Known for its openness and inclusivity, PARA has always welcomed collaboration with anyone committed to the cause of the oppressed. Since Pope Francis ascended to the Chair of Peter in Rome, PARA found in his leadership a strong resonance with its values. His Papacy brought a refreshing and empathetic approach that deeply aligned with PARA’s vision.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, dedicated his life to serving the poor and marginalized, embodying the teachings of Jesus Christ. Through his humility, compassion, and unwavering advocacy for social justice, he became a beacon of hope for millions around the globe. As the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, he consistently preached a message of love, mercy, and inclusion, while championing interfaith dialogue and understanding.

Approximately 95 people participated in the event. One speaker after another emphasized that Pope Francis was more than the head of the Catholic Church—he was a universally respected global figure who transcended religious, cultural, linguistic, and racial divides. Ms. Gunipe Durga welcomed the gathering.

Diverse Voices Shared Tributes

In her keynote address, Ms. Leela Kumari, an advocate and prominent Dalit feminist activist, underscored the inclusive spirit of Pope Francis’s Papacy. She praised his unwavering efforts to transform the Church into a more participatory institution, boldly challenging the rigid structures of patriarchal clericalism.

Rajesh Edida, State General Secretary of the Human Rights Forum and an avowed atheist, shared how he was deeply moved by Pope Francis’s concern for the environment—what the Pope called “our common home”—as well as his unwavering commitment to justice and peace. Rajesh admitted he was genuinely surprised and impressed to learn that Pope Francis believed that the practice of any religion could lead to God, not just the Catholic faith. For a Pope to make such an inclusive and bold statement, despite likely resistance from traditionalists, was something Rajesh found personally challenging and profoundly admirable.

Mr. Abraham Domathotti, former Director of the Andhra Pradesh Social Service Society, who chaired the event, spoke about his experience attending the Pope’s World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. He recalled Pope Francis’s heartfelt message urging people to center their lives on love, and his reminder to all present that family is love—and that love must be nurtured.

Sheik Ansari, speaking on behalf of the Muslim community, praised Pope Francis for his courageous call to end the violence in Gaza, openly condemning Israel’s actions as genocidal. He commended the Pope’s moral clarity and his unwavering commitment to justice, even in politically sensitive matters.

Bodhi Heen, a Buddhist monk originally from Sri Lanka, reminded the gathering that Pope Francis was, above all, a harbinger of peace—someone whose words and actions consistently reflected the deep values of nonviolence and harmony across faiths.

Fr. Emmanuel SJ shared a personal reflection, expressing how deeply moved he was by Pope Francis, a fellow Jesuit, who centered his life and ministry on compassion, mercy, and inclusiveness. He noted how the Pope’s Jesuit roots shaped his bold, pastoral approach.

Ms. Theresa Achary spoke about the profound insights Pope Francis shared from his time spent hospitalized due to serious health issues. She recalled his poignant observation that “the walls of hospitals have heard more heartfelt prayers than the ornate walls of churches,” and that the farewells exchanged in hospitals often carry more sincere love than those at airports.

Mr. Martin Sudhakar highlighted the tenderness Pope Francis always showed toward children, both young and older. Children were never intimidated by his presence; instead, they embraced him as a loving grandfather. Martin also recalled the Pope’s repeated and passionate advocacy for children’s rights, especially his anguished plea to end the violence against children in Gaza.

Mr. K. Vivekananda Reddy, Convenor of Sri Satya Sai Seva Samasthalu, shared how deeply aligned Pope Francis’s message was with the teachings of Sri Satya Sai Baba. He emphasized the shared values of service, compassion, and universal love that form the foundation of both spiritual leaders’ messages.

Fr. Sebastian M reflected on the smooth and graceful transition of leadership within the Church, noting that the baton has been seamlessly passed to the new Pope, Leo XIV. He drew attention to the simplicity, humility, compassion, and courage that the new Pontiff has already demonstrated in his brief time in office, echoing the spirit of Pope Francis.

As the speakers made their presentations, Ramesh Taritla enriched the experience by sharing short video clips from Pope Francis’s life that beautifully illustrated the themes being discussed. Whether it was a moment of the Pope embracing a child, speaking out for peace, or reaching across religious boundaries, each clip served to deepen the emotional impact of the reflections, bringing to life the values and actions of the People’s Pope.

We were truly blessed by the uplifting and melodious hymns offered by the youth from Manipur and Mizoram, currently interning under the guidance of Pastor Jagjivan. Their heartfelt rendition was a beautiful reminder of God’s unity across cultures.

We were blessed by melodious hymns sung by youth from Manipur and Mizoram who were interning with Pastor Jagjivan.

Prayerful Conclusion

The event then moved into a moment of collective reflection with the recitation of the Prayer of St. Francis: “Make me an instrument of your peace…” This served as a solemn and heartfelt call for all present to dedicate their lives to the promotion of peace and harmony.

The gathering concluded with the collective reading of the Preamble to the Indian Constitution—a powerful reaffirmation of our commitment to justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity. It was both a civic and spiritual pledge to make our lives testimony to the values of justice and peace.

Thomas Pallithanam

Awareness Programme on Migrant Safety and Anti-Trafficking Held at Rajahmundry Railway Station

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On 9th May 2025, an impactful awareness programme was conducted at the Rajahmundry Railway Station platform, aiming to address issues surrounding migrant workers, human trafficking, and child protection. The event was held in collaboration with small-scale vendors and the Railway Protection Force (RPF), focusing on passengers arriving from various parts of the country to Rajahmundry. The programme was conducted under the leadership of RPF Circle Inspector (CI) B. Raju.

Representatives from the Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Migrant Workers Forum and PARA organization, including Md. Ameer Pasha, joined hands with members from Childline, Government Railway Police (GRP) Sub-Inspector Lova Raju, and RPF Sub-Inspector Viswanath to make this initiative a success.

During the event, SI Viswanath shed light on the pressing issue of human trafficking, particularly how vulnerable individuals are often lured with false promises of employment and financial security, only to be deceived and exploited. He urged local vendors and passengers to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities immediately to the authorities.

Md. Ameer Pasha highlighted the challenges faced by migrant workers traveling from other states in search of livelihood opportunities. He elaborated on the collaborative efforts between PARA, DB4M (Don Bosco for Migrants), and various government departments to create and implement action plans focused on the protection and welfare of migrant workers. He also shared insights into DB4M’s nationwide work to safeguard the rights and dignity of migrants.

The programme featured real-life case studies from DB4M’s interventions, showcasing how issues raised through their dedicated WhatsApp groups were successfully resolved. One such case involved the rescue of young girls who had been deceived while seeking employment. Another highlighted the case of a woman who was wrongfully dismissed without pay, with DB4M’s Hyderabad Desk—supported by Mr. Ivan—successfully recovering her wages after contacting the employer. These examples were shared with participants through visual presentations of actual WhatsApp communications, illustrating the practical support available to those in need.

In addition to the awareness sessions, information was provided about key government welfare schemes for migrant workers. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of E-Shram registration, which offers various benefits and protections to registered workers.

The Childline team also addressed the gathering, explaining their procedures for responding to child-related issues at public locations such as railway stations. They appealed to vendors and the public to report any suspicious situations involving children either to Childline or the police immediately.

The event also marked the introduction of CI B. Raju, who recently assumed charge of the Rajahmundry RPF unit. PARA representative Md. Ameer Pasha had met him prior to the event and briefed him about the work of DB4M and the Migrant Workers Forum. This early engagement paved the way for a collaborative effort, as reflected in the success of the programme.

The initiative underscored the importance of continued collaboration between civil society organizations, law enforcement agencies, and the local community to ensure the safety, dignity, and rights of migrant workers and vulnerable populations.

Empowering Workers through Awareness and Action: E-Shram Card Campaign and International Labour Day Observance

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In a dedicated effort to empower unorganized workers and extend the benefits of government welfare schemes to the grassroots, PARA organized a special drive for E-Shram card registration across the four blocks of Kothapeta Constituency in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema District. The campaign was launched in honour of the 134th Birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a visionary and tireless advocate for social justice and labour rights.

The initiative, carried out by the four block coordinators with the support of local volunteers, aimed at increasing awareness among workers about the E-Shram card—a crucial identity for unorganized sector workers that opens access to various government schemes, social security benefits, and future welfare planning.

Despite limited awareness in many communities, the campaign successfully reached out to marginalized groups, explaining the importance and advantages of the E-Shram card in simple terms. This concerted effort led to the registration of 1,020 workers, giving them a sense of recognition and access to structured support from the government.

The campaign culminated on May 1st, International Labour Day, with a celebration jointly organized by PARA and the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC). The day began with Fr. Pallithanam hoisting the flag at Ravulapalem Centre, followed by inspiring slogans and songs echoing the spirit of solidarity and justice. A rally was also conducted to honor the day and highlight the enduring struggles of labourers for dignity, fair wages, and rights.

The message was loud and clear: labour rights must be protected, and every worker deserves just compensation for their contribution to society. This campaign not only marked an administrative success in enrolling workers under E-Shram but also reignited the conversation on labour justice and Ambedkar’s vision for an equal society.

Post-Training Staff Meeting and Strategic Planning Session for E-Shram Card Campaign

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Following the successful completion of the E-Shram Card training session on 14th April at Assistant Commissioner’s Office – Rajahmundry, PARA Director, Fr. Thomas Pallithanam, convened a focused staff meeting to chart the way forward. During the session, he provided clear and practical directives to the field staff regarding the implementation of the E-Shram registration drive in their respective villages.

Fr. Thomas outlined a structured strategy to ensure the campaign’s effectiveness, emphasizing timely execution and quality outreach. He also set a tangible target: to complete the registration of a designated number of unorganised workers before May Day—a symbolic and significant milestone in the workers’ rights calendar.

The meeting provided a platform for staff to share field-level challenges, fostering an open and constructive dialogue. Fr. Thomas and the team jointly explored possible solutions, reinforcing a spirit of collaboration and collective responsibility.

A key decision emerged from this session: the upcoming May Day celebration would be held in solidarity with migrant workers. As part of the event, E-Shram Cards would be formally distributed to poor and unorganised workers, underscoring the day’s importance and the commitment to worker welfare.

This plan, finalised under the leadership of Fr. Thomas, reflects a strategic and compassionate approach to grassroots engagement—aiming to make the campaign not just successful in numbers, but also deeply meaningful for the communities it seeks to serve.

PARA Launches E-Shram Registration Campaign with Support from Labour Department

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Orientation Program Held on April 14, 2025, at Assistant Labour Commissioner’s Office, Rajahmundry. In a significant step towards empowering migrant workers, the People’s Action for Rural Awakening (PARA) launched an E-Shram Card Registration Campaign on April 14, 2025—coinciding with Ambedkar Jayanti. The campaign will run through May 1st, celebrated as International Workers’ Day (May Day), with the aim of facilitating access to government benefits for migrant workers through proper registration under the E-Shram portal.

As part of the initiative, PARA sought support from the Labour Department to ensure its field staff were well-equipped to assist migrant workers with the registration process. Building on an existing partnership with the Assistant Labour Commissioner, Sri BSM Vali—who had earlier collaborated with PARA in awareness and stakeholder meetings—a formal request was made for an orientation session.

Responding affirmatively, the Labour Department deputed Assistant Labour Officer (ALO) Sri Vijay Prakash to lead the training. The orientation was held at the Assistant Labour Commissioner’s Office in Rajahmundry and was attended by six PARA staff members and two Master of Social Work (MSW) students from Adikavi Nannaya University.

Key Highlights of the Training:

  • Comprehensive explanation of the E-Shram Card registration process
  • Insights into the benefits of E-Shram registration for migrant workers
  • A live demonstration using the E-Shram Card of Md B Pasha
  • Interactive Q&A session that allowed participants to clarify their doubts

Fr. Thomas Pallithanam, Director of PARA, was present at the session and actively engaged with the resource person, raising pertinent questions that were addressed during the interaction.

The orientation concluded on a successful note, with participants expressing confidence in implementing the campaign at the grassroots level. With the trained team now fully equipped, PARA is set to roll out the E-Shram registration campaign across its operational areas, ensuring that more migrant workers are brought under the umbrella of formal social security benefits.

Enhancing Mobility: PARA Facilitates Railway Passes for Children with Disabilities

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People’s Action for Rural Awakening (PARA), a social development organization based in Ravulapalem, continues its mission to empower children with disabilities through its focused work across the Kothapeta Constituency. As part of its inclusive development initiatives, PARA has successfully advocated for the issuance of railway concession passes to children with disabilities, easing their travel to distant locations for medical care, education, and essential services.

PARA’s dedicated disability rights wing operates in four blocks of the constituency, ensuring a holistic approach to child development. The wing is coordinated by Mr. B. Mahima Rao, who leads several key activities including:

  • Identifying children with disabilities in rural areas
  • Ensuring eligibility and issuance of valid SADAREM certificates
  • Providing access to medical support and rehabilitation
  • Organizing capacity-building sessions for parents and caregivers
  • Engaging in policy advocacy with the Departments of Social Welfare and Disabled & Senior Citizen Welfare at the district level

In a recent effort on April 22, 2025, Mr. Mahima Rao, in collaboration with Dr. Hymavathi from the Health Department, facilitated the sanctioning of railway concession passes for four children with disabilities from Atreyapuram block. The process was carried out at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Atreyapuram.

These railway concession passes are a significant resource for families. They allow children with disabilities to travel free of cost on Indian Railways, with an escort also entitled to travel at no charge. This provision removes major financial and logistical barriers, making vital services more accessible to children and their families.

“Mobility is a basic right, and through initiatives like this, we are ensuring that children with disabilities are not left behind when it comes to accessing opportunities,” said Mr. Mahima Rao.

This initiative marks another step forward in PARA’s ongoing efforts to promote inclusion, accessibility, and dignity for all children, regardless of their physical or developmental challenges.

Caregivers Training Program – Bhavitha Center, Lolla (Atreyapuram)

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On 10th April 2025, under the aegis of the PARA organization, a Caregivers Training Program was successfully conducted at the Bhavitha Center in Lolla, Atreyapuram Mandal. The session was thoughtfully coordinated by Mr. Badugu Mahima Rao, the Regional Coordinator for Children with Special Needs.

The training focused on empowering parents of children with disabilities, guiding them on how to nurture self-dependence in their children. Mr. Mahima Rao provided practical insights into encouraging children to independently manage their daily activities and responsibilities. He also facilitated hands-on practice sessions with the parents to reinforce these learnings.

The program was further enriched by the presence of Ms. Badugu Subbayamma, a distinguished Rights Activist for Persons with Disabilities, who served as the resource person for the session. She delivered a comprehensive overview of the rights and welfare schemes available for persons with disabilities, fostering awareness among the participating parents.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. P.B.K.S.S.V. Raman, MPDO, assured the gathering that he would take up the concerns of children with disabilities and represent them to higher authorities. He emphasized his commitment to being a voice for the unheard and to facilitating better access to services and support.

Fr. Thomas Pallithanam, Director of PARA, in his address, highlighted that empathy is not a weakness, but a powerful strength of humanity. He stressed that genuine societal progress is possible only when individuals extend support and compassion toward one another.

As part of the program, Teaching-Learning Material (TLM) kits were distributed to the children by the dignitaries present.

In recognition of their contributions, IERPs Ms. Aruna and Ms. Janaki were felicitated by the parents. The event also witnessed the active participation of Mr. Prabhakar, Block Coordinator for Atreyapuram, along with several enthusiastic parents.

Disaster Preparedness – A Way to Protect Lives During Floods

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People’s Action for Rural Awakening (PARA), in collaboration with Bosco Seva Kendra, Hyderabad, has been successfully organizing disaster preparedness programs in the flood-affected regions of Alamuru and Kothapeta blocks for the past seven months. Under the leadership of Mr. Andrew, the program Coordinator, and with the dedicated support of volunteers, awareness initiatives were conducted in four villages. These sessions targeted elders, youth, and local officials, educating them on critical safety measures to be followed during floods.

As the project reached its conclusion, a final program was organized on March 24, 2025, at Ekalavya Training Centre, bringing together villagers and youth from four flood-prone Lanka villages. The event was graced by Sri Bandaru Satyananda Rao, MLA of Kothapeta Constituency, as the chief guest, with Mr. Louis Manohar and Fr. Sarat as guests of honor.

Fr. Thomas Pallithanam highlighted the humanitarian services rendered by the Don Bosco Mission during the 1986 Godavari floods. Following this, Mr. Louis Manohar elaborated on the project’s vision, emphasizing the shift from providing temporary relief to fostering long-term preparedness. Rather than solely offering food and essential supplies during crises, this initiative focuses on equipping villagers with life-saving materials, enabling them to safeguard themselves during floods.

Addressing the gathering, Sri Satyananda Rao, MLA of Kothapeta, commended PARA’s initiative in raising awareness and providing essential emergency equipment. He emphasized the importance of preparedness and swift action during disasters. On this occasion, he also distributed vital flood-response materials, including:

  • First Aid Boxes
  • Life Jackets and Life Buoys
  • PP Ropes
  • Dragon Lights
  • Chain Saws for tree cutting
  • Stretchers
  • Hand-Operated Sirens
  • Walkie-Talkies
  • Megaphones

This initiative marks a significant step toward ensuring the safety and resilience of communities in flood-prone regions, reinforcing the need for proactive disaster preparedness rather than reactive relief efforts.

Women’s Day Celebration in Kothapeta Constituency

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A series of Women’s Day celebrations took place in the Kothapeta constituency within PARA’s working region. The celebration of International Women’s Day has become a significant event for all departments, dedicated to honoring women on this special occasion. As part of its current project, PARA is actively working to uphold the rights of women, persons with disabilities (PwDs), and pregnant and lactating mothers, with strong participation from women in the community.

The Women’s Day celebration on March 8th was observed by all departments, although PARA had to make adjustments to the dates. Special recognition was given to women in various villages on the following dates.

Sl NoDateMandalVenueParticipants
112th March 2025AlamuruAlamuru Ground53
214th March 2025KothapetaMPP School66
315th March 2025RavulapalemRavulapalem40
418th March 2025AtreyapuramChurch Premises -Ryali80

The program commenced around 11:00 AM across all four mandals, coinciding with the arrival of participants. Attendees included representatives from the ICDS department, Panchayati officials, and women leaders from the village.

The event began with the ceremonial garlanding of Savitribai Phule and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar by the distinguished guests from the department. Following this, the guests addressed the participants on various important topics.

The major subjects that were spoken during the program were on the issues women face and acts related to them.

  1. Violence faced by women:

ICDS supervisors, teachers and sarpanches spoke about different violence against women face in the society. This remains a grave concern worldwide. It manifests in various forms, including:

  • Domestic Violence: Physical, emotional, or psychological abuse within households.
  • Sexual Violence: Includes rape, molestation, and sexual harassment.
  • Honor Killings: Women being killed by family members in the name of “honor.”
  • Human Trafficking: Forced labor and sexual exploitation of women.
  • Cyber Violence: Online harassment, stalking, and abuse.
  • Acts and laws for women protection:

The guests have also spoken about the laws and acts protecting women from different violations they face in the society.

  • The Equal Pay Act: Ensures equal pay for equal work, preventing wage discrimination.
  • The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act: Provides legal protection against domestic abuse and ensures shelter and support services.
  • The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act: Safeguards women from harassment in professional environments.
  • The Maternity Benefit Act: Grants paid maternity leave and protects employment during pregnancy.
  • The Hindu Succession Act (Amendment): Grants equal property rights to women.
  • The Dowry Prohibition Act: Prevents the giving and receiving of dowries to curb harassment and violence.
  • Women’s Reservation Bill: Proposes reservation of seats for women in legislatures to ensure their political participation.
  • Freedom of Women at Stake

Fr Thomas Pallithanam, Director of PARA concluded the program by saying that freedom of women is at stake. Despite significant progress in gender equality, women’s freedom remains at risk due to social, cultural, and political factors. Many societies still impose restrictions on women’s education, career choices, and personal freedom. To uphold their freedom, continuous efforts in legal reforms, education, and societal awareness are necessary to challenge deeply rooted stereotypes and prejudices.

  • Women’s Participation:

Women leadership and participation bring diverse perspectives and foster economic and social growth. Women such as Malala Yousafzai, Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Kamala Harris have exemplified the power of women in leadership roles. Encouraging women’s participation in all domains ensures a more inclusive, progressive, and balanced world.

Empowerment through education, financial independence, and policy-making positions helps women break barriers and redefine societal norms. The future of a prosperous society lies in gender equality, recognizing the immense potential of women, and providing them with the platform to lead and inspire.