Latest news with #Minister
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Diwali brings festive cheer to Ladli Behnas as monthly aid hiked to Rs 1,500: MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav
BHOPAL: The long-awaited Rs 250 monthly hike under the Chief Minister Ladli Behna Scheme will happen on the festival of lights – Diwali, chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav announced on Thursday. 'Our Sankalp Patra (2023 poll manifesto) promised to raise the monthly sum under the scheme to Rs 3000 in five years. We will give additional Rs 250 (above the Rs 1250 per month sum) on Raksha Bandhan and then hike the monthly sum to Rs 1500 from Diwali,' the MP CM announced in Indore on Thursday. 'We'll increase the monthly sum again in 2026 and then in 2027 and by the time of the next assembly elections in 2028, we will hike the monthly sum to Rs 3000 at all costs,' Yadav added. The scheme aimed to render monthly financial benefits to financially weak women was launched by then MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in June 2023 at Jabalpur, by crediting the first Rs 1000 monthly instalment into the accounts of the beneficiaries. Chouhan, the current union agriculture minister, had at the time of the scheme's launch in June 2023, promised to increase the monthly benefits under the scheme gradually by Rs 250 per month over a period of time, to ultimately take the monthly sum to Rs 3000.
Spectator
4 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Does anyone really want AI civil servants?
Of course they've called it 'Humphrey'. The cutesy name that has been given to the AI tool the government is rolling out across the civil service with unseemly haste is a nod – as those of an age will recognise – to the immortal sitcom Yes, Minister. But it may also prove to be more appropriate than they think. The premise of that show, you'll recall, is that Sir Humphrey is the person really in charge – and that he will at every turn imperceptibly thwart and subvert the instructions given to him by the elected minister. Why is Sir Keir Starmer so absolutely hellbent on turning us into, in his wince-makingly gauche phrase, 'an AI superpower'? At least in the show, we're encouraged to believe that Sir Humphrey undermines Jim Hacker because he's cleverer and has the best interests of the nation at heart. But an AI Humphrey has no such redeeming qualities: if it undermines the elected minister, it'll be for no reason other than an algorithmic sport. Item one: generative AI hallucinates. It makes stuff up. Nobody knows exactly why, and nobody knows how to stop it doing so. Some experts in the field say that there's a good chance that the problem will get worse rather than better over time: after all, as an ever-greater proportion of the zillions of words of text on the internet comes to be AI-generated, and AI models are therefore training on the outputs of AI models, those hallucinations are going to be baked in. Garbage in, garbage out, as programmers like to say. So though ChatGPT and its cousins are a fantastic boon to people who don't want to do their work – be they lazy undergraduates, lawyers who can't be bothered to comb through case law and write their own briefs, or government ministers who imagine the savings to be made if bureaucratic emails were to start writing themselves – they come with significant risks. It's not just those notorious Google searches that encourage you to put glue on pizza. Already, we're seeing cases coming to court where lawyers have used AI to draft their arguments, and it has emerged that the LLM has invented its legal citations out of whole cloth. Academic work is being turned out with footnotes leading to works that don't exist, and imaginary bibliographies. More than one US newspaper published a syndicated 'summer reading' special in which several of the books it recommended didn't exist. Is this going to be a problem when it comes to the machinery of Whitehall? I would say so, wouldn't you? The Post Office Horizon scandal – which had at its root a lot of credulous officials believing everything that a malfunctioning computer told them – ruined lives and cost the taxpayer a small fortune in compensation and in the inquiries that had to sort out the whole mess. Embedding a large language model at the heart of government is a recipe for any number of repeat performances. It seems perfectly reasonable to suppose that the legal risk will outweigh any vaunted efficiency savings – to say nothing of the potential for human suffering if the LLM goes wonky in the tax and benefits systems. The promise to 'have meaningful human control at the right stages' sounds like an excellent principle – but it's not clear how it can be more than an aspiration. You won't know when you've got it wrong until it bites you in the bum. And people, remember, are lazy. What's the betting that they won't always bother to check the computer's homework when the homework sounds plausible enough, and it's getting towards time for a pint in the Red Lion? Item two: there is a moral case as well as a practical one against Humphrey. Not only does generative AI have serious environmental costs, but it's a plagiarism machine. ChatGPT, which is one of the models on which Humphrey has been built, is known to have scraped text to train its models from piracy websites. This is still a live legal issue. And as Ed Newton-Rex of the campaign group Fairly Trained has put it: 'The government can't effectively regulate these companies if it is simultaneously baking them into its inner workings as rapidly as possible.' Why is Sir Keir Starmer so absolutely hellbent on turning us into, in his wince-makingly gauche phrase, 'an AI superpower'; so keen to jump the gun that he hadn't even allowed the public consultation on AI and copyright to conclude before he pushed the government's recommendations – which were, basically, to let copyright holders be damned. He seems to have been seduced by the blandishments of the salespeople for this technology, whose main sales tool is FOMO. AI is a solution in search of a problem. Big tech has invested so much in it that they're trying to brute-force it into every area of life, and they are succeeding. Of course, one can see how – for instance – using AI to minute meetings or draft memos can save costly man-hours. But the way to integrate it into the machinery of Whitehall is, or should be, with extreme caution and on a case-by-case basis, not with the panicky haste of someone who's been persuaded by a lobbyist that if you don't go all-in on this exciting new technology as fast as possible you're going to be left behind. It seems something of a tell, for instance, that Principle 8 in the government's own AI Playbook is: 'You work with commercial colleagues from the start.' As Sir Humphrey would say: 'No, Prime Minister.'
LBCI
12-06-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
German Defense Minister in Kyiv on visit
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for a visit, a spokesman in his ministry told AFP, amid stalled peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. The spokesman did not provide details on the visit, which came a day after Russian strikes on Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv killed three people and wounded 60 others. AFP
Asia Times
11-06-2025
- Health
- Asia Times
A cure for Indonesia's ailing and corrupt health system
The Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN), Indonesia's single-payer health insurance, faces a looming deficit potentially amounting to 25 trillion rupiah (US$1.54 billion) as of 2025, the largest since BPJS Kesehatan (or BPJSK) began managing JKN in 2014. This alarming deficit has sparked public turmoil, with stakeholders suggesting solutions ranging from increasing monthly premiums to reducing coverage for smoking-related diseases. BPJS operates under mandates of UU 40/2004 and UU 24/2011, to administer JKN, Indonesia's universal health coverage program. JKN is financed through premiums: formal workers contribute 5% of their salaries, while informal workers pay according to one of three classes outlined in Perpres 64/2020. The government subsidizes premiums for the impoverished through the Minister of Health. When JKN users receive healthcare, facilities provide care and submit proof to BPJS for reimbursement. Additionally, primary health centers (Puskesmas) and clinics receive a per-person payment for each registered user, known as capitation payment. The models of Indonesia's national health insurance incorporate elements from two globally recognized health insurance models: the Beveridge model from England and the Bismarck model from Germany. The Beveridge model is seen in the National Health Service (NHS), which funds health insurance through government-owned services financed by tax. Conversely, the Bismarck model involves tax contributions deducted from salaries as part of the employee-employer contribution, applicable in both public or private sectors. JKN combines these approaches by collecting premiums through salary contributions and offering services to both the public and private sectors. Among the various factors driving the deficit, fraudulent activities within hospitals are particularly alarming. Several hospitals have been accused of creating false billing or shadow claims – a scheme often coordinated between the director and doctors in the hospital. However, these instances of misconduct represent more than isolated incidents; they are indicative of a deeper systemic issue characterized by an imbalance between funding and utilization of services. The tariffs set for hospitals providing JKN service, as determined by regulators, were considered insufficient by the hospitals themselves. Despite a revision in 2023, as indicated by the Ministry of Health Decree 3/2023, the updated tariffs were still perceived as inadequate. In response, the government increased the tariff in 2024, but only for Class A hospitals. This chronically underestimated tariff compels hospitals to adjust their practices. Some facilities discharged patients while still in compromised health—a practice that was eventually prohibited by BPJS. Moreover, certain hospitals engaged in patient 'cherry-picking' by selecting individuals with less severe conditions to reduce the length of stays and associated costs. Some seemingly unfortunate circumstances initially yielded positive outcomes for JKN and BPJSK, albeit briefly. During the Covid-19 pandemic, patients were compelled to stay at home to minimize the risk of contracting the virus. As a result, many refrained from using JKN services, which in turn relieved BPJS of the financial burden of hospital payments, ultimately leading to a surplus during the pandemic. However, as the pandemic subsided and service resumed, the usage of healthcare services rebounded. This resurgence increased BPJS's payments to hospitals, surpassing the expenditure levels during the pandemic. This complex phenomenon ultimately necessitates a comprehensive evaluation of the service provided under JKN by health facilities. It is essential to establish a transparent and timely surveillance and monitoring system focused on detecting fraudulent activities. Additionally, the formalization of entities responsible for managing fraud risks should be a priority. JKN has already set up a dedicated JKN Fraud Prevention team (Tim Pencegahan Kecurangan Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional ) , and it is essential to ensure both its operational capacity and robust governance to mitigate any potential conflict of interest. Beyond internal measures, external sanctions can also deter fraudulent activities. Current regulations allow for the revocation of medical permits for ethical violations. However, these primarily target individuals. Instituting broader institutional sanctions once fraud is proven can enhance accountability across the healthcare system. Indonesia's approach to managing its healthcare system must evolve to address both current inefficiencies and emerging challenges. This involves not only enhancing the integrity of financial transactions and service delivery within JKN but also fostering a healthcare ecosystem that supports ethical practices and robust financial management. As Indonesia navigates its path towards sustainable healthcare, the integration of stringent financial controls, coupled with an ethical healthcare delivery system, will be paramount. By reinforcing the structural and ethical foundations of its national insurance system, Indonesia can ensure that JKN not only survives but thrives, providing comprehensive and equitable healthcare coverage to all its citizens. The journey ahead is complex, but with concerted effort and strategic reforms, Indonesia can hopefully transform its healthcare landscape into a model for other developing nations and ultimately achieve universal health coverage amidst financial constraints and operational challenges. Ryan Rachmad Nugraha is an assistant professor at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada, specializing in primary care management. Ahmad Novindri Aji Sukma is an Indonesian Lawyer and PhD researcher at the University of Cambridge, specializing in Law & Criminology.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
All civil servants in England and Wales to get AI training
All civil servants in England and Wales will get practical training in how to use artificial intelligence to speed up their work from this autumn, the Guardian has learned. More than 400,000 civil servants will be informed of the training on Monday afternoon, which is part of a drive by the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, to overhaul the civil service and improve its productivity. At the same time, the size of the civil service is being reduced by tens of thousands of roles through voluntary redundancy and not replacing leavers. The government said officials would be tasked with figuring how they could use AI technology to streamline their own work wherever possible. Officials are already piloting a package of AI tools called Humphrey – named after the senior civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby from the 1980s TV sitcom Yes, Minister. Related: Revealed: bias found in AI system used to detect UK benefits fraud In March, it was announced that officials would be told to abide by a mantra that says: 'No person's substantive time should be spent on a task where digital or AI can do it better, quicker and to the same high quality and standard.' The practical training, set to roll out this autumn, will give all civil servants a working-level knowledge of AI and show how it is already being used to cut the time spent on everyday tasks. A recent pilot of AI by the Scottish government used a Humphrey tool to sift consultation responses about regulating cosmetic surgery such as lip filler procedures and found its results were similar to those produced by humans but it was quicker. No decision has yet been taken on its wider rollout but the government said across 500 annual consultations the tool could help spare officials from as much as 75,000 days of analysis every year, which costs the government £20m in staffing costs. The Department for Work and Pensions is also using AI to understand high volumes of correspondence, which used to take weeks. This allows benefits or pensions recipients to be identified as potentially vulnerable and in need of urgent support. In a message to all staff, Sir Chris Wormald, the cabinet secretary, said he was 'proud' of the civil service's 'ability to continuously adapt to new challenges' as he urged them to consider how it 'needs to evolve and reform'. He said: 'The prime minister has set us an important task in building a productive and agile state, which will involve us preserving and championing everything that is great about the civil service while changing to meet the challenges of an uncertain world.' He added: 'We need to seize the opportunities of artificial intelligence and other technological developments to continually modernise everything that we do.' The training will be provided through the One Big Thing project, which focuses on a different key skill each year. While the government is rapidly embracing AI in Whitehall, some are sounding the alarm about its potential to introduce or reinforce errors and bias without adequate human oversight. The Guardian revealed in December that an artificial intelligence system used by the UK government to detect welfare fraud had been showing bias according to people's age, disability, marital status and nationality.
