Artificial intelligence is creating new employment opportunities for women in Kerala, India, as demand grows for workers to label and annotate the vast amounts of data needed to train AI systems, although concerns remain over limited alternative employment opportunities for some rural workers.

For Roshni M, working in data annotation has provided not only a source of income but also a greater sense of financial independence.

Following the death of her father, Roshni took up employment to help support her family. She is now among hundreds of employees at Infolks, a Kerala-based technology company that collects and labels data used to train artificial intelligence systems.

“I feel like an individual. I’m earning now, I’m self-dependent, and I have freedom,” Roshni said. “Financial freedom is something different.”

Founded by Mujeeb Kolasseri in 2016, Infolks is part of Kerala’s growing technology sector, which is creating employment opportunities outside India’s traditional urban technology hubs.

Data annotation plays a key role in the development of AI systems by teaching machines to identify and distinguish objects and other information.

For instance, autonomous vehicles need to recognise roads, other vehicles, pedestrians and various objects in their surroundings. Data annotation workers label these elements in images and other datasets, allowing AI systems to learn how to recognise them.

The industry has also provided opportunities for educated women who may otherwise have limited avenues to enter the technology workforce.

Roshni said attitudes towards women pursuing education and employment have changed significantly compared with the experiences of previous generations.

“When we look at the stories of our mothers or any women related to our family and friends, we can see that they have struggled a lot just to learn or to go to work,” she said. “But the infrastructure has changed a lot and people’s mentality has also changed.”

However, employment opportunities and working conditions remain limited for some women in rural areas. Workers with few alternative employment options may also be reluctant to raise concerns about salaries or workplace conditions due to fears of losing their jobs. (Newswire)

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After the payment of Rs 34-crore blood money, Abdul Rahim, a native of Kodampuzha in Ramanattukara near Kozhikode, Kerala, returned home on Eid after spending nearly 20 years on death row in a Saudi Arabian prison. 

A driver by profession, Rahim had unintentionally touched a life-support system that resulted in the death of the son of his sponsor. He had been in Saudi Arabia for less than a month. 

He arrived at Kozhikode’s Karipur International Airport early Thursday morning, May 28, on an Air India flight from Riyadh and was warmly reunited with his family at their ancestral home in Machilakathu.

According to the official statement from the Embassy of India in Riyadh on Thursday, Abdul Raheem was pardoned and released after two decades in prison on May 20 this year. The Embassy noted that his flight to India had departed moments before the statement was issued.

The Embassy stated that it had consistently pursued his case with Saudi authorities and regularly monitored Rahim’s well-being while he was in jail. 

Rahim had travelled to Riyadh on November 28, 2006, seeking better opportunities after working as a school bus driver and autorickshaw driver in Kerala. 

He was assigned to assist his sponsor Fayis Abdullah Abdulrahman Al Shahri’s 17-year-old son, Anas Al Shahri, who was paralysed and dependent on a breathing apparatus.

WHY WAS ABDUL RAHIM SENTENCED TO DEATH?

According to a report by news agency ANI, on December 24, 2006, while Rahim was driving, his hand accidentally touched a medical support device attached to the boy. The teenager later became unconscious and died. Rahim was arrested the same day, just 28 days after arriving in Saudi Arabia, and eventually sentenced to death by a Saudi court in 2011.

The sentence was upheld in higher courts. After years of legal proceedings, the victim’s family in 2024 agreed to pardon Rahim upon receiving blood money (diyah) of 15 million Saudi riyals, approximately Rs 34.35 crore.

Diyah in Islamic law, is the financial compensation paid to the victim or heirs of a victim in cases of killing, bodily harm or property damage not done deliberately. It is a part of legal proceedings in countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Following the settlement, the Saudi court revoked the death sentence on July 2, 2024. Saudi authorities, however, ordered that Rahim complete his 20-year jail term, which, according to the Arabic calendar, concluded on May 20.

HOW A MASSIVE CROWDFUNDING MOVEMENT SECURED ABDUL RAHIM’S RELEASE

Alongside expressing gratitude to the Saudi authorities for their cooperation, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh also appreciated the Indian community, particularly Malayali organisations, for their unwavering support, solidarity and faith in the judicial process.

The Malayali community in India and beyond played a crucial role in securing Abdul Rahim’s release by securing the large sum needed to pay off the blood money.

The “Save Abdul Rahim” campaign turned into one of the largest public fundraising efforts in Kerala’s recent history. When Rahim’s family could not arrange the required amount, Malayali organisations in Saudi Arabia and support groups in Kerala launched coordinated efforts.

Contributions from people across the world, including ordinary workers and expatriates, exceeded Rs 47.87 crore between late March and April 12, 2024, through a dedicated mobile application, reported the news agency ANI.

According to ANI, more than 60 Malayali organisations in Saudi Arabia coordinated the legal battle for nearly two decades, while local committees in Kerala managed the fundraising and public campaign.

ABDUL RAHIM’S EMOTIONAL FAMILY REUNION

Upon reaching home on May 28, the day when Eid was being celebrated, Rahim fought back tears and thanked everyone who supported him.

“I thank all Keralites across the world who made my release a reality,” The Indian Express reported him as saying. The case had been closely followed in Kerala for years.

For Rahim’s family, the two decades were extremely difficult. According to a report by The Indian Express, his father, Muhammedkutty, passed away six months after his arrest. His mother, Fathima, met him in person only once, in November 2024, after the pardon, with occasional video calls being the only form of contact during most of his imprisonment.

Rahim’s emotional homecoming on Eid brought relief and celebration to his family and the wider community that stood by him. The Embassy of India in Riyadh extended its warmest wishes to Abdul Raheem and his family for their reunion. (India Today)

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The Congress has thanked the people of Kerala for what it termed a “thumping victory”. 

KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the emerging verdict was a clear rejection of the CPI(M)-led LDF government’s “anti-people policies”. 

The IUML, which is putting up a strong performance, has credited the UDF’s teamwork for the alliance’s resounding showing. 

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has sealed one of his biggest electoral victories in his career, defeating his nearest rival T.T. Jismon of CPI by a massive 23,377 votes in Haripad constituency.  

The southern State has 140 constituencies. (The Hindu)

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