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Political pundits appear to be surprised at BSP supremo Maywati’s low profile in the coming Assembly polls in her earlier bastion Uttar Pradesh. Yet for those who have followed her remarkable political career over the past several decades it had become palpable for quite some time now that Behenji was no longer a dominant factor in the politics of India’s most populous state. As a matter of fact, nearly five years ago in my third and final edition of her biography  Behenji  I had deliberately changed the sub-title from ‘The Political Biography of Mayawati’ to ‘The Rise and Fall of Mayawati’ despite the obvious risk of predicting the political obituary of someone who had in the early part of her career managed to overcome so many odds and setbacks. My conviction that Mayawati and her Bahujan Samaj Party had reached a point of terminal decline was not merely influenced by her persistently poor electoral performances starting from the 2009 Lok Sabha polls that crushed her prime ...

The real estate sector has been expecting a lot from budgets in the past 3-4 years. One of the most prominent asks and one that has been pending for a while is “industry” status for the sector. An announcement like this would of course be beneficial for all stakeholders and participants in the sector, for various reasons. Therefore, like every year, this year too, almost all stakeholders including developers, home buyers, REITs, investment funds, corporate occupiers are looking forward to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget 2022 announcements, hoping for some positive changes/amendments that can impact the sector in a much needed, positive way. Here are some of the key asks from across the real estate community: Modification of the SEZ Act A possible relook at the 2005 Act is much-needed after the government adopted the sunset clause and said that only those units that started production on or before June 30, 2020, would be granted a phased income tax holiday for 15 years....

It’s that time of the year again: different industrial sectors are making Budget wish lists in the hope that the government will loosen its purse strings and provide an adequate impetus for growth. While infrastructure spending to boost the economy and increase employment is topmost on the minds of policymakers, the government should not overlook the need to focus on digital economy companies. As India and the world look to loosen pandemic restrictions, the mobility sector will once again play a critical role in bringing growth back on track. As we move towards the new financial year, we are looking at a Union Budget that will give due importance to digital transformation and help sustain and create jobs and usher in investments, growth and economic momentum. Implementation of the Code on Social Security to workers The Code on Social Security (CoSS) passed by the Indian Parliament in 2020 marks India as one of the first countries to establish a framework for nationwide social securi...

The COVID pandemic altered people's behaviour all over the world including India, resulting in a surge in demand for pedal and electric bicycles. As a result of the increase in health, green and sustainable consciousness, people were convinced/compelled to migrate to public transportation and fitness alternatives - which led to an increase in the number of people opting for bicycles. Interestingly, bicycles are gaining vitalness world over by the global community, policymakers and multilateral institutions due to their incredible, inherent and indefinite benefits to cyclists, cities, counties and cosmos in terms of poverty alleviation; improving school dropouts; combating asthma/obesity/diabetes; redressing carbon footprints, traffic jams and rising noise levels; apart from providing affordable means of transport for a commute to the masses. In India, currently, 20 million bicycles are made and sold. As India prepares for this year’s Union budget, we appeal to the visionary Centr...

Paytm recently introduced a Tap to Pay feature allowing users with NFC enabled smartphones to make payments by tapping their phones at Point of Sale (PoS) machines. The feature offers the same functionality offered by Samsung Pay and Google Pay, allowing users to leave their debit and credit cards at home, and make payments using their smartphone. Here’s how to quic... from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/87bV0dqWi

India's EV industry is projected to grow at an astronomical CAGR of 90 percent and touch $150 billion by 2030, according to a recent report by consulting firm RBSA Advisors. In the face of these numbers, the time is ripe for the 2022 Budget to augment the growth of the EV industry. On the cusp of a major transformation, this new ecosystem is already disrupting the existing vehicle market. More green mobility options will not only provide environmental benefits but also boost the technology industry and provide ample job creation opportunities in the coming years. As per JMK Research and Analytics, electric vehicle registrations surpassed 50,000 units in a month in December 2021 alone. The electric two-wheeler category has seen especially positive growth, with an increase of 132 percent over 2020. As the e-bike segment continues to grow, the inclusion of low-speed electric two-wheelers amongst EVs and a larger manufacturing base, and the availability of labour and parts will give ...

Micromax In Note 2 — launched in India earlier this week — goes on sale in the country for the first time today at 12pm IST. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM. Micromax gave the smartphone a quad rear camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary sensor. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/g6EXroNC5

Micromax In Note 2 — launched in India earlier this week — goes on sale in the country for the first time today at 12pm IST. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM. Micromax gave the smartphone a quad rear camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary sensor. from Gadgets 360

Martyrs' Day, also known as Shaheed Diwas, is observed across the country on 30 January every year. The day marks the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. On this day, Indians remember the slain freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the country's independence. Various events are organised across the country to pay respect to the fallen. Like every year, the Centre has directed all state governments and union ministries to observe two minutes of silence on the day at 11 am in the memory of martyred independence heroes. History and Significance of the day This year, India will commemorate 74th death anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi. The day is observed to remember Mahatma Gandhi's contributions to India’s fight for independence. Bapu led countless freedom movements and advocated non-violence. In 1948, The Father of the Nation was killed by Nathuram Godse during his evening prayers in the Birla House. Godse held Gandhi...

Union minister Gen VK Singh on Saturday called The New York Times "Supari Media" over its report which claimed that the Indian government bought the Pegasus spy tool in 2017 as part of a deal with Israel. The Israeli spyware Pegasus and a missile system were the "centrepieces" of a roughly $ 2 billion deal of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear between India and Israel in 2017, according to the report in The New York Times. Reacting to NYT's report, Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation, said on Twitter: "Can you trust NYT?? They are known "Supari Media"." Singh is also a former Indian Army chief. SC committee monitoring Pegasus matter: Govt source A government source on Saturday said that the matter related to Pegasus software is being monitored by a committee under the Supreme Court and its report is awaited. The source said that the inquiry committee - set up under the supervision of re...

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has set the benchmark high by announcing a series of pathbreaking reforms in last year's Budget which included the bad bank and a developmental financial institution (DFI) for infrastructure financing. While this year's Budget may not have those big bang announcements, the focus could be on operationalizing these institutions and setting the ball rolling. In order to embark on a path of rapid growth, the country needs a supportive, strong and robust banking sector. Lack of skill to assess mega infrastructure projects on the part of the traditional bankers, complexities in various clearances required for such projects, and the demand and supply mismatches have resulted in the deterioration of asset quality to unprecedented levels. While the government has shown its intention to resolve the impediments there is a need to go beyond existing policy prescriptions and look at disruptive methods to address these issues. Set things in motion It ...

India remembers Lala Lajpat Rai on his birth anniversary today, 28 January. Born in 1865 in Punjab’s Dhudike village, Rai was one of the most prominent leaders of India’s freedom struggle. He put up a tough fight against the British rule and was given the title of ‘Punjab Kesari’ or ‘The Lion of Punjab’ due his nationalism and zealous ideologies. Rai is fondly remembered as Lal from the ‘Lal-Bal-Pal’ triumvirate (Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal) and was a prominent leader of the Congress party. In 1894, Lala Lajpat Rai also founded the Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Laxmi Insurance Company. In the year 1928, when the Simon Commission was set up by Britishers in India to keep a check on the nation’s political situation, Indians protested against the Commission. Lala Lajpat Rai led a non-violent march to protest and boycott the British Simon Commission but was unfortunately assaulted and injured by the police lathi charge that occurred against protestors...

At a recent virtual conference organised by the Delhi-based Global Counter-Terrorism Centre (GCTC), India’s ambassador to the United Nations TS Tirumurti called out the bias inherent in global counter-terror strategy that fails to recognise Hinduphobia as a valid form of persecution like Islamophobia or anti-Christian sentiment, leading to discrimination against Hindus. The 7th review of ‘Global Counter Terrorism Strategy’ passed by the UN in June 2021 mentions phobias against Abrahamic religions such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism but Hinduism doesn’t find mention. “The emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias is a matter of serious concern and needs attention of the UN and all member states to address this threat,” said the Indian envoy in his keynote address, according to a report in The Hindu . Though Tirumurti clarified that he wasn’t speaking in his capacity as Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC)...

As the presentation of the Union Budget 2022-23 nears, people are waiting to see what measures will be announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February. With Omicron still wreaking havoc across the globe, there is unease regarding the growth of the Indian economy and if it will be curtailed by further lockdowns and COVID-19 restrictions. There is also speculation about which sectors the Finance Minister will focus on in order to revive the economy. As the date of the Union Budget 2022 nears, here’s how it will affect the market and economy: The Budget is the annual financial statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the government in a particular financial year. The Budget impacts the fiscal deficit, which is the gap between a government’s income and expenditure. This, in turn, influences the interest rate in the economy.  A larger fiscal deficit leads to a higher interest rate, which means that borrowing becomes more expensive for the private se...

Pakistan’s ‘first ever’ National Security Policy (NSP), covering a five-year period from 2022 to 2026, was approved by the Imran Khan cabinet on 28 December 2021 and a ‘sanitised’ version of it was made public on 14 January 2022. The 48-page document contains eight sections. Section I outlines the policy formulation process. Section II takes up conceptual elements of Pakistan’s national security framework. Six thematic sections follow, listing Pakistan’s desired objectives. Section III examines how ‘National Cohesion’ is to be achieved through the preservation of ideology, ensuring unity and stability, and making public service responsive to citizens’ needs. Section IV focuses on the economy, suggesting that `Economic Future’ could be ‘secured’ through prioritising trade ties, energy, education and human resources. Section V deals with Defence, Territorial Integrity, Space and cyber security. Section VI, on ‘Internal Security’, examines challenges of terrorism, violent sub-nationalism...

Ahead of the upcoming Budget Session of the Parliament scheduled for February 1, a lot of conjecture around whether the crypto bill will be spoken of has been making the rounds. While we await what’s to come, here is a timeline of everything that has transpired around India’s explosive crypto bill so far. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3g2Uwlt

Ahead of the upcoming Budget Session of the Parliament scheduled for February 1, a lot of conjecture around whether the crypto bill will be spoken of has been making the rounds. While we await what’s to come, here is a timeline of everything that has transpired around India’s explosive crypto bill so far. from Gadgets 360

Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged in the country on Friday, 28 January. In Delhi, fuel is relatively cheaper than the rest of the metros because the state government had earlier decided to reduce the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petrol, bringing down the price of the fuel in the city by about Rs 8 per litre. At a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, it was decided that the VAT on petrol will be reduced from the present 30 percent to 19.4 percent, leading to a cut of around Rs 8 per litre, officials said. The price of petrol after the VAT cut will go down from the current Rs 103 per litre to Rs 95 per litre, sources told <em>PTI</em>. Earlier, the petrol price in Delhi was higher as compared to the NCR cities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, where the state governments had announced a VAT cut following the Centre reducing the excise duty on fuel prices. The Centre had on the eve of Diwali, announced excise duty cut on fuels resulting in a sh...

As interest in the upcoming metaverse grows, Ethereum-based crypto game The Sandbox has decided to launch an accelerator program to invest in and mentor startups in order to encourage the development of metaverse projects both within and outside of the game world. from Gadgets 360

As interest in the upcoming metaverse grows, Ethereum-based crypto game The Sandbox has decided to launch an accelerator program to invest in and mentor startups in order to encourage the development of metaverse projects both within and outside of the game world. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3r2P9cq

Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged in the country on Thursday, 27 January. In Delhi, fuel is relatively cheaper than the rest of the metros because the state government had earlier decided to reduce the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petrol, bringing down the price of the fuel in the city by about Rs 8 per litre. At a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, it was decided that the VAT on petrol will be reduced from the present 30 percent to 19.4 percent, leading to a cut of around Rs 8 per litre, officials said. The price of petrol after the VAT cut will go down from the current Rs 103 per litre to Rs 95 per litre, sources told <em>PTI</em>. Earlier, the petrol price in Delhi was higher as compared to the NCR cities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, where the state governments had announced a VAT cut following the Centre reducing the excise duty on fuel prices. The Centre had on the eve of Diwali, announced excise duty cut on fuels resulting in a ...

It was more than 25 years ago that noted writer and historian Ramachandra Guha first came into my life. Through his book, of course. Finding me fanatically in love with cricket, my father got me a bat and a book. Seeing from a distance, I ran towards him. Hugging him, I grabbed the bat. So excited I was that I couldn’t see the other gift:  Wickets in the East: An Anecdotal History  by Guha. Later, as things settled down, I opened the book and loved the style of writing. Over the years, I read most of his books on cricket, my favourite being  A Corner of a Foreign Field . Today, I don’t admire Guha. My father is one of the reasons for that! Last week, Guha was back in my mindscape when at an Express Adda, he complained that India’s civil service, judiciary and media were performing at below optimum levels. He further added that the framers of the Constitution would have been horrified to see this state of affairs. On the face of it, what he said holds water. But his asse...