Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on AIIMS cyber-attack, India's G20 Presidency, Dharavi's redevelopment, and much more

BS Views of the week:  AIIMS cyber-attack, India's G20 Presidency, Dharavi's redevelopment, and more

PSU major Bharat Electronics' new contracts platform screen doors for metro rail, radars, communication equipment and more

Shares of the Gujarat-headquartered company surged over 10,000 per cent in the 12-month period ending November as it announced forays into market-fancied sectors

A new Centre of Excellence on Classical and Quantum Communications for 6G has been inaugurated this year at the IITM Research Park in Chennai to spearhead research and development in 6G technologies

Reportedly, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim will not launch alongside the other three models. Instead, it is expected to debut separately in the second quarter of calendar year 2025

Several experts have claimed that the latest government data on India's forests is "inflated" as it includes bamboo plantations, coconut groves, and orchards among others as part of the forest cover.
The 'India State of Forests Report 2023' released on Saturday, after a delay of almost a year, said India's total forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq km since 2021, reaching 25.17 per cent of the total geographical area in 2023.
However, the forest cover grew by just 156 sq km and most of the gain (149 sq km) occurred outside the Recorded Forest Area (RFA), which refers to areas designated as forests in government records.
The overall results could have been stronger, especially since the government included bamboo and smaller trees (5-10 cm diameter at breast height) in the tree cover estimates for ISFR 2023. The assessment also expanded to 751 districts, up from 636 in 2021.
Experts including Kerala's former principal chief conservator of forests Prakriti Srivastava, ...

Several experts have claimed that the latest government data on India's forests is "inflated" as it includes bamboo plantations, coconut groves, and orchards among others as part of the forest cover.

The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday appointed retired IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan Mishra as the one-man commission to look into the sub-categorisation within Scheduled Castes (SC) in the state following the Supreme Court ruling in favour of it.
The Government of Andhra Pradesh has appointed Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, IAS (retired) as One Man Commission to enquire into the sub-classification within Scheduled Castes in the light of judgment of the Supreme Court dated August 1, 2024, said an official press release.
The commission will visit the undivided districts of Eluru, Krishna and Guntur from December 27 to 30 to conduct meetings and receive representations from individuals or institutions familiar with the subject matter.
Memoranda and representations can also be submitted in person or through registered post at the commission's office until January 9, 2025.
In August, the top court had held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the scheduled .

The commission will visit the undivided districts of Eluru, Krishna and Guntur from December 27 to 30 to conduct meetings and receive representations from individuals or institutions

The CII pointed out that despite being successful, the PSL framework required recalibration to stay relevant

The GST Council, in its meeting on Saturday, is likely to decide on reducing tax rates on life and health insurance premiums, but a decision on big-ticket rate rationalisation, including a higher tax on sin goods, may be deferred.
The GoM on GST rate rationalisation had proposed rate rejigs in 148 items in its recommendations, but sources said that consensus is needed to be built on some of the tax changes that the panel has suggested and some more time may be needed for that.
The 55th meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state counterparts, is also likely to deliberate on bringing Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), a major component for airline industry's operation cost, in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) fold.
The GST rate is also proposed to be cut on food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato, to 5 per cent (without input tax credit), from the current 18 per cent (with ITC).
However, the Fitment Committee (comprising tax

Also, the Group of Ministers (GoM) on GST compensation cess is likely to get a six month extension till June, 2025, to submit its report. The compensation cess regime comes to an end in March, 2026

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Google Messages

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Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

BS Views of the week: AIIMS cyber-attack, India's G20 Presidency, Dharavi's redevelopment, and more

Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on AIIMS cyber-attack, India's G20 Presidency, Dharavi's redevelopment, and much more

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