Watch the full Union Budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Full budget speech of Nirmala Sitharaman | Union Budget 2024

The telecom department has waived the requirement of bank guarantee to be submitted for spectrum auctions held prior to the reform package, telecom operator Vodafone Idea said on Saturday, adding that the latest "relief" will boost 4G and 5G investments in India.
Prior to this reform, bank guarantees aggregating to about Rs 24,800 crore were required to be provided by VIL against each spectrum instalment, 13 months prior to the instalment falling due for the above auctions, the company said in a BSE filing.
"As per our understanding of the terms and conditions, out of all the 5 auctions mentioned above, no BGs (bank guarantee) will be required to be provided by VIL for the 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2021 auctions," the telco said.
There would, however, be a one-time partial shortfall, only for the 2015 auction, where the net present value or NPV of all payments made would be less than the pro-rated value of spectrum used, VIL said and informed that it is "in discussion with the DoT to ...

Prior to this reform, bank guarantees aggregating to about Rs 24,800 crore were required to be provided by VIL against each spectrum instalment, 13 months prior to the installment falling

Domestic carrier IndiGo on Saturday said it has arranged an alternative aircraft to fly the stranded passengers after its Mumbai-Istanbul flight of December 28, scheduled to depart at 6.55 am, had to be cancelled due to a technical glitch.
The long delay prompted some of the  passengers to vent their anger on social media. No food or even water was served and there was no representative from the airline willing to listen to their grievances, some passengers claimed.
The alternative aircraft will depart for Istanbul at 11 pm, the airline said in a statement.  "We regret that our flight 6E17, originally scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Istanbul, faced a delay due to technical issues. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to rectify the issue and dispatch it to the destination, we eventually had to cancel the flight," IndiGo said in a statement.
"Mumbai to Istanbul journey suspended after 10 hours waiting by passengers. Information that there are around 100 passengers in this ...

The long delay prompted some of the passengers to vent their anger on social media. No food or even water was served and there was no representative from the airline willing to listen

Artificial intelligence (AI) transitioned from a temporary trend to a widespread reality, gaining traction across industries due to its potential to enhance efficiency, generate revenue and create entirely new roles, yet concerns around its use and impact on jobs remained.
Gone are the days when it was merely a buzzword; AI has now become an integral part of business strategy across various sectors. But its full impact on jobs is little known and so is the issue of intellectual property, data ownership and its privacy implications, and liability - who is liable if an accident or mishap occurs due to the use of AI.
As technology becomes increasingly human-like and pervasive, organisations are now striving to unlock business value through innovative methods to engage customers and employees, enhance operational efficiencies, and generate new revenue streams, Wipro CIO Anup Purohit said.
"We are working towards a future where AI is integrated seamlessly into everyday operations beyond

As technology becomes increasingly human-like and pervasive, organisations are now striving to unlock business value through innovative methods to engage customers and employees

Lava Yuva 2 5G launched. Redmi 14C 5G launching on Jan 6. Samsung Galaxy Ring 2 at Galaxy Unpacked. Circle to Search on Nothing Phone. OnePlus Pad in China

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked the police's Crime Investigation Department (CID) to confiscate properties of the accused in the murder case of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
A Home department official on Saturday also said Fadnavis has asked the authorities to cancel the arms licenses of people whose pictures or videos showing them firing in the air or flaunting guns in public have circulated on social media.
Fadnavis, who took over as CM on December 5 following the BJP-led coalition's election victory and who holds the Home portfolio, is facing heat from the opposition over the brutal murder of the sarpanch in Beed district earlier this month.
The Maharashtra police's CID has taken over the probe into the murder case.
"Chief Minister Fadnavis has asked the CID to confiscate properties of the accused in the murder case," the official said.
Meanwhile, participants of a huge protest rally in Beed on Saturday, attended by MLAs and local leaders of opposit

Fadnavis, who took over as CM on December 5 following the BJP-led coalition's election victory and who holds the Home portfolio, is facing heat from the opposition over the brutal murder of sarpanch

Catch all the major news updates from around the globe here

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam to discuss India Post's path to profitability, an official release said on Saturday.
Scindia, along with officials from the Department of Posts, presented their capital expenditure demands to the finance minister to make it a profit centre by 2029.
Scindia aims to make India Post globally competitive and has been leading Department-wide efforts to drive higher customer acquisition, retention and operational efficiency.
During the meeting with the finance minister, Scindia presented a new development plan for India Post and said the department is working on rationalising costs and aiming to make most processes digital.
The minister hopes to make the department a profit-making logistics company with a focus on customer satisfaction, as per the release.
He also mentioned that the ongoing Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) exercise will benefit a lot from the investment from the finance ministry.

Scindia, along with officials from the Department of Posts, presented their capital expenditure demands to the finance minister to make it a profit centre by 2029

The move could benefit tens of millions of taxpayers, especially city dwellers burdened by high living costs, if they opt for a 2020 tax system that strips exemptions like housing rentals

Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

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

Full budget speech of Nirmala Sitharaman | Union Budget 2024

Watch the full Union Budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Explore News