Mumbai: As The Free Press Journal's Angels of Tourism 2024 season ended, a jury panel of five distinguished members came together to select the top 10 winning Angels and one special mention. These five stalwarts from the tourism industry deliberated at The Free Journal's Nariman Point office to discuss the Angels' work. This special initiative in association with the Maharashtra Tourism Department, aims at honouring pioneers from the state's tourism sector who have been working relentlessly to ...Read More
Mumbai, Feb 7 (PTI) Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday said India can certainly achieve over 7 per cent growth rate and the nation should aspire for that. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its bi-monthly monetary policy has projected 6.7 per cent growth for financial year 2025-26, up from 6.4 per cent estimated for the current fiscal. "I would like to stick my neck out and say that, certainly India can achieve a 7 per cent and plus growth rate. We should certainly aspire for that...Read More
Thiruvananthapuram: The state budget has introduced a significant hike in land tax, with rates increasing by 50% across all slabs. The minimum tax rate, previously Rs 5 per are (2.47 cents), has been raised to Rs 7.50, while the highest slab rate has risen from Rs 30 to Rs 45 per are. Kerala Budget 2025: Rs 20 crore allocated for Vijnana Kerala Project to boost student employability The government anticipates an additional revenue of Rs 100 crore through this revision. In panchayat areas, land...Read More
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 7 (ANI): RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday said India can certainly achieve 7 per cent or above growth and that should be what the country should aspire for. "These are difficult questions to answer, but nevertheless, I would like to stick my neck out and say that certainly India can achieve 7 per cent plus growth rate, and we should certainly aspire for," RBI Governor said, when asked whether 7 per cent or above growth rate is achievable, at the post...Read More
New Delhi [India], February 5 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya on Wednesday slammed Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his 'Make in India' criticism and blamed Congress for 'doing nothing' to prepare India's economy for future even after a decade in power during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2004-2014. Malviya said said that the Congress-led UPA continued the "legacy of policy paralysis, rampant cronyism, and complete neglect of industrial growth." ...Read More
Rajkot: Adding pressure on its already strained finances, the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) is facing a penalty of Rs 22.50 crore as environmental damage compensation for not being able to clear the legacy waste from the Nakrawadi dumping site, 20 km from the city. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) recently informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) about the legacy waste lying at the site. Legacy waste is the waste piled up over many years in landfills, abandoned mines, or indust...Read More
Agartala (Tripura) [India], February 5 (ANI): Tripura is set to host the Destination Tripura business">Business Conclave on February 7th and 8th, aiming to attract entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the country. The event seeks to showcase the state's abundant natural resources--rubber, bamboo, natural gas, and tea--while highlighting lucrative investment opportunities backed by government incentives. Secretary Industries and commerce Government of Tripura Kiran Gitte said, "Tripura...Read More
New Delhi [India], February 5 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday announced an ex-gratia of Rs four lakh to be provided to the family of the woman who lost her life in the explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu CMO said in a statement. The CM also expressed his grief on the death. "I am deeply saddened to hear about the tragic explosion that occurred unexpectedly this afternoon (05.02.2025) at a privately owned firecracker factory...Read More
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 5 (ANI): Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Wednesday that the caste-based socio-economic survey conducted by the Congress-led state government was the "most scientific, transparent, and accurate population study since Independence." "This was the first-ever field-based caste survey undertaken after the 2011 Census, making all figures cited by opposition parties false and fictitious," the state's minister said. T...Read More
Dehradun: Only one live-in relationship has been registered in Uttarakhand's Uniform Civil Code (UCC) portal in the first 10 days of its implementation. Officials claimed that five applications have been received from live-in couples for the mandatory registration. One has been granted registration while four others are being verified, they said. On January 27, the BJP-ruled Uttarakhand became the first state in India to implement the Uniform Civil Code, which promotes equal laws for every citi...Read More
Mumbai, Feb 5 (PTI) GST authorities have imposed penalties totalling Rs 115.86 crore on IndiGo, the airline said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. According to the filing, the penalty order was passed on February 4. Of this, Rs 113.02 crore pertains to services provided to offshore recipients, which the goods and services tax (GST) authorities did not consider as "export of services", and denied input tax credit on certain services for FY18, FY19, and FY20 while the remaining Rs 2.84 crore ...Read More
New Delhi [India], February 5 (ANI): Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh said he was 'pleased' to deliver the keynote address at the first India-Arab Universities' Presidents' Conference held on Wednesday in Delhi. Singh said he highlighted the strong cooperation between India and the Arab countries. In a post on X, he said, "Pleased to deliver the keynote address at the 1st India-Arab Universities' Presidents' Conference held today in New Delhi. Highlighted the s...Read More
West Bengal [India], February 5 (ANI): At the 8th edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit 2025, Bhutanese Minister Younten Phuntsho emphasised the importance of the summit as a platform for strengthening the collaboration between India and Bhutan. Addressing the audience, he said, "For Bhutan, this summit is an opportunity to further deepen our (India-Bhutan) collaboration and identify strategic areas where our shared aspirations align. There are several key areas where we can forge even s...Read More
Mumbai, Feb 5 (PTI) GST authorities have imposed penalties totalling Rs 115.86 crore on IndiGo, the airline said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. According to the filing, the penalty order was passed on February 4. Also Read | TS TET Result 2025 Declared at tstet2024.aptonline.in, Know Steps To Download Telangana Teacher Eligibility Test Scorecard. Of this, Rs 113.02 crore pertains to services provided to offshore recipients, which the goods and services tax (GST) authorities did not cons...Read More
New Delhi, Feb 5 (VOICE) The "Reel Making" challenge at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 has received an overwhelming response, with 3,379 registrations from across India and 20 countries so far.The competition, launched as a major initiative under WAVES 2025, aligns with the government of India's "Create in India" vision. It aims to empower creative talent not just from India but from across the world. The challenge has attracted international participation from coun...Read More
New Delhi: Ahead of the wedding of Jeet Adani, the younger son of billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, the Adani family has announced 'Mangal Seva', a program to support newly married women with disabilities. To begin with, every year, 500 such women will be provided financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each. At his home, just two days before his own wedding, Jeet Adani met 21 newly married divyang women and their husbands to launch this initiative. Jeet is set to tie the knot with Diva Shah o...Read More
Kolkata: West Bengal is hosting the 8th edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit in Kolkata. On Wednesday, Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, delivered a powerful endorsement of West Bengal's growth potential, pledging to invest Rs 50,000 crore in the state by the end of this decade. "Today, in less than a decade, our investments in Bengal have increased 20 times, and we have invested over Rs 50,000 crore. Mamat Didi, we shall double this investment by the end of this decade. O...Read More
Hyderabad: Kia India has launched the much-anticipated Kia Syros, a revolutionary SUV that is bound to set new standards in design, technology, and space. Built on the reinforced K1 platform, the Syros is tailored to meet the needs of urban drivers and tech-savvy adventurers, blending versatility with cutting-edge advancements. The model introduces the first in-segment rear sliding, reclining and ventilated seats along with several other unrivalled features, like a dual-pane panoramic sunroof an...Read More
Bengaluru: Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya approached the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday seeking direction to banks to provide details of the total amount recovered against loans obtained by him, United Breweries Holdings Limited (UBHL, now in liquidation). Considering the plea, the High Court has issued notices to concerned banks in this regard. The bench headed by Justice R. Devadas passed the order issuing notices to banks, and recovery officers and adjourned the matter till February ...Read More
New Delhi, Feb 5 (UNI) The Union Finance Ministry has asked its officials to avoid using ChatGPT, DeepSeek and other artificial intelligence (AI) tools in office devices as such applications could pose risks to confidentiality of government data and documents. "It has been determined that AI tools and AI apps (such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek etc) in the office computers and devices pose risk for confidentiality of Govt data and documents," read the circular dated January 29, 2025. "It is, therefore,...Read More
Hyderabad, Feb 5 (PTI) The family of a 36-year-old man from Hyderabad has requested the Ministry of External Affairs to help bring back their kin, who is currently lodged in a jail in Thailand, after allegedly being trafficked to Myanmar. Shaik Ashraf was arrested by the Thailand Police and jailed after entering the Southeast Asian nation from Myanmar, where he was "trafficked" to indulge in online scam operations, his family claimed. Also Read | Delhi Assembly Elections 2025: National Capital...Read More
New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India has amended rules to allow distressed homebuyers to take possession of their properties while the resolution process is ongoing. The amendments, notified on February 3, and effective immediately, aim to enhance efficiency in insolvency proceedings, particularly for real estate projects, by introducing measures such as appointing facilitators, involving land authorities in the process, and ensuring better monitoring of resolutio...Read More
Kanpur: A freight train rammed into a stationary goods train in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district on Tuesday, February 4, leaving a loco pilot injured and causing the derailment of the guard coach and engine. The incident took place around 6 am in the dedicated freight corridor near Pambhirpur, Khaga in Fatehpur district. The loco pilot, who sustained injuries, had allegedly fallen asleep at the wheel, Prem Kumar Gautam, IG, Prayagraj range, said. Rescue operations are underway to clear the c...Read More
Mumbai: Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded nearly 2 per cent on Tuesday in line with a recovery in Asian peers after US President Donald Trump delayed tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 1,397.07 points or 1.81 per cent to settle at a month's high of 78,583.81. During the day, it surged 1,471.85 points or 1.90 per cent to 78,658.59. The NSE Nifty soared 378.20 points or 1.62 per cent to 23,739.25, a level not seen since January 3. From the ...Read More
New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey on Tuesday said the government has taken measures to lower fiscal deficit and delivered a non-inflationary Budget, and hoped that the RBI's monetary policy will work in tandem with fiscal policy to support growth. He also said that although rupee depreciation increases inflation on imported inputs, it also adds to export competitiveness. Pandey said that the government has bettered its fiscal deficit projections for the current fiscal...Read More
New Delhi, Feb 4 (VOICE) The total farm area sown in the country under various rabi crops in the ongoing season so far has crossed 661.03 lakh hectares up from 651.42 lakh hectares in the same period of the previous year, according to official figures released by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare on Tuesday. The area sown under wheat has shot up to 324.38 lakh hectares (ha) from 318.33 lakh ha during the corresponding period of last year which is expected to result in higher produc...Read More
New Delhi, Feb 4 (VOICE) The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MEITy) on Tuesday launched the TruthTell Hackathon, an initiative to create AI-powered solutions for detecting and verifying misinformation in live broadcasts. "The initiative is designed to tackle the urgent issue of misinformation, which is spreading faster than ever in live broadcasts," MEITy said. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated that the challenge for developers, data scientists, and media experts is...Read More
Gurugram (Haryana) [India], February 4: BMW Group India has been recognised as a 'Top Employer 2025' by the Top Employers' Institute, for the second year in a row. Being certified as a Top Employer highlights BMW Group India's dedication to a better world of work and exhibits this through excellent Human Resources policies and people practices. Also Read | From Mathys Tel to Nico Gonzalez: Top Five Transfers in Premier League on January 2025 Deadline Day. The certification was result of an ext...Read More
Bengaluru, Feb 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a major Regional Transport Office operation, 30 luxury cars, including Ferrari and Porsche, were seized for alleged tax evasion in Bengaluru. The seizure of luxury cars is done for non-payment of taxes by the owners, an RTO official said on Monday. The seized vehicles were registered in different states but illegally driven in Karnataka. This operation is expected to recover around Rs 3 crore in taxes. Luxury cars, including Maserati, Ferrari, Porsche, Ran...Read More
NEW DELHI: The GST Council will soon take a decision on having fewer and lower rates as the review work is almost complete, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. Currently, Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a four-tier tax structure with slabs at 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent. Luxury and demerit goods are taxed at the highest bracket of 28 percent, while packed food and essential items are in the lowest 5 percent slab. The Council, chaired by Sitharaman and comprising her state counter...Read More