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Abhishek Dutt targeted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, asking him to clear the air on the chief ministerial face of the AAP for the upcoming Delhi assembly polls. The Congress candidate stated that development is at the heart of the Delhi assembly polls. "… Why does Arvind Kejriwal not formalise his alliance with BJP?.. Who is that person in the BJP who tells Chief Minister Atishi that temples are going to be demolished and she makes insensitive statements?.. Who are these people from BJP who are associated with AAP and are distracting Delhi from the main issues? The direct issue of Delhi is 'development'… They (AAP) have turned a green Delhi into a polluted Delhi, a liquor-filled Delhi...," Dutt told ANI, in response to a query regarding AAP suggesting that BJP's CM face will be Ramesh Bidhuri.

Devajit Saikia and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia will be officially elected as the BCCI secretary and treasurer respectively during the Special General Meeting (SGM) here on Sunday. Saikia and Prabhtej were the only candidates in the fray for the vacant posts once BCCI electoral officer and former CEC of India, Achal Kumar Joti finalised the list on Tuesday. Saikia has been working as the BCCI interim secretary since Jay Shah took over as the ICC chairman on December 1. The BCCI constitution stipulates that any post lying vacant should be filled within 45 days by calling a SGM, and Sunday's meeting is well within that period, holding on the 43rd day.

That has officially given it the edge over Egypt, the previous tourism leader on the continent, and who also shattered its own arrival record, welcoming 15.7 million visitors in 2024. While no governing body tracks arrival numbers for every African nation, both UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council confirm that North African nations outpace sub-Saharan ones in terms of tourism volume. Morocco’s new tourism benchmark marks an astounding 20% jump from 2023 and more than a 33% increase over 2019 pre-pandemic levels when the Arabian destination received 13 million visitors. It has also put the Kingdom of Light two years ahead of its tourism projections.

Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple. Although the historic consecration ceremony took place on 22 January 2024, the first anniversary is being celebrated on 11 January 2025.

Universal Account Number (UAN) and linking your bank account with Aadhaar to January 15, 2024. The UAN activation and linking of bank account with Aadhaar is necessary to avail of benefits under the EPFO's Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme. Originally deadline was set for November 30, 2024, it was previously extended to December 15, 2024, before it was extended by one month. PF claim settlement rule change: Now EPF members will get more interest money on EPF withdrawal, faster settlement Employees looking to claim monetary benefits under the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme must activate their UAN) and link their Aadhaar to their bank account. This mandatory process, overseen by the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), is essential for availing the scheme's benefits. The ELI Scheme was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the Union Budget 2024 in July. The ELI scheme comprises three variants: A, B, and C.

A One-Time Mandate (OTM) is a directive given by an investor to a mutual fund house to invest a specific lumpsum amount in a particular mutual fund scheme. Unlike systematic investment plans (SIPs), which involve regular, periodic investments, an OTM involves a single, one-off investment. This approach allows investors to deploy their funds immediately based on their financial goals, market outlook, or specific investment opportunities. Also Read | Small cap mutual funds see inflows of over Rs 34,000 crore in 2024

Labour Codes with the objectives of promoting labour welfare by way of “universalisation of wages and social security, ensuring safe and healthy workplace, formalisation of employment, higher female labour force participation, skill development of workers, portability of benefits for migrant workers” and other means. While not yet notified, the Labour Codes replace over 30 central legislations to simplify and modernise labour laws in India, with an emphasis on ease of doing business. I have briefly summarised the Codes below: Code on Wages, 2019 (Wages Code) The Wages Code replaces four legislations including the Payment of Wages Act, Payment of Bonus Act, Equal Remuneration Act and Minimum Wages Act.

Donald Trump that the United States should take it over. In an interview with The Associated Press, Ricaurte Vasquez denied Trump's claims that China was controlling the canal's operations, and said making exceptions to current rules concerning its operation would lead to «chaos.» He said Chinese companies operating in the ports on either end of the canal were part of a Hong Kong consortium that won a bidding process in 1997. He added that U.S. and Taiwanese companies are operating other ports along the canal as well. Trump has gone so far as to suggest the US should take back control of the canal and he would not rule out using military might to do so.

“Masculine energy I think is good, and obviously society has plenty of that, but I think that corporate culture was really trying to get away from it,” Zuckerberg said during a nearly three-hour-long conversation with podcaster Joe Rogan published on Friday. “It’s like you want feminine energy, you want masculine energy,” Zuckerberg said during the episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. “I think that that’s all good. But I do think the corporate culture sort of had swung toward being this somewhat more neutered thing,” he added, before discussing his passions for mixed martial arts and hunting invasive pigs in Hawaii.

BJP and Congress continue to occupy government bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi, in violation of official norms. Both parties currently hold two bungalows each, long after deadlines set under the 2012 policy for vacating such properties, reported TOI. The rules mandate political parties to vacate government accommodations within three years of being allotted land or completing office construction. Sources reveal that BJP occupies bungalows at 11, Ashoka Road, and 14, Pandit Pant Marg, even after inaugurating its headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in February 2018. Congress, which recently completed construction of its office on Kotla Road, still occupies bungalows on Akbar Road and Raisina Road. “The rule applies to all political parties. There is no indication when these bungalows will be vacated,” TOI quoted a source as saying, adding that six bungalows are currently under political use.

rice stocks hit a record high at the start of January, reaching eight times the government's target, while wheat stocks continued to deplete as traders urged the government to increase wheat sales amid market shortages. Higher rice stocks would enable the world's biggest exporter of the staple to accelerate exports. However, dwindling wheat stocks will likely deter the government from releasing more stock to bulk consumers. Rice reserves in state granaries, including unmilled paddy, totalled 60.9 million metric tons of Jan. 1, compared to the government's target of 7.6 million tons, data compiled by the Food Corporation of India showed.

Ola Electric for additional documents as part of its ongoing investigation into the electric two-wheeler manufacturer. “In continuation of the earlier letter received from the Central Consumer Protection Authority dated December 04, 2024, by Ola Electric Mobility Limited (the Company) we would like to inform you that the Company has received further request for information via email dated January 10, 2025,” Ola Electric said in an exchange filing on Friday. This comes days after the Karnataka High Court granting the Bhavish Aggarwal-led firm a six-week extension to submit its response to the CCPA. The CCPA first issued the show-cause notice to Ola Electric on October 8, 2024 over alleged consumer rights violations, misleading advertisements, and unfair trade practices.

Cognizant has increased the retirement age for its employees in India from 58 to 60 years, bringing it in line with broader market practices, ToI reported. This change applies to all employees in the country, including those who have relocated on-site without a change in payroll. “This change aligns with common market practice and our commitment to attract and retain experienced talent,” the company stated in a memo reviewed by The Times of India. Most IT companies in India currently set their retirement age at 58, making Cognizant’s move a notable shift in policy aimed at leveraging experienced professionals in a competitive talent landscape. Speaking at an event in India, Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S shared with PTI the company’s vision for India’s role in its global operations. Ravi, who recently received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2025 award from President Droupadi Murmu, highlighted India’s growing significance in the global technology landscape.

Joe Biden said Friday. Ten days before passing on the baton to Donald Trump, the Biden Administration on Friday slapped sanctions on scores of companies and entities that were helping Russia in its export of energy, in particular gas. Two of those companies were from India. «The sanctions are imposed today because they will have a profound effect on the growth of the Russian economy and make it more difficult for Putin to conduct his wars. »It is probable that gas prices could increase as much as USD 0.03 to USD 0.04 a gallon, but that's going to have a more profound impact on Russia's ability to continue to act in the way it's acting in the conduct of war," Biden said in response to a question.

Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that a long-cherished train service between Jammu and Kashmir valley will start very soon. «The outstanding project to build a new railway route is a testament to engineering excellence and determination, overcoming significant geographical and climatic challenges,» he added. Talking to the media about the project during the inspection of new coaches of Amrit Bharat train and other projects at Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, the minister said that this was a significant dream of the nation, a new railway line connecting Jammu and Kashmir, which involves immense complexity. Out of the 111-kilometre railway line, 97 kilometres consist of tunnels and 6 kilometres were bridges.

Tripura should focus on making products needed in the defence sector by using bamboo and rubber which grow aplenty in the northeastern state, speakers at an awareness session said here on Friday. The Kolkata-based Bharat Chamber of Commerce (BCC) organised the one-day awareness session. Aerospace and Defence expert Balpreet Singh highlighted the capabilities of Tripura that could be leveraged by the MSME and startups. Rubber could also be utilised in manufacturing tyres, tubes, gloves, uniforms and other gears used in the defence sector, he said.

Hindustan Unilever, Britannia, ITC, Godrej Consumer Products, Colgate Palmolive and Adani Wilmar are all introducing ‘access packs’ of premium brands across traditional and modern retail channels, including kirana stores, to target price-sensitive consumers amid muted urban demand. HUL, the country’s largest FMCG company, recently launched a Rs 10 pack of its Surf Excel Liquid, a sharp drop from its earlier entry price of Rs 110. Similarly, Colgate has introduced select premium toothpaste variants at Rs 80, down from the previous lowest price of Rs 170.

Those running Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in the country are paying out the highest increments, though it will still be marginally lower than last year, showed data shared exclusively with ET by Deloitte India. Average pay hikes will range about 8.8% across MNCs in India compared to actuals of 9% last year. Also, most of the around 100 companies surveyed have a slightly lower salary projection for the FY25 cycle, ranging at 0.1-1.1 percentage points less than FY24, based on the industry. “Pay increase projections are lower compared to FY24 and this is largely because businesses aren’t doing well across most sectors,” said Anandorup Ghose, partner at Deloitte India.

crisis management group to deal with nationwide strikes by public sector bank employees. Apart from managing exigencies of strikes lasting three days or more, the group will work with banks to strengthen their standard operating procedures (SOPs) for ensuring business continuity, said a senior government official. The All India Bank Officers’ Confederation has threatened to go on a nationwide strike on February 24-25. A steering committee, including state-run banks and private lender IDBI Bank, has been set up. “The group has been formed to insulate the banking system against all uncertainties, including strikes,” said the official, who did not wish to be identified, adding that the move was not specifically related to the announcement regarding the proposed February strike.

Donald Trump, outgoing US President Joe Biden on Friday ruled out leaving from public life for now. «I'm not going to be out of sight — out of mind,» Biden told reporters at the White House. Biden, 82, was responding to reporters' questions if he has decided what kind of role will he will have post-presidency. «Do you plan to speak out after you leave Washington, or are you going to follow kind of more of the Bush model where you're kind of out of sight and out of mind?» he was asked.

data tariffs to attract investments from foreign companies that rely on affordable fast broadband connectivity for delivering essential services, said senior government officials. The Centre's aim is to leverage the country's much lower data rates compared with markets such as China, US, Russia, UK, Australia, and South Africa to entice foreign companies engaged in delivering services such as ride hailing, online food delivery, telemedicine, digital payments and online education, the officials told ET. The government also plans to highlight to potential investors India's rapid adoption of 5G services and the rising availability of affordable 5G phones in the world's second-largest mobile phone market.