News digest: Offshore accounts, IPL auction, Indian Railway, and more

From cases of Indians with alleged undisclosed foreign income to Indian Railways is working on a Rs 35.3-trillion investment plan by 2032, BS brings you top stories to keep up with latest news

Taxman may use official evidence from abroad to nail black money hoarders

 

Investigations into cases of Indians with alleged undisclosed foreign income and assets and whose names have appeared in leaks over offshore accounts may soon see a breakthrough. Read more

 

IPL 2018 players auction: Uncapped players shine as bidders tussle

 

Uncapped players found themselves in demand during the IPL 2018 player auction. A lot of the younger players who are yet to don the Team India uniform were sold for much higher than their seniors.

Krunal Pandya was the pick of the uncapped players as Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad putting in bids. In the end, it was RCB that managed to out in the winning bid at Rs 88 million. However, no sooner did auctioneer Richard Madley ask approach them, the Mumbai Indians raised the Right To Match card, retaining the second Pandya brother in the process. Read more

 

Budget 2018: A 15-year, Rs 35.3-trillion plan to put Railways on track

 

The Indian Railways is working on a Rs 35.3-trillion investment plan by 2032, pushing up the capital expenditure for the ministry by around 92 per cent annually. Going by the ambitious vision, the average annual investment, including capacity addition and modernization, would touch around Rs 2.5 trillion, up from the Rs 1.31 trillion in 2017-18. Read more

 

Budget 2018: New bottoms-up mechanism for farm-gate marketing likely

 

The Budget for 2018-19 may announce haats and organic hubs in 1,000 village clusters across the country.

 

Modelled on Harihar Haath in Jagdalpur district of Chhattisgarh, these markets will enable villagers to sell their produce directly to consumers, bypassing middlemen, thereby helping them realise a good price for their produce. Read more

 

Inside Amazon's giant spheres, where workers chill in a mini rainforest

 

Three years ago, Amazon.com Inc’s horticulturalist was giving Jeff Bezos a preview of what the company’s three plant-filled spheres — the centrepiece of its $4-billion downtown Seattle office project — would look like on opening day.

 

One rendering showed the view from a 30-foot-high suspension bridge looking down on a tree. The next showed the same tree as it would look five years later, branches stretching high above the bridge to form a canopy, giving Amazonians the feeling of walking through a rainforest. Bezos didn’t want to wait for the little tree to grow. Read more