Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on moonlighting, Covid threat, free grain scheme, and much more

BS Views of the week: Moonlighting, Covid, PMGKAY, and more

Inox Clean Energy Ltd has executed definitive agreements with Australia-based Macquarie Corporate Holdings Pty Ltd and other shareholders to acquire Vibrant Energy, which has a portfolio of 1337 MW.
Noida-based INOXGFL Group company did not disclose the deal value, but as per industry sources, it was about Rs 5,000 crore.
Vibrant Energy is a diversified renewable energy independent power producer (RE IPP) in India.
In a statement on Sunday, Inox Clean announced the execution of definitive agreements with Macquarie and other shareholders to acquire Vibrant Energy's total portfolio of 1337 MW, of which 800 MW is in operation.
The projects are located across multiple states, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
A query on the deal amount sent to parent INOXGFL Group remained unanswered.
Vibrant has existing power purchase agreements (PPAs) with major C&I customers, including large global MNCs for an average 20-year period.
INOXGFL Group ..

Inox Clean announced the execution of definitive agreements with Macquarie and other shareholders to acquire Vibrant Energy's total portfolio of 1337 MW, of which 800 MW is in operation

Press Trust of India

"Dividend is in my blood," Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal said, reaffirming commitment to shareholder payouts alongside pursuing the group's planned USD 20 billion expansion across businesses even after the proposed demerger.
The demerger of metals-to-oil conglomerate Vedanta Ltd into separate listed entities is designed to sharpen focus, unlock value and keep cash returns flowing without interrupting its capital expenditure cycle, he told PTI in an interview.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday approved the plan to split Vedanta into five different listed entities. After the demerger, the base metals business will be housed in Vedanta Ltd, while Vedanta Aluminium, Talwandi Sabo Power, Vedanta Steel and Iron and Malco Energy housing oil and gas business will be the other four listed entities.
"Dividend is in my blood," he said. "No matter what happens, there will always be a dividend payout by our companies."
Vedanta remains one of India's top dividend-yielding

The demerger of metals-to-oil conglomerate Vedanta Ltd into separate listed entities is designed to sharpen focus, unlock value and keep cash returns flowing

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani on Saturday said India must become a world leader in artificial intelligence, but stressed the need for greater empathy in adopting new-age tech.
The Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries said the largest Indian corporate is at the "doorstep" of solving India's energy challenge with solar energy and storage solutions.
Speaking at an event here on the occasion of the International Human Solidarity Day, Ambani said RIL's telecom arm Jio has catapulted India into the digital mainstream of the world by laying the foundation with its services.
"... of course we need AI. We (India) must become world leaders in AI. But above all, we need empathy and compassion even more," Ambani said.
"By combining intelligence with empathy, prosperity with purpose, India can present a new model of development to the rest of the world," the richest Indian said.
He said there were many "disbelievers" about the telecom business even within RIL.
In an apparent refe

The Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries said the largest Indian corporate is at the "doorstep" of solving India's energy challenge with solar energy and storage solutions

Artificial intelligence is a force multiplier in the education sector but unethical use of AI tools for cheating, data and privacy breach is a matter of concern, according to educationist Shishir Jaipuria.
Jaipuria, Chairman of the Seth Anandram Jaipuria Group of Educational Institutions, said the purpose of education is to nurture knowledgeable, skilled, conscientious and emotionally strong individuals who go on to make a positive impact on society, but the rat race defeats it and pushes students to take extreme steps.
The advent and prevalence of artificial intelligence has been a watershed moment in the history of human progress. AI is not just transforming industries, but also reshaping the jobs of the future. Its integration and application in the education sector will have far-reaching implications," Jaipuria told PTI.
AI platforms allow schools to map each child's learning style, identify the learning gaps, and recognise the strengths and weaknesses to optimise learning ...

The educationist also highlighted that teacher training and professional development have to be directed towards creating digital competencies to enable educators to leverage the full potential of AI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday accused the previous state governments of "destroying" the cooperative sector, saying the BJP-led administration has revived it and is now moving towards the concept of "one cooperative bank per district".
Addressing the 'Yuva Sahakar Sammelan' here, the CM said, "Before 2017, the condition of district cooperative banks was extremely poor. Sixteen banks had been declared defaulters and had their licenses revoked by the Reserve Bank of India. Today, these banks are healthy, contributing not only to their members but also to the prosperity of farmers."
He alleged that earlier governments promoted a "one district, one mafia" culture, which led to the collapse of the cooperative sector and trapped farmers' capital. "The BJP government gradually returned Rs 4,700 crore deposited by farmers in the 16 banks whose licenses had been revoked. Now, the banks are functioning effectively," he said.
The government is taking steps to strengthe

He alleged that earlier governments promoted a "one district, one mafia" culture, which led to the collapse of the cooperative sector and trapped farmers' capital

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 10,601-crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant in Dibrugarh district of Assam.
The Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL) will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes, and the project is scheduled for commissioning in 2030.
In July this year, AVFCCL was incorporated at Namrup in Dibrugarh district. A new plant within the existing premises of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corp Ltd (BVFCL) was approved by the Union Cabinet in March this year.
AVFCCL is a joint venture among the Assam government, Oil India, National Fertilisers Ltd (NFL), Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL) and BVFCL.

The Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL) will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes

The Union Budget has been presented on February 1 since 2017, and 2026 will be the first occasion since then that it falls on a Sunday

Business Standard

ICEGATE enables e-filing and customs payments by traders; RMS automates risk-based scrutiny; and ICES handles backend assessment and clearance workflows at Customs locations

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

BS Views of the week: Moonlighting, Covid, PMGKAY, and more

Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on moonlighting, Covid threat, free grain scheme, and much more

Other Videos

Explore News