Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on India's population, the Sri Lanka crisis, gender gap, and much more

BS Views of the week: Population, caste system in jobs, Sri Lanka, and more

The company noted that the initial $10 million tranche, along with $7.5 million from the second SAFE tranche, will be invested by or before May 31, 2025

Trump's message on Truth Social indicated that that he's already conveyed it to Apple CEO Tim Cook that all iPhones to be sold in the US must be manufactured in that country

Company engineers are ramping up work on the glasses - a rival to Meta Platforms Inc.'s popular Ray-Bans - in a bid to meet the year-end 2026 target

During the Apple Days Sale, Vijay Sales is offering discounts and bank offers on a range of Apple devices, including iPhone 16 series models, the MacBook Pro with M4 chip, and more

In a joint operation, police's special commando unit C-60 and the CRPF killed four Maoists in an encounter along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border in Gadchiroli district on Friday, a senior official said.
The official, in a statement, informed that based on credible intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists formations on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border near a recently opened FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Kawande area, an operation was launched on Thursday afternoon.  A dozen C-60 parties (300 commandoes) and a component of the CRPF launched the operation from Kawande and Nelgunda areas towards the banks of the Indravati river amidst heavy rains, it said.  On Friday morning, when the cordon was being laid and river banks were being searched, Maoists started indiscriminate firing on C-60 commandoes, leading to an effective retaliation by security forces in Gadchiroli district in eastern Maharashtra, said the official.  Intermittent exchange of fire continued for almost .

A dozen C-60 parties (300 commandoes) and a component of the CRPF launched the operation from Kawande and Nelgunda areas towards the banks of the Indravati river amidst heavy rains

The Supreme Court on Friday said people were betting and gambling in the garb of Indian Premier League and sought the Centre's response on a PIL seeking to regulate betting applications.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice to the Centre on a plea filed by K A Paul, who claimed many children had died suicide after using online betting and gambling applications.
The petitioner alleged several online influencers, actors and cricketers were promoting such online apps, luring children in the process.
Paul said in case of cigarettes, packs had pictures indicating the ill-effects of smoking, but in case of betting apps, no such caution was publicised and even former Indian team cricketers promoted the applications during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
The bench said, "In the name of IPL, a lot of people are betting and indulging in gambling. This is a serious issue."
Paul claimed of representing "millions of parents" whose children have died in the

The petitioner alleged several online influencers, actors and cricketers were promoting such online apps, luring children in the process

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Friday presented a Rs 40,187 crore-budget for the megapolis.
Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement. The revenues have been estimated at Rs 36,939 crore, and the body chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be borrowing Rs 22,000 crore.
This will result in a budget deficit of Rs 3,249 crore, which the body plans to bridge through land sales, issuance of bonds, financial assistance from the government, and loans from financial institutions, the statement said.
The ongoing metro line projects have been earmarked Rs 10,969 crore of expenditure in the new fiscal, which is a fourth of the overall expenditure..
Over Rs 5,697 crore have been allotted for multiple tunnel projects which are going across the megapolis, with Rs 2,684 crore earmarked for the four-lane road running under the Sanjay Gandhi National 

Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday returned the Finance Bill 2025 to the Lok Sabha, along with 35 government amendments, including one that abolishes a 6 per cent digital tax on online advertisements, thus completing the 2025-26 budgetary exercise that started on February 1.
The House also returned the Appropriation Bill (3) with a voice vote.
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had moved the two bills in the House.
The Lok Sabha had passed the Finance Bill on March 25 and passed the Appropriation Bill on March 21.
Replying to the debate later in the evening, she said the tendency of the finance ministry would be to exercise caution and not let go of revenues.
"But, here we wanted to use this opportunity to show our respect for Indian taxpayer. We have moved towards setting Rs 12 lakh as threshold up to which no one will have to pay any tax," Sitharaman said.
The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 lakh crore, an increase of 7.4 per cent ov

The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 trillion, an increase of 7.4 per cent over the current fiscal

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: Population, caste system in jobs, Sri Lanka, and more

Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on India's population, the Sri Lanka crisis, gender gap, and much more

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