rediffGURU Vipul Bhavsar answers readers' personal income tax queries.
Recent years have been turbulent for the insurance industry due to direct and indirect tax reforms, regulatory overhaul and other external pressures. The events cumulatively slowed growth rate to single digits from the high teens seen earlier.
It's going to be a busy month at the theatres in February.
A woman doctor of a government hospital allegedly died by suicide in Maharashtra's Satara district, leaving behind a note accusing two police personnel of rape and mental harassment, police said on Friday.
For now, Yumnam Khemchand Singh's leadership will be judged not by promises or symbolism, but by whether his government can prevent further violence and begin the slow, difficult work of rebuilding trust.
Since there is no box office pressure on OTT, actors are willing to experiment with roles, as well as open to performing with greater sincerity.
The two-wheeler segment has shown signs of recovery in the first half (H1) of calendar year (CY) 2024, largely driven by improving performance in rural areas. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations, rural contribution to two-wheeler sales surged by 57-60 per cent in the April-June quarter of 2024-25, indicating a rising demand in these regions. Experts believe that this trend will continue, supported by a favourable monsoon season and government initiatives aimed at rural development.
We invited readers to send in their interesting monsoon snapshots. Here are some more responses -- and you can share yours too!
'Today, we are at a stage where we have launched a voice-to-voice model that supports 14 Indian languages.'
rediffGURU Vipul Bhavsar answers readers' personal income tax queries.
Police Constable Gursimran Bains will join the Air Force Academy to train as a military pilot next year.
'There'll be extended periods where things aren't working in your favour. But if you believe in the cause profoundly, then you simply persevere.'
The Maoists in Bastar went from one village to another with kits providing badly needed medical intervention. The medical help was one key reason why the tribals were attracted to the Maoists, points out M R Narayan Swamy.
The Supreme Court of India has directed changes in digital know your customer (KYC) guidelines for persons with disability and acid attack survivors, citing the right to digital access as an intrinsic component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court found that existing KYC procedures, which require visual tasks such as head movements and facial positioning, pose significant challenges for these groups, preventing them from accessing essential services like bank accounts and welfare schemes. The court emphasized the importance of bridging the digital divide and ensuring universal accessibility to digital services for all citizens.
While some of them were excellent, most were passable. But many were far superior to the theatrical releases.
15% of the participants reported substance use at least once while 10% reported substance use in the past one year.
Over 25 years, societies evolve and tastes change. Cinema absorbs and reflects this transformation. Picking only 25 films from the first quarter of the century is tough.
A severe cold wave has gripped North India, with temperatures plummeting to near-freezing levels in several areas. The cold wave has disrupted daily life, with dense fog affecting visibility and forcing people to stay indoors.
In a first for Assam, a man has survived a confirmed king cobra bite, thanks to rapid medical intervention despite the absence of species-specific antivenom.
Trade analyst Girish Wankhede puts together a curated list of the 25 biggest hits in the first 25 years of the century.
'Just like oral hygiene, cyber hygiene must become a daily habit,' says Beena Vaheed, executive director, Bank of Baroda. 'It is not enough to rely only on banks, companies, or the government. Each of us must play our part.'
'Maybe he was wrong, but they believed he genuinely meant what he said.'
A former police officer, Abhay Kurundkar, who received the President's Medal for meritorious service, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of assistant police inspector Ashwini Bidre-Gore in 2016. Kurundkar was in an extramarital relationship with Gore and killed her with the help of others in Bhayander, Thane district. He was convicted of murder and other offenses by a Maharashtra court. Kurundkar's associates were also sentenced for their involvement in the crime.
Dharmendra got his He Man image with Phool Aur Patthar, which was so strong that he never managed to fully shrug it off.
A nationwide strike called by trade unions to protest against the central government's labor policies had a mixed impact across India. While normal life remained largely unaffected in most parts of the country, some sectors like banking, transport, and insurance experienced disruptions. Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in West Bengal.
The Indian insurance industry is set to focus on customer-centric technological adoption and expansion into rural areas to drive growth in 2025.
The share of life insurance policies sold by top private insurers in the rural areas declined in the financial year 2023-24 (FY24) compared to previous year. SBI Life, HDFC Life, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance -- the top three players from the private sector-- have seen the share of insurance policies sold in rural areas drop in FY24 as compared to the previous financial year. Max Life Insurance's share of rural policies recorded an increase in FY24.
'A majority of filmmakers cannot truly understand the city because they don't live here,' says Anusha Rizvi, Director, The Great Shamsuddin Family.
President Droupadi Murmu addressed the people of Manipur, assuring them of the government's commitment to strengthening harmony and ensuring security in the wake of ethnic violence. She highlighted the state's resilience, contributions to the nation, and the government's initiatives for development and inclusivity.
Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani described his 2016 return to the telecom industry with Reliance Jio as the "biggest risk" of his life, saying that even if analysts' predictions of financial failure had come true, it would still have been worth it for the role it played in transforming India digitally.
Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen's electrifying performances hold Thalaivan Thalaivii together, notes Arjun Menon.
Forbes just released a selection of places across the world that celebrate The Quiet. Places where one can clear the mind, and reconnect with the soul. Read on...
Sex workers in Sonagachi, Asia's largest red-light district, are pleading for relief from stringent voter ID rules that they say are impossible to meet, potentially leading to exclusion from the voters' list.
This Delhi Crime series belongs to Huma Qureshi, who plays Badi Didi as a hateful woman. She also commands some admiration for the way she negotiates with venal men and even some degree of sympathy for making the best of whatever life throws at her, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'When you compare Bihar's poverty from its earlier times, then there is a huge difference. Things have improved a lot. And migration has played an important role in reducing poverty.'
'Other sectors that manage the savings pools of Indians are giving tough competition to life insurance companies.'
"During interrogation, Seema confessed that her husband died sometime earlier and she had been living with Yatendra. Her daughter, Divyanshi, often troubled her when she went to work, which led to frequent quarrels between the couple," SP (Rural) Tejveer Singh said.
'The informal sector can grow at a 100 per cent rate -- we have to plan big.'
'I realised why the farmers and the rural folks are going for Trump. They are so insecure and vulnerable that anybody who is throwing a line of hope to them, they seize it.'
More than 25 crore workers engaged in sectors ranging from banking, insurance, postal to coal mining, highway and construction are expected to go on a nationwide general strike on Wednesday, potentially disrupting services across the country. A forum of 10 central trade unions and their associates has called for a general strike or 'Bharat Bandh' to "oppose the anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national pro-corporate policies of the government".
