rediffGURU Vipul Bhavsar answers readers' personal income tax queries
A farmer in Maharashtra received a message indicating a one-paisa credit instead of the expected Rs 2,000 under the PM-Kisan scheme, causing confusion. The Agriculture Department later clarified it was a technical error and the full instalment had been successfully processed.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced the establishment of India's first government-driven Artificial Intelligence University and an AI Hub in Bengaluru. This initiative aims to position Karnataka as a global leader in responsible AI innovation, fostering talent, research, and collaboration. The state seeks to become an AI-native state, leveraging AI to improve governance and daily life across various sectors.
HDFC Bank's board is actively discussing the appointment of its new managing director and chief executive officer (MD & CEO) as incumbent Sashidhar Jagdishan's three-year term concludes in October, with the Governance, Nomination and Remuneration Committee (GNRC) expected to finalise the process soon.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has initiated a multi-phase relief drive through his Being Human organisation and fan club in Assam, providing food, medicines, and essentials to families affected by devastating floods, with plans for long-term rehabilitation support.
The Indian government has defended its E20 ethanol blending programme, stating that extensive testing and field experience show no evidence of abnormal engine wear, corrosion, or reduced vehicle life, despite a potential 2-6% reduction in fuel economy.
State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) reported a 72 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) drop in net profit to 1,278 crore for Q1FY27 due to a $600 million out-of-court settlement related to NMC Health Plc. In contrast, Bank of India (BoI) saw its net profit rise by 36.23 per cent Y-o-Y to 3,068 crore for the same quarter, driven by healthy loan growth and improved asset quality.
The India Story adopts a very soap opera-like approach, piling on ham-fisted melodrama along with plenty of unevenness, sighs Sreeju Sudhakaran
Global technology giant Google has announced the selection of 20 Indian AI startups for its 2026 Google for Startups Accelerator programme, marking the 10th anniversary of its accelerator initiatives.
The body of Vikram Rana, the last person missing after the July 7 landslide at the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel project site in Kalladi, Wayanad, Kerala, has been recovered. This brings the death toll to eight. A massive search operation involving multiple agencies led to the discovery of the construction manager's body, concluding the search efforts.
The Supreme Court has ruled that mere swear words, profanities, and vulgar expletives, however offensive, do not amount to obscenity under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code. The court clarified that for an utterance to be considered obscene, it must be lascivious, appeal to prurient interests, and have the tendency to deprave and corrupt minds. This ruling came while hearing a plea challenging a high court order confirming a conviction under IPC Section 294.
Commercial banks in India recorded their highest credit growth in two years, accelerating to 18.6 per cent year-on-year by June 27, while also mobilising nearly 7 trillion in deposits, marking the third-highest fortnightly deposit growth in 29 years.
After a subdued start, the southwest monsoon has gathered pace since the beginning of July, narrowing the cumulative rainfall deficit from nearly 30 per cent on June 30 to around 15 per cent as of July 8.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded young Indian innovators for the country's first privately developed orbital rocket, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1, which made India the third nation with private orbital launch capabilities. While praising the 28-year-old average age of the Skyroot team, Modi made a veiled remark about a "56-year-old young man," widely understood to be a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently turned 56.
'This generation decides on their own what is good or bad for them.' 'They got an outlet to vent their anger against this government through CJP and they did that.' 'They felt how can the government control us or lathi charge us?'
'The real shock is going to be from a deficient monsoon.'
Mumbai has spent four centuries building folklore around its monsoon: The potholes, the delayed trains, the office debates about whether it will 'break' this week or next. It turns out the rain was always a market. Nobody had built the exchange for it until now!
Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in India saw their overall credit growth accelerate to 14.2 per cent year-on-year in May, primarily driven by significant increases in loans against gold jewellery and commercial real estate, according to recent Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data.
Ranbir Kapoor has made a significant investment, purchasing 25.7 acres of land in Pune's scenic Mulshi taluka for over Rs 16.42 crore (Rs 164.2 million), underscoring a growing trend among celebrities to favour land banking for long-term real estate appreciation and development potential.
Domestic passenger vehicle dispatches in India reached a record 12,73,811 units in the first quarter of FY27, marking a 25.9 per cent growth, driven by robust domestic demand despite geopolitical headwinds, according to SIAM.
The Indian government has identified 111 districts as 'most vulnerable' to crop damage due to a 43 per cent monsoon deficit, driven by El Nino, which threatens kharif sowing. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that weak monsoon conditions are expected to persist until July 2, prompting contingency plans and recommendations for alternative, less water-intensive crops.
The Madhya Pradesh BJP has dispatched senior leaders to Datia to consolidate support for its bypoll candidate, Ashutosh Tiwari, following protests by supporters of former home minister Narottam Mishra, who was denied a ticket. The party is working to project unity ahead of the July 30 by-election, which was necessitated by the disqualification of the incumbent Congress MLA.
'They talked bad about our leaders. They said India was a dead economy. They were not sensitive to the Indian psyche.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated 11 years of the Digital India initiative, highlighting its role in redefining governance, empowering citizens, and accelerating all-round development. He emphasised its impact on digital payments, direct benefit transfers, and expanding digital public infrastructure, making technology a powerful instrument for 'Ease of Living' across India, including tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
India's finance ministry anticipates inflation will remain relatively contained in the coming months, supported by a correction in crude oil prices and softening input costs following the cessation of the West Asia conflict, despite earlier spikes in wholesale and retail inflation.
India's wholesale price inflation (WPI) increased to 9.87 per cent in June, up from 9.68 per cent in May, primarily due to significant price increases in non-food and food products, with food inflation alone rising to 5.49 per cent.
rediffGURU Nayagam PP, a certified career counsellor and the founder of EduJob360, answers admission related questions and guides aspirants on how to pick the right stream and college.
India is already a heavyweight in global farm trade in pockets such as rice exports, but experts are urging a pivot from a subsidy- and procurement-driven mindset to a productivity and nutrition strategy that still shields farmers from volatility.
The Indian government has dismissed concerns that the use of E20 fuel could affect the validity of vehicle insurance policies, stating that the ethanol blending programme remains safe, consumer-friendly, and economically beneficial.
A devastating landslide at Kalladi near Meppady in Wayanad, Kerala, has resulted in one death and seven missing individuals at a crucial tunnel road project site, with Chief Minister V D Satheesan attributing the tragedy to contractors' failure to heed warnings about accumulated mud.
New allegations have surfaced in the shocking Jaipur murder case, where a daughter is accused of orchestrating her mother's killing for property and a government job.
Researchers at IIT-Guwahati have identified a type of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that can effectively remove lead from contaminated water. The study highlights the role of exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by the algae in absorbing lead, with laboratory experiments showing up to 66.2% removal. This discovery offers a promising, naturally abundant solution for water purification, though further validation is needed before commercial application.
Poland's Secretary of State, Wladyslaw T Bartoszewski, has credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with preventing Russian President Vladimir Putin from using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine in late 2022, highlighting Modi's significant influence on the Russian leader.
Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is expanding its farm equipment strategy beyond tractors to include a wider range of mechanisation solutions like harvesters, balers, seed drills, and telematics-enabled services, aiming to capitalise on the growing demand for rental services by rural entrepreneurs and address low mechanisation levels in Indian agriculture.
From Dr A P J Abdul Kalam to Sourav Ganguly, these coming biopics are bringing some of India's most fascinating lives to the big screen.
An elderly farming couple, Chenu Ghosh and Panbai, were brutally murdered in Tikamgarh district, Madhya Pradesh. Police suspect a land dispute as the motive behind the killings, and a case has been registered as investigations continue to apprehend the unidentified accused.
India too can rise to the top if the 1.4 billion Indians back home are given better opportunities to use their innate talent and capacity to work hard, with right incentives in a more meritocratic rules-based system, asserts Ajay Chhibber.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised down India's GDP growth forecast for fiscal year 2026-27 (FY27) to 6.6 per cent from an earlier 6.9 per cent, primarily attributing the change to elevated energy prices stemming from the Middle East conflict. Despite this moderation, India is still expected to remain the world's fastest-growing major economy.
15 ships carrying essential raw materials successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz, easing concerns over agricultural input availability.
Congress leaders on Monday termed the reorganisation of the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board with the inclusion of two Hindu members as "inappropriate" and said they would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.
