Category: India

IDFC FIRST Private Banking and Hurun India have shared the second edition of the “IDFC FIRST Private & Hurun India’s Top 200 Self-Made Entrepreneurs of the Millennium 2024” list. Leading the list this year is Radhakishan Damani, who founded Avenue Supermarts (DMart). His company is now valued at over Rs 3.4 lakh crore, which is an impressive 44% increase! This list highlights entrepreneurs who started their businesses after the year 2000 and have made a big impact on India’s business world.

Here are the Top 10 entrepreneurs:

1. Radhakishan Damani (Avenue Supermarts)
2. Deepinder Goyal (Zomato)
3. Sriharsha Majety & Nandan Reddy (Swiggy)
4. Deep Kalra & Rajesh Magow (Makemytrip)
5. Abhay Soi (Max Healthcare Institute)
6. Yashish Dahiya & Alok Bansal (Policy Bazaar)
7. Bhavit Sheth & Harsh Jain (Dream11)
8. Nithin Kamath & Nikhil Kamath (Zerodha)
9. Harshil Mathur & Shashank Kumar (Razorpay)
10. Falguni Nayar (Nykaa)

Vikas Sharma, who leads Wealth Management & Private Banking at IDFC FIRST Bank, talked about how important this report is. He said it shines a light on the amazing work of India’s entrepreneurs. These leaders show hard work, creativity, and a constant drive for success. By releasing this report, we celebrate their achievements and show our support for the entrepreneurial spirit that helps India grow, he mentioned. This year’s list celebrates the power of Indian entrepreneurs, highlighting those who have changed industries, introduced new ideas, and helped the country’s economy grow.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court asked for two men in jail to join a hearing online on December 19. This is part of a serious case involving AAP MLA Naresh Balyan, which falls under strict laws against organized crime. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri told the jail chief to make sure Rohit and Sachin Chikara appear in a video call for the hearing. The court was looking at a request from police to move the case from a local court in Dwarka to a special court that deals with cases involving politicians. The police explained that while they are handling other related cases in a special court, the remaining accused are appearing in different courts, which makes things complicated. Justice Ohri noted that even though the two accused were informed about the transfer request, they didn’t have anyone to represent them. The lawyer for another accused, Ritik, said he had no issues if the case was moved to the special court. The police arrested Balyan on December 4 for alleged organized crime, just after he had been granted bail for a separate extortion case. The special court had refused the police request to keep Balyan in custody longer and sent him to jail until January 9, 2025.

New Delhi: The Congress party is demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah after he made comments in the Rajya Sabha that they say insulted B.R. Ambedkar, who played a big role in making India’s Constitution. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that Shah suggested they talk about Ambedkar too much and joked that if they mentioned God as often, they would have gone to heaven many times.

Kharge stated, “What Amit Shah did was wrong. He insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution that he created. The way Shah speaks reflects the ideas of Manusmriti and the RSS, showing disrespect toward Ambedkar and the Constitution.” He added that if such insults continue, there could be serious protests across the country.

Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal announced that Congress members across the country will hold marches to protest Shah’s comments and other issues like the controversial Adani scandal and the situation in Manipur.

During a press conference, Congress MP Neeraj Dangi stated that Shah’s comments were a direct insult to Dalits, who are people from historically underprivileged communities. He added, “Shah has shown what kind of thoughts BJP leaders have. The oppressed community will not forget this, and they will reduce BJP’s power.”

The Congress party has been very vocal about their demand for Shah to apologize publicly and step down as Home Minister. They believe his comments show a hatred toward Ambedkar and that he has no right to hold a constitutional position anymore.

In the Rajya Sabha, Shah criticized the Congress party for treating the Constitution as if it belonged to just one family, accusing them of fostering unfair politics. He also questioned their support for Muslim laws, stating that they never truly worked for the disadvantaged communities. He concluded by stating that the BJP has already implemented a common civil code in Uttarakhand and plans to do the same in other states soon.

Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, praised the quick growth in the North East of India, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He talked about how much better the roads, railways, airports, and waterways have become.

In an interview, Scindia recognized that Manipur has been facing serious problems, but he said these issues have existed for 25 to 40 years, not just recently. He emphasized that both the central and state governments are committed to solving the problems while discussing with all groups involved.

The Union Minister for Communications pointed out that fighting and conflicts in the North East have decreased by about 80% over the last 10 years. He argued that it’s unfair to call the North East a conflict zone because, under Modi’s leadership, the area has never been more peaceful. More people have given up their old ways and joined the effort to build India.

Scindia shared that 16,000 kilometers of national highways have been built, which is a lot more than what was built in the last 60 years. The construction of railway tracks has also increased, going from about 6.5 kilometers a month to over 19 kilometers.

He noted that the number of airports in the North East has gone from 9 to 17 and rail connectivity is expanding. Right now, there are 19 railway projects worth nearly 88,000 crore rupees happening.

Additionally, a big semiconductor factory is coming to Assam, worth around 27,000 crores, which will be important for the region’s progress. The Minister mentioned that interest in investing in the North East is very high, with about 45,000 crores in agreements made so far.

Scindia highlighted that while India grows at around 6.5 to 7.5% each year, the North East grows even faster—by about 9.5 to 11%. Thus, the North East is becoming a vital area for India’s growth.

On the subject of development near the border with China, Scindia mentioned that the government is focusing on improving the last villages of India, making them vibrant. He stated that hundreds of ministerial visits have already taken place in the North East.

When asked about the “One Nation, One Election” proposal, Scindia explained that this idea comes from the people’s desire to have fewer elections and spend less money on them. He believes that the Prime Minister is working hard to fulfill the wishes of the country.

Katra, a town in Jammu, will completely close its shops and services on Wednesday, December 18, to protest against a new ropeway project costing ₹250 crores. This ropeway would connect Tarakote Marg to Sanji Chhat, taking pilgrims to the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district.

Local shopkeepers, pony owners, and other workers are worried this project will hurt their businesses. They believe the ropeway will take pilgrims away from Katra’s market, which could cause many people to lose their jobs.

On December 15, hundreds of protesters marched through Katra’s main street, chanting against the shrine board’s decision to build the ropeway. Former minister Jugal Kishore Sharma joined the protest and said they are not against the shrine board but against the ropeway itself. “This project will take away our jobs and hurt our religious feelings,” he told the news agency PTI.

The protesters have previously expressed their concerns to a committee led by the divisional commissioner, but they haven’t seen any solutions. They feel ignored because the district administration promised them answers by December 15, but nothing has changed yet. In response, they have decided to renew their protests, including a hunger strike from five committee members during the shutdown.

Bhupinder Singh Jamwal, leader of the Vaishno Devi Trek Mazdoor Union, said they want official promises, either from the lieutenant governor or the home minister, stating no ropeway will be built.

The Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wants to change how elections work in the country. They proposed a plan called ‘One Nation, One Poll’ (ONOP). This plan means that all elections—both national and state—would happen at the same time. To make this change, the government needs a strong majority, which means at least two-thirds of the votes from both houses of Parliament.

However, the government does not currently have enough votes to pass this bill. In a recent vote in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament), the government received 269 votes while the opposition received 198 votes, out of a total of 461 votes. Congress MP Manickam Tagore pointed out that this means the government didn’t reach the required two-thirds majority to introduce the bill.

Opposition leaders mentioned that this bill doesn’t have the strong emotional appeal that past laws—like the one removing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir—had. All major opposition parties, including Congress and several regional parties, are against ONOP. They see it as a threat to their existence because they believe it could give the BJP, which has a strong leader like Modi, an unfair advantage in state elections.

Prominent regional parties such as the Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are strongly opposing this bill. They worry they won’t have enough resources, like money and volunteers, to compete in local and national elections at the same time. Other regional parties that used to support the BJP, like YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD), have also turned against the government after recent election results.

To pass the ONOP bill, the government needs two-thirds of the votes from members present and voting. The current ruling coalition, known as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha out of 543 and 125 in the Rajya Sabha (the upper house). The NDA had a larger number of seats in 2019 when they successfully passed the bill to remove Article 370.

On Tuesday, Home Minister Amit Shah announced that Prime Minister Modi wants the ONOP bill to be reviewed by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further discussions. The BJP is also working to educate people about the benefits of the ONOP plan to gain more support. However, the government has mentioned that, even if the bill passes, this change won’t happen until 2034.

Late in the evening, two men were shot in their legs by unknown attackers in Imphal East. This incident happened around 7 PM in a place called Khundrakpam, which is near the Heingang Police Station.

The injured men are from two different areas: one lives in Sagolband and the other in Sekta. The assailants came with guns and aimed for their legs before running away.

Local people who saw what happened quickly helped the two men. They were taken to the Imphal East District Police, who made sure they got medical care. Later, both victims were sent to a hospital in Imphal for further treatment.

Authorities are looking into what happened but still do not know who the attackers are or why they did this. Heingang Police Station has started a search in the area to find more information and catch those responsible for this terrible act.

The government has made new suggestions to improve exams in India. A special group, led by former ISRO chief R. Radhakrishnan, released a report recommending a DIGI-EXAM system. This system aims to stop cheating, ensure secure testing centers, and provide exams in a fair way for everyone.

Here are some main points from the report:

Change to Computer Tests: The report says it’s important to change from paper exams to computer-based tests (CBT). This change will help make the process smoother, but there could be challenges in remote areas where internet and facilities might be lacking.

DIGI-EXAM Technology: The DIGI-EXAM system will use advanced technology to confirm the identity of students through methods like Aadhar (an ID system in India), biometrics (like fingerprints), and AI (smart technology). This will make sure that the right person is taking the exam.

Improving the Testing Agency: The National Testing Agency (NTA) currently manages many tests, but it needs more focus. The panel suggested creating ten new divisions, each led by a director, to handle different parts of the exam process like technology and security.

New Exam Centers: The report suggests creating at least 1,000 secure testing centers in government schools and colleges. This would help students take exams closer to home. It also mentions using buses as mobile testing centers for rural areas, where students may not have easy access to regular test centers.

Multiple Sessions for Big Exams: For very popular exams where a lot of students register (like the NEET-UG), the report recommends holding tests over several days to manage the number of candidates more effectively.

Future Goals: The panel wants to make exams more straightforward and uniform, so students don’t face confusion. It also calls for a single set of rules for undergraduate admissions to simplify the process for everyone.

Overall, this new approach aims to make exams fairer, more secure, and easier for students across India.