‘Why import even Ganesha idols from China’: Nirmala Sitharaman in push for self-reliance !!

‘Why import even Ganesha idols from China’: Nirmala Sitharaman in push for self-reliance !!

New Delhi: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman wondered if importing household products used everyday like a soap-box, plastic items or incense sticks used for pooja purposes would support self-reliance especially when such products were made locally by Indian firms and MSME(s). Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday there was nothing wrong in imports to spur growth but wondered why even Ganesha idols should be bought from China. Importing raw materials that were not available in the country and needed for our industries was not wrong, she said addressing the BJP’s…

Google Meet to soon get background blur, Q&A, polling, and more !!

Google Meet to soon get background blur, Q&A, polling, and more !!

Google is making its Meet video conferencing platform more competitive with a wide range of latest features. After making Google Meet free and available to all users, Google has announced a wide range of new features for the video conferencing platform. Aimed at individuals as well as enterprise users, Google Meet’s new features include all the ability to see more participants, polling, hand raising, and customisable backgrounds. Support for Nest Hub Max: Google will soon roll out a Google Meet integration with its smart display speaker, Nest Hub Max. The integration means you can…

Sensex soars 300 points to reclaim 35,000-level in opening session, Nifty near 10,400 !!

New Delhi: Indian benchmark indices opened in green on Friday with BSE Sensex reclaiming 35,000-level with a jump of over 300 points in early trade while the broader Nifty was nearing 10,400-mark in early trade in line with global peers.At 9:30 am, Nifty was up at 1.02% or 104.45 points to trade at 10,393.35 whereas Sensex was about 0.86% or 300.36 points higher at 35,139.42. Gains on the Sensex were led by IndusInd Bank and Infosys. Kotak Bank, HUL and Sun Pharma were among the laggards. About 1001 shares have…

Verizon suspends advertising on Facebook, joins growing boycott !!

Verizon Communications Inc said on Thursday that it was pausing advertising on Facebook Inc in July, in support of a campaign that called out the social media giant for not doing enough to stop hate speech on its platforms. Verizon is the biggest yet to join the advertising boycott, which has gained the backing of dozens of US companies, and its announcement was a blow to Facebook’s efforts to contain the growing revolt. “We’re pausing our advertising until Facebook can create an acceptable solution for making us comfortable,” a Verizon representative…

1.25 crore jobs, 31 districts, 125 days: PM Modi to launch Atma Nirbhar UP Rojgar Abhiyan today !!

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday launch a 125-day campaign to provide employment to migrant workers and others in Uttar Pradesh, who lost their jobs during covid-19 pandemic, under various central and state government schemes. Modi will launch the Atma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan, being undertaken as part of the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan that the Prime Minister started on June 20 for 116 districts in six states in the country, virtually. The Prime Minister will also interact with villagers from six districts of Uttar Pradesh at…

Vodafone Idea is gearing up for LTE-based drone trials with Zomato !!

Vodafone Idea is reportedly working with food delivery platform Zomato and TechEagle Innovations for ‘beyond visual line of sight’ (BVLOS) drone trails that will be organised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The civil aviation regulator has shortlisted 13 consortia what they have been given a green signal to start preliminary trials. Both Zomato and TechEagle come under the ClearSky consortium, one of the 13 shortlisted. Dunzo, Swiggy, Throttle Aerospace Systems, ShopX, Zipline, Spicexpress and Redwing are some of the other consortia that have received DGCA approvals to…

Google launches a bunch of new features for SMEs in India !!

Google India  announced Today that  a host of new features that are aimed at helping small and medium business enterprises in the country to recover and rebuild their businesses at a time when they have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. For starters, the company has launched the Grow with Google Small Business hub in India. This hub will serve as a single destination for all small businesses to get access to all the products and tools they need to go digital and maintain business continuity, which includes getting access…

CBSE 10th, 12th Exam 2020 Live Updates: CBSE, ICSE 10th, 12th July exams cancelled, board tells SC !!

New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it will not conduct the class 10th examination while the students of Class 12th will be given an option of appearing in exams after conditions are conducive. The Class 12th students will get the option to appear in examinations or take assessment on the basis of their performance in past three exams. SC had last week asked CBSE to consider scrapping the class 10 and Class 12 board exams in view of the growing cases of coronavirus infections…

Dell Technologies partners with Nasscom to help SMEs, startups !!

Bengaluru: Dell Technologies has partnered with technology services industry body Nasscom to help small and medium enterprises, startups with products and services at competitive prices. Dell’s association with Nasscom is set to impact more than 2400 SMEs, and 9000 plus startups that are part of Nasscom 10,000 start-ups network. They will be provided with exclusive offers and rates on Dell’s Client and Infrastructure solutions, said Dell Technologies in a press release. This partnership aims to ensure smooth operations and business continuity for these small scale businesses during such a challenging time and to build a robust…

Government announces 2% interest subsidy for small borrowers under Mudra Yojana !!

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday approved a 2 per cent interest subsidy scheme for Shishu loan account holders under the Mudra Yojana to help small businesses tide over difficulties created by the lockdown following outbreak of coronavirus disease. Under Shishu category, lenders provide collateral-free loans of up to Rs 50,000.  The 2% interest subvention is estimated cost of the exchequer approximately Rs 1,542 crore, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadeka told to reportersthat  after the Cabinet meeting. “Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister approved the scheme for interest subvention…