Commercial Taxes Dept in Karnataka sets up helpline after bribe complaints
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Autopay chaos near as thousands of @paytm handles to go on the blink
Come 1 September, and thousands of autopay transactions for insurance premiums and Netflix subscriptions may fail, as a hard deadline to discontinue the @paytm handle for UPI payments kicks in. As part of a series of measures against Paytm Payments Bank last year, the Reserve Bank of India curbed the use of the @paytm UPI handle. Following this, the National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) mandated migrating these handles to other banks. However, multiple old handles remain tied to autopay mandates, putting these planned transactions at risk once the deadline is crossed, two people familiar with the matter said. 'Users will have to first cancel the existing mandate linked to the @paytm handle and then create a fresh one with their new handles. There has to be a greater push for users to do that," said an insurance industry executive said on the condition of anonymity. Despite repeated reminders, many customers have not migrated yet, the executive added. Emails sent to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), NPCI and Paytm remained unanswered. Clampdown On 31 January 2024, RBI barred any addition of funds to Paytm Payments Bank accounts, wallets and Fastags. In February 2024, RBI said that @paytm UPI handles should be migrated to a different clutch of banks and that the payments bank will not be allowed to undertake any transactions post 15 March. On 17 April, Paytm said it is transitioning these handles to Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, State Bank of India and Yes Bank. The people cited earlier said that the transition was quick for everything else other than autopay mandates. While autopay failure can affect recurring payments in any industry, the impact can be worse in insurance—Missing a premium payment can send your policy into a grace period, after which the policy can lapse, depriving the customer of its benefits and coverage. Industry executives said that at least ₹1,400 crore worth of annual insurance premium autopay mandates are still tied to old Paytm handles. Autopay allows users to set up recurring UPI payments to various merchants. The industry has taken up the matter with retail payment umbrella body NPCI, but there has been no solution so far, they said. 'August 31, 2025 is the final deadline for servicing UPI autopay mandates on @paytm handles. The decision has already undergone two extensions, and further continuance beyond this deadline is not envisaged," according to an NPCI communication seen by Mint. 'We request all concerned merchants to urgently engage with Paytm to migrate active mandates and avoid disruption to customer services." Premium pain The executive cited above added that just for insurance, there are nearly 500,000 @Paytm UPI autopay mandates with an insurance aggregator which would fail after 31 August. These are primarily linked to life insurance premium payments, he said. Merchant Payments Alliance of India, an association of digital merchants including Netflix, Spotify, Amazon and Policybazaar, has been lobbying to resolve the issue. 'Due to the absence of an automated solution, customers stand to encounter disruption, businesses could struggle to realize payments, and in some sectors, critical services might be interrupted and product benefits curtailed," an MPAI spokesperson said. 'Ideally, this migration process should be automated, and without any customer intervention. Sadly, at this point, there's no functional and scalable solution for mandates that are at risk. Until this solution becomes available, critical sectors (insurance, lending and healthcare) should be granted exemptions," the spokesperson added. Seeking data According to the executive cited earlier, NPCI has sought data from merchants on the number of active autopay mandates using the @paytm handle, along with transaction value. 'NPCI wants merchants to work directly with Paytm to resolve this issue and look for alternatives," said the executive. Many merchants are also wary of the shifting customers to another handle because they fear some users might cancel their recurring payments when reached out to, he added. Experts said that auto pay was designed to simplify subscriptions and collections and while the underlying infrastructure is all in place, altering autopay mandates is bound to have friction. Changes in autopay needs customers' consent, and cannot be changed at the backend by the payment provider or the merchant, said Parijat Garg, an independent digital lending consultant. 'Customers will, in general, have an inertia to start new autopay mandates and might also be worried about UPI frauds when clicking on links asking for changes to existing mandates," said Garg. He added that given how large Paytm's presence is in the digital banking segment, such a massive exercise will take time. Info haze What has added to the uncertainty and challenge is the absence of any official information in the public domain, he said, adding attempts to manually migrate some customers were unsuccessful as customers misunderstood the attempts as those perpetrated by scamsters due to phishing and social engineering concerns making the re-registration of fresh mandates an unsuccessful exercise. 'The Paytm issue was resolved last year, and these autopay mandates have been in place for several years, and have been working fine for the past year. So, this sudden policy change is difficult to communicate to users, especially because there was so much miscommunication around the changes for Paytm users last year," one of the two officials cited above said. Interestingly, for autopay mandates from other bank accounts, RBI had said in 2024 that loan instalments registered with other bank accounts 'can continue" without setting a deadline or clarifying for other recurring payments such as insurance premiums.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Hubballi visually-challenged student selected for Netherlands varsity programme
Hubballi: Suhas Dharwad, 23, a visually impaired student from Hubballi pursuing a Masters in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), at University of Trento, was selected for an exchange programme at University of Twente, Netherlands — the first visually challenged student there. He told TOI that his course includes multi-agent systems, basics of impact, innovation and entrepreneurship, speech processing, computer ethics, and human-robot collaboration. He aims to become a UX researcher focusing on accessible technology. "I am thrilled to start this new chapter, as I will get to interact with new people, explore Dutch culture, and study courses that will further enhance my technical skills. All these courses will further enhance my thinking abilities, ethical standpoint, and improve my technical skills in AI and robotics. While these courses are not strictly HCI-related, they help me explore my interests, and that's the advantage of an exchange with Erasmus+ program. While students in general, are often quite wary about going to a new country and adapting to a new environment, I don't feel this way. The fact is, I believe that doing this a second time won't be as hard. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Things Women Should NEVER Wear! Undo I recently learned from a study advisor at the University of Twente, Evelien Bink, that there have been no blind students who studied there. I know there are more challenges to overcome, but I think that with help of technology and kindness of people, I will succeed," he added. Suhas was denied an Italian visa, citing insufficient income source documentation in Aug 2024. Following a TOI report, Union minister Pralhad Joshi approached external affairs minister S Jaishankar, and helped Dharwad. Seeing his application, the Italian university waived his tuition fee. Now the Netherlands' varsity is offering a 70% scholarship. In an email communication with Suhas, E Vink, study advisor, student services and well-being, University of Twente, commented that there haven't been any blind students who have studied at our university before. T Ceccherini, MSc in HCI, University of Trento, remarked that Suhas is very curious and social. "He is always keen on understanding new topics in technology and is quite adventurous," he added. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Perplexity wants Chrome. Here's why that could be great news for Google
Perplexity AI has reportedly made a $34.5 billion offer to buy Google Chrome. On paper, that sounds wild: a fast‑growing AI startup pitching for the world's most used web browser. In practice, it reflects a larger regulatory moment where Big Tech platforms are being challenged on how they tie browsers, search, ads, and data together. Chrome is not just a desktop icon. It is the default gateway to the internet for hundreds of millions here, the primary route to UPI payments, government services, education portals, OTT, and vernacular news. Any ownership change, even as a hypothetical, touches everyday digital life in India. Why Chrome is even part of this conversation In the United States, a landmark antitrust case found Google maintained an illegal monopoly in search. The court is now weighing remedies, and one option pushed by the Department of Justice is unusually tough: separating Chrome and its open‑source base, Chromium, from Alphabet. Europe has already forced structural changes under the DMA, including unbundling defaults and offering choice screens. India, too, via the CCI's 2022 Android ruling, pressed Google to loosen how search, browser, and Play services are tied, which led to some changes on Android phones sold here. Put simply, regulators across regions are probing the same pattern: when a company controls the browser, the search defaults, the ad stack, and the app store, the flywheel becomes hard for rivals to crack and harder for consumers to exit. Perplexity's reported bid slots into that global context. The company says it would keep the Chromium project healthy, which is essential because Chromium powers not just Chrome but also Microsoft Edge, Brave, Arc, and a long tail of Indian OEM browsers and in‑app web views. A credible steward must protect developer stability, security updates, and web standards. That is where the technical challenge lives. Chrome today is interlaced with Google layers like Safe Browsing, account sync, payments integration, autofill, WebView on Android, and privacy protections that ship on a tightly coordinated cadence. Unwinding or relicensing those parts without degrading safety or breaking websites is a non‑trivial job. Google argues this is precisely why a forced sale would harm users. Critics counter that concentration of control is the risk, and stewardship can be re‑architected. Also read Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here. If divestiture were ever ordered, it would move slowly, with appeals and interim arrangements. For Indian users and developers, three practical questions would dominate. First, security cadence. Chrome's rapid patch cycle protects billions from fresh exploits. Any owner must match that tempo, or CERT‑In and enterprise CISOs will not be amused. Second, defaults and data. Choice screens for search and services could expand further, giving Indian brands, language‑first startups, and public platforms a fairer shot at the default slot without hacks. Third, Android's WebView and OEM builds. Indian smartphone makers rely on Chromium for in‑app browsing and updates. Continuity here is non‑negotiable, especially for BFSI, government apps, and education platforms that lean on web tech to scale across price tiers. For now, this is a long shot. Google has shown no willingness to sell, and any remedy that drastic would be fought hard. The more immediate takeaway is strategic. AI‑native companies want a browser foothold because the browser is the front door to intent, context, and high‑frequency user sessions. That is where AI assistants live best. Whether Chrome changes hands or not, expect the browser to become the next battleground for AI overlays, summarisation, trusted shopping, and verified sources.
