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Indian Express
27 minutes ago
- Indian Express
AIIMS joins hands with German institute for low-cost robotic surgery
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with German institute TU Dresden, to help slash costs for robotic surgery technology as well as for the implementation of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in surgical oncology and liquid biopsy. The LoI was signed between Prof Ursula Staudinger, head of TU Dresden, and Dr M Srinivas, Director of AIIMS New Delhi. Under this, AIIMS Delhi will see collaboration with TU Dresden on translational research, clinical integration of digital technologies, and joint startup incubation. Dr M D Ray, Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at Dr B R Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS, said, 'We have a huge patient load, and this requires low-cost technology. So far, the conventional robotic surgery is expensive and costs at least Rs 2-3 lakh.' The three major areas where research will be conducted will include robotic oncology surgeries, AI in oncology surgery and liquid biopsy, which is a non-invasive diagnostic test that analyzes bodily fluids, like blood, to detect cancer or other diseases, Dr Ray said. He added that funding will be provided to develop low-cost liquid biopsy technology. 'It is crucial in diagnosing cancer. The earlier we diagnose the signs of a person developing cancer, the sooner we can begin the treatment,' he said.
Economic Times
27 minutes ago
- Economic Times
CBDT to ramp up AI-led crackdown on tax evasion ahead of new income tax law: Chairman Ravi Agrawal
IANS CBDT chairman Ravi Agrawal New Delhi: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) aims to step up its crackdown on evasion through the greater use of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify discrepancies in the reporting of income, chairman Ravi Agrawal said in an interview. This is in preparation for the new income tax law that's set to be approved by the Parliament in the current session. With access to over 6.5 billion domestic digital transactions and the exchange of information with overseas agencies, the Income Tax Department is poised to detect evasion more effectively, Agrawal said. He allayed concerns over powers that tax authorities have to access digital records. This is strictly restricted to search and seizure operations where taxpayers refuse to share information, and are not aimed at snooping on ordinary taxpayers, he said."The next phase of AI usage would be more intense, with reporting agencies providing more mature data for carrying out detailed analytics to identify evaders and hit the right targets," he Income Tax Department was proactively providing taxpayers with information about their financial transactions to encourage voluntary compliance. As many as 11 million updated returns have been filed, resulting in an additional tax mop-up of more than ₹11,000 crore, with the rollout of this facility since April 1, 2022. A recent nudge campaign led to withdrawal of tax deduction claims worth ₹963 crore, and the payment of ₹409.50 crore additional taxes between April 1, 2023, and June 18, 2025. A total of 30,161 taxpayers declared ₹29,208 crore of foreign assets and foreign income of ₹1,089 crore between November 2024 and March 31, 2025.'This was the result of analytics,' Agrawal said. 'We were able to carry out a pan-India operation.'The clear message from the tax authorities is that the department is non-intrusive and a facilitator but is keeping watch, said the CBDT chairman. A similar campaign will be rolled out this year using fresh data sets, he noted that the data received under various information exchange agreements had improved over the past two years. 'The quality of information has improved because they have also understood our requirements and it is helping us identify taxpayers that hold foreign assets,' he said. There is an emphasis on regular updates, as technology evolves to tackle areas such as the dark web, crypto and other new forms of said India is 'actively participating and contributing' to discussions at global forums on the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework. 'India's voice in all these platforms is being heard. We are deliberating as to how best we can actually exchange information,' he said, adding that the country had already enabled this through regulation. The CBDT chairman said digitisation has helped expand the taxpayer base to 90 million in FY25, from 30 million in FY14. Data showed that gross refunds issued increased by 474% — from Rs 83,008 crore in FY14 to Rs 4.76 lakh crore in FY25 — with the average refund processing time dropping to 17 days, from 93 22% of income tax returns were processed within a day, and 26% in two to seven department is collating annual data on about 6.5 billion transactions to prepare pre-filled forms for about 400 million taxpayers, with 99% of them agreeing with the information provided. 'As a country we should appreciate the background effort in pre-population of ITRs, which is prompting taxpayers towards compliance,' he said. With the Parliament select committee submitting a report on the new income tax bill, the real work for the department starts now. 'The bill is the first step, and associated with this will be rules, forms and capacity building,' said Agrawal. 'This is a transition for the I-T Department, as well as for taxpayers.' The immediate focus would be to gear up the department for the massive transformation expected, with the new law that takes effect April 1, 2026.
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu urges Centre to expedite civil aviation projects
Shimla: Chief minister on Wednesday urged Union minister of civil aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu to expedite pending issues related to the civil aviation sector in Himachal Pradesh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The request was made through a formal letter following discussions held during Sukhu's recent visit to New Delhi. In the letter, the CM highlighted the proposed expansion of Kangra Airport, for which the state government is in the process of acquiring approximately 150 hectares of land. Awards amounting to over Rs 1,900 crore have been prepared, and Rs 410 crore has already been disbursed. With the statutory one-year period for land acquisition ending next month, Sukhu requested the ministry to recommend the project to the ministry of finance and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for special central assistance. Sukhu also raised concerns about the techno-economic feasibility report of Kangra Airport, prepared by a private firm, stating that the estimated costs were on the higher side. He urged the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to review the report to arrive at a more realistic cost assessment. He also proposed exploring a tripartite agreement involving AAI, the state government, and a private partner to facilitate the airport's expansion. The CM pointed out that Kangra Airport currently operates under visual flight rules (VFR), which require a minimum visibility of five kilometres. He recommended introducing special VFR operations to reduce the visibility requirement to 2.5 km, enabling flight operations during low-visibility conditions. Given that Kangra is the largest and busiest airport in the state, Sukhu also called for the installation of night landing facilities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sukhu also requested the deployment of state police for airport security at Kullu and Shimla airports, similar to the arrangement at Kangra Airport, replacing the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). He also sought an extension of watch hours at Shimla Airport from 1 pm to 4 pm to allow a broader window for flight operations. To enhance infrastructure at Shimla Airport, the CM urged the provision of a second apron suitable for ATR 42/600 aircraft, which would support increased and simultaneous flight operations. He also called for the resumption of daily flights on the Shimla-Dharamshala-Shimla sector by Alliance Air. Sukhu requested operational authorisation for heliports at Sanjauli, Rampur, Baddi, and Kangnidhar by Oct this year. He added that under the Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) regional connectivity scheme's second phase, four additional heliports should be sanctioned at Jaskot in Hamirpur, Dehra in Kangra, and one each in Una and Bilaspur districts to boost air connectivity. He noted that air operators such as Heritage Aviation, Global Vectra, and Pawan Hans Ltd would be directed to operationalise their routes under the Udan scheme.
