Latest news with #466
The Hindu
a day ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Railways rationalises fares, enhances medical facilities to improve passenger services: Ashwini Vaishnaw
The Indian Railways is moving towards a more efficient, safe, and socially inclusive system, Union Minister for Railways, IT, and Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the Lok Sabha, in response to questions raised by Eluru MP P. Mahesh Kumar, on Wednesday. Highlighting recent fare adjustments, the Minister explained that, after a five-year gap, the Railways has implemented minimal rationalisation of ticket charges from July 1, 2025. The average increase across sleeper, 3AC, 2AC, and general classes ranges between 0.5 to 2 paisa per kilometre. No fare hike was made for journeys under 500 km in the general class, and suburban fares and Monthly Season Tickets (MST) remain unchanged. The Minister noted that Indian Railways continues to offer significant subsidies—Rs.60,466 crore in FY 2023–24, amounting to nearly 45% of total passenger service costs. Concessions remain for persons with disabilities, patients, and students. The additional revenue generated is being directed towards service improvement, including safety, punctuality, and station redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Services like Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, and Namo Bharat trains, along with digital platforms such as Rail Madad and UTS Mobile App, are being expanded for better commuter access. Responding to a separate question from the same MP regarding emergency medical services, the Minister informed that medical boxes equipped with life-saving equipment and oxygen are now available at stations and onboard trains, following Supreme Court directives and AIIMS recommendations. Frontline railway staff, including ticket examiners and station masters, are receiving regular first-aid training, and emergency contact details of nearby medical facilities are displayed at stations. Ambulance services are being coordinated with state governments and private providers to ensure prompt medical response. These efforts, the Minister said, reaffirm Indian Railways' commitment to passenger welfare and safety.
Gulf Today
24-06-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
India's exports outpaced global growth to touch record high in FY25
India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday lauded the resilience of Indian exporters for successfully 'swimming against the tide' to reach a record high turnover of $825 billion in total exports despite the global slowdown. 'India's total exports reached a record high of $825 billion, achieving 6 per cent growth over the previous year and significantly, $466 billion over 2013-14. While global exports grew by only 4 per cent. India's exporters managed to fast-track and cross 6.3 per cent,' she said, in her address at the Exim Bank Trade Conclave 2025 here. 'In the last few years, global trade and growth have suffered; global growth has not seen an uptick, according to the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank's annual estimates. It doesn't seem the world is in the mood to go along with exports-even after this, Indian exporters have shown resilience and grown despite the setbacks in global exports,' the Finance Minister pointed out. She also praised the exporters for the tech-infused high-tech products that are being exported, which was not the case before and finding newer markets in a world where consumption is coming down in various countries such as those in Europe. Sitharaman highlighted that despite recession-like conditions in Europe, 'our exporters have creatively rerouted and found newer markets'. 'India is not just exporting bulk commodities but well-engineered, high-standard products,' she underlined. About the ongoing talks to finalise free trade agreements, Sitharaman said, these pacts will change the dynamics of the country's exports in the future. 'Intense trade negotiations are going on with the US and the European Union and should come to a conclusion soon. Emphasis is being made on getting more free trade agreements getting signed,' she said. She assured the exporters of the steadfast support of the Indian government. In the context, she highlighted five key measures undertaken by the government to boost exports. These include upgradation of transport and logistics infrastructure, targeted support to MSMEs and technological assistance extended to research institutions, including IITs and IIMs. Besides, the government launched the International Trade Finance Services platform at GIFT City and rolled out Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, which have led to a jump in the production of electronic products, including smartphones. The Finance Minister also refuted global criticism on India charging high tariffs on its imports by pointing out that as many as 7 tariff rates were removed in this year's budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to significantly reduce pendency in grievance redressal mechanisms such as CPGRAMS and e-Nivaran pertaining to the department. She also emphasised that prompt and time-bound disposal of taxpayer grievances is essential for ensuring responsive governance. Chairing the Conclave of Principal Chief Commissioners of Income-tax here, the minister was apprised about key performance indicators. Out of the total 160,229 grievances (CPGRAMS and E-nivaran) for FY 2025-26, 1,31,844 grievances were resolved (up to 17.06.2025), leading to 82.28 per cent disposal. Refunds issued for FY 2025-26 (as on June 19) saw 58.04 per cent annual growth, showing better taxpayer services Rs23,376 crore refunds issued on account of Order Giving Effects and Rs10,496 crore refunds issued on rectification in FY2025-26. Out of the pending 5.77 lakh appeals, over 2.25 lakh appeals are targeted for completion in FY 2025-26, addressing over Rs10 lakh crore of disputed demand, the minister was informed during the meeting. Around 4,605 cases were withdrawn after the monetary limits were raised in 2024, and in around 3,120 cases, appeals were not filed as the monetary limits for filing appeals were increased. Sitharaman noted that CBDT has undertaken several significant reforms in recent years, particularly in faceless assessment, e-verification system, tax exemptions & changes in slab rates, and digital service delivery. She called for further consolidation of these reforms to deliver tangible benefits to taxpayers. The Finance Minister directed all Principal Chief Commissioners of Income Tax to prioritise and accelerate the disposal of disputed tax demands that are currently pending before the faceless appellate authorities. This is aimed at reducing litigation backlog and ensuring timely resolution, thereby enhancing taxpayer trust in the system. She instructed that all departmental appeals falling below the revised monetary thresholds as notified in recent policy changes be identified and withdrawn within a period of three months. Reuters
TimesLIVE
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Honda-backed Helm.ai unveils vision system for self-driving cars
Honda Motor-backed on Thursday unveiled its camera-based system to interpret urban environments, dubbed Vision, and said it was in talks with other carmakers to deploy its self-driving technology in mass market vehicles. is working with the Japanese carmaker to integrate its technology in the upcoming 2026 Honda Zero electric vehicles, which will allow users to drive hands-free and take their eyes off the road. "We're definitely in talks with many OEMs and we're on track for deploying our technology in production," CEO and founder Vladislav Voroninski told Reuters. "Our business model is essentially licensing this kind of software and also foundation model software to the carmakers." The California-based startup's vision-first approach aligns with Elon Musk's Tesla, which also relies on camera-based systems as alternate sensors such as lidar and radar can increase costs. However, Voroninski said while has foundation models that work with other sensors, its primary offering remains vision-focused. Industry experts said other sensors are critical to safety as they can act as backup for cameras, which are known to underperform in low-visibility conditions. Robotaxi companies such as Alphabet's Waymo and May Mobility use a combination of radar, lidar and cameras to perceive their surroundings. has raised $102m (R1,839,466,847) to date and counts Goodyear Ventures, Korean car parts maker Sungwoo HiTech and Amplo among its investors. Vision combines images from many cameras to create a bird's-eye view map, which helps improve the vehicle's planning and control systems, the company said. The system is optimised for several hardware platforms made by Nvidia and Qualcomm. This enables carmakers to incorporate Vision into their existing vehicle systems, which include their own technologies for predicting and planning vehicle movements.
GMA Network
17-06-2025
- General
- GMA Network
No winners of major lotto draws as Ultra Lotto 6/58 jackpot reaches P131M
There were no winners of the three major lotto jackpots offered by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. No bettor chose the winning combination of 45-01-19-09-44-11 for the Ultra Lotto 6/58 jackpot, which now stands at P131,566,412.00. There was also no winning bettor for the Superlotto 6/49 prize of P76,466,205.00, with nobody choosing the winning numbers 27-19-08-21-46-24. It was the same story for Lotto 6/42 when no one picked the correct numbers of 06-30-17-41-04-18 that would have won the P21,080,522.80 jackpot. For the complete lotto results, click here. —RF, GMA Integrated News
Epoch Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Homebuying Season Underperforms as Supply Hits 5-Year High
The sale of existing homes declined in April on a monthly and annual basis amid a jump in supplies, real estate brokerage Redfin said in a May 19 Sales fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of nearly 4.2 million units in April, the lowest level since October 2024. It was down 0.2 percent from March and lower by 1.1 percent from April 2024—the first annual decline in seven months. However, there were 1.94 million homes for sale in April, up over 16 percent from a year back. This was the highest level of supply since March 2020. 'Spring is typically the busiest season for the housing market, and with the housing shortage easing and mortgage rates slightly lower than a year ago, one might expect home sales to be stronger,' the brokerage said. 'But Redfin agents report that homebuyers and sellers last month were particularly nervous about tariffs and the ongoing trade war.' Redfin attributed the sluggish housing demand to high home prices and elevated mortgage rates. Related Stories 5/16/2025 5/12/2025 The median home sale price was $438,466 in April, up 1.4 percent year-over-year. The average 30-year-fixed mortgage rate in April was 6.73 percent, up from 6.65 percent in March. Monthly housing payments hit a record high in April. This past week brought some relief from tariff anxiety when the United States and China According to the agreement, the United States lowered tariffs on Chinese imports to 30 percent while China rolled back its U.S. import tariffs to 10 percent. In a May 12 'NAHB urges the administration to move quickly to obtain fair, equitable trade deals with other nations that will result in the elimination of tariffs that are currently hurting building material supply chains and raising construction costs.' The NAHB On the plus side, Hughes said builders are expecting that 'future trade negotiations and progress on tax policy will help stabilize the economic outlook and strengthen housing demand.' Housing Affordability A May 15 'In April, many households didn't know what was next for their jobs, investment portfolios, or budgets. As a result, some potential buyers sat on the sidelines, awaiting further clarity before making significant purchases—including homes,' the report said. There was almost 20 percent more inventory last month compared to a year back, providing buyers with more options. Meanwhile, sellers are increasingly opting to cut prices to attract buyers. 'Though the spring housing market started more sluggishly than desired, activity is underway, with improved options for buyers, steady price growth, and better affordability than last year; all positive indicators for the months ahead,' Zillow said. Meanwhile, lawmakers are taking action to address the affordability issue. Last month, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act that is expected to help build nearly 1.6 million new affordable homes over the next 10 years, according to an April 29 The legislation is related to the federal government's Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) LIHTC provides states and local agencies with around $10.5 billion in annual budget authority to issue tax credits for acquiring, rehabilitating, or building rental housing for lower-income households. The Act would boost tax credits available to states by 50 percent for the next two years. It would also make a 12.5 percent temporary tax credit increase from 2018 permanent. 'It's time for Congress to meet the housing crisis with the bold solutions it demands, and that starts with increasing housing supply,' said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), another bill sponsor. 'Our bill will deliver some much-needed relief to families by supporting existing, successful federal housing programs and building over one million new units of affordable housing. I am all in to bring down costs and make housing more affordable for everyone no matter your zip code.'
