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Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Samgoli solid waste project caught in political crossfire, says Mohali mayor
Mohali: The much-awaited Solid Waste Management Centre at Samgoli continues to be mired in bureaucratic delays and political wrangling, alleged mayor Amarjeet Singh Jeeti Sidhu on Thursday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Addressing a press conference, the mayor launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab govt, accusing it of turning a critical public health issue into a political tug-of-war. Mayor Sidhu said that while the city generates over 150 tonnes of waste daily, the current waste management contract covers only 100 tonnes. "With no proper dumping ground in Mohali, garbage is piling up at several locations and being temporarily dumped at RMC points, creating a hellish situation for residents," he said. Slamming recent remarks made by MLA Kulwant Singh regarding the Samgoli project, the mayor revealed that of the total 50 acres of land allotted for the waste management centre, 39 acres have already been acquired, and a boundary wall was constructed at a cost of Rs 35 lakh. However, the remaining 11 acres are entangled in bureaucratic delays within the revenue department. Sidhu also said that public-sector giants like HPCL and GAIL conducted surveys and submitted a proposal worth Rs 27 crore for setting up a biogas plant at the site. The project, envisioned under the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Corporation (PMIDC), has been stuck at the department's head office since March 2025. "This is not just a Mohali-specific project," the mayor said. "It has the potential to benefit the entire Gmada cluster, including Zirakpur, Derabassi, Banur, Lalru, and Naya Gaon. Yet, political delays are depriving lakhs of residents of clean surroundings." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Raising another major hurdle, the mayor said that the proposed site lacks proper road connectivity. Though the rural development and panchayati raj department issued a no- objection certificate (NOC) for constructing a Rs 29-crore access road, no work has begun at the ground level. Deputy Mayor Flags Infrastructure Gaps Echoing the mayor's concerns, deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi wrote a letter to the Punjab chief secretary — who also serves as Gmada chairman — highlighting the lack of access and infrastructure at the Samgoli site. Bedi, who recently visited the location, stated: "There is no proper approach road. A narrow eight-foot wide path, which turns into a kutcha stretch in the last kilometre, is the only way in. No plant, no machinery, not even a proper foundation has been laid — only a boundary wall exists." Calling Gmada's statements "misleading", Bedi accused officials of "feeding lies" to the public. He warned that the issue could soon turn into a full-blown public agitation if swift action is not taken.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Gemini goes local as Google courts Indian developers
Bengaluru: When Indian developers previously queried Google's AI models, their requests travelled thousands of kilometres to servers in other countries before returning with responses. That status quo changed a bit when Google unveiled four announcements at its developer-focused I/O event in Bengaluru on Wednesday, with one of the announcements being the localisation of AI processing within India's borders. "Indian developers can now use the powerful AI capabilities of Gemini 2.5 Flash here in India," Bikram Singh Bedi, vice president of Google Cloud Asia Pacific, told TOI. "Processing will now be available in India, and this is going to be critical from a perspective of data residency as well as low latency." The announcement addresses two critical concerns for Indian businesses – data residency regulatory concerns and latency issues. Previously, queries to Google's AI models would route through servers in the US or other global regions, not anymore though. "Certain applications need low latency, especially the ones where you're looking for real-time responses," Bedi explained. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The importance of low latency becomes clear when considering real-world applications. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo For video streaming services, even milliseconds of delay can mean the difference between smooth playback and frustrating buffering. Financial trading platforms require split-second responses, whilst customer service chatbots need immediate responses to maintain natural conversations. Manufacturing systems monitoring equipment breakdowns cannot afford delays that might result in costly production stoppages. The second major announcement centred on Firebase, Google's popular development platform. "We have deeply integrated the Gemini 2.5 Pro into our development platforms - both AI Studio and Firebase Studio," Bedi revealed. "Developers can now use multimodal prompts — video, image, speech, text — and they can build full-stack AI applications with AI-generated templates and powerful agentic features." The integration, Bedi said, allows developers to give simple prompts directly within the code editor to generate complete applications. Hardware constraints, a perennial concern for Indian developers targeting budget smartphones, formed the backdrop to announcement number three. Google unveiled Gemma 3, the newest member of its open-source family, and highlighted the Gemma 3n variant optimised for devices with as little as 2 giga byte of RAM. "Gemma 3 is significantly ahead of anything else out there and they're supporting 140 languages, including six Indian languages," Bedi said. Skills, rather than silicon, framed the final set piece. Last year's Gen AI Exchange programme—an online academy and hackathon series launched by Google and supported by the central govt—registered 270,000 learners and reached five million developers through satellite events. "Courses completed have topped thirty thousand, but that is only the warm-up," Bedi said, announcing a second edition hackathon that opens for entries next month. Winners will receive Google Cloud credits, mentoring, and a fast track to showcase their projects at next year's I/O. The exchange, launched first in India and now spreading worldwide, is designed to close what Google and other analysts peg as a severe skills gap across IT and security roles. According to Bedi, enterprises in India are rapidly adopting AI in a slew of different verticals. "Look at Federal Bank of India - they are leveraging our AI to improve customer service. They have this friendly AI personal assistant called Fedi," Bedi explained. "They are seeing a 25% rise in customer satisfaction and 50% saving in customer care cost." Mahindra & Mahindra is another example of a large Indian conglomerate leveraging AI in diverse ways, said Bedi. "They are using our Google Cloud Vertex AI platform for cutting-edge work in R&D, engineering, simulations, and manufacturing plants. They're looking at use cases like zero breakdown, energy consumption optimization, among others," Bedi said. Uttar Pradesh, Bedi said, is building an open agricultural network on Gemini "to put micro climate data and market prices in every farmer's pocket". Such examples, he argued, show that generative AI has moved from a curiosity to a basic requirement for organisations and state govts that want to stay competitive.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Cong rift surfaces in Mohali: Dy mayor, ex-min spar over land-pooling scheme
1 2 Mohali: Internal fissures within the Punjab Congress came out in the open as deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi and former health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu faced off over alleged remarks made during a recent protest against the land pooling scheme in Mohali. The controversy erupted during a Congress-led protest outside the GMADA office, where Sidhu, while addressing the gathering, allegedly made objectionable remarks against Bedi. Reacting to this, Bedi held a press conference on Tuesday, accusing Sidhu of political vendetta and "high-handedness" within the party ranks. "I was not present when the remarks were made, but several people informed me about what was said by Sidhu," Bedi claimed, adding that he viewed the remarks as a targeted attempt to malign his political image. However, in a bid to prevent the infighting from escalating, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring intervened and advised Bedi to refrain from making any public statements on the matter for now. "I have been directed by the party president to hold back my words until he returns from the Parliament session in Delhi," Bedi stated, confirming that he already submitted a formal complaint against Sidhu to the party high command. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why seniors are rushing to get this Internet box – here's why! Techno Mag Learn More Undo The clash is seen as part of an intensifying rivalry between the two leaders, both of whom are eyeing the Congress ticket for the upcoming Assembly elections from Mohali. While Balbir Singh Sidhu previously won the Mohali seat three times and served as a cabinet minister in Captain Amarinder Singh's govt, Bedi held two terms as councillor and currently serves as the city's Deputy Mayor. The incident has added to the growing list of internal tensions within the Punjab Congress, even as the party looks to consolidate its position ahead of the 2027 state polls. Party insiders suggest that a closed-door reconciliation may take place once Warring returns to Chandigarh.
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Business Standard
23-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Women in Haryana to get Rs 2,100 monthly aid under Lado Lakshmi scheme
Haryana is set to launch a welfare scheme that will give monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,100 for women in the state, benefiting 5 million of them. Lado Lakshmi Yojana, a key promise of the BJP in its campaign for the October 2024 assembly elections, is likely to be rolled out in phases, PTI reported quoting sources. A draft policy for the scheme has been sent to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) for final approval, said Krishan Kumar Bedi, Haryana's Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, on Tuesday. 'At the time of the polls, we made this promise. Our department has worked on it, and after several rounds of discussions, we have submitted a proposal. Once our department gets a go-ahead from the CMO and the finance department, it will be ready (to implement the scheme),' Bedi told PTI. Launch likely by August Government officials told PTI the scheme could be announced on or before Raksha Bandhan on August 9. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has previously stated that 'full planning' has been done for the rollout. In the 2025-26 state budget, Saini, who also holds the finance portfolio, had earmarked Rs 5,000 crore for the scheme. The financial aid is aimed at supporting women, especially those from lower-income households. Who will be eligible? While final eligibility criteria are yet to be announced, sources indicated that employed women and pensioners may be excluded from the scheme. The proposals currently suggest filters based on age, income levels, and other socio-economic factors. -Women from economically weaker sections could be prioritised. -Phased implementation may start with rural areas first, according to officials familiar with the matter. -The scheme is expected to provide a financial cushion to households and improve women's participation in family decisions.
News18
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Grown-up parentless children need to be adopted: Actor Mandira Bedi
Kolkata, Jul 20 (PTI) Actor cum cricket show host Mandira Bedi has said that while people generally adopt infants, grown-up parentless children should also have adoptive parents. She also said the process should be made simpler to encourage people to go for adoption. Bedi, the mother of a biological and an adoptive child, said, 'For us, adoption was never the last resort." 'Even when I was dating my husband, I told him I've always wanted to have a biological child and adopt one. It wasn't just a passing thought—it was a dream I held on to from my early 20s," she said. Motherhood is not defined by blood, but by intention, love and lifelong commitment," Bedi said while speaking at a panel discussion 'Normalising and Encouraging Adoption in India'. While adoption conversations often centre around infants, Bedi turned the spotlight on a reality often overlooked —the plight of older orphaned children in the adoption system. 'So many children get missed out. Everybody wants a baby they can hold from the very beginning. But slightly older children remain in the system unseen and forgotten. Think of them too, because nobody else does," she said. Speaking from her experience as an adoptive mother, Bedi revealed that her daughter Tara was four years old when she came home. She recalled a heart-wrenching incident at the adoption agency—another young girl who had been picked for adoption thrice, only to be returned each time due to unforeseen circumstances. 'It was heartbreaking. That little girl still hadn't found a home. It's very sad when older kids get left behind. But I'm living proof—it works. You can teach them your values, nurture them with love, and they grow into everything you dreamed of," the actor said. Bedi, who has a biological son Vir Kaushal and an adopted daughter Tara Bedi Kaushal, had lost her husband Raj Kaushal in 2021. Bedi essayed acclaimed roles in TV soaps 'Aurat', 'Kyunki Saaas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi', and was a popular host of ICC Cricket World Cups and the IPL in the past. The discussion was hosted by 'Sunfeast Mom's Magic' last week. PTI SUS NN view comments First Published: July 20, 2025, 17:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
