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Will the Paytm FASTag cease to function on February 29th? Following the most recent RBI action, here’s what you should do!

RBI’s action targets Paytm’s banking operations, allowing customers to still use Paytm for digital payments as long as their account is connected to an external bank!

RBI on Wednesday took a major action against the Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) directing the company to stop accepting deposits or top-ups in any customer accounts including wallets and FASTags and other instruments after February 29. The action by RBI comes after a system audit report and subsequent compliance validation report of external auditors.

The RBI’s move primarily targets Paytm’s banking operations, allowing customers to still utilize Paytm for digital payments as long as their account remains connected to an external bank.

In a statement about the action taken, RBI said, “No further deposits or credit transactions or top-ups shall be allowed in any customer accounts, prepaid instruments, wallets, FASTags, NCMC cards, etc. after February 29, 2024, other than any interest, cashbacks, or refunds which may be credited anytime,”

Here’s a look at what users should do in case they own a Paytm FASTag.

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What is FASTag? 

Government requirements mandate having a FASTag on the windshield of all your four-wheeler vehicles. FASTag is an electronic toll collection system in India, operated by the NHAI. It employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making payments at the toll booths using prepaid wallets.

What happens to your Paytm FASTag after February 28? 

RBI has allowed Paytm FASTag customers to extinguish their balances but they cannot load these instruments with more money starting from March 1.

How to deactivate your Paytm FASTag? 

1) Download the Paytm app on your mobile device and log in through your existing credentials. 

2) Type ‘FASTag’ in the search bar and then tap on ‘Manage FASTag’ under the ‘Services’ section

3) You will be taken to a screen displaying all the active FASTag accounts linked to your Paytm number

4) Navigate to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Help & Support’

5) Now tap on ‘Need help with non-order related queries?’ and select the ‘Queries related to updating FASTag profile’ option. 

6) You should now see a ‘I want to close my FASTag’ option, Click on it and follow the ensuing steps. 

This Article was originally published on Livemint News!

Also Read : 3 killed as speeding car hits e-rickshaw in Jalandhar!

3 killed as speeding car hits e-rickshaw in Jalandhar!

Eyewitnesses said the driver of the speeding Audi lost control over the car and hit the e-rickshaw before ramming into a motorcycle. The two motorcyclists are hospitalised!

Three persons were killed when a speeding car rammed into the e-rickshaw in which they were travelling on the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway on Tuesday night, police said.

The accident took place near Bidhipur railway crossing. One of the e-rickshaw passengers died on the spot, while the other two succumbed to their injuries on the way to a local hospital.

Investigation officer Jatinder Kumar said eyewitnesses reported that the driver of the speeding Audi lost control over the car and hit the e-rickshaw before ramming into a motorcycle. The two motorcyclists are admitted to the civil hospital in Jalandhar where their condition is stated to be critical.

“The car driver fled from the spot. The car is registered in the name of a private company in Chandigarh,” Jatinder Kumar said.

The deceased were identified as Paramjit Singh, Jagdish Chandar and Pankaj, all residents of Jalandhar city. The two injured are Govind and Harpreet Singh.

A case was registered under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash driving) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the unidentified car driver.

This Article was originally published on Hindustantimes News!

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Suspended Punjab AIG Sidhu arrested in fresh extortion case!

Punjab AIG

The district police on Tuesday arrested suspended Punjab Police Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Malwinder Singh Sidhu in an alleged extortion case after some incriminating recordings were found in a recorder recovered from Sidhu when he was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau (VB) last year.

The accused AIG was produced in a court and remanded to a three-day police custody.

According to information, a fresh case was registered against Sidhu under Sections 384 (extortion), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC and Section 7-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Phase-VIII police station. Sidhu was arrested after registration of the case.

DSP (city-2) Harsimran Singh Bal confirmed the arrest and said police were investigating the case. He refused to divulge details of the recordings on the basis of which the case was registered. “We are investigating it and can disclose things only after questioning him,” the DSP added.

Sources in the police told that during the forensic examination of the recorder that was recovered from Sidhu by the VB when he was arrested in a corruption case, some recordings were found which indicated that Sidhu was extorting money from people.

“The preliminary investigation had indicated that Sidhu, along with his accomplices, was making extortion calls to people and threatening to frame them,” the sources added.

AIG Sidhu was posted in the Human Rights Cell when he was arrested by the VB in November last year. It was alleged in the VB FIR that Sidhu was impersonating the IG posted in VB.

In the past, a spokesperson for the VB had said in a statement that Sidhu used to initiate complaints against government employees, only to subsequently withdraw them in order to blackmail them for illicit gains. The statement also said that during the investigation, it was found that Sidhu, serving as the AIG of the Human Rights Cell since 2017, never held the positions of AIG or IG within the VB in the past five years.

This article was published on The Indianexpress.

Also Read- INDIAN ARMY ISSUES RFI FOR OUTSOURCING OF OVERHAUL OF T-72 TANKS; SUPPLYING MAJOR ASSEMBLIES & SPARES!

INDIAN ARMY ISSUES RFI FOR OUTSOURCING OF OVERHAUL OF T-72 TANKS; SUPPLYING MAJOR ASSEMBLIES & SPARES!

INDIAN ARMY

Indian Army invites Request for Information (RFI) from the interested bidders for undertaking the Overhaul of Armoured Fighting Vehicles i.e. Tank T-72 including the provisioning of major assemblies/ sub-assemblies and spares.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to identify prospective vendors (DPSUs / Private Indian Vendors) to undertake the Overhaul of Tank T-72 Tanks on a complete outsourcing model and facilitate preparation of Request for Proposal (RFP).Indian Army stated that all DPSUs and Private Indian Vendors are eligible to respond to this RFI and participate in this project.

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Objectives

Base overhaul to be carried out to ensure restoration of equipment to as good as new condition, rendering a fresh lease of life for enhanced serviceability and operational reliability for residual life of the equipment. This is a well-planned and comprehensively executed activity, to neutralize effects of age, usage and restoration of the equipment to near Zero Hour, Zero Kilometer state of operational! readiness.

Process of overhaul of Tank T-72 should include stripping of the tank, removal of assemblies, stripping of the assemblies that are repairable, inspection of the components of repairable assemblies, repair the assemblies by replacing the worn-out parts, replacement of assemblies with new ones that are not repairable, 100% replacement of parts that have limited shelf-life/life (gaskets, seals, rings, bearings, fasteners. washers etc), testing of assemblies, integration in tank, testing of systems of the tank, testing complete tank and Quality Assurance by the buyer, in accordance to the governing specifications.

This Article was originally published on hindustantimes!

Also Read : Google spent ₹17,500 crore to lay off 12,000 employees!

Sophie Ellis-Bextor to perform at BAFTA Film Awards

Bafta Film Awards

Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor is all set to showcase her singing skills at the upcoming edition of the BAFTA Awards.PoliticsAs per Variety, the British Academy announced that Sophie will perform her hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ at the ceremony, marking the latest stage in a triumphant comeback for the track, first released in December 2001.The track, which was released almost 20 years ago, found renewed attention on social media. It was recently featured in Emerald Fennell’s BAFTA-nominated film ‘Saltburn’. So the latest edition of BAFTA is truly going to usher in a wave of nostalgia among fans.The ‘Saltburn’ effect has seen the disco romp become something of a viral sensation, amassing hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos and storming back up international charts. Just a few weeks after Emerald Fennell’s dark comedy landed on Amazon, Sophie made her first-ever Billboard Hot 100 appearance with “Murder” bowing at No. 98 and continuing to rise since then, the publication reported.The BAFTA ceremony will be hosted by David Tennant. The nominations were announced earlier this month. Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ led nominations, securing 13 nods.Yorgos Lanthimos’ black-comedy science fantasy ‘Poor Things’ also grabbed the top spot in the list as it earned 11 nods.’Oppenheimer’ is competing for British Academy honors in categories such as best film, director (for Nolan), adapted screenplay, as well as for best leading actor (Cillian Murphy), best-supporting actress (Emily Blunt) and best-supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.), among others. ‘Poor Things’ is nominated for such honors as Best Film, outstanding British Film (for Lanthimos and others), Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as Best Leading Actress (Emma Stone). Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’, one of the highest-grossing films of 2023, fell short. It secured nomination in only five categories.

‘saltburn’ is nominated for five awards, including Keoghan for Leading Man. The cermony will take place on February 18.

This article was published on ANI News.

Also Read- In Viral Video, Shah Rukh Khan Hugs Fan Who Became Emotional After Meeting Him

Google spent ₹17,500 crore to lay off 12,000 employees!

Google parent Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 job in January 2023, biggest in its history.

google

Google incurred $2.1 billion (around ₹17,500 crore) in severance and related expenses during its 2023 layoffs, which affected over 12,000 employees. In this month alone, the company has already spent $700 million on severance charges for additional layoffs, encompassing more than 1,000 roles. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, disclosed these figures in its fourth-quarter earnings release on Tuesday.

In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6 per cent, of its global workforce. This was the biggest layoff in the history of Google, but was “essential” for the company, chief executive Sundar Pichai had said earlier.

Alphabate posts double-digit revenue growth in 4th quarter

Google’s parent company reported a noteworthy return to double-digit revenue growth in the last quarter of the previous year, with a boost from video-sharing platform YouTube and its cloud computing unit.

The results, announced on Tuesday, marked Alphabet’s third consecutive quarter of increasing revenue growth, primarily driven by Google’s dominance in search and online advertising. This rebound is significant, considering the unprecedented drop in Google’s ad revenue following almost two decades of uninterrupted growth, especially during the initial stages of the pandemic.

Also Read : Bihar Deputy Chief Minister’s jab at Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Nitish Kumar, “Born with golden spoon!

Google

However, while Google’s ad sales demonstrated growth, it lagged behind increases in other areas, such as cloud computing and YouTube subscriptions.

Despite the fourth-quarter results exceeding analysts’ expectations, Alphabet’s shares faced a dip of nearly 7 per cent in extended trading.

The company attributed its profit boost in the final quarter to the positive impact of artificial intelligence (AI).

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said: “Each of these is already benefiting from our AI investments and innovation.”

More job cuts ahead in Google

CEO Sundar Pichai has alerted employees to anticipate further job cuts in the upcoming months, aiming to “simplify execution”.

In a memo, Pichai said that the layoffs will concentrate on streamlining operations by “removing layers” from various departments to enhance the company’s efficiency, according to the report. He clarified, “These role eliminations are not at the scale of last year’s reductions, and will not touch every team.”

This article was published on Hindustantimes News!

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Bihar Deputy Chief Minister’s jab at Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Nitish Kumar, “Born with golden spoon!

“Rahul Gandhi will never be able to understand the conditions of this place because he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth,” Bihar Deputy CM Sinha said!

After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi mocked Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for rejoining the NDA on Tuesday, deputy CM Vijay Sinha came out in defence of the CM. Sinha said that Rahul Gandhi ‘was born with a golden spoon in his mouth’ and that ‘he would never understand the pain of the public.’ “Those who spend time on the ground understand the situation,” Sinha said.

Addressing reporters in Patna, Sinha said, “Rahul Gandhi will never be able to understand the social and geographical conditions of this place because he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Those who spend time on the ground understand the situation. Dynastic families with criminal and corrupt mindsets can never understand the pain of the public.”

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday slammed Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for “taking a U-turn each time little pressure is exerted” by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Addressing the public in Bihar’s Purnea Rahul said,” Right now Baghel ji (former Chhattisgarh CM) told me a joke. The joke goes like this…Your chief minister took oath at Governor’s house. Some of his ministers also took oath. Celebrations were going on. Nitish Kumar decided to go back to his home. Suddenly while going back he realised he has left his shawl at the Governor’s house. He went back and met the Governor. Governor was shocked and said you came back so quick this time.”

So this is the condition of Bihar a little pressure is exerted, and he (Nitish Kumar) makes a U-turn,” Gandhi said. Taking a dig at the Congress leader Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary said that it is “Rahul Gandhi who is solely responsible for the current condition of Lalu Prasad Yadav.”

On Sunday, Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar for the ninth occasion at Raj Bhawan in Patna, marking another shift in alliances as he joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance once again. It was for the second time in two years that Nitish Kumar switched political affiliations, marking his fifth crossover in just over a decade.

This article was Originally published on Hindustantimes News!

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In Viral Video, Shah Rukh Khan Hugs Fan Who Became Emotional After Meeting Him

Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan met one of his Jabra fans recently and his gesture has been winning hearts of millions. A video went viral from the event in which a fan can be seen getting emotional after meeting Shah Rukh Khan. In the video, the fan can be seen shivering while he talks to Shah Rukh Khan. Shah Rukh Khan can be seen comforting him and hugging him. The video has been garnering a whole lot of love on social media. An Instagram user wrote, “Kindness , humility, respect… for his fans.” Another fan wrote, “Shah took care of me the same way when i got emotional meeting him for the first time.”  Another comment read, “Can definitely relate to these emotions.” In the video, Shah Rukh Khan can be seen twinning with his fan in black outfits. Later, Shah Rukh Khan also posed for a group picture with the fan. Take a look:

A few days back, Shah Rukh Khan wrote a gratitude note for his film Jawan’s VFX team. The makers of the film released a Jawan showreel or a VFX breakdown of all the action sequences in the film that appealed to the fans. Sharing the showreel link on X (previously known as Twitter) Red Chillies VFX wrote, “Jawan Showreel aapka hua (Jawan Showreel is now yours). The culmination of more than a year’s hardwork by our team on one of our most aspirational projects, #Jawan, is finally out on our YouTube channel. Your overwhelming love and appreciation for the film mean the world to us. Here’s hoping the VFX breakdown brings you as much joy as it brought us to create.”

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The post was reshared by Shah Rukh Khan on his X feed alongside a moving note. Acknowledging the VFX team’s hardwork, and thanking them for working around the clock, the Dunki star wrote, “A film becomes complete and beautiful by the work of people who never get to be seen on screen. Round the clock work….so many deadlines….last minute glitches…..and still to deliver this excellence. Thank u boys and girls….Jawan without you would never be…”READY..!” Love u all.” Take a look:

Shah Rukh Khan had a stellar 2023 professionally. He returned with a bang and how. He featured in the smash hit Pathaan last year, alongside Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. The actor then starred in Atlee’s smash hit Jawan with Nayanthara, Sanya Malhotra and Vijay Sethupathi and Deepika Padukone. The film was a big hit. He ended the year with Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki, co-starring with Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal and Boman Irani. The film opened to largely positive reviews.

This article was Originally published on NDTV

Click Here For Shah Rukh Khan Biography

Chandigarh Fire: Massive fire breaks out in furniture market, several shops gutted, watch visuals!

“Catastrophic Blaze: Chandigarh Furniture Market Engulfed in Massive Fire, Witness the Devastating Aftermath!”

Chandigarh Fire: In a distressing incident, a massive fire ravages in Chandigarh’s furniture market near Sector 53-54 in the border area of Mohali and Chandigarh.

As per the reports, several shops were gutted in Chandigarh fire. Several fire tenders have been deployed to extinguish the fire that engulfed numerous shops. The cause behind the fire is still unknown.

Though there was no loss of life, goods worth lakhs were gutted in the fire the cause of which is yet to be ascertained . Five shops were destroyed when a fire broke out at the furniture market in Sector 53, Chandigarh, on Tuesday morning.

Though there was no loss of life, goods worth lakhs were gutted, police said. Panic gripped residents in the area, while fire brigade personnel rushed to douse the blaze. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. Twelve furniture shops and a tea stall were destroyed due to a fire in the market, located on the border of Chandigarh and Mohali in Punjab, on June 23, 2022.

Tuesday’s blaze comes three months after a fire broke out at a furniture factory in Chandigarh’s industrial area on October 2.

This article was published on PTC News!

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Elon Musk Announces Neuralink’s Successful brain implant procedure in first human recipient!

Neuralink was given clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration last year to conduct its first trial to test its implant on humans!

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Neuralink, announced on Monday that the first human recipient of an implant from the brain-chip startup underwent the procedure on Sunday and is recovering well.

Taking to social media, X, Musk posted, “The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well.

Neuralink was given clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration last year to conduct its first trial to test its implant on humans. “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” Musk’s post added.

According to Neuralink’s website, it has received approval from the independent institutional review board.The PRIME Study (short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) – an investigational medical device trial for fully-implantable, wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) – aims to evaluate the safety of our implant (N1) and surgical robot (R1) and assess the initial functionality of our BCI for enabling people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts, according to the company’s website.

During the study, the R1 Robot will be used to surgically place the N1 Implant’s ultra-fine and flexible threads in a region of the brain that controls movement intention. Once in place, the N1 Implant is cosmetically invisible and is intended to record and transmit brain signals wirelessly to an app that decodes movement intention. 

The initial goal of our BCI is to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone, it also said.

The PRIME Study is being conducted under the investigational device exemption (IDE) awarded by the FDA in May 2023 and represents an important step in our mission to create a generalised brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs, it added.

Musk and his company have already faced massive criticism for the trial of “brain chips” on lab animals. In February 2022, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine submitted a complaint alleging that Neuralink did “invasive and deadly brain experiments.”

By December of that year, the company was being investigated by federal authorities for potential violations of animal welfare standards, with documents indicating that the company had murdered around 1,500 animals, including rats, monkeys, pigs, and mice, since 2018.

Neuralink fought back against these very serious allegations claiming that the rhesus macaque monkeys under its care were “respected and honoured” by the team. 

This article was originally published on Hindustantimes!

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