India's Got Latent, Corruption, Krutrim-DeepSeek

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Today is February 13. We’re covering the India’s Got Latent controversy, corruption rankings, Krutrim bringing DeepSeek to India, and more.

Policy & Governance

India Slips to 96th Rank in Global Corruption Index

India has dropped three places to rank 96th in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, released by Transparency International. The index, which measures perceived public sector corruption across 180 countries, gave India a score of 38 out of 100, continuing its decline from 39 in 2023 and 40 in 2022. Among its neighbors, Pakistan ranked 135th, Sri Lanka 121st, and Bangladesh 149th, while China fared better at 76th.

Simplified Income Tax Bill to be Introduced in Parliament

India is set to present a new, streamlined income tax bill in Parliament on Thursday, replacing the decades-old income tax law. The new bill will condense the law to 622 pages from over 800, dropping outdated sections to simplify tax regulations. The bill will not alter existing tax slabs or rebates. Income tax disputes have escalated to $154.25 billion as of March 2024, with $43.7 billion added in the past two years.

Railways Budget Allocation for Modern City Center-like Stations

The government has allocated over ₹12,000 crore to transform 1,337 railway stations into modern city centers in FY 2025-26. The project aims to introduce airport-like amenities such as executive lounges, food plazas, free WiFi, and local cultural elements. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have the highest number of stations selected for this program. Most stations are being redeveloped under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction model, while 20 major stations, including Pune, Delhi Junction, and Chennai Central, are following a Public-Private Partnership model.

Tech, Media & Telecom

Samay Raina Deletes ‘India’s Got Latent’ Episodes

Comedian Samay Raina has removed all episodes of his YouTube show "India’s Got Latent" following backlash over a controversial remark made by influencer Ranveer Allahbadia on the show. Raina called the issue "too much to handle" and stated that he would cooperate with authorities.

The uproar intensified after Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis condemned the incident, leading to multiple FIRs against Raina, Allahbadia, and others on the show.

Infosys Lays Off 700 Freshers, Union Alleges Intimidation Tactics

Infosys has reportedly laid off nearly 700 freshers from its Mysuru campus, according to the IT employees’ union NITES. The affected employees had waited over two years after graduation to join the company in September 2024, only to be terminated six months later for failing internal assessments.

The union alleged that Infosys used security personnel to intimidate employees during the termination process. Infosys follows a three-attempt rule for assessment clearance, as stated in its contracts.

Bhavish Aggarwal’s Krutrim Deploys DeepSeek’s AI Model for Indian Developers

Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal announced on Tuesday that Krutrim, his AI startup, has deployed DeepSeek’s latest foundation model, R1 671B, on Nvidia’s H100 GPUs in India. DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, recently open-sourced R1, claiming it to be one of the most powerful models available. Aggarwal stated that Krutrim will provide access to Indian developers at a promotional rate of ₹1 per million tokens for February.

IndiaAI Mission to Fund AI Model Development with ₹1,500 Crore

The Indian government has earmarked ₹1,500 crore under the IndiaAI Mission to support the development of foundational AI models, IndiaAI CEO Abhishek Singh announced. However, the funding will not be available for projects focused solely on fine-tuning existing models. The move aligns with the government’s broader AI strategy, which includes developing multiple generative AI models over the coming months.

Lam Research to Invest ₹10,000 Crore in India's Semiconductor Push

U.S.-based chip toolmaker Lam Research has announced a ₹10,000 crore ($1.2 billion) investment in Karnataka over the next few years. The Indian government has been actively promoting chip manufacturing through a $10 billion incentive package, aiming for a $63 billion semiconductor market by 2026. Foxconn is also setting up a facility nearby. Both central and state governments will provide incentives for Lam Research’s semiconductor unit.

India Leads Global AR Lens Creation on Snapchat

India has become the top source of augmented reality (AR) lenses on Snapchat, with the country's AR developer community growing by 50% over the last two years. According to Snap Inc. co-founder Bobby Murphy, India now holds the second-largest AR developer community globally. The country also leads in the number of lenses created, with 80 billion engagements on these lenses every month.

Health

Young Indians Misusing Weight Loss Drugs, Leading to Health Risks

Doctors warn that there is a concerning rise in young Indians (25-40 years old) misusing weight loss drugs like tirzepatide and semaglutide, which are not available in India. Many are procuring these drugs from the grey market and self-administering them unsupervised.

Doctors have reported increasing cases of individuals landing in hospitals due to side effects from the drugs. Despite advice to stop the misuse, some users continue the injections when they regain the weight, worsening the situation.

Sports

India Thrash England 3-0 in ODI Series Sweep

India defeated England by 142 runs in the final ODI in Ahmedabad, sealing a dominant 3-0 series sweep. Shubman Gill’s century and an incisive bowling attack dismantled England, capping off a tough tour for the visitors. England’s batting woes continued—they were bowled out in six of the eight matches played on this tour and lost nine wickets in the other two.

Energy & Environment

India Among Top 10 Most Affected by Extreme Weather in Last Three Decades

A new report by Germanwatch ranks India as the sixth-most severely affected country by extreme weather from 1993 to 2022, with over 80,000 deaths and $180 billion in economic losses. Globally, more than 7.65 lakh deaths and $4.2 trillion in damages were recorded across 9,400 extreme weather events. India alone saw over 400 such events in the past three decades.

France, India to Jointly Develop Advanced Nuclear Reactors

India and France have announced plans to collaborate on the development of advanced modular and small modular nuclear reactors for civilian use. The agreement was reached during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The two nations have previously worked together in nuclear energy, including discussions on building the world’s largest nuclear power plant in Maharashtra. However, progress on that project has been slow due to India’s stringent regulations for nuclear reactor manufacturers. India has set an ambitious target of generating 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2047 as part of its clean energy transition.

Government Eased Border Security Rules for Adani's Massive Renewable Energy Park

The Indian government relaxed security protocols along the Pakistan border to enable the development of Khavda, the world’s largest renewable energy park, constructed by Adani Group in Gujarat. Documents reviewed by The Guardian and Scroll reveal that the Defence Ministry amended security protocols to make the 445 sq. km. area commercially viable.

The solar and wind project, just 1 km. from the India-Pakistan border, will generate 30GW of renewable energy, equivalent to powering nations like Belgium or Chile. The move has sparked national security concerns, with defence experts calling it "imprudent" to allow such infrastructure so close to a volatile international border.

Worth a Look

This AI-made short video on the Mahabharata features some incredibly realistic shots and an AI-generated version of Lord Ganesha. It shows the potential of AI in filmmaking.

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