Ratan Tata's Will, Waqf Bill, Lakes

Welcome to 1947—your sharp, no-nonsense guide to India’s most important news.

It’s April 2. Today: who gets what in Ratan Tata’s will, the Waqf bill debate, and a man’s efforts to restore 142 lakes. Plus, job openings at InMobi, Jupiter, Entrepreneur First, and more in Who’s Hiring. And a new Social Spotlight section that features sharp takes from founders, investors, and thinkers shaping India.

Policy, Governance & Regulation

> Stage Set for the Waqf Battle
The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, set to be tabled in the Lok Sabha on April 2, seeks to reform regulations around Waqf properties. Key changes include restricting Waqf declarations to property owners who have practiced Islam for at least five years and eliminating “waqf by user,” which previously allowed properties to be classified as Waqf based on long-term religious use. The Opposition has condemned the bill as unconstitutional and plans to vote against it. (Bar & Bench, NDTV)

> Supreme Court Slams Prayagraj Bulldozer Demolitions
The Supreme Court has condemned the Prayagraj Development Authority for demolishing six homes illegally, directing ₹10 lakh compensation to each affected individual. The bench emphasized that the Constitution guarantees a right to shelter. It ruled that residential structures of citizens cannot be decided in such an arbitrary manner, calling the actions a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution and an abuse of power. (Bar & Bench)

> Court Sentences Self-Styled Preacher to Life Imprisonment for Rape
A Punjab court has sentenced self-styled Christian preacher Bajinder Singh to life imprisonment for raping a woman in 2018. Singh, who gained millions of followers for his evangelist-style preaching and healing events, leads the Church of Glory and Wisdom, one of Punjab's largest private churches, and has a significant social media following with over three million YouTube subscribers. (BBC)

Health & Environment

> Vaccination Drive to Tackle Cervical Cancer
Tens of thousands of doctors are being trained to promote the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as part of India’s effort to eliminate cervical cancer, which accounts for one in five global cases. With domestic vaccine production underway, the government plans to add it to the national immunization program soon. (The Guardian)

> Engineer Restores 142 Lakes, Expands Efforts to Kenya
After returning from Dubai in 2018, Nimal Raghavan witnessed the devastation of Tamil Nadu’s Gaja Cyclone and shifted from engineering to lake restoration. Since then, he has revived 142 lakes across India, relying on crowdfunding, corporate social responsibility funds, and community support. Now, his water conservation efforts are set to expand beyond India, with Kenya as the next destination. (The Print)

Business

> China Eyes More Indian Imports Amid Trade Imbalance
China has expressed interest in purchasing more Indian products to address the trade imbalance. Bilateral trade stood at $101.7 billion in 2023-24, with India running a sizable deficit. Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of India-China cooperation on global issues and border stability. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is set to impose tariffs targeting what he calls unfair trade practices. (Bloomberg)

> Ratan Tata Bequeaths Majority of Wealth to Charity, Family, and Pets
Ratan Tata’s will allocates the bulk of his wealth, estimated at ₹3,800 crore, to philanthropic causes via the Ratan Tata Endowment Foundation and Trust. A third of his financial properties, valued at ₹800 crore, is shared between his half-sisters Shireen and Deanna Jejeebhoy, and former Tata employee Mohini M Dutta. A special corpus of ₹12 lakh has been set up for his pets, each receiving ₹30,000 quarterly. (Economic Times)

> Jar-Prosus Deal Falters Over Valuation Dispute
Sources say a $50 million funding deal between fintech firm Jar and Prosus, the Dutch investment giant, has collapsed due to valuation disagreements. While investors were offering a valuation of $200-250 million, Jar sought $300-350 million. Jar is also exploring a public market debut in 2026. (Moneycontrol)

Tech, Media & Telecom

> IISc’s Self-Repairing Bricks Could Pave the Way for Lunar Habitats
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science have developed a bacteria-based technique to repair bricks, potentially enabling sustainable lunar habitats. The team is preparing to send bacterial samples onboard the Gaganyaan mission to study their behavior in microgravity. With India eyeing future manned lunar missions, this innovation could be crucial for building self-repairing structures in space. (Economic Times)

> Burnout Crisis in India’s IT Sector
A survey by Blind reveals severe overwork in India’s IT sector, with 72% of professionals exceeding the legal 48-hour workweek and 83% reporting burnout. Shockingly, 1 in 4 logs over 70 hours weekly, with employees at major firms like Amazon, Microsoft, and Oracle among the most affected. (The Hindu)

> Zomato Lays Off 600 Customer Support Employees
Zomato has laid off 600 customer support associates within a year of hiring them, citing slowing growth in food delivery and rising losses in Blinkit. The move comes as the company ramps up AI-driven automation in customer support to cut costs. Many affected employees were part of the Zomato Associate Accelerator Program (ZAAP), which promised career growth across various departments. (Moneycontrol)

Quick Hits

> Noida will build a 35km road to ease congestion on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway ahead of the Jewar airport's May opening.

> Villagers in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, tired of government inaction, are crowdfunding ₹1 crore to build a 108-ft bridge over the Magai river.

> Tamil Nadu will introduce AI, coding, and computer science for classes 6-9 starting the 2025-26 academic year.

> The government is investigating Ola and Uber for allegedly charging different fares based on a user's phone operating system, potentially violating India's Consumer Protection Act.

> Rapido has captured a 20% market share in India's four-wheeler segment, challenging Uber's 50% and Ola's shrinking 30%.

> BYD has denied reports of plans to set up an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Hyderabad, calling them "untrue."

> Ente, an open-source, end-to-end encrypted photo storage service by ex-Google employee Vishnu Mohandas, aims to challenge Google Photos with its privacy-first approach.

> Lehlah, a content-commerce platform for influencers, has raised ₹12.5 crore ($1.46 million) in a seed round.

> Flipkart cofounder Binny Bansal has committed ₹70 crore to establish the Binny Bansal Institute for Inventing the Future at Plaksha University, focusing on AI, blockchain, and robotics.

Worth a Look

Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and Aadhaar architect, gave an insightful talk on how blockchain could revolutionize land ownership. Watch the one-minute summary or dive into the full one-hour version.

Who’s Hiring

> InMobi Advertising is hiring a Senior Associate - Legal Counsel.

> Jupiter, which runs a money management platform, is hiring a Chief of Staff.

> Zamp, a fintech startup that has raised a $22 million seed round from Sequoia and others, is hiring for its Founder’s Office - Strategy & Operations.

> Salesforce is hiring a Senior Corporate Counsel, Product Legal.

> Entrepreneur First, an early-stage VC firm backed by Reid Hoffman and others, is hiring an Associate.

Social Spotlight

> A deep-dive on the life of quick commerce delivery partners working for Zepto and Blinkit.

> Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur shares a sharp take on AI tools mimicking Studio Ghibli’s art style.

> Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu shares an image comparing focus areas for startups in India versus China.

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