During Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, MP Raghav Chadha addressed the House on the urgent need for India to lead the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution, not trail behind it. He said, “Ye samay AI ka hai!” (This is the era of AI), warning that the world is rapidly advancing in AI while India risks being left behind.

He stated, “The US has ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok. China has DeepSeek and Baidu. These countries are miles ahead because they began investing years ago. The real question is: will India be a consumer of AI or a creator of AI?”

Chadha cited a stark contrast in investments: the US has committed over $500 billion to AI, China over $137 billion, while India’s mission stands at a modest $1 billion. He reminded the House that from 2010 to 2022, the US filed 60% of the world’s AI patents, China 20%, and India just 0.5%.

The salaries of Central government employees may increase by Rs 14,000 to Rs 19,000 per month after the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission report, according to a report by Goldman Sachs on Tuesday.

The global financial services firm stated that around 50 lakh Central government employees and 65 lakh pensioners are expected to benefit from the pay revision.

The commission is likely to be formed in April, with its recommendations expected to be implemented in 2026 or 2027.

Goldman Sachs conducted an analysis to estimate the salary hike.

Currently, central government employees earn a median monthly salary of Rs 1 lakh before tax.

Expressing reservations over the conduct of Punjab Police in an alleged assault case involving Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and his son, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday questioned the seven-day delay in registering a first information report (FIR).

"Why did you not register the FIR when you learnt of the incident? Why this delay? What is the explanation?" asked Justice Sandeep Moudgil.

The questions came as the court heard a petition filed by Colonel Bath, seeking the transfer of the FIR, dated March 22, registered at Police Station Civil Lines in Patiala, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any independent agency to ensure a free, fair, and impartial investigation.

A recent internal survey by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), on Tuesday, found that nearly 44 per cent of the total number of wards in areas under the corporation's jurisdiction, which included Kolkata and added areas, are dengue-prone, officials said.

The total number of the wards under KMC stands at 144.

As per the internal survey, 68 wards of them are dengue-prone, an insider from the corporation claimed.

"The corporation mapped all the 144 wards under its jurisdiction to identify the dengue-prone pockets based on past figures on this count. The benchmark in the matter is that if 10 or more persons in a particular ward have been tested positive for dengue last year, that particular ward is identified as the hotspot," a KMC official said.

As per records, the number of people tested positive for dengue in the KMC area witnessed an impressive decline in 2024 to just 1,316 from the figure of 13,926 in 2023.

The ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’ (I4C) set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs has identified and blocked more than 83,668 WhatsApp accounts and 3,962 Skype IDs used for Digital Arrest, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Apart from this, over 7.81 lakh SIM cards and 2,08,469 IMEIs have been blocked by the Government after receiving police complaints, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

A Digital Arrest is a cybercrime where scammers impersonate law enforcement officials to falsely accuse individuals of crimes and extort money or personal information by threatening arrest or imprisonment.

Since 2021, he said that a Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System for reporting financial frauds and stopping siphoning off funds by fraudsters has saved more than Rs 4,386 crore in more than 13.36 lakh complaints.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha on Tuesday emphasised the need to expand the 'Make in India' initiative and bring Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its ambit for solidifying country's growth potential in next few decades.

Speaking in the House, AAP lawmaker described AI as a crucial subject for the "India of tomorrow," stressing that while global superpowers have taken significant strides in AI development, India is yet to establish itself as a major player.

"In this AI revolution, America has its indigenous models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Anthropic, and Grok. China has developed some of the most capable and cost-effective AI models, like DeepSeek. But where does India stand in this AI era? Are we lagging behind? Will India not be able to create its own generative AI model?" he questioned.

In a swift and coordinated operation, a special team of the Greater Chennai Police arrested two interstate robbers at the airport on Tuesday, as they attempted to flee to North India after allegedly committing a string of chain-snatching crimes across the city and its suburbs.

The suspects, identified as Suraj (28) and Jafer (26) from Uttar Pradesh, are accused of targeting women in upscale areas including Adyar, Neelankarai, and along East Coast Road.

Using a stolen two-wheeler, the duo is believed to have executed over eight robberies within just two days. The arrests followed an uptick in chain-snatching incidents, which led the police to form a special investigation team.

The breakthrough came when investigators traced a mobile number linked to one of the suspects, leading them to the Chennai International Airport through tower location tracking.

IndusInd Bank's share fell over 5 per cent on Tuesday after the bank informed that GST authorities in Thane, Maharashtra, had imposed a penalty of more than Rs 30.15 crore due to several compliance issues.

The stock declined as much as 5.12 per cent to close at Rs 635.15 apiece on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

The private lender, which is already under scrutiny for discrepancies in its derivatives portfolio, stated that it is considering filing an appeal against the GST order.

In a regulatory filing, IndusInd Bank said that the penalty had been imposed by the Joint Commissioner of CGST & Central Excise, Thane Commissionerate. The bank added that it is exploring legal options to challenge the decision.

The Indian stock market on Tuesday managed to stay in the green for the seventh straight session, though it gave up most of its early gains during volatile trade.

The Sensex, which touched an intra-day high of 78,741.69, eventually closed at 78,017.19, rising 32.81 points or 0.04 per cent.

Similarly, the Nifty settled almost flat at 23,668.65, gaining only 10.30 points or 0.04 per cent. During the session, the Nifty traded within a range of 23,869.60 to 23,627.55.

Despite the slight gains in the indices, market sentiment remained weak, with a majority of stocks witnessing selling pressure.

In a boost for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), pacer Avesh Khan has been cleared by the BCCI to participate in IPL 2025.

Avesh, who had been nursing a right knee issue, received medical clearance from the BCCI’s medical team this week and will soon join the LSG squad,

Avesh has been out of action since late January, with his last India appearance dating back to a T20I in South Africa last November. He also missed Madhya Pradesh’s final league game in the Ranji Trophy due to discomfort in his right knee, which was linked to his domestic workload.