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.

After the Indian government asked Samsung to pay $601 million (approximately Rs 5,174 crore) in back taxes and penalties for allegedly evading import duties on some key telecom equipment, the South Korean giant on Tuesday said the company fully complies with the laws of the land and is currently "assessing legal options".

The tax demand amounts to a significant portion of Samsung’s net profit in India, which was $955 million last year.

Samsung’s network division, which imports telecom equipment, had allegedly been under scrutiny for "misclassifying critical transmission components used in mobile towers".

The company reportedly imported and sold these telecom components to Reliance Jio.

Reliance Jio, however, was yet to comment on reports.

Decorated IAS officer Dr. Ravi Bhagat on Monday assumed the charge of Principal Secretary to the Punjab Chief Minister here at his office in the presence of senior officers of the state government.

Pertinently, Dr. Ravi Bhagat, a senior officer of the Indian Administrative service, had served the state government in various capacities. A 2006 batch IAS officer, Dr. Ravi Bhagat has a penchant for out of the box ideas to improve the delivery of citizen centric services to people. He is known for his proactive and responsive approach towards public service.