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Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Over 90% of border habitations in NE get mobile network: Centre
1 2 Guwahati: Among the 5,200 villages and habitations situated in the northeastern border regions, 4,696 now have access to mobile network, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. This accounts for mobile connectivity achieved in over 90 per cent of the remote border villages and habitations of the northeast. Replying to a question by Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba, Union minister of state for communications and rural development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar told the House that all 1,237 border villages and habitations in Assam have achieved complete mobile connectivity. In Sikkim, too, all 68 border villages and habitations have come under mobile network. However, Arunachal Pradesh, characterised by its challenging topography, continues to face connectivity issues, with 337 out of 1,502 border villages and habitations still without mobile coverage. The govt allocated Rs 1,775.53 crore through various Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) schemes between FY 2020-21 and FY 2024-25 to enhance mobile network infrastructure in the remote northeastern areas. The minister replied that mobile coverage for any uncovered inhabited villages is provided by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) based on techno-commercial viability. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Beyond Text Generation: An AI Tool That Helps You Write Better Grammarly Install Now Undo "The Centre, through funding from Digital Bharat Nidhi, is implementing various schemes for the expansion of telecom connectivity through the installation of mobile towers in the rural, remote, and border areas of the country," Sekhar said. Regarding Sikkim particularly, he said as of June, 11 sites were commissioned in Sikkim under DBN-funded mobile schemes, providing mobile coverage to 13 villages, including border areas. Statistics revealed that Arunachal Pradesh has the highest number of border villages and habitations (1,502), of which 1,165 have got mobile coverage. Meghalaya has the second highest number of border villages and habitations (1,272), of which 1,238 have mobile coverage. While 365 of Mizoram's 378 border villages and habitations got mobile coverage, the minister said, adding 194 of Manipur's 263 border villages and habitations got mobile coverage so far. In Nagaland, 96 out of 135, in Sikkim, all 68, and in Tripura, 333 of the 345 border villages and habitations have mobile coverage.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Ahmedabad startup's 400cr global exit breaks new ground
Ahmedabad: A bootstrapped startup from the city has just made global waves. SocialPilot, a social media management platform used by over 13,000 businesses worldwide, has been acquired by Sweden-based tech firm for over $50 million (more than Rs 400 crore), according to industry sources. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The co-founders, Jimit Bagadiya and Tejas Mehta, confirmed the acquisition, though the deal size remains officially undisclosed. The acquisition is being described by tech industry insiders as "one of the biggest exits by a bootstrapped startup in India" and "a landmark moment for Gujarat's IT sector", which has largely remained behind metros like Bengaluru and Pune in high-value acquisitions. Started in 2014 with no outside investment, SocialPilot has grown steadily over the past decade into one of India's most successful self-funded tech ventures. which serves more than 2 million small and medium-sized businesses across 15 countries, said the acquisition will help deepen its reach in the social media marketing space. For Bagadiya and Mehta, the decision to sell was driven by a vision to scale. "We decided to sell our entire stake to said Bagadiya, CEO. "My partner is based in the US, and after running SocialPilot for over a decade, we reached a stage where the business was profitable, growing steadily, and operating at scale. But we also recognised that to unlock the next phase — expanding into new markets, deepening the product, and accelerating distribution — we needed stronger leverage, either through funding or a strategic partnership. " Interestingly, the tool was originally built for e-commerce sellers struggling to promote products on social media. "While working on e-commerce projects for clients in the US and Europe, we recognised that e-commerce sellers were unable to promote their products effectively on social media. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now So, we built SocialPilot. Which over time evolved into a full-fledged platform for marketing agencies and SMBs, helping manage, schedule, and analyse posts across platforms," he said. Box: Co-founder rose from modest background Ahmedabad: Behind this success is a story of quiet persistence and modest beginnings. Jimit Bagadiya grew up in Limbdi, a small town in Gujarat's Surendranagar district. His father ran a tiny kirana shop and his mother sold papad and khakhra from home with help from his sisters. Bagadiya moved to Ahmedabad in Class 7. "I began living in a Jain hostel. Although the original fee was Rs 10,000 per year, concessions brought it down to Rs 2,500, a sum my family worked hard to cover. I completed my BCA and started my first job in 2004 for a montly salary of Rs 4,000," said Bagadiya, who then constantly worked on developing different skills and set up SocialPilot in 2014.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Govt contractor found dead; ‘was owed 1.4cr': Kin
Kolhapur: A 35-year-old govt contractor from a Sangli village, who was allegedly under immense financial duress over pending payments for projects, was found dead at his farm on Wednesday. A family member told police that govt owed him Rs 1.4 crore in dues and he had also incurred debt of Rs 65 lakh from banks and private lenders. The contractor, Harshal Patil of Tandulwadi village in Sangli's Islampur taluka, was said to have worked on pipe laying and tank construction projects of Jal Jeevan Mission, a rural water supply scheme. Sangli ZP chief executive officer Trupti Dhodmise, however, told TOI, "He was not registered with us. Some big contractor may have leased out works to him, which we need to find out." According to the family, Patil left home at 7pm on Tuesday. When he did not return, his relatives went looking for him in Satara and Pune. They also registered a missing person complaint. The next afternoon, they found him dead at the farm. Patil is survived by his wife, parents, two younger brothers and a four-year-old daughter. His family was financially dependent on him. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy the Dip: Top 5 Dividend Stocks with Growth Potential Seeking Alpha Read More Undo You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Assistant police inspector Vikram Patil said, "We have not found any suicide note. We are, however, getting the statements of the relatives. We have registered the death as a suicide." Many contractors across the state are awaiting govt bill payments. Contractors had held a statewide strike on July 4 demanding immediate clearance of dues. Since Jan, contractors have held at least five protests in different districts. Milind Bhosale, state president of the contractors' association, said he has written at least 25 letters to govt to hold a meeting over Rs 90,000 crore dues. "Govt's Jal Jeevan Mission department alone has pending bills of Rs 12,000 crore. PWD also has Rs 46,000 crore dues. In March, we met PWD minister Shivendraraje Bhosale. There are pending bills of Rs 8,500 crore with the rural department and Rs 20,000 crore with the water resources department. We met [water resources minister] Girish Mahajan, who assured us of a meeting with CM Devendra Fadnavis during the assembly session, but the session has ended and there is no word from govt's side yet."
