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GST - Failure to avail the opportunity granted is different from failure to grant an opportunity of hearing - Fault lies with petitioner and he cannot blame the department - Petition dismissed: HCGST - Orders came to be passed behind the back of the petitioner - No steps taken to serve notices through physical mode but made available only under tab 'View Additional notices' - Matter remanded subject to petitioner depositing 10% of disputed tax: HCGST - When two opinions are possible, the one which is advantageous to the assessee should be taken - Matter remitted: HCGST - Not only has the competent authority failed to notice or engage with the reply which was submitted but has proceeded on the incorrect premise that no response had been submitted at all - Order set aside: HCCus - Assessees were held entitled to seek redemption of gold seized from them on their appearance before requisite authority, after complying with prescribed conditions: HCKVAT - addition of purchase turnover of old gold to estimated sales turnover erroneous as it results in duplication of turnover, where purchases were of old ornaments melted for creation of new ones: HCCBDT issues FAQs on Revised Guidelines for compounding of offencesST - Service tax demand confirmed against appellant citing forged agreements, misdeclaration of taxable services and deliberate tax evasion: CESTATCurfew imposed in Nagpur after violence erupts over Aurangzeb rowST - Rectification of O-i-O is invalidated where AO seeks to revisit & change findings, which goes beyond scope of Sec 74 of Finance Act 1994, which only permits correction of mistakes apparent & clerical errors: CESTATIsrael triggers avalanche of air strikes at Gaza as Ceasefire fails; 66 killedCX - Genuine refund claims should not be denied due to procedural technicalities when clear evidence of double duty payment is provided: CESTAT9th India-Australia Defence Policy talks held in New DelhiCX - The amount deposited during an investigation is not a pre-deposit under Section 35FF but a revenue deposit making it eligible for interest at 12% per annum: CESTATTaiwan detects 9 Chinese warships & 59 aircraft encircling island countryCus - Aircraft engine stands should be classified under CTH 8609 00 00 as 'containers for transport' rather than under CTH 8716 39 00 as 'trailers,' thereby setting aside the demand for differential customs duty: CESTATTrump urges Putin not to slaughter Ukrainian troopsCus - Royalty & technical fees need not be included in transaction value of imported goods, as they are not a condition of sale for imported items: CESTATGovt e-Marketplace surpasses Rs 5 Lakh Crore GMVCus - Dabur India Ltd's refund claim is upheld for excess CVD paid on imports holding that company had borne the duty burden itself and did not pass it on to consumers, thereby overcoming the bar of unjust enrichment: CESTATAustralian patient is first to survive for 100 days with titanium heartI-T - Allowance in respect of bad debts u/s 36(1)(vii) is allowable only if debt was taken into account for computing income of assessee in previous year in which amount is written off: HCH7N9 bird flu outbreak spreads to more cities in USI-T- Delay in filing ITR ought to be condoned where factors such as issues in I-T portal & operational challenges due to COVID pandemic, were not considered: HCNo directive to mining companies to review EIA for carbon emissions: MinisterI-T - If assessee has not proved genuineness of purchases, which inter alia include source of making payment for such purchases, such case calls for addition u/s 69C: HCPM Modi joins Trump-owned social media platform Truth SocialI-T - AO can initiate reassessment proceedings for year which has already been assessed u/s.143(3), if material information was not disclosed correctly & truly by assessee: ITATMoS inaugurates QUAD Workshop on pandemic preparedness for Indo-Pacific RegionI-T - No TDS is applicable u/s 194C on fuel charges paid by assessee if same was reimbursed on cost-to-cost basis: ITATDoval chairs meet of intelligence heads, including three from Five Eyes AllianceI-T - AO can't disallow commission expenses incurred by insurance company, without examining PAN details along with related documents placed on record by way of additional evidence under Rule 29: ITATFirst things First - The DIN!
 
DoT, ITU join Hands to explore Future-Ready Infra with AI-driven Technologies

By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 18, 2025: SECRETARY (Telecom), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, Dr. Neeraj Mittal embarked on an official visit to Geneva today to further strengthen India's global digital leadership and deepen engagements with key international stakeholders in the telecommunication sector.

During his visit, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) signed a Letter of Intent (LoI), marking the beginning of a new phase of strategic collaboration. Through this LoI, both sides intend to initiate discussions regarding the conditions and modalities for carrying out common initiatives and projects, particularly to

drive innovation in digital twins, AI-driven solutions, virtual world technologies, and the transformative potential of IMT-2030 technologies;

promote the development of global standards and best practices to ensure seamless interoperability and scalability;

advance sustainable development through shared frameworks, capacity building, and cross-sectoral collaboration, and

Foster citizen engagement and participatory approaches to urban and infrastructure planning.

Dr Mittal held various meetings with leadership of ITU. In his meeting with Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General, ITU, Dr. Mittal reaffirmed India's commitment to digital connectivity, inclusion, and innovation. Key focus areas of discussion included India's leadership in 5G/6G technologies, AI for Digital Transformation, cybersecurity frameworks, and ITU's Partner2Connect initiative aimed at bridging the global digital divide. India also reiterated its pledge to support ITU's initiatives by contributing to global connectivity projects and skill development programs.

Further, with the aim of positioning India as a global hub for policy discourse on telecommunications and ICT regulations, Dr Mittal also proposed to host the ITU-Plenipotentiary Conference 2030 in India. India's proposal was positively acknowledged, and discussions will continue at the upcoming ITU Council Meeting. India has successfully hosted WTSA -2024 in New Delhi in Oct 2024.

AI- Driven Digital Twin Technologies: Telecom Beyond Connectivity

Next-generation mobile communication technologies are evolving beyond traditional connectivity to become essential platforms for innovative infrastructure planning. By seamlessly integrating AI, Digital Twins, and real-time, ubiquitous connectivity into a unified ecosystem, these technologies generate pervasive intelligence, enabling open, interconnected systems that fundamentally transform how infrastructure is planned, collaborated on, and executed across critical sectors like transport, urban development, and healthcare. These advancements enable infrastructure planning to be more dynamic, adaptive, and sustainable, benefiting all sectors.

The collaboration through the LoI  marks a significant shift in the telecom sector's role-evolving from simply providing connectivity to becoming a platform that delivers accurate, reliable, and insightful data for infrastructure planning. It opens up opportunities to explore innovative business models, enabling a new ecosystem to deliver scalable, data-driven, and knowledge- based solutions across industries, driving sustainable growth and shaping the future of infrastructure.

Key Highlights of the Collaboration:

Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building: Facilitate the exchange of insights from initiatives like DoT's Sangam and ITU's Citiverse to improve cross-sectoral data integration and collaborative planning.

Global Standards Development: Contribute to ITU-T Study Group 20 on IoT, digital twins, and smart cities to create global standards, APIs, and methodologies ensuring seamless scalability of AI-driven solutions.

Sandbox Environments and Demonstrations: Establish sandbox environments to test innovative digital twin technologies, conduct pilot projects, and adapt regulatory frameworks that validate the transformative potential of these technologies.

Citizen Engagement and Simulations: Use AI-powered platforms to engage citizens in real-time urban planning and infrastructure development, enhancing participatory governance and collaborative decision-making.

Mobile Phone Data (MPD) and Privacy: Exchange insights on privacy-enhancing techniques (PETs) and their use in ICT measurement, particularly in the context of building digital twins for urban planning.

AI Model Integration for Digital Twins: Customize AI models using country-specific datasets to deliver context-sensitive solutions for infrastructure development and urban mobility challenges.


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