News Broadcasting
MAIT asks for reduction of exicse duty
MUMBAI: The Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT) has just one expectation from the forthcoming Budget – a reduction in excise duty to eight per cent (or six, if the government adopts the excise duty structure as recommended by the Kelkar committee) from the current 16 per cent, till the government introduces a composite value-added tax.
The government needs to urgently address the challenges of the inverted tariff structure arising out of the implications of the IT Agreement of the World Trade Organisation, says MAIT. The government must ensure a customs duty waiver on all capital goods for infotech, electronics, telecommunications manufacturing and raw materials, including dual usage items, as the finished products hit zero duty.
MAIT executive director Vinnie Mehta says it is important to reduce duty to be globally competitive. The domestic infotech market is back on the growth track, which has bolstered the confidence of the hardware industry. However, there is still a long way to go before we become a globally competitive industry, says Mehta. To ensure that infotech reaches the grassroots level in India, there is a need to bring down the price of its products, adds Mehta.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
