16-06-2021 The Asian Independent

10 16-06-2021 to 30-06-2021 ASIA
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Mammootty urges all with
working used devices to
donate to needy school kids
Thiruvananthapuram :
When it comes to charity,
Superstar Mammootty is always
a leader as he now has begun a
new initiative requesting all
those who are having functional
smart phones, tablets or a laptops,
to donate, so as to give it to
children who do not have the
required option to carry forward
their studies online.
The southern star has joined
the Care and Share International
Foundation, and along with others,
is expecting to make this a
huge success, which in turn will
provide succour to those children
who are unable to attend the
online classes.
Mammootty has given a clarion
call to all those who wish to
donate, they can get in touch
with 'Speed and Safe Courier'
agency at their locality and
deposit it with them.
A receipt will be given and no
courier charges will be collected.
It will then arrive at the office of
the Foundation and they will do
the needful by distributing it to
the needy.
The online classes through
the KITE-Victers channel of the
state government began on June
1 and for three weeks it has been
a trial run.
Chief Minister Pinarayi
Vijayan took the first lead by
calling a meeting of telecom
service providers to ensure that
they handle the connectivity
issues being faced in a few areas.
The telecom providers have
assured Vijayan that they will
chip in to help to install new
towers at areas where connectivity
is poor.
State Education Minister V.
Sivankutty has said that in a preliminary
study conducted soon
after June 1, there were 49,000
students who did not have handheld
devices or a TV to take part
in the classes.
However, KITE Victers CEO
Anvar Sadath said the survey to
find out the number of children
who do not have handheld
devices or a TV to take part in
the on-line classes is currently
on and of the 4.2 million students,
there is a possibility of
around 10 to 15 per cent who
might not have the facility.
Facebook expands affordable,
UK Chancellor in-laws hit with
5.5m pound bill in Amazon
India tax dispute : Report
New Delhi : A joint venture
between UK Chancellor Rishi
Sunak's billionaire in-laws and
the internet retailing giant
Amazon is in a multimillionpound
dispute with the Indian
tax authorities, a Guardian
investigation has found.
The disclosure adds to the list
of legal battles currently involving
the joint venture, following
news on Friday that India's competition
commission has been
given permission to relaunch an
investigation into Amazon. The
Guardian reported that small
traders claim they are being
squeezed out of business by the
multinational's selling practices
and that the US retailer's 1 billion-pound-a-year
venture with
the chancellor's father-in-law,
the technology entrepreneur NR
Narayana Murthy, could be
bypassing Indian foreign ownership
rules. Amazon says it is
operating in full compliance
with local laws.
The emergence of the tax case
follows last week's G7 discussions,
when the finance ministers
of the world's largest
economies agreed a global deal
designed to make tech companies
pay more tax. In India, foreign
companies are banned from
running an online retailer that
holds inventory and then sells
the goods directly to Indian consumers
online. So, instead, the
Amazon.in website is run as a
"marketplace", with Indian
retailers selling their products
via the site in return for a fee to
the US giant, the report said.
One of the largest sellers on
Amazon.in is a company called
Cloudtail, a business indirectly
76 per cent -- owned by an
investment firm controlled by
the Murthy family. The remaining
quarter of Cloudtail is owned
by Amazon. An analysis of the
company's accounts and activities
by the Guardian shows that
Cloudtail: faces a 5.5 million
pound demand -- including
"interest and penalties" -- from
India's tax authorities has paid
"meagre" taxes over the past
four years, while using a business
model described as Amazon
"on steroids" has filled its top
two posts -- chief executive and
finance director -- with Amazon
executives, while Cloudtail's
holding company, Prione, has
also been run by former Amazon
managers.
Cloudtail's most recent
accounts state: "The company
has received a show cause notice
in the current year from
Directorate General of Goods
and Service Tax Intelligence
amounting to Rs 5,455 lakh (5.5
million pound) along with interest
and penalties for service taxrelated
matters."
It is not known precisely what
the tax dispute is about. The
company said it was contesting
the bill, and added: "Since this
matter is sub judice, we are
unable to comment any further."
fast internet access in India
New Delhi : In a bid to expand
affordable internet access for the
public, Facebook India on Tuesday
announced new partnerships with
internet service providers (ISPs) D-
Vois and Netplus.
The ISPs will use Facebook
Connectivity's Express Wi-Fi platform
to launch public Wi-Fi hotspots
across Bengaluru and several cities in
Punjab.
"From Dharavi in Mumbai to
Shillong, Aizawl, Vadodara, Rajkot,
and many other towns and cities, the
Express Wi-Fi platform is helping
expand internet connectivity in the
country, enabling economic opportunities,
innovation, and expression for
people, businesses, and communities
alike," said Manish Chopra, Director
and Head of Partnerships, Facebook
India. Express Wi-Fi is a software
platform that enables mobile operators,
satellite operators, and ISPs to
build, grow, and monetise their Wi-Fi
businesses in a sustainable and scalable
way.
The platform is used by partners in
more than 30 countries, connecting
millions of people around the world.
In India, the platform has already
been deployed by eight partners, providing
public Wi-Fi options to people
across 12 states.
D-VoiS has a presence in 60 cities
and operates its broadband services
under the brand ION.
"ION plans to expand public Wi-
Fi to thousands of hotspots at restaurants,
bus-stands, malls, cafes, hospitals,
and other public spaces," said
Ramesh Sathyanarayana, Founder,
D-vois Communications.
Netplus Broadband, the internet
arm of Fastway Group, is another
leading ISP in the country.
"The Express Wi-Fi services will
be available at several high footfall
public areas such as malls, hospitals,
bus stands, and market complexes
across the cities of Amritsar,
Ludhiana, Jalandar, Patiala, and
Bhatinda," informed Prem Ojha,
Fastway Group CEO.
During the current Covid crisis in
India, Facebook also leveraged the
Express Wi-Fi partner networks to
share Covid-related information from
credible sources with micro communities
and towns across the country.
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