Local Round-up: Ashneer Grover Trademarks his Name, Dunzo Co-founder may Join Flipkart Minutes and More!

Local Round-up brings to you what's happening across the country in travel, food, infrastructure, sports, and herein, we have curated the updates from the weekend and the beginning of this week for you. So, read these below. 

Panipuri seller from Tamil Nadu receives GST notice after earning Rs 40 lakh

In a recent incident from Tamil Nadu, a pani puri seller from the state received a GST notice for earning a whopping Rs. 40 lakh through online payments. Generally, small vendors aren't charged with GST since they operate a small-scale business and there is no formal recording of their revenue but with the surge of online transactions, this pani puri seller caught the attention of the authorities with his huge collection. 

Namma Metro set to raise fares up to 45% after 8 years 

After nearly eight years, Namma Metro is set to hike fares by 40-45%, following the recommendations of a three-member fare fixation committee comprising Justice (retired) R Tharani, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Additional Secretary Satinder Pal Singh and retired IAS officer from Karnataka EV Ramana Reddy-the first for Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). 

Co-founder of Dunzo, Kabeer Biswas may join Flipkart Minutes: Reports

Kabeer Biswas, co-founder of the delivery startup Dunzo, is poised to take on a new role as the head of operations at Flipkart Minutes, the quick commerce arm of Walmart-owned Flipkart, reports Money Control. The development comes days after reports of Biswas exiting Dunzo emerged as the company is facing mounting challenges in an increasingly competitive sector. 

Terminal station of the Jammu railway division in Telangana to be inaugurated today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch several railway projects, including the Jammu railway division and a terminal station in Telangana via video conferencing today. The two main projects that will receive a green flag today are the foundation of the East Coast Railway's Rayagada Railway Division building and the opening of Telangana's Charlapalli new terminal station.

Ashneer Grover trademarks his name

Former Shark Tank India judge Ashneer Grover has trademarked his name, as revealed by Delhi High Court lawyer Aditi Tuteja. Tuteja shared the trademark certificate on LinkedIn, confirming that Grover's name has been officially registered as intellectual property under class 41 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999. Soon after this announcement, netizens were quick to take potshots at Grover. Some questioned whether it meant any other person could not use the name Ashneer or Sony has to pay a royalty for using his name from now onwards. 

Moon, Saturn and Venus align in India to give a stunning view 

The moon, Saturn & Venus
Credit : Sibu Tripathi, Dehra Dun. pic.twitter.com/P3M7gjcsNT

— Ranjit Kumar (@RanjitOne) January 4, 2025

In a rare celestial event, the moon, Saturn and Venus aligned together on the 4th of January to provide a breathtaking view to sky spectators in India. According to celestial experts, the event featured the waxing crescent Moon shining brightly in the sky, accompanied by Venus and Saturn to offer a celestial conjunction after the sunset. The view was observed by various stargazers during the night. 

Tamil Nadu aims to generate 7,500 megawatts of additional renewable power via three new policies

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government introduced three policies for wind, pumped hydro and small hydropower to boost installed renewable capacity. In accordance with these policies, the government aims to generate 7,500 megawatts of additional renewable power in the financial year 2025-26. 

NPCI data reveals UPI transactions reached a record 16.73 billion in December 2024

According to data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), transactions through the widely used Unified Payments Interface (UPI) reached a record 16.73 billion in December, representing an increase of 8% over the previous month. NPCI said that the value of the transactions worked at Rs. 23.25 lakh crore in December 2024 as against Rs. 21.55 lakh crore in November.