National
2017 Women’s WC drastically changed things for women cricket in India: Punam Raut
The 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup held in England changed things drastically for women’s cricket in India, says veteran batter Punam Raut, who played a crucial knock of 85 runs in the final match of that tournament.
Chasing the target of 229 runs in the final, India were going strong but collapsed from 191/3 to be bowled out for 219, losing the match by just nine runs. Though India lost that dramatic final, things changed for the women’s cricket in the country after that.
“We did very well in the 2017 World Cup in England and from there on, things changed drastically for women’s cricket in India. Our matches started getting broadcasted and had good media coverage and even parents became more accepting about girls playing cricket,” Raut told IANS in an exclusive interview.
“Earlier, parents used to complain but now they motivate girls to play cricket and even many ask me about the different levels of women’s cricket and the whole process of getting selected. As a whole, society has changed, more women’s matches are being played and new exciting talents are coming through,” she added.
After playing international cricket for around a decade, Punam believes that women’s sport in India has changed a lot compared to the time she started.
“A lot of things have improved for good. When I started playing, there was no regular broadcast of our matches, and people used to know only one or two female cricketers but now fans follow most of the Indian women’s cricket matches and are aware of others as well,” she said.
“Now we have a decent domestic structure and a fair amount of international matches are played in a season. Though the number of matches we play is less compared to men, it is better than what it was. Young players are getting exposure on ‘A’ team’s tours and by playing in foreign leagues as well,” she added.
There has been a growing chorus for organising a full-fledged women IPL and the experienced campaigner also feels that a five or six-team league is the need of the hour.
“Yes, I am very optimistic about the Women’s IPL. The league will help the Indian women’s cricket team in getting fearless and readymade players as we now see with the men’s team. Youngsters will get the chance to rub shoulders with legends of the game from different countries and it will help them in honing their skills,” the batter said.
“It will also serve as a platform for players, who have been dropped from the Indian team, to prove themselves and make a comeback,” she added.
The 32-year old also dismissed the ‘lack of talent’ arguments, saying that there is no dearth of talent in the Indian women’s cricket set-up.
“I have played a lot of domestic cricket and can say that we have loads of talented players. A lot of these matches haven’t been, and are not televised so it is believed that there is a lack of talent. There are many active and even former cricketers who go through the grinds of domestic cricket and regularly do well for their respective teams,” said Raut.
“However, people know only 15 players who feature the Indian squad and their performance in the domestic circuit goes unnoticed. A women’s IPL will also help them get their due recognition. So, I firmly believe that we have enough talent in the country to start a five or six-team IPL,” she added.
National
Market volatility over Greenland issue to continue due to ‘few sticking points’: Report

New Delhi, Jan 24 : Investors are likely to remain on edge over the proposed US framework on Greenland, and near-term volatility related to this issue can continue, a report has said.
The report from Bank of Baroda said that market participants are awaiting more details that could determine whether negotiations succeed or unravel.
“Going ahead, investors are likely to await more details of the deal, as there are a few sticking points which can derail the negotiations. Hence, some volatility can be expected,” the report said.
Several analysts expect the arrangement to resemble an update of the existing security agreement between the US and Denmark, which was signed in 1951, the report noted.
Further negotiations will follow in due course which will cover areas such as US military presence in Greenland, as well as use of its mineral resources and sovereignty, said Aditi Gupta, Economist, Bank of Baroda.
US President Donald Trump has framed Washington’s interest in Greenland as driven by national security concerns, but the island’s largely unexplored mineral wealth including oil, gas and rare earth elements is of interest to US, the report said.
“The announcement of a framework deal between the US and NATO has helped to soothe investors’ nerves, however the details of the deal are still fuzzy,” it added.
Geo-political tensions escalated and markets went into turmoil after the US President intensified rhetoric to annex Greenland and threatened economic measures against European countries that oppose US plans. In response, several European nations, including France, Germany, Sweden amongst others increased military deployment in Greenland, further escalating tensions.
Trump had announced a 10 per cent additional tariff on goods from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Netherlands and Finland from February 1, 2026. The rate was expected to increase to 25 per cent by June 1, 2026.
Later, he backed off from his threat of imposing tariffs on European countries along the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
Crime
Two Held With ₹68 Lakh Cash Near India-Myanmar Border In Mizoram; Heroin Worth ₹78 Lakh Seized

Aizawl: Two persons were arrested with Rs 68 lakh in cash near the India-Myanmar border in east Mizoram’s Champhai district, officials said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, the Assam Rifles intercepted a vehicle at Zote village on August 11, they said.
Upon thorough checking, Rs 60 lakh in cash was recovered from two persons in the vehicle.
The duo, identified as Joseph Lalthansanga and Vanlalruati, could not state any proper reason why they were carrying such a huge amount of cash. They were subsequently handed over to the police for legal action, officials said.
In another operation, the Assam Rifles recovered 94.6 gram of heroin, worth Rs 78 lakh, from the village on Wednesday.
The drugs were handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department, officials said.
National
India’s AI Tech Spending Projected To Reach Rs. 92 Thousand Crore By 2028: Report

India’s AI technology spending is projected to grow at an annualised rate of 38 per cent from 2023 to reach $10.4 billion (approximately Rs. 92 thousand crore) in 2028, a report said on Thursday.
Around 40 per cent of organisations in India have already implemented agentic AI, and close to 50 per cent are planning to use the technology within the next 12 months, IDC InfoBrief and UiPath said in a joint report.
In 2025, AI investments are focused on building the foundational infrastructure required to power transformative, high-value use cases.
According to the report, the adoption is surging, fueled by a tech-savvy workforce, expanding digital infrastructure, and government-backed initiatives.
Organisations’ spending on enterprise automation, multilingual AI models, and agentic deployments is driving this momentum further.
The benefits are already visible, as 80 per cent of Indian companies say agentic AI boosts productivity, while 73 per cent say it improves decision-making, the report said.
According to the report, agentic AI is gaining strong traction across the manufacturing, retail and wholesale, healthcare, and life sciences industries, which heavily rely on data and repetitive decision-making cycles.
“Agentic automation is rapidly redefining business operations across India. While enterprises in this region are embracing the full potential of AI agents to streamline workflows and autonomously execute complex business processes, trust and security remain barriers to widespread implementation,” said DebDeep Sengupta, Area Vice President, South Asia, UiPath.
Our agentic automation platform directly addresses these challenges, breaking down barriers to enterprise AI adoption by enhancing security and compliance, improving accuracy and reliability for agentic outcomes, Sengupta added.
About 69 per cent of Indian organisations are using agentic AI to enhance productivity, 59 per cent to drive personalised customer engagement, while 57 per cent apply it to risk and fraud detection, highlighting how agentic AI is being applied across front and back-office functions, the report highlighted.
“Becoming an AI-fueled business is no longer an option in today’s unpredictable climate. For many organisations, it’s fast becoming a strategic necessity,” said Deepika Giri, Associate Vice President, IDC Asia/Pacific.
Across the region, organisations are embracing agentic AI and agentic automation at scale, Giri added.
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