FM announces major push to IT sector, proposes tax reliefs, tax holiday till 2047 for data centres
New Delhi: During the presentation of the Union Budget 026, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced several key measures for the IT sector.
Sitharaman announced that all IT services will now be grouped under a single category with a common safe harbour margin of 15.5 per cent. The threshold for availing safe harbour benefits has been increased to ₹2,000 crore from the earlier ₹300 crore.
The Finance Minister also said that safe harbour approvals for IT services will now be granted through an automatic, rule-based system. In a major incentive, foreign companies setting up data centres in India to provide cloud services will get a tax holiday till 2047.
In addition, a safe harbour margin of 15 per cent on cost will be provided when data services are offered from India by a related entity.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
