Even after almost eight decades of independence, India's school infrastructure continues to have persistent challenges including basic facilities such as ramps for differently-abled children. Certain schools still do not have gender-specific toilets or even electricity, data released in the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report has revealed.  Hot off the Press Manash Gohain for The Times of India pointed out that while over 90% of schools have basic amenities like electricity and gender-specific toilets, advanced facilities such as functional desktops, internet access and ramps with handrails remain limited. "Only 57.2% of schools have functional computers, 53.9% have internet, and 52.3% are equipped with ramps, underscoring significant gaps in accessibility and tech readiness," he wrote. In some states, school dropout rates have gone from bad to worse. In a data-driven narrative, Vignesh Radhakrishnan and Samreen Wani for The Hindu highlight

Image generated through Adobe AI From enhancing creativity to revolutionising productivity, AI tools are now indispensable for journalists and the year 2024 marks a milestone in the mainstream adoption of AI tools.  Journalists have embraced AI tools as they streamline their workflow, improve efficiency, and allow them to produce higher-quality content with speed and accuracy. Content creation, research, writing, and publishing need to happen faster than ever before and AI tools are ensuring this with platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity enhancing research while tools like MidJourney and Canva offer creative solutions for content production. Let’s take a look at some of the tools journalists cannot do without in 2025: ChatGPT  ChatGPT has become an indispensable tool for journalists. It assists with content generation, research, summarisation, and drafting reports. With its advanced natural language processing capabilities, ChatGPT can streamline tasks allowing journalists

The ongoing freebie war between Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP in Delhi ahead of the assembly polls was taken to a new level with the AAP chief Aravind Kejriwal announcing a monthly dole of Rs. 18,000 for pujaris and granthis in the city if the party is re-elected for a third term. The Press View Describing the ‘Pujari-Granthi Samman Yojana’ as a tribute to the spiritual and cultural custodians, Kejriwal said he would launch the scheme on Tuesday by registering the priests of Hanuman Temple in CP followed by AAP MLAs, candidates and workers across Delhi launching a drive, according to a Times of India report. Calling him a “defeated and desperate” neta who reinvented himself as a “dream merchant”, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said Kejriwal was making “populist announcements” daily to stay in office. Kejriwal’s pledge of a hefty monthly honorarium — called the Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana — is the latest in a string of similar announcements made by the AAP

The tragic Jeju Air crash in Muan, South Korea, has sent shockwaves through the aviation world. As reported by The Hindu, a Boeing 737-800 with 181 people on board veered off the runway and crashed, leaving 179 dead and only two survivors. Early investigations, covered by Indian Express, suggest a bird strike caused critical damage to one wing. Despite significant technological advancements, this has reignited concerns about the aviation industry’s inability to prevent bird hits. The Jeju Air crash marks the third major aviation disaster in December 2024 alone. On Sunday, Dec 29, an Air Canada flight caught fire during landing, as noted by The Hindu, while Azerbaijan witnessed a catastrophic crash that claimed 98 lives, although that was much more of an intentional attack against a commercial aircraft by a country that has been at war for nearly 3 years now. The frequency of these incidents has left the public and experts questioning global aviation safety standards. Safety meas

YouTube is taking steps to crack down on misleading titles and thumbnails in India to enhance user experience. According to Times of India report, the platform is focused on addressing “egregious clickbait” issues where videos promise one thing but deliver something completely different or use exaggerated tactics to draw in viewers. With these new measures, YouTube aims to create a more honest and transparent experience for users ensuring that the content they click on actually matches what’s promised. The action will be particularly focused on videos related to breaking news and current events. Initially, the enforcement will be gradual with misleading videos being removed without any strikes against the creators' channels. This approach aims to address the issue while giving creators a chance to adjust, ensuring that the platform remains a reliable source of information. The company is yet to clarify whether the new policy will extend beyond government and news-related c

Marcomm Gender disparity, lack of industry-wide standards emerge as concerns in marcomm survey ICG 2024 The Indian Communications Group (ICG), in its highly anticipated 2024 Salary Survey Report, offered valuable insights into compensation trends across in-house Communications and public relations roles in India. The report, based on responses from approximately 700 in-house marcomms professionals, aims to provide industry-wide benchmarks and empower professionals to assess their value effectively. Beyond the byline: Rozelle Laha explains her leap from journalism to PR For many professionals, career transitions can be daunting, but for Rozelle Laha, the shift from the world of journalism to public relations (PR) was both inevitable and transformative. With a background in business journalism from top-tier publications like The Ken, Mint and Hindustan Times, Rozelle has made a name for herself in the PR industry. In this exclusive interview with Influencing India, Rozelle opens up

Digital Jinfluencers: Digital era's new power players We took a deep dive into how jinfluencers are redefining and reshaping the marketing and social media platforms where the boundary between news and promotional content is already blurred. Election oracles: The science and art of psephology in poll predictions Our team also unearthed the art and science of psephology in poll predictions, diving into how psephologists relied on simple methods like exit polls, surveys, and basic demographic analysis initially and employing advanced modelling and predictive analytics for greater accuracy. Meta expands fact-checking program in India with PTI Meta announced a partnership with the Press Trust of India (PTI) to expand its third-party fact-checking initiative in India ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. With PTI joining as the 12th partner, India now has the highest number of third-party fact-checking partners on Meta's platform globally. India Today Group's AI anchor 'Sana' wins big