NEW DELHI: The first impact of the labour codes will be felt in the Dec quarter results with companies making higher provision for gratuity. “Companies will need to update their gratuity liability provisions in line with Ind AS 19, recognising past service liabilities as the new labour codes came into effect on Nov 21, 2025. Many companies are in the process of obtaining actuarial valuations to true up their gratuity liability provisions, and the impact may be reflected in the Dec quarterly results. If such a true-up is not performed, companies may provide a disclosure explaining why it was omitted unless the impact is immaterial,” said Kuldip Kumar, partner at Mainstay Tax Advisors, a consulting company. Auditors told TOI that there may be some impact on the bottom lines of some of the companies, while some others may use the opportunity to update their provisions.

“Companies are evaluating the impact of the change in definition of wages and the impact on the provisions required in the quarterly accounts, in view of the labour codes, FAQs issued by the labour ministry and the Accounting Standards Board of the ICAI,” added Amarpal Chadha, partner at consulting firm EY India. Under the new law, at least half the earnings of an employee will be treated as basic salary and dearness allowance and companies will have to provide gratuity based on that. “The extent of the impact will depend on the existing compensation structure, for example, where excluded allowances exceed 50% of salary or the number of fixed-term employees, who now become eligible for gratuity after one year of service,” said Kumar. Besides, he said, according to draft rules for the new labour codes for calculating gratuity, items such as performance bonuses, stock option benefits, telephone, internet and medical reimbursements, creche allowance, and the value of meal vouchers are excluded. Therefore, it will not be surprising if some organisations can dodge the big jumps in gratuity liability. Higher provisions will be required by companies that did not always stick to the 50% gratuity formula as the rules have now categorically provided for the payment.

AHMEDABAD: Reliance Industries CMD Mukesh Ambani on Sunday hailed India’s resilience amid global uncertainty and said challenges created by this geopolitical situation cannot touch or trouble the country due to the “invincible protective wall called Narendra Modi“.Let the world know that this is India’s defining decade under the PM’s leadership, Ambani asserted while addressing the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) for Kutch and Saurashtra region in Rajkot.

The Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) was inaugurated on Sunday afternoon by the PM, who said India is currently witnessing an era of unprecedented certainty and political stability, a time when the world is experiencing uncertainty.Underlining India’s resilience amid global uncertainty, the billionaire industrialist said, “The world is changing very fast, the geopolitical situation is creating new challenges and unexpected turbulence. What is reassuring for India is that these challenges cannot touch or trouble our people because India has the invincible protective wall called Narendra Modi.” The country is not just preparing for the future but shaping it, he said.“From Saurashtra and Kutch we in industry are happy to participate in this growth and direction that PM Modi has shown all of us,” Ambani said.Speaking at VGRC, Ambani said Reliance is committed to make Gujarat India’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) pioneer, adding that his companies will double their investment in the state from Rs 3.5 lakh crore to 7 lakh crore in the next five years.“Reliance is committed to making Gujarat the AI pioneer of India. In Jamnagar we are building India’s largest AI ready data centre with a single goal – affordable AI for every Indian.,” he said.Jio will launch a people-first intelligent platform in India, for India and the world for enabling every citizen, starting from Gujarat, to access AI services in their own device and language everyday to make them more efficient and productive, Ambani added.Ambani also committed to invest at an “unprecedented scale” in Gujarat and said that he would double his investment in Gujarat.“Reliance is already Gujarat’s largest investor. In the last five years, we have invested over Rs 3.5 lakh crore. I am pleased to announce we will double this to Rs 7 lakh crore over the next five years, creating exponential employment, livelihoods and greater ‘sampathi’ (wealth) for every Gujarati, and every Indian,” he said.Ambani said Reliance is committed to global leadership in clean energy and green materials.“At Jamnagar, we are building the world’s largest integrated clean energy ecosystem, spanning solar, battery energy storage, green hydrogen, green fertilizer, sustainable aviation fuel and maritime fuels and advanced materials. These are not only industries of the future, they are foundations of India’s prosperous tomorrow,” he pointed out.Jamnagar, once the largest hydrocarbon energy exporter, will in the coming years become India’s largest exporter of green energy and materials, Ambani added.“Industry stands for transforming Kutch into a global clean energy hub. Our multi-gigawatt utility scale solar project, among the world’s largest, will deliver round-the-clock clean power through advanced storage and modern grid integration, powering India’s green future and reinforcing Gujarat’s leadership in renewables,” the industrialist said.Partnering in India’s Olympic ambitions and social progress, the Reliance Foundation is prepared to support the Prime Minister’s vision of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games in Ahmedabad, Ambani said.“As a concrete step, Reliance will partner with the Gujarat government to manage the Veer Savarkar Multi-Sports Complex in Naranpura. The complex is envisioned as a hub for hosting national and international sporting events and for training India’s future champions,” Ambani said.

AHMEDABAD: Dwarka, the ancient Gujarat coastal town closely associated with the legend of Lord Krishna and home to the revered Dwarkadhish Temple, is set to witness renewed rounds of archaeological excavations, both on land and underwater, senior officials of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have said. The proposed work aims to explore previously unexamined areas using modern technology to gain a deeper understanding of the region’s historical and cultural past.Underwater archaeological excavations at Dwarka were last carried out between 2005 and 2007, while limited exploratory studies were conducted again in 2025.

According to ASI officials, the upcoming phase will be more extensive and systematic. Alok Tripathi, additional director-general of ASI, told TOI that new areas at Beyt Dwarka and unexplored underwater zones will be covered by the agency’s Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW).“Dwarka has been under study for nearly 40 years, but the work so far has been limited in scope and objectives. We are now examining the other side of the mouth of the Gomti river,” Tripathi said.Experts said modern tools and technology would be deployed to enable larger and deeper excavations in the Arabian Sea. Tripathi himself was part of the five-member UAW team that conducted underwater exploratory work at Dwarka in Feb last year. During that time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also dived underwater off Dwarka coast to view submerged remains discovered on the seabed, drawing national attention to the site.On land, the focus will beon relatively undisturbed areas of Beyt Dwarka. Earlier excavations were largely concentrated near the cliff area. “We are now going deeper inside the forest area, where we have observed signs of a significant settlement. The site has some remarkable features, and excavations at lower levels could reveal important details about settlement planning, economic activities, arts and crafts, and the way of life of the inhabitants,” Tripathi said.The site has attracted attention alike due to the legend of the sunken city of Dwarka, believed to be founded by Lord Krishna. TheASI website indicates that explorations were carried out to understand the submerged archaeological remains off the coast of Dwarka as sculptures and stone anchors were found during low tide in coastal areas.The excavations so far have yielded many antiquities, including terracotta objects, beads, fragmented bangles, copper rings, iron ingots and pottery among others, according to the ASI website.Apart from Dwarka, the ASI has also initiated excavations at other key sites in Gujarat. Work has begun at Valabhipur, the ancient capital located in Bhavnagardistrict, and at Lothal, the Harappan-era site renowned for its water structure believed to be among the world’s oldest dockyards. With the upcoming National Maritime Heritage Complex near Lothal, archaeologists are exposing a larger area of the site using advanced tools and techniques. Tripathi emphasised that archaeology goes beyond excavation. “Our task is to place findings in perspective and fill gaps in historical understanding,” he said, adding that India’s use of technology in archaeology is on par with global standards and increasingly relies on interdisciplinary approaches.Gujarat has seen significant archaeological activity over the past decade, including extensive ASI-led excavations at Vadnagar in Mehsana district, PM Modi’s hometown, uncovering evidence of continuous habitation over two millennia. The state is also home to major Harappan sites such as Dholavira, now a Unesco World Heritage Site, and Lothal, highlighting Gujarat’s rich and layered archaeological heritage.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women will face the UP Warriorz Women in the fifth match of the fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League. The RCBW vs UPW Match Preview provides today’s match details for the fifth match.

RCBW vs UPW Match Preview- Women’s Premier League 2026, Match 5:

Date and Venue:

The RCBW vs UPW match will be played on January 12 at Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai. The game will start at 7:30 PM IST.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women

Smriti Mandhana (c), Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Gautami Naik, Prathyoosha Kumar, D. Hemalatha, Sayali Satghare

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UP Warriorz Women

Meg Lanning (c), Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Goud, Asha Sobhana, Deandra Dottin, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Chloe Tryon, Suman Meena, G. Trisha, Pratika Rawal, Charli Knott

RCBW vs UPW Key battles:

Smriti Mandhan vs Kranti Gaud

RCB Women’s captain Smrithi Mandhana will be banked upon to get her team offto an attacking start in the first six overs so as to create pressure on the opposition bowlers.

Mandshana will have to tackle the bowling of Krati, who has been in good form in the recent past and would want to build on it by getting early breakthroughs for his team.

Grace Harris vs Sophie Ecclestone

Grace Harris would also look to do the same when she comes out to bat in the match in question against the UP Warriors Women.

Harris will take on Sophie Eclestone, who will take control of things in the middle phase of the innings.

Meg Lanning vs Lauren Bell

Experienced player Meg Lanning will hope to lead from the front, being the captain of the side, and play a match-winning knock for the UP Warriorz Women against RCBW.

Lanning will be up against Lauren Bell, who will be entrusted to pick wickets in the first six overs.

Phoebe Litchfield vs Nadine de Klerk

Phoebe Litchfield would hope to play in her attacking manner in the upcoming game against RCB Women and help her team win the game and open their account in the tournament.

Litchfield will face the challenge of Nadine de Klerk, who will look to perform with both bat and ball and get her team over the line in their second match, and help them clinch their second win in the fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League.

RCB vs UPW Key Players:

RCBW– Smriti Mandhan, Grace Harris, Richa Ghosh, Nadine de Klerk, Lauren Bell

UPW– Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Gaud

RCBW vs UPW Weather Report:

There is no chance of rain during the game in Navi Mumbai, with a maximum temperature of 32°C and a minimum of 19°C.

Conclusion

Both teams would aim to win the upcoming match and take the same momentum into the next match of the Women’s Premier League, respectively.