BSNL to merge with MTNL, the riskiest celebrities for netizens, and more top news

The news professionals are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation on today's stories in the comments.

State-owned firms BSNL and MTNL are set to merge, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. The Union Cabinet approved the move as part of a revival package that includes raising sovereign bonds, monetising assets and a voluntary retirement scheme for employees above 50. The government would put in ?29,937 crore for reviving the two ailing telcos and monetise their assets worth ?38,000 crore. Also, 4G spectrum will be allocated to the merged entity at 2016 prices. BSNL and MTNL collectively employ about 200,000 staffers. Join the conversation.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sunny Leone, Sachin Tendulkar and Radhika Apte are among the top 10 celebrities generating the riskiest search results, according to McAfee. The cybersecurity company said that searching for news, photos or videos of these stars can expose you to malware that can steal your personal information and passwords from the device. But there are ways to protect oneself: Don’t trust free content, click with care, avoid illegal streaming sites (adware may be disguised as pirated video files), and install a web reputation tool that will alert you of a malicious website. Join the conversation.

Tata Consultancy Services is doubling the salary of new joiners who crack a company test focused on digital skills, Business Line reports. The ‘hot talent’ test is among the toughest in the industry and helps zero in on candidates who are likely to “work for investment banks or Google,” said NG Subramaniam, TCS’ COO. Existing employee can also put their hat in the ring, but for a lesser raise. Already, 4,000 persons have been identified for the test. Come 2021, Indian IT will face a shortfall of 1.4 lakh candidates with emerging skills, Nasscom says. Join the conversation.

Your fears of quitting a job could be misplaced. Victory Coach Farzana Suri says most people find it difficult to move on due to high financial stakes, or its impact on their families. Yet, sticking to a corrosive, non-growth job environment can do more harm to your career than good. “Some jobs are stepping stones to larger things in life. So quitting is good, too. Stop brandishing it as a failure,” she says. How to be clear about the decision? Identify factors that could make you stay, check if it’s a case of burnout, and start exploring other options. Join the conversation.

India has opened up fuel retail, the sector’s biggest reform in 20 years. Any company with a net worth of ?250 crore can establish petrol pumps. New entrants must set up 5% of capacity in rural areas and offer at least one alternative fuel — CNG, LNG, biofuel, e-vehicle charging — at each pump within three years. The norms could attract companies such as Total-Adani, Saudi Aramco and supermarkets such as Future Group. India has 65,000 petrol pumps, but needs about1 lakh more.

Idea of the day: Is it possible for companies to do good and make money? The concept of shared value — a business using its skills, capabilities and resources to solve a social problem — is a way of “leveraging profit as a tool to maximise impact,” Daniel Epstein of Unreasonable Group tells LinkedIn’s Natalie MacDonald.

“You can use a hammer to build a house or destroy a house… The question is how do we use the most powerful tool in our tool belt, which is capitalism… towards building the house, i.e, create an adjusting, inclusive and regenerative society.”

What's your take on today’s stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.

— Mandar M Bakre, Dipti Jain and Nirajita Banerjee