Context: India’s rapid economic growth has not been matched by adequate job creation, wage growth, private investment and productivity gains, raising concerns about a possible middle-income, low-productivity trap.The challenge extends beyond external...
Context: Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Associations (FADA) data show that total vehicle registrations rose 17.5% year-on-year in August 2026, reaching the highest-ever August volume, with compressed natural gas (CNG), electric and hybrid powertra...
Context: Oil-marketing companies (OMCs) raised the price of commercial LPG cylinders by about ₹10 from September 1, after two consecutive months of decline. The 19-kg cylinder in Delhi now costs ₹2,747.5, while the 14.2-kg domestic cylinder price rem...
Context: After nearly 36 years without an A-grade sovereign rating, India received a major upgrade from the Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) on September 2, raising its long-term sovereign rating from BBB+ to A-. The upgrade reflects confidence in In...
Context: India has completed a decade of formal inflation targeting (IT) by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The framework aims to maintain Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation at 4%, with a tolerance band of ±2 percentage points. However, evidence p...
Context: India’s Q1 FY2026-27 GDP growth was reported at ~7.8%, a historically strong rate.Despite this, public trust in official GDP figures appears weak, reflecting a gap between headline growth and lived economic experience.India also shifted to a...
Context: India is reportedly revising its 2015 Model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), with the revised text expected to be placed before the Union Cabinet.The proposed revision follows the 2025 Union Budget announcement on revamping the 2015 M...
Context: Nuclear scientist Dr. Anil Kakodkar, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, has advocated introducing thorium-based fuel into India’s indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) fleet alongside the existing three-stage n...
Context: A former Finance Secretary questioned the official Q1 FY 2026-27 GDP growth estimates of 7.8% in real terms and 10.3% in nominal terms, suggesting substantially lower growth.However, the criticism incorrectly combines old-series and new-seri...
Context: The National Statistical Office (NSO) released a new series of National Accounts Statistics (NAS), reporting manufacturing GVA of ₹38.6 lakh crore in 2023-24, equal to 14.7% of GDP at current prices.An alternative estimate based on official...
Context: China is the world’s largest trade-surplus economy, with a trade surplus of around $1.2 trillion, and accounts for nearly 30% of global manufacturing output.Its manufacturing dominance is supported by government subsidies, state-directed fin...
Context: A 10-year JGB yield above 3% provides Japanese institutional investors with an increasingly attractive domestic investment opportunity.For investors with long-term liabilities, particularly Japanese life insurers, higher domestic yields...
Context: Rising Japanese government bond (JGB) yields are making domestic Japanese bonds increasingly attractive, potentially reversing Japan’s long-standing flow of capital into overseas bond markets.The 3% yield threshold is particularly significan...
Context: The U.S. Senate has passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, 2026, which proposes sanctions and additional trade restrictions linked to Russia.A key provision authorises tariffs of up to 100% on countries among the five...
Context: Real GDP growth in April–June 2026 (Q1 FY2026-27) stood at 7.8%, well above the expected 6–7%, despite concerns over the West Asia crisis.The growth was broad-based, led by manufacturing and services, indicating that it was not merely a stat...
ContextIndia enters its next employment decade after expanding infrastructure, formalisation, financial inclusion, skilling and entrepreneurship.RBI’s KLEMS productivity database estimates employment rose from 47.15 crore in 2014–15 to 64.33 crore in...
Context: Despite global disruptions arising from the West Asia conflict, India’s macroeconomic indicators have remained stronger than initially expected.GDP growth has remained above 7%, while inflation has stayed relatively contained and the current...
Context: Despite the West Asia conflict, India's economic growth has remained resilient, with GDP growth potentially reaching around 8% in the latest quarter, supported by strong automobiles, credit, exports and corporate earnings.However, much of th...
Context: India's Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, initially designed to support sugar mills and cane farmers, is increasingly becoming dependent on grain-based ethanol, raising concerns over food security, water use and the sustainability of h...
Context: Retail sugar prices reportedly rose sharply from around ₹45 to ₹65/kg within a month, with the ethanol-blending programme being blamed; however, the article attributes the rise mainly to lower sugar production and delayed government policy r...
Context: Andhra Pradesh, particularly Visakhapatnam (Vizag), is emerging as India’s third major international subsea digital gateway after Mumbai and Chennai, driven by new data centres and submarine cables.Key Prelims FactsI-2SEA (India–Southeast As...
Context: Recent disruptions linked to West Asia have highlighted India’s vulnerability to prolonged interruptions in energy supplies.India has substantial capacity to import crude oil, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), bu...
Context: Andhra Pradesh, particularly Visakhapatnam (Vizag), is emerging as India’s third major international subsea digital gateway after Mumbai and Chennai, driven by new data centres and submarine cables.Key Prelims FactsI-2SEA (India–Southeast As...
Context: Recent disruptions linked to West Asia have highlighted India’s vulnerability to prolonged interruptions in energy supplies.India has substantial capacity to import crude oil, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), bu...