BUSINESS
Consumer expenditure data was not shared with Statistics Commission; standing committee kept in the loop
According to Chairperson Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar, while the National Statistical Commission has a broad mandate, it has only become an advisory body in practice
BUSINESS
Electoral bonds: Subsidiary of BJP's top donor is Congress' second-biggest funder
Mamata Banerjee's TMC received more than half of its total donations from electoral bonds worth Rs 1,610 crore from Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR (Rs 544 crore) and Bengal-based Haldia Energy (Rs 281 crore).
BUSINESS
New CPI series could combine 2022-23, 2023-24 consumer surveys; annual survey unlikely: Sources
Conducting the Household Consumer Expenditure Survey every year, in addition to be being a resource - in terms of time as well as financially - drain may also not provide enough new information, people in the know told Moneycontrol.
BUSINESS
Electoral bonds: BJP top receiver at Rs 6,061 crore, TMC 2nd with Rs 1,610 crore
According to data submitted by the State Bank of India to the Election Commission of India, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party accounted for 48 percent of all electoral bonds encashed by political parties since April 2019, before the scheme was scrapped by the Supreme Court in February.
BUSINESS
Electoral bonds: From lottery to milkshake firms, top 20 donors gave nearly Rs 6,000 crore
According to data submitted by the SBI to the Election Commission , the top 20 donors accounted for just under half of all contributions since the now-banned scheme was launched in early 2019.
BUSINESS
What does 12-year-low core inflation say about India's growth story?
Data released by the Statistics Ministry on March 12 showed India's headline retail inflation stood steady at 5.09 percent in February, although core inflation fell further to 3.3 percent. Economists are divided on what explains the falling core inflation – muted demand or changing consumption patterns.
BUSINESS
February inflation would be at 4.7% if CPI was calculated using 2022-23 consumer survey: SBI
According to State Bank of India Group Chief Economic Adviser Soumya Kanti Ghosh, there is an "urgent need to rationalise the weights under CPI".
BUSINESS
Inflation and IIP data meet expectations, but concerns remain
While India's headline retail inflation rate was unchanged at 5.09 percent in February, industrial growth in January decelerated to 3.8 percent.
BUSINESS
India's February CPI inflation at 5.09%, core inflation drops further to 3.3%
Headline retail inflation has now spent 53 consecutive months above the Reserve Bank of India's medium-term target of 4 percent.
BUSINESS
Headline CPI likely unchanged at 5.1 percent, industrial growth may edge up to a three-month high of 4.2 percent
The statistics ministry will release Consumer Price Index inflation for February and the Index of Industrial Production for January at 5:30 pm on March 12.
BUSINESS
States to see quality of deficit at its 6-year best in FY25: India Ratings
According to an analysis by economists from India Ratings and Research, the 2024-25 budgets of 26 states presented so far show that their total fiscal deficit target for the next financial year has been set at 3.0 percent of GDP, down from the revised estimate of 3.4 percent for 2023-24
BUSINESS
Explained: What's driving the rise in participation of women in the workforce?
India's G20 Presidency shifted the focus from women's development to women-led development. But workforce participation of women in India has continued to be among the lowest in the world. The government's Periodic Labour Force Survey report, released on February 12, shows the encouraging trend of increasing participation of women in the workforce continued in October-December 2023. But is this rise driven by distress or reform?
BUSINESS
India Inc's inflation expectation settling around 4.3%, shows IIM survey
The easing of inflation expectations of Indian producers comes amid easing headline retail inflation while wholesale inflation remains subdued under 1 percent.
BUSINESS
Explained: 'Discrepancies' in GDP data and how they affect headline growth rate
The statistics ministry measures the country's GDP via two methods – income and expenditure. Any difference in the numbers arrived at through the two approaches is filed under the sub-head 'discrepancies'. And this is often a very volatile number and creates uncertainty when it comes to the headline GDP growth number.
BUSINESS
GDP growth may hit a 5-quarter low of 5.9% in Jan-Mar 2024: NSO data
In its second advance estimate of GDP for 2023-24, the statistics ministry pegged the current year's growth rate at 7.6 percent, 30 basis points higher than its first advance estimate of 7.3 percent
BUSINESS
Economists focus on Q3 GVA growth to keep out noise in GDP from volatile taxes, subsidies
Even as India's GDP soared by 8.4 percent in October-December, the 6.5 percent increase in Gross Value Added was in line with expectations
BUSINESS
Barclays hikes India GDP growth forecast for FY24 to 7.8% after blowout Q3 data
According to the bank's economists, the faster-than-anticipated growth may lead to the Reserve Bank of India leaving the repo rate at 6.5 percent for even longer while it waits for inflation to come down to target.
BUSINESS
Q3 GDP: CEA Nageswaran says case for global agencies to raise view on India's potential growth to 7%, if not more
According to Nageswaran, a decline in the share of Private Final Consumption Expenditure in the GDP of 2023-24 is not a sign of demand slowdown but reflects growth in the economy being more evenly distributed than before.
BUSINESS
India's GDP growth accelerates to 8.4% in Q3; FY24 growth pegged at 7.6%
Also, National Statistical Office revised the GDP growth for 2022-23 to 7% against the earlier estimate of 7.2%
BUSINESS
India's April-January fiscal deficit widens to Rs 11.03 lakh cr, 64% of FY24 target
The central government's fiscal deficit for only January was Rs 1.20 lakh crore, down 39 percent from the first month of 2023.
BUSINESS
Case for rate cuts strong if inflation keeps declining, says MPC's Ashima Goyal
According to Goyal, it should not be difficult for the RBI to manage higher foreign inflows into Indian government debt as an increase in the GDP and size of the markets should mean these funds can be absorbed without excess volatility.
ECONOMY
South Korea hoping to conclude FTA talks with India before possible state visit in 2024
Officials from India and South Korea met earlier this year in January for the 10th round of official negotiations to upgrade the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA.
BUSINESS
Explained: Why India's Q3 FY24 GDP growth could slow down to 6.5%
The Statistics Ministry will release India’s GDP data for October-December 2023 on February 29. And economists think growth may have slowed down to 6.5 percent from 7.6 percent in the previous quarter.
BUSINESS
Agri growth in FY25 should be well above 3%, says MPC's Shashanka Bhide
According to Bhide, monetary policy currently needs to be such that headline retail inflation is sustained at the medium-term target of 4 percent, which would also be supportive of growth.
