Month: July 2024

Wholesale inflation in India, as measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), rose to 3.36 pc (Provisional) in June from 2.61 pc in May, according to official data released by the Commerce Ministry on Monday.

The increase is largely due to higher prices in various categories including food articles, manufacture of food products, crude petroleum & natural gas, mineral oils, and other manufacturing sectors.

The detailed index numbers and inflation rates for ‘All Commodities’ and the major components of WPI for the last three months show that the WPI for all commodities (weight 100 per cent) increased from 152.9 in April (1.19 per cent inflation) to 153.3 in May (2.61 per cent inflation) and further to 153.9 in June (3.36 per cent inflation), read the press release.

For primary articles, with a weight of 22.62 per cent, the index rose from 187.1 in April (5.23 per cent inflation) to 187.7 in May (7.20 per cent inflation) and to 191.6 in June (8.80 per cent inflation).

The fuel and power index, comprising 13.15 per cent of the total, decreased from 151.4 in April (-0.85 per cent inflation) to 150.6 in May (1.35 per cent inflation) and further to 147.7 in June (1.03 per cent inflation).

The index for manufactured products, with the largest weight of 64.23 per cent, increased from 141.2 in April (-0.14 per cent inflation) to 141.7 in May (0.78 per cent inflation) and to 141.9 in June (1.43 per cent inflation).

The food index, with a weight of 24.38 per cent, rose from 184.6 in April (6.09 per cent inflation) to 185.7 in May (7.40 per cent inflation) and to 190.3 in June (8.68 per cent inflation).

The WPI increased by 0.39 per cent in June compared to May. The month-over-month change for the past six months shows that the index was -0.40 per cent in January, 0.00 per cent in February, 0.13 per cent in March, 0.99 per cent in April, 0.26 per cent in May, and 0.39 per cent in June, read the press release.

Examining the major groups, the primary articles index increased by 2.08 per cent in June from May, with food articles up by 2.96 per cent and minerals by 1.47 per cent. Prices of non-food articles and crude petroleum & natural gas declined by 0.32 per cent and 0.57 per cent, respectively.

The fuel and power index fell by 1.93 per cent in June from May, driven by a decrease in electricity prices by 1.67 per cent and mineral oils by 2.38 per cent.

The index for manufactured products saw a modest increase of 0.14 per cent in June from May. Out of 22 NIC two-digit groups, 8 saw price increases, 10 saw price decreases, and 4 saw no change.

Notable increases were seen in food products, chemicals, textiles, rubber & plastics products, and motor vehicles. Decreases were observed in basic metals, non-metallic mineral products, and pharmaceuticals, among others, read the press release.

The food index increased from 185.7 in May to 190.3 in June, with the annual rate of inflation rising from 7.40 per cent to 8.68 per cent.

The WPI for June 2024 was compiled at a weighted response rate of 87.8 per cent, while the final figure for April 2024 had a response rate of 95.8 per cent.

The provisional figures are subject to revision as per the WPI revision policy. The next release, for July 2024, is scheduled for August 14.

Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist, Head of Research and Outreach at ICRA Ltd. reacted to the recent inflation data, saying, “The jump in the WPI inflation to 3.4 per cent in June 2024 was broad-based, and along expected lines, displaying the third consecutive month of a sizeable sequential step up (+0.3 per cent in March 2024, +1.2 per cent in April 2024 and +2.6 per cent in May 2024). Looking ahead, the headline WPI inflation is expected to dip to ~2.0 per cent in July 2024, driven by a favourable base, as well as some cooling in global commodity prices.”

She further said, “The up move in the WPI inflation in June 2024 was broad-based, driven by all the major segments except fuel and power. After rising to seven-month high levels in May 2024, global commodity prices have seen a continuous dip. The Bloomberg commodity price index has eased by 0.9 per cent sequentially to average at 101.2 during July 1-12, 2024 from 102.2 in June 2024 (-1.6 per cent MoM).”

“Notably, in YoY terms, the index contracted by 3.4 per cent in July 2024 (up to July 12, 2024) as against an expansion seen during the previous two months (+0.6 per cent in June 2024; +2.5 per cent in May 2024). This augurs well for the WPI inflation print in the month”, added Nayar. (ANI)

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‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba,’ starring Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey, is all set to release on August 9.

Announcing the news on Monday, Netflix India shared a teaser video featuring the lead actors, Vikrant, Taapsee and Sunny Kaushal. 

“9 August ki Haseen shaam, Dillruba ke naam Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, is out on 9 August, only on Netflix,” read the post shared by Netflix, hinting at a direct continuation from where the original film left off.

Earlier in February, the makers of the upcoming thriller film ‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’ starring Vikrant Massey, Taapsee Pannu and Sunny Kaushal unveiled the film’s official teaser.

Taking to Instagram, OTT platform Netflix shared the teaser that they captioned, “Rani ki kahaani me pyaar aur pagalpan, dono abhi baaki hain. Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba is coming soon, only on Netflix!”

The short teaser gives a glimpse into the world of an upcoming sequel with the song ‘Ek Haseena Thi’ from the cult classic film ‘Karz’ playing in the background.

‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’ also stars Jimmy Shergill in the lead role.

‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’ is a sequel to ‘Haseen Dilruba’, which premiered exclusively on the OTT platform Netflix in July 2021 and gathered positive reviews from the audience and starred Vikrant, Taapsee Pannu and actor Harshvardhan Rane in the lead roles.

The film will premiere on Netflix. (ANI)

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Vikram Misri assumed the charge of Foreign Secretary of India on Monday.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed warm regards and best wishes to Foreign Secretary Misri for a successful tenure ahead.

“Shri Vikram Misri assumed charge as Foreign Secretary today. #TeamMEA extends a warm welcome to Foreign Secretary Misri and wishes him a successful tenure ahead,” said MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal in a post on X.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) approved the proposal made by the Ministry of External Affairs for appointing Vikram Misri as the next Foreign Secretary, succeeding Vinay Mohan Kwatra as Foreign Secretary.

On July 14, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar bid farewell to outgoing Foreign Secretary Kwatra, acknowledging his profound contributions to India’s foreign policy and national security over the past decade. Jaishankar praised Kwatra for his strategic acumen in shaping and executing crucial policies during his tenure.

“Thank outgoing Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra for his dedication and many contributions in the field of foreign policy and national security. Particularly in the last decade, he has helped strategise and execute so many of our key policies. Wish him well in his future endeavours,” EAM Jaishankar said in a post on X.

Misri, 59, has the unique honour of having served as private secretary to three Prime Ministers – Inder Kumar Gujral in 1997, Manmohan Singh in 2012, and Narendra Modi in 2014.

Misri was born in Srinagar in 1964 and received his early education in Gwalior. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in history from Delhi University’s Hindu College and an MBA from XLRI.

Misri was India’s ambassador to China and played a significant role in discussions between India and China following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes that resulted from the actions of the Chinese military in Eastern Ladakh.

In his early career, Misri worked at Indian embassies in Brussels and Tunis. He became India’s ambassador to Spain in 2014 and to Myanmar in 2016. He has also held positions in several Indian diplomatic missions across Africa and North America. (ANI)

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Punjabi actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh is currently busy enthralling his fans with tours across the globe. Ahead of his performance at Rogers Centre, a stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he welcomed a special visitor on stage: Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.

His music has reached every corner, and even the Canadian PM couldn’t miss meeting him before the performance.

In the video, Diljit can be seen greeting PM Trudeau with folded hands.

Sharing the video, the singer wrote, “Diversity is Canada’s strength. Prime Minister @justinpjtrudeau came to check out history in the making: we sold out the Rogers Centre!”

As soon as the video was shared, fans and industry friends chimed in the comment section.

Singer Harshdeep Kaur wrote, ” Legend.”

One of the users wrote, “@diljitdosanjh thank you for representing each one of us on this level.”

Impressed by Diljit Dosanjh’s presence in the country, the Canadian PM took to X handle and shared pictures from his visit to the venue where the singer performed live.

He captioned the post, which read, “Stopped by the Rogers Centre to wish @diljitdosanjh good luck before his show. Canada is a great country — one where a guy from Punjab can make history and sell out stadiums. Diversity isn’t just our strength. It’s a super power.”

Meanwhile, on the film front, he was recently seen playing the lead role in Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Amar Singh Chamkila,’ alongside Parineeti Chopra.

He also played a pivotal role in ‘Crew’ starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon in lead roles.

His recent track titled ‘Bhairava Anthem’ starring Prabhas from ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ created waves around the world.

He is currently receiving praise for his recent release, ‘Jatt and Juliet 3,’ co-starring Neeru Bajwa is also a part of the film. (ANI)

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Following the INDIA bloc’s emphatic performance in the recently concluded by-polls in seven states, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram expressed confidence on Sunday that the “wind is behind the sails of the INDIA bloc.”

In an interview with ANI, P Chidambaram said that the by-elections indicate that the ‘mood’ of the people is against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“The by-elections show that the mood of the people is against the BJP. But where the structure of the Congress party is weak, I’m afraid that the ‘mood’ alone would not help. We have to work in states where the structure of the party is weak,” he said.

“But by and large, the wind is behind the sails of the INDIA bloc,” he added.

Out of the by-polls conducted in 13 assembly constituencies across seven states, the INDIA bloc emerged victorious with 10 seats, while the BJP settled for two seats, and an independent candidate bagged one seat.

Assembly by-polls were held in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur, Nalagarh and Dehra; West Bengal’s Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagda, and Maniktala; Badrinath and Manglaur in Uttarakhand; Jalandhar West in Punjab; Rupauli in Bihar; Vikravandi in Tamil Nadu; and Amarwara in Madhya Pradesh.

The INDIA bloc parties that fielded candidates in 13 assembly constituencies are — the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress bagged two seats (Nalagarh and Dehra) while the BJP managed to win one seat–Hamirpur; the ruling TMC in West Bengal swept all four seats; the Congress bagged both of the seats in Uttarakhand; AAP secured the lone seat in Punjab; the DMK won the lone seat in Tamil Nadu; the BJP bagged the lone seat in Madhya Pradesh, whereas, the independent candidate won the lone seat in Bihar.

Meanwhile, Congress MP P Chidambaram also spoke about the central government’s announcement to observe ‘Savidhan Hatya Diwas’ on June 25 to mark the anniversary of the ’emergency’, which was imposed in 1975 under the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government.

“Why is the BJP not going back to the 18th or 17th century? 75 per cent of the Indians living today were born after 1975. Emergency was a mistake and it was accepted by Indira Gandhi. We have amended the Constitution so that an emergency cannot be imposed so easily,” said Chidambaram.

He further asked what’s the point of debating over the rights and wrongs of the emergency 50 years later, while stressing that ‘lessons have been learned from the past’.

“What is the point of debating the rights and wrongs of the emergency 50 years later? The BJP must forget the past. We have learned the lessons from the past,” he said.

Earlier this month, the central government, led by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), announced to observe ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ to mark the anniversary of the emergency. The decision has triggered a backlash, with opposition parties targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The Emergency of 1975 in India stands as a stark chapter in the nation’s history, marked by widespread political turmoil and civil liberties suppression. Declared by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Emergency saw the suspension of fundamental rights and the imposition of strict censorship, aiming to quell political dissent and maintain order. (ANI)

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The tenure of Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) National President, JP Nadda, has come to an end. Although his term was extended until June 2024, he has now been assigned significant responsibilities within the government. As a result, the BJP is now in search of a new president.

The BJP aims to appoint a new national president by December this year. The election process for this position will commence on August 1. Before the election of the national president, a comprehensive membership drive will be conducted, along strengthening the district and state units.

The process to elect a new BJP national president will begin on August 1. Initially, a membership drive will be launched, which will run until September 15. Following this, an active membership campaign will take place from September 16 to September 30. From October 1 to October 15, the verification of active membership will be conducted.

According to the BJP party constitution, every member is required to renew their membership every nine years. This year, the membership campaign will require the Prime Minister, the party president, and all party leaders to renew their membership.

From November 1 to November 15, the BJP will hold elections for the Mandal (local unit) presidents. This will be followed by district president elections from November 16 to November 30.

Sources within the BJP indicate that after the Mandal and district president elections, members of the state council and central council will be elected. Only after these elections will the process for selecting the state presidents begin.

The election process for state presidents will commence on December 1. Once the elections in 50 per cent of the states are completed, the official process to elect the national president will begin.

This systematic and phased approach ensures that the BJP’s organisational structure is robust and ready for the leadership transition. The upcoming elections are crucial for the party as it prepare for future political challenges and opportunities.

Notably, Nadda has been appointed Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. Nadda was elected Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat and holds the Health, Chemicals and Fertilizers portfolio in the Modi 3.0 cabinet, post 2024 Lok Sabha polls. (ANI)

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The All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Sunday said that they will challenge the Supreme Court latest verdict, allowing divorced women to claim maintenance after the period of “Iddat”. The board will also challenge the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) law passed in Uttarakhand.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board held a working committee meeting today in which various issues were discussed.

Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, spokesperson for the board, stated that in the meeting, they have approved eight resolutions.

“The first resolution was about the recent Supreme Court judgement. This decision conflicts with Sharia law. The resolution states that marriage in Islam is considered a sacred bond. Islam makes every effort to prevent divorce. The Supreme Court’s decision claims to be in the “interest of women”, but from the perspective of marriage, this decision will become problematic for women. If a man has to provide maintenance even after divorce, why would he divorce? And if bitterness has developed in the relationship, who will suffer from it? We will consult with the legal committee to work on how this decision can be rolled back,” Ilyas said.

The Supreme Court on July 10 ruled that Section 125 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) applied to all married women including Muslim married women and they can claim maintenance from their husbands under these provisions.

The top court also echoed that time has come for Indian men to recognise the role and sacrifice of ‘homemakers’ who are strength and backbone of an Indian family and they must provide financial support to her by having having joint accounts and ATMs

A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih ruled that Section 125 CrPC, which deals with wife’s legal right to maintenance, is applicable to all women and divorced muslim female can claim maintenance from her husband under it.

Speaking on the UCC, Syed Qasim Ilyas said that their legal committee is working on the process to challenge the UCC law in Uttarakhand.

“Diversity is the identity of our country, which our Constitution has preserved. The UCC attempts to end this diversity. The UCC is not only against the Constitution but also against our religious freedom. The UCC passed in Uttarakhand is causing a lot of trouble for everyone. We have decided to challenge the UCC in Uttarakhand, and our legal committee is preparing for it,” he added.

The spokesperson of the board also highlighted the dispute based on religion in the country, citing the Worship Places Act of 1991.

“In our country, before the Babri Masjid incident, there was a law called the Worship Places Act 1991. All the people think that the Babri Masjid would be the last religious dispute in India. It is unfortunate that new disputes are still emerging. We are presenting in court that these disputes should not be entertained under the Worship Places Act. We request the Supreme Court to include the religious act in the latest disputes,” Qasim Ilyas said.

He also emphasized on the alleged recent increase in mob lynching cases in the country.

“The recent Lok Sabha election results clearly show that voters have voted against the sentiments of hatred and enmity. Despite this, cases of mob lynching have not decreased. After the election results, there have been 11-12 cases of mob lynching. This barbaric act undermines the rule of law. If someone has committed a crime, it is the law’s right to punish them,” he said.

At last, speaking on the Palestine-Israel war, Ilyas urged the Indian government to end all strategic relations with Israel and put pressure on it to end war.

“The issue of Palestine is also important. Our country’s stance has always been clear that we support the two-nation theory. We all know that Israel has illegally occupied the area. Currently, there is a war going on there, and thousands of people have been killed. It is surprising that even now, big countries are supporting Israel. The board has condemned this and expressed that the response of Muslim countries is also not good,” he said.

“The board urges the government to end strategic relations with Israel and to apply pressure for a ceasefire. Our country should intervene in this matter, just as we did in the Russia-Ukraine war,” he added. (ANI)

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The ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (treasure trove) of the Shri Jagannath Temple has finally been opened after more than four decades on Sunday.

The Ratna Bhandar of the Shri Jagannath Temple was opened following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Odisha government. On Saturday, the Odisha government gave approval for the opening of the Ratna Bhandar after carrying out the inventorization of valuables, including pieces of jewellery stored there.

To commemorate this occasion, the Office of the Chief Minister of Odisha, taking to X, said, “Jai Jagannath Oh Lord! You are rhythmic. The whole world is oppressed by your desire. You are the heartbeat of the orthodox nation… The four doors of the temple were first opened at your will. Today, after 46 years of your will, the gem was opened with a great purpose…I strongly believe that this great work will be successful…”

Special boxes were also brought to Shri Jagannath Temple ahead of the re-opening of ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (Treasure Trove) today.

Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Arabinda Padhee says, “Odisha government has approved the SOP for opening the Ratna Bhandar. As per the decision, today the Ratna Bhandar is being opened as per set guidelines. Authorised representatives from the various ‘sewa’ groups, officials from the ASI, representatives of Shri Gajapati Maharaj and others would be there. The entire proceedings will be video recorded for our records, not for publicity and will be strictly confidential.”

He further stated that there will be three steps in SOPs to be followed for the opening and inventorization of the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar.

“There are three steps to the SOP: The first is the opening of the outer ratna bhandar. For the inner Ratna Bhandar, there is another set of guidelines. There is also a temporary, strong room… Once the shift from Ratna Bhandar to the strong room has been made, we will inventory the valuables. We seek the blessings of Mahaprabhu that the Ratna Bhandar gets opened easily, and the subsequent steps will follow,” Padhee said.

The ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (Treasure Trobe) of the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri was set to be opened at 1:28 pm on Sunday, following SOPs issued by the state government.

Speaking on this, Inspection Committee Chairman Justice Biswanath Rath said, “As per the discussion in the meeting and the suggestions of the ‘Purohits’ and the ‘mukti mandap’, the right time for the opening of the Ratna Bhandar is 1:28 pm.”

He further said that the process will be quite challenging since it is still unknown to them about the position of the Ratna Bhandar since it was last opened in 1985.

“Today we convened a meeting in which we decided to go ahead with the opening and taking care of the ornaments… The process will be carried out with two sets of video recordings and there will be two certifications… It will be a challenge since we do not know the position inside since it last opened in 1985… We’ll open the locks today, in any case,” Justice Rath said.

Speaking on the re-opening of the Ratna Bhandar, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said that the inventory work will take place in the presence of a representative from the Reserve Bank of India and a digital catalogue will be made after the counting is done.

“We had requested the involvement of the Reserve Bank of India in this and a representative of the Reserve Bank of India will be included in it… After counting the ornaments, we will create a digital catalogue, which will include photographs, their weight and other things like their quality. A digital catalogueue will be created with all the things; the digital catalogueue will be a reference document,” he said.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be doing repair works in the Ratna Bhandar, which also looks after the maintenance of the 12th century shrine. The Treasury was last opened in 1978. (ANI)

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Congress leader Jairam Ramesh targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre on Sunday, over the recent tax collection data, and said that individuals are paying more tax than companies, and the middle class is bearing the weight of heavy taxation while Rs 2 lakh crore has been put in “pockets of billionaires” due to slashing of corporate taxes.

He highlighted that income tax collection stood at Rs 3.61 lakh crores and gross corporate tax collections were Rs 2.65 lakh crores, from April 1 to July 1, 2024.

Taking to social media platform X, Jairam Ramesh said, “As we head towards the Budget on July 23rd, data has just been released that gross personal income tax collections amounted to Rs 3.61 lakh crores during April 1-July 1 2024 while gross corporate tax collections were Rs 2.65 lakh crores. This reconfirms and re-establishes the point we have been making for quite some time–that individuals are paying more tax than companies.”

The Congress general secretary further highlighted that during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s tenure, personal income tax was 21 per cent of total tax collection, while today it has risen to 28 per cent, while corporate tax on companies has fallen from 35 per cent to 26 per cent.

He also criticised the 2019 move of the Centre to reduce corporate tax rates and said that it didn’t trigger private investment as was being anticipated, instead private investment has fallen from 35 per cent under UPA rule to under 29 per cent today.

“When Dr. Manmohan Singh left office, personal income tax was 21% of total tax collections, while corporate tax was 35%. Today, the share of corporate taxes out of total tax collection has dropped sharply to its lowest level in a decade, at just 26%. Meanwhile, the share of personal income tax in total tax collection has shot up to 28%,” Ramesh said.

“Corporate tax rates were slashed on 20 Sept 2019 in the hope that it would trigger a private investment boom. But that has NOT happened. Instead, private investment has collapsed, from a peak of 35% of GDP under Dr. Manmohan Singh, to below 29% during 2014-24. The corporate tax cut has put over Rs. 2 lakh crore in the pockets of billionaires, while the middle class continues to bear the weight of heavy taxation,” he further stated. (ANI)

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Delhi University (DU) has no plans to hold separate PhD entrance exams like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh on Sunday stated.

The DU Vice-Chancellor added that the university is awaiting guidance from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The uncertainty surrounding PhD admissions arose after the Centre cancelled the UGC NET exam, which had been crucial for entry into PhD programs. The UGC NET exam, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), determines eligibility for teaching positions and PhD admissions.

“We have no plans to hold a separate in-house PhD entrance exam. We will follow whatever UGC suggests. We have not received any communication from the NTA and are awaiting their guidance. We expect the academic session for PhD to be delayed by a month,” he told ANI.

Singh’s comments were in response to queries about whether DU planned to conduct its own entrance test following the controversy surrounding the NTA’s UGC NET exam.

On June 19, the Centre cancelled the exam after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) raised concerns about the integrity of the examination.

Meanwhile, JNU is considering abandoning the UGC NET exam for PhD admissions and reverting to an in-house entrance test. This year, JNU announced it would accept the National Eligibility Test (NET) scores instead of conducting its own entrance test, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The UGC, in a notification dated March 27, 2024, decided that from the academic session 2024-25, the NET score could be used for PhD admissions in place of entrance tests conducted by various universities and higher education institutions (HEIs).

The UGC NET, conducted by the NTA in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode since December 2018, determines eligibility for Assistant Professorship and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Indian universities and colleges. The award of JRF or eligibility for Assistant Professorship depends on the aggregate performance in Paper-I and Paper-II of the UGC NET. (ANI)

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