Current Affair 1:

Government Data Roundup: Recent reports and datas.

 

All-India CPI Numbers for Agricultural and Rural Labourers – August 2022

Since September 1964, the Labour Bureau had been gathering CPI numbers for agricultural labourers. With effect from November 1995, the current series of CPI Numbers for (i) Agricultural and (ii) Rural Laborers (base 1986-87=100) superseded the prior series on base 1960-61=100.

The Field Operations Division (FOD) of the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) regularly gathers data on prices from 600 sample villages chosen from 20 States each month to compile these index statistics.

Key Highlights:

1. The All-India Consumer Price Index Number for Agricultural Laborers and Rural Laborers (Base: 1986-87=100) increased by 9 points each for the month of August 2022, reaching 1140 and 1152 points, respectively.
2. The increase in the prices of rice, Wheat-Atta, Bajra, Maize, Pulses, Milk, Onion, Chilies Green/Dry, Turmeric whole, mixed spices, Vegetables & Fruits, Gur, etc. was the main factor contributing to the rise in the general index of Agricultural Laborers and Rural Laborers, rising by 7.74 & 7.36 points, respectively.
3. The index varied differently in each state. In 20 States, there was a rise of 3 to 15 points for Agricultural Laborers. Himachal Pradesh was at the bottom of the index table with 898 points, while Tamil Nadu was at the top with 1312 points.
4. In 20 States, there was a rise of 3 to 17 points for rural labourers. Himachal Pradesh was at the bottom of the index table with 951 points, while Tamil Nadu was at the top with 1301 points.
5. Among the states, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh witnessed the largest increases in the Consumer Price Index Numbers for Agricultural Laborers (15 points apiece) and for Rural Laborers (17 points), primarily because of price increases for rice, wheat, vegetables, etc.,

 

Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for August 2022

It is the average change in the prices of wholesale commodities. The index basket comprises three categories – Primary Articles (117 items, 22.62% of total weight), fuel and power (16 items, 13.15% of total weight) and manufactured products (564 items, 64.23% of total weight).

The weights accorded to each category are based on the value of production adjusted for net imports. The base year for this index is 2011-12.

It is important to note that WPI does not include services. It focuses on the prices of goods that are traded between the organizations and not on the goods brought by the consumers. WPI is also known as the ‘headline inflation rate’ in India.

Key Highlights:

1. The provisional inflation for August-2022 stood at 12.41%, marking an increase from that of August-2021’s 11.64%.  The rate of inflation based on the WPI Food Index increased from 9.41% in July 2022 to 9.93% in August 2022.
2. Among the categories, the index for the fuel and Power group declined by 4.83%, followed by an increase in the Primary Articles (0.62%), and the Manufacturing products (0.07%) in August 2022 compared to July 2022.
3. For the fuel and power group, prices of Mineral Oils (-7.79%) declined in August 2022 compared to July 2022. The increase in prices for manufacturing products is mainly contributed by other non-metallic mineral products, Motor Vehicles, Trailers & Semi-Trailers, Electrical Equipment, Pharmaceuticals, Medicinal Chemical & Botanical Products, Electronic & Optical Products, Machinery & Equipment, Wearing Apparel, etc in August 2022 compared to July 2022.
4. Among the Primary Articles, prices of Non-food Articles (1.98%) and Food Articles (1.57%) increased in August 2022 as compared to July 2022. Prices of Minerals (-1.90%) and Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas (-7.34%) declined in August 2022 as compared to July 2022

 

Index of industrial production (IIP) for July 2022

This index measures the changes in the level of industrial production in a given economy. It indicates the mood of industrial activity in the country. The base year for this index is 2011-12, and it is assigned a value of 100. While the annual survey of industries gives a complete and detailed picture of industrial activity, this index gives a short-term analysis of industrial performance.

For this index, industrial production is categorized into three sectors – Mining (14.3%), Manufacturing (77.6%), and Electricity (7.99%). The values in the brackets denote their relative weights. Alternatively, there is also a ‘use-based’ classification of goods – primary goods (34.05%), capital goods (8.22%), intermediate goods (17.22%), infrastructure goods (12.34%), consumer durables (12.84%), and consumer non-durables (15.33%).

Key Highlights:

1. The IIP for June 2022-23 stands at 138.4, which was 122.8 during June 2021-22. The quick estimate for July 2022-23 is 134.6, while that for July 2021-22 is 131.5. Among the sectors, electricity topped with a score of 188.9, followed by manufacturing and mining at 135.2 and 101.1 respectively.
2. According to the use-based classification, in quick estimates for July 2022-23, primary goods stood at 131.7, capital goods at 97.8, intermediate goods at 148.9, and infrastructure goods at 150.1. The indices for consumer non-durables stood at 143.0 and that of consumer durables was at 121.5.
3. The majority of the goods have shown improvement over the June and July 2021-22 values, with consumer durables also registering a rise.

 

Current Affair 2:

National Logistics Policy 2022

 

We have covered this in comprehensive way today.

The term ‘Logistics’ has various connotations. But, in simple language, logistics is all about RRR- Delivering the ‘Right Product’ to the ‘Right Place’ at the ‘Right Time’.

In order to make the industry more efficient and resilient, the Government of India has come up with the ‘National Logistics Policy 2022’.

Logistics at a glance   With more than 14% contribution to GDP, the Indian logistics industry is estimated to be valued at USD 200 billion. The Indian logistics industry is highly fragmented with more than 20 specialised entities and 37 export promotion organisations. Very often, this caused serious lapses in ensuring co-operation & coordination between them. Additionally, logistics is a highly labour-intensive industry. This industry provides employment to more than 12 million people and is expected to grow at the rate of 10.5% over the next 5 years. More than 80% of employment in this industry is also unorganized. With advancements in technologies, this industry is gradually shifting to embracing and adopting newer technologies. All these places the Indian logistics sector at a crucial juncture to remodel itself to suit the needs of the globalized world.

 

The National Logistics Policy 2022, hereby referred to as NLP 2022, focuses on these two key areas:

1. Effective integration between different agencies in the logistics ecosystem
2. Deploying and embracing newer technologies to smoothen the process flow

The new National Logistics Policy has three major components:

1. Comprehensive Logistics Action Plan (CLAP)
2. Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP)
3. Dashboard for Ease of Logistics Services (E-LogS)

Among these three, CLAP acts as a foundation and all measures are implemented through it. It has eight core action areas as given below:

Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) is a promising effort that was developed to give an integrated platform that can be used by the stakeholders to improve efficiency, use technology, and lower the cost of logistics in India.

The industry department is creating a digital dashboard called Ease of Logistics (E-LogS) for recording, organising, and keeping track of time-bound issue resolution. Timelines and the progress of the resolution will be included.

Current Affair 3:

Bathukamma

 

Bathukamma is a colourful floral festival of Telangana and is celebrated by womenfolk with exotic flowers of the region. The festival has over the years became a symbol of Telangana culture and identity. Bathukamma comes during the latter half of monsoon, before the onset of winter.

Bathukamma is a celebration of the inherent relationship human beings share with earth and water. During the entire preceding week, women make ‘boddemma’ (a deity of Gowri ‘mother Durga’ made with earthly mud) along with Bathukamma and immerse it in the pond. This helps reinforce the ponds and helps it retain more water.

 

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