Food

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Global slowdown: Moody’s slash India’s GDP growth to 7% in 2022

November 11, 2022 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: In September, Moody’s Investors Service, while retaining India’s sovereign rating at Baa3 with a stable outlook, said that rising challenges to the global economy—the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, higher inflation, and tightening financial conditions because of the policy tightening—is unlikely to derail the country’s ongoing post-pandemic recovery in 2022 […]

Business

Free rations: Govt extends the PMGKAY scheme until December 2022

September 28, 2022 virendra pandit

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday extended by three months its scheme to provide free rations to the poor at a cost of Rs 44,762 crore as it looked to ease pain from inflation, ahead of the upcoming Gujarat elections by December 2022. The central scheme to provide 5 kg of wheat or rice free […]

Business

Grain exports: India defends ban at the WTO

September 22, 2022 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: India, which had offered to provide food to the world earlier this year but had to backtrack because of projections of depleted crops and climate woes, has defended its ban on the export of wheat and rice. At a World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting last week in Geneva, countries like […]

Business

Roving Periscope: After the US, UK supports India’s stand on the Russian-Ukrainian war

September 22, 2022 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: After the US, particularly its media, welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine—that “today’s era is not of war”—the United Kingdom said on Wednesday the Indian leader has a “powerful, influential voice on the world stage.” London hopes Putin listens to voices who are […]

Business

Roving Periscope: Modi may negotiate ‘honorable’ exit to get war fatigued Russia off the Ukraine hook

September 21, 2022 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Wars are easy to start, but difficult to close—honorably! Amid reports of war fatigue in its seven-month-long Ukraine conflict, death and maiming of an unspecified but many troops, the unwillingness of many fleeing Russian soldiers to continue the invasion ahead of the biting winter from next month, and global diplomacy […]

Business

Global crisis: “World is in great peril”, UN chief Guterres warns

September 20, 2022 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Expressing deep concern over the problems facing the world since the outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned leaders that the world is in “great peril.” He made these remarks ahead of the world leaders’ meeting for the General Debate at the United Nations […]

Business

Roving Periscope: The US okays $450 mn F-16 plan for starving Pakistan !

September 8, 2022 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Plagued with extreme weather and existential economic crisis, a near-bankrupt Pakistan is crying for international aid, but its ‘frenemy,’ the US, will rearm a crippled Islamabad with a USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet “sustainment program.” It is still unclear if the US has provided any aid to Pakistan […]

Business

Pakistan: Food shortages stare at 33 million people as floods multiply miseries

September 3, 2022 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Pakistan’s backseat driver, Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, after an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas, said this week it would take his country several years to recover from the natural disaster. India can offer help, and even Pakistan’s Finance Minister Miftah Ismael favors it, but Prime Minister Shehbaz […]

Business

Roving Periscope: Gotabaya’s return may plunge Sri Lanka into anarchy, again

September 3, 2022 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had fled his chaotic country on July 13, returned home on Friday from Thailand, where he was camping after the Maldives and Singapore denied him refuge. Rajapaksa, an ex-military officer, had become the Sri Lankan President in November 2019. Now, as a former […]

Business

Price rise: After banning wheat outgo, India to restrict wheat flour’s export also

August 25, 2022 virendra pandit

New Delhi: After banning wheat export three months ago, India on Thursday decided to restrict the export of wheat flour also to curb rising prices of this key commodity in the country. The Centre took this decision after a Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. An official […]