Political

Business

Economy: India’s growth sustainable, FinMin says, and cautions against headwinds

July 6, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi:  Noting that the Indian economy grew by 7.2 percent in 2022-23, especially in its last quarter (January-March 2023), the Finance Ministry on Thursday said the country will continue to register sustained growth in a more durable way than before—but also cautioned about the possible headwinds that could pose major challenges, […]

Read more

Business

Seasonal cycle: In some Indian cities, tomato is far more expensive than apples, and petrol!

July 6, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: The La Nina effect, which extended the onset of the Monsoon season, the Biparjoy cyclone in June, and an extremely hot, humid, and prolonged summer, adversely affected horticulture and floriculture in several Indian states, severely impacting supplies of vegetables and flowers. But tomato took the cake: its high prices in […]

Read more

Defence

Roving Periscope: No country wants Japan to release Fukushima waters in the Pacific Ocean

July 5, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: Japan got a green signal from the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday for its plans to pump out and release 1.3 million tons of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean over the next few decades from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, but no country […]

Read more

Business

SCO Summit: ‘Don’t hesitate to criticize terror-supporting nations’, says PM Modi

July 4, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to actively criticize nations supporting cross-border terrorism. “Some countries shield terrorism. We have to fight together against terrorism,” he said, according to the media reports. Addressing the SCO Summit virtually, PM Modi, in the digital […]

Read more

Business

Roving Periscope: Canada’s domestic politics spoiling its relations with India

July 4, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: Domestic political compulsions may have forced Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to go ‘soft’ on pro-Khalistani separatists in his North American country which has seen a recent spurt in violence by anti-Indian activists. The revitalized Khalistani separatists have resurfaced and attacked Indian interests in Canada, the US, and Australia, among […]

Read more

Business

RBI: 76% of Rs 2,000 banknotes returned to banks, including 87% as deposits

July 3, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday said that 76 percent of the Rs.2,000 banknotes, the highest denomination notes withdrawn from circulation, returned to banks since May 19, including 87 percent as deposits. As on May 19, the total value of Rs 2,000 notes in circulation was Rs 3.56 […]

Read more

Business

Roving Periscope: PM Modi to host Putin, Xi, and others virtually in SCO Summit on Tuesday

July 3, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: Ten days after the Wagner Group’s short-lived mutiny in Russia, its President Vladimir Putin will appear at the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) hosted virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Besides President Putin, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, among others, […]

Read more

Business

Unrest: As France burns, thousands of rioters arrested after clash with police

July 1, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: Despite the government’s stern warning that a national emergency could be clamped across France if the riots did not end immediately, rioting and arson raged in different cities for a fourth night on Friday, with cars and buildings set ablaze and stores looted, as the next of kin prepared on […]

Read more

Business

Roving Periscope: India now a ‘major player’ in the Middle East, says FP

July 1, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: In one of the most interesting geopolitical developments in years, India has emerged as a ‘major player’ in the Middle East, Foreign Policy, a leading American magazine focusing on global affairs, has said. It’s time to take New Delhi’s projection of power in the region seriously, it added. Highlighting New […]

Read more

Business

Roving Periscope: After POTUS Joe Biden, President Putin also praises PM Modi

June 30, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: It’s the ‘India Moment’ all over the world. The South Asian country, now the fifth biggest and the best-performing large economy, is the flavor of the season. And India is relishing it as never before. A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from his State Visits to the USA […]

Read more