India's GDP contraction in FY 21 likely closer to 10%, says statistician Pronab Sen

Agencies
December 13, 2020

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New Delhi, Dec 13: India's current macroeconomic situation is "very uncertain" and the country's GDP could contract closer to 10 per cent in the current fiscal, former chief statistician Pronab Sen said on Sunday.

In an interview with PTI, Sen said that although the overall macro-management of the economy by the Modi government has not been very good but this particular slowdown is really beyond its control.

"At the moment India's current macroeconomic situation is very uncertain. I would say we should be very very cautious. I think there is too much optimism going around.

"... the actual economic growth of India could be closer to -10 per cent in 2020-21," he said.

Sen said quarterly GDP numbers are still derived from some corporate accounts and corporates have not fared as badly as the non-corporate sector.

"We know that MSMEs have been hit much harder than the corporations. So, the headline number coming out in the national accounts is an overly optimistic picture of the economy," the eminent economist said.

Sen also stressed on bringing back confidence of the investors.

Investors are new people who put their money into creating new production capacity, that is completely missing, he said, adding that until that comes back, the economy cannot grow.

"Because at the moment, as things stand our production capacity will not be very higher than what it was in 2019-20. And in fact, it will be less than that because some of the capacity may have closed down," the former chief statistician noted.

Sen, who is also heading the Standing Committee on Statistics (SCES) said the committee could not finalise its report.

India's economy recovered faster than expected in the September quarter as a pick-up in manufacturing helped the GDP clock a lower contraction of 7.5 per cent and held out hopes for further improvement on better consumer demand.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had shrunk by a massive 23.9 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal as the Covid-19 lockdown pummelled economic activity.

The second straight quarter of contraction pushed India into a technical recession for the first time.

According to the RBI, the Indian economy is likely to contract by 7.5 per cent in 2020-21.

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News Network
October 29,2024

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Kasargod, Oct 29: At least 154 people have been injured in a fireworks accident at the Anjootambalam Veererkavu Temple in Kerala's Kasaragod district. Among the injured, eight individuals are reported to be in serious condition, with one person in extremely critical condition. The tragic incident occurred just after midnight on Monday during the traditional Theyyam festival, which drew over 1,500 attendees to the temple.

Eyewitnesses stated that the accident was triggered when sparks from firecrackers ignited additional fireworks stored in a nearby room. As panic ensued, a stampede followed, leading to further injuries. Local authorities confirmed that 97 individuals have been admitted to various hospitals in Kasargod, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Mangalore for treatment.

A young girl present during the incident recounted, "The accident took place after sparks from crackers fell into a room where other fireworks were stored. Soon, we were all running away, and I fell down and got injured. My sister escaped unhurt."

Safety Protocols Ignored: Police Detain Temple Officials

Authorities have attributed the cause of the fire to negligence on the part of the temple officials. The police have taken two members of the temple committee into custody for questioning. According to local officials, the temple had stored low-intensity fireworks worth around Rs 25,000 for the festival, which concludes on Tuesday night.

Kasargod district Superintendent of Police (SP) D. Shilpa emphasized that the temple authorities failed to comply with safety protocols, noting that they did not secure the mandatory licenses required for the bursting of firecrackers. District Collector K. Inbasekar confirmed that a thorough investigation is underway, with forensic samples collected from the accident site.

Local CPI(M) MLA M. Rajagopal expressed his condolences, calling the incident "very unfortunate" and reinforcing that safety measures must be strictly adhered to during such celebrations. Kasargod MP Rajmohan Unnithan echoed these sentiments, pointing out the serious lapses on the part of officials responsible for ensuring safety during the festival.

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News Network
October 21,2024

Mangaluru: The MLC by-election for the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Local Authorities Constituency commenced at 8 AM on Monday, with voting set to continue until 4 PM. A total of 392 polling booths have been established across the two districts, which form the constituency.

The constituency has 6,032 eligible voters, including 3,127 women. Early reports indicated brisk voting at the Mangaluru City Corporation polling booth, where corporators were seen patiently standing in line in the morning.

In a unique moment, Sharath, a gram panchayat member from Kokkada, cast his vote at Kokkada Gram Panchayat before heading to his wedding ceremony.

The constituency features 53 sensitive polling booths. Eligible voters include members of gram panchayats, corporators from Mangaluru City Corporation, city and town municipal councils, town panchayats, MLAs, MLCs, and Lok Sabha members representing the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Notably, Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole and MLC Prathap Simha Nayak, who do not represent local bodies, were left out of the voters' list. According to electoral rules, only those MLAs, MLCs, and MPs who represent city corporations, municipalities, town panchayats, taluk panchayats, or zilla panchayats are granted voting rights in the MLC elections for the Local Authorities’ Constituency.

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News Network
October 27,2024

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav stated on Sunday, October 27, that his party is prepared to contest the Maharashtra Assembly elections independently if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) does not include them in the alliance. 

Yadav assured that the SP would only contest in constituencies where it has a strong organizational presence and would ensure its participation does not affect the MVA’s overall prospects.

Several I.N.D.I.A. alliance members have expressed dissatisfaction with the Congress over seat-sharing arrangements in upcoming state polls. 

Both the CPI(ML)L and the RJD voiced frustration after being offered only 3-4 seats each for the Jharkhand elections by the Congress.

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