-The Hindu The latest GDP data show that there has been an undeniable decline in the growth rate over seven consecutive quarters On February 28, as per its release calendar, the National Statistical Office (NSO) put out the third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) estimates, that is, for October-December 2020. It showed that domestic output grew at 4.7% at constant prices (that is, net of inflation), compared to the same period the...

-The Hindu Two-wheelers continue to slide as virus adds to woes In a sign of reviving rural demand, tractor players M&M and Escorts posted a double-digit growth in sales in February 2020. M&M’s farm equipment sector (FES) said its domestic sales in February 2020 stood at 21,877 units, up 21% from the year-ago month. Exports, though, dropped 22% to 683 units, taking total tractor sales during the month to 22,561 units. This is a...

-Frontline.in The Budget lacks any serious effort to address the main issues of unemployment, agrarian distress and falling incomes, revealing a high level of official insensitivity. A Budget during a time of recession, increasing unemployment, agrarian distress, falling incomes, demand constraint and malnutrition would have done well to first acknowledge the mess that policies have created and then taken steps to provide employment, boost rural incomes, increase purchasing power and thereby demand. Coming...

-Down to Earth The record-breaking vegetable price rise indicates an era of high food inflation in coming years Rising prices of food items, particularly that of vegetables, have spiked retail inflation to a 68-month high of 7.59 per cent in January 2020, according to the National Statistical Office. While the inflation figure captured headlines, a crucial analysis of the reasons behind this sustained increase in food prices slipped public attention. Extreme weather events...

-The Hindu Business Line Onion prices may be cooling, but food inflation likely to remain high; core inflation a worry Consumers staring at rising prices are unlikely to have much reprieve. Analysts believe that retail inflation may be peaking now but caution that prices will remain high in coming months. So while onion prices have come down, your monthly grocery bill could still be on the higher side for the first half of...