Khalistan extremists Canada deep assets, Trudeau destroyed ties: Indian envoy

As he headed home to India after New Delhi rejected Ottawa's allegations linking him to the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma said there was "mistrust" towards Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his team, that Khalistan separatists were being "being encouraged all the time" and were "deep assets" of the Canadian intelligence agency.

As the trade gap with UAE, and ASEAN widens, India pauses talks with others

After a series of free trade agreements (FTAs) that have proved more beneficial to partner countries, India is adopting a more cautious negotiating strategy, temporarily pausing talks for trade pacts with smaller countries such as Oman and Peru. 

The Commerce Ministry is working on developing a fresh Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) aimed at addressing the "lack of consistent and streamlined" procedures for negotiating future trade agreements. 

India, Brazil, African countries should be represented in UNSC, says Lavrov

Russia's TOP diplomat has said that his country believes that India, Brazil and African countries should be represented in the UN Security Council on a permanent basis to ensure the representativeness of the global majority.

Countries such as India, and Brazil, as well as representatives of Africa, should have been on a permanent basis in the Security Council for a long time. This is necessary to ensure representativeness, representation of the global majority," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told aif.ru. in an interview, TASS reported. 

India has been at the forefront of years-long efforts calling for reform of the Security Council, including expansion in both its permanent and non-permanent categories, saying the 15-nation Council, founded in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st Century and does not reflect contemporary geo-political realities. 

A new accord for Assam

In upholding Section 6A, the judges in the majority are keenly aware that Section 6A is woven into the larger Assam Accord and attempting to undo one thread (even assuming the arguments of the petitioners are valid) would be a judicial unravelling of what is essentially a political settlement. 

The Court acknowledges that Indian federalism is sufficiently flexible to allow for the Union to have different relationships with different states, keeping in mind the unique needs and history of each. 

The court is also aware that striking down Section 6A in its entirety would render a large number of people in Assam stateless, and though it does not explicitly say so, this is clearly a consideration that has weighed on its mind. 

Water In Common

A major assessment of hydrological systems has concluded that the global water crisis could spiral out of control if urgent remedial measures are not undertaken. 

The Global Commission on the Economics of Water draws on the findings of leading scientists and other experts to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the management of aquifers worldwide. 

The Commission's report warns that more than half of the world's food production could be imperilled if countries do not find better ways to manage water resources. 

The crisis could shave off 8 per cent of the global GDP by 2050, with poor countries facing a 15 per cent loss. The panel reckons that the "demand for freshwater will outstrip supply by 40 per cent by the end of the decade." 

The Digital Way Forward

Initial evidence suggests that DPIs have catalysed financial inclusion in India. Bank accounts for adults increased from 25 per cent in 2008 to more than 80 per cent in the past six years, with women owning 56 per cent of these accounts. 

The value of digital transactions reached nearly 50 per cent of India's nominal GDP in 2022-23 and enabled access to credit through pre-sanctioned loans on UPI. 

However, beneath these macro-level achievements lie deeper questions about how DPIs affect citizens' livelihoods, income, physical well-being, and social agency. 

'Solar imports could soar to $30 bn as India targets 2030 renewable goals'

India's ambitious goal of installing 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 may drive the country's annual solar equipment imports to around $30 billion due to heavy reliance on Chinese goods, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has said. 

The think tank has emphasised the need for India to develop a self-reliant solar manufacturing ecosystem, particularly in key areas such as polysilicon and wafer production, without which India may continue to face high import costs, jeopardising its ability to meet its renewable energy targets. 

India's clean energy manufacturing is experiencing a detrimental impact from Chinese predatory pricing, which is undermining the country's efforts to promote domestic manufacturing under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. 

The report said that the US had advised India to "expand and protect" its clean energy manufacturing sector, with the Indian government already investing over $4.5 billion through the PLI scheme to support this nascent industry. 

Centre's FY25 capex may fall short of the target by ₹50,000 cr

The Centre's capital expenditure may be lower by around Rs 50,000 crore in the current financial year as against the target of Rs 11.11 lakh crore. In the first five months of 2024- 25 (FY25), the Centre's capex was lower by around Rs 73,000 crore compared with the year-ago period (Rs 3 lakh crore in FY25 vs Rs 3.73 lakh crore in FY24).

The slower capex was largely due to the reduced pace of spending under three large heads namely railways, roads and defence. 

While defence capex could spike at any point of the year based on payment obligations for procurement, the other two will take time to execute projects. 

Railways and road investments are funded through the Budget and account for 47 per cent (Rs 5.24 lakh crore) of the Centre's capex budget of Rs 11.11 lakh crore for FY25.

$1 tn over 30 years: the huge cost of pivoting away from coal

For a just transition away from coal, India will require over $1 trillion or Rs 84 lakh crore over the next 30 years, according to a study by environment and climate change research think-tank iForest (International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology). 

The first-of-its-kind study, published last week, attempted to estimate the cost of phasing down coal mines and coal plants, along with the costs of ensuring socio-economic stability in coal-dependent regions. 

Comeback of Krishi in Bharat

The All-India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey for 2021-22 found that 57% of rural households in the country - including households in semi-urban centres with a population of less than 50,000 - were "agricultural". This was significantly higher than the 48% reported in the previous survey of 2016-17. 

The survey, commissioned by the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD), defined an “agricultural household" as one that (i) reported a total value of produce from farming exceeding Rs 6,500 (be it cultivation of field and horticulture crops, livestock and poultry rearing, or aquaculture, sericulture and apiculture); and (ii) had at least one member who was self-employed in such activities during the reference year (July 2021 to June 2022). In the 2016-17 survey, the threshold cut-off value of produce was Rs 5,000.