IPA Staff
16474 stories by IPA Staff
IMF Warns Iran War Disruptions Are Pushing Global Economy Towards ‘Adverse’ Scenario; Growth Risks Rise
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday warned that continued disruptions from the Iran war are pushing the global economy closer to an “adverse” scenario marked by slower growth, tighter financial conditions and rising inflation risks, AFP reported. Last month, the IMF’s World Economic Outlook projected global growth at...
Salaried Employment Stagnated, Casual Employment Declined
By Dr. Gyan Pathak A closer look at the just released quarterly PLFS data for last quarter of 2025-26, January-March 2026, shows that salaried employment in India remains stagnant at 25.5 per cent, while casual employment has declined to 18.7 per cent from 20.1 per cent in the first...
Modi Govt’s Latest Coal Gasification Incentive Is A Welcome Step For Economy
By R. Suryamurthy The Union Cabinet’s approval of a ₹37,500-crore incentive scheme for coal and lignite gasification must be understood not as an isolated industrial subsidy, nor merely as another attempt to revive India’s coal economy under a different technological vocabulary, but as part of a far larger and...
Chief Minister Vijay Is Safe For Now But He Is Riding On A Tiger
By T N Ashok The rise of Vijay from Tamil cinema’s “Thalapathy” to Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu crossed its most decisive constitutional milestone this week when his government survived a dramatic trust vote in the Assembly with 144 MLAs backing him and only 22 voting against. In the...
V D Satheesan Named Kerala Chief Minister
By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Putting an end to the prolonged suspense, the Congress High Command named on Thursday Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Kerala Assembly, V. D. Satheesan as the new Chief Minister of the State. However, the reaction of the other two main contenders of the...
Communalisation Of Elections In Bengal And Assam Has Ominous Signals
By Nilotpal Basu The results of election for the five assemblies were announced on May 4. The implications are far reaching. Naturally, the challenges arising out of this new situation can be belittled only at our own peril, particularly the future of the secular democratic republic. Cashing in on...
Centre’s Great Nicobar Island Project Has Serious Environmental Issues
By Krishna Jha The Great Nicobar Island is at the centre of eight to ten billion dollar mega-infrastructure project launched in 2021 under India’s “Holistic Development of Islands” program at the southernmost tip of the country that aims to transform the island into a global transhipment and economic hub....
Assam CM Himanta Applied His Polarisation Programme In Polls With Big Success
By Rabindra Nath Sinha Weeks preceding Assam’s one-phase Assembly election on April 9 saw chief minister and state Bharatiya Janata Party’s strongman Himanta Biswa Sarma trying to outdo even Hindi-belt party leaders in resorting to politics of polarisation and what marked him out was his direct targeting of ‘miya...
Devastating New U.S. Sanctions Against Cuba Have International Reach
By W. T. Whitney, Jr. NEW YORK: President Donald Trump on May 1 issued an executive order imposing yet another round of new sanctions again Cuba. This latest set of restrictions apply to foreign persons and entities, including financial institutions, not only to Cuba or its government officials. The...
Need For Reshaping Labour’s Agenda During And After A Leadership Contest
By Ben Chacko LONDON: Reports of an imminent leadership challenge within the ruling Labour Party from British health minister Wes Streeting overshadowed the King’s speech. All now accept Keir Starmer has to go. How to turn that into the “fundamental change of direction” affiliated unions demand is the key...
PFC Flags Concerns Over RBI’s Upper-Level NBFC Draft Norms
MUMBAI: State-run Power Finance Corporation, the largest non-banking lender with over Rs 12.4 trillion in assets, has reported a marginal 3 per cent increase in the March quarter consolidated net income at Rs 8,598 crore, weighed down by a fall in interest income as borrowers chose to prepay their...
Govt Hikes Tariff On Precious Metals To Shield Foreign Exchange Reserves
NEW DELHI: The government has sharply raised import duties on gold, silver and platinum, as it looks to curb non-essential imports and shield foreign exchange reserves strained by surging crude oil and fertiliser costs amid the West Asia crisis. Under a Finance Ministry notification issued on Tuesday, Customs duty...
Oil Shocks Hit Wholesale Inflation Harder Than Retail Prices: BoB Study
International crude oil prices have a bearing on India’s macroeconomy, but their impact is not seen in the same way on growth and inflation, key components of retail inflation, according to a study by Bank of Baroda. Oil-price shocks tend to show up more clearly in wholesale prices compared...
Cabinet Clears Rs 37,500-Crore Coal Gasification Scheme To Cut Import Dependence
NEW DELHI: Amid mounting disruptions in global energy markets and rising risks to oil and gas supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a ₹37,500-crore incentive scheme for coal gasification projects aimed at cutting India’s ₹2.77 lakh crore import dependence on LNG, ammonia, methanol,...
Freight Rates May Need 2.8% Hike For Every Rs 5 Diesel Increase: Crisil
NEW DELHI: Rising crude oil prices and the possibility of diesel price hikes are beginning to cast a long shadow over India’s trucking and logistics sector, with transporters warning that even modest increases in fuel costs could sharply squeeze margins and disrupt cash flows. A new report by Crisil...
North East India Is Emerging As The Battle Ground For Power Between U.S. And China
By Nitya Chakraborty The developments in eastern and north eastern parts of India are getting increasing attention from Washington in the context of China’s planned moves to expand its control in Bangladesh and Myanmar, the two countries bordering the Indian states.US President Donald Trump’s unusual message sent to the...
No Escape From Belt-Tightening Warned Of By Modi As Situation Worsens
By K Raveendran Modi’s warning about restraint was meant to prepare the public for economic stress, but its immediate effect was to expose how fragile India’s external position has become when oil, gold and West Asia move against it at the same time. What sounded at first like a...
NEET Paper Leak Shows Domination Of Education Sector Mafia In The Country
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Recurring paper leaks, the latest being NEET-UG 2026, under the National Testing Agency (NTA), established by the Union Government led by PM Narendra Modi in November 2017, shows the domination of education sector mafia in the country in general, and NTA in particular. The Federation...
