Economic Data

• Fitch Ratings on Wednesday said India’s medium-term growth potential is at about 6.5% but weak implementation of reforms, combined with continued financial sector problems, could lower its potential.
• It said the revival of the reform agenda is among the Indian government’s policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic shock.

‘Partially offset’

• “If implemented effectively, we believe these reforms may help to support India’s medium-term growth and partially offset downside pressures to investment from renewed asset-quality challenges in the financial sector and damaged corporate balance sheets,” the ratings agency said.
• “We expect India’s central government to remain generally reform-minded over the next few years, and potential areas for further reform seem plentiful, in our view. However, the process of reform in India remains complex, and implementation at times has proven difficult,” Fitch said.
• “Our projected annual medium-term GDP growth is relatively high, nevertheless, at around 6.5% reflecting above-trend growth rates needed to close the output gap.” Fitch estimates medium-term growth potential to be some 1.7 percentage point lower than otherwise as a result of the scarring effects of the health crisis and financial sector weaknesses.
• The ratings agency last week said India’s gross domestic product (GDP) would expand by 11% in the financial year 2021-22, after witnessing a 9.4% contraction in the current fiscal period ending in March 2021.

The Hindu Data 09 to 11 Feb

Digital Exclusion

• Digitally excluded Indian stand at greater than 50% among which 40% are phones with no internet connectivity like feature phones and around 10% are non mobile users.

Manual Scavenging

• Nearly 57% of manual scavengers as of Jan 2020 were from UP, followed by MH UK.
• High sewer deaths, were reported from UP, TN, DL followed by MH, GJ, HR.
• Significant number of Families of victims of sewer deaths didn't receive monetary compensation as per Supreme Court directive.eg. In 30 out of 32 deaths in Maharashtra, no compensation was received.
• Data by National commission for safai karamchari and MOSJ.

Freedom of Press

• India score 71 on Citizens political rights and civil liberties indicator, which is relatively higher than the Press Freedom Index score which is 45.33. Freedom of journalists seem to be more curtailed than the freedom of citizens- Study by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters without Borders

Dams

• If the national plan to construct dams in 28 river valleys in the hills is realised, in a few decades, the Indian Himalayas will have one dam for every 32 km, among the world’s highest densities.

Road accidents

• India has, according to World Bank-commissioned report, Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities, 1% of the world's vehicles but 11% of all road accident deaths. Those who suffer the most are from low income households, especially in rural areas, and women bear the long-term financial and psychological impact of the losses more.

Diversion of forest area

• Among States whose forest area diverted for development and defense projects between 1991 and 2021, AR was highest(1.54 lakh ha) followed by MP>TL>UK.
• Maximum% of AR,MP,TL Lands were diverted for mining
• While max% of UK,UP lands were diverted for defense – MOEF.

Conviction rate in UAPA Cases

• Only 2.2 % of cases registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act between the years 2016 and 2019 ended in convictions by court. Crime in India report, NCRB