oppn parties The Economy: Recovering Fast

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Tiranga Rally Is Excellent. Breaking The Law Was Not

October 17, 2026

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News Snippets

  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
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The Economy: Recovering Fast

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2021-11-02 07:17:12

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

The green shoots visible in the Indian economy for the last few months have now taken stronger roots backed by the festival season. Almost all indicators have shown a rise as demand picks up and people start to travel. First off, the GST collections in October were an impressive Rs 1.3 lakh crore, the second highest ever. This showed that the demand in the festive season was returning back to normal. Additionally, this was the fourth straight month when GST collections crossed the 1 lakh crore mark.

Then, manufacturing activity grew fastest in 8 months in October. The Purchase Manager's Index (PMI) was 55.9, which means it was in the expansion mode, again the fourth straight month when this happened. The PMI was 53.7 in September and the significant rise in October points to two things - one that old stocks were liquidated in the festive season and firms started input purchase in anticipation of further rise in demand in the coming months.

Exports also rose to $35.5bn, up 43.2% from the $24.9bn posted in October 2020 and more significantly, up 35.2% from the $26.23bn posted in the pre-Covid month of October 2019. The rise in exports was fuelled by the excellent performance of the petroleum products, engineering goods, gems and jewellery and organic and inorganic sectors. Imports also increased by to $55.4bn, up 62.5% from the figure posted in October 2020.

Demand for petrol and diesel is also increasing as more people are traveling. On Sunday, India recorded the highest number of flyers since March 2020. In October, diesel sales topped the pre-Covid level for the first time in one year. Petrol sales were up by 8% from 2019 and 4% from 2020. Jet fuel consumption also showed an increase but was yet to touch the pre-Covid levels. Although the fuel figures are misleading as prices have increased enormously and the rise is not by volume.

All this along with a galloping stock market and enormous funds being poured by venture capitalists in startups have created a positive atmosphere for business in India. The economy is looking up after the depression and gloom of the last 18 months. The extended lockdowns forced by the pandemic have given way to resumption of economic activity with a vengeance as more people are getting vaccinated and the fears of the third wave have receded. The only discordant note that is being struck is that bank credit off-take for industry is not growing as it should. In fact, latest figures show that for the first time, personal loans have beaten the overall credit provided by banks to industry. This has negative implication for wealth creation. 

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