Thursday, June 4, 2015

Mamata Banerjee added 5 new photos.

The Ease of Doing Business in Bengal reaches a new level.

In an interactive seminar on “Business Made Easy : The Next Level” held recently in Town Hall, we have published a booklet on “The Next Level-Doing Business in Bengal : Faster Procedures, More Transparency”.

It lists all the initiatives that we have taken to make doing business in Bengal as easy as possible.

From online trade license to exemption in NOC in many areas, to faster processing of applications for power, environment clearances, mutation, conversion and so on, our book contains an entire gamut of information on doing business smoothly in Bengal.

Our target is to make Bengal the No.1 Investment Destination.

Some pictures of the event are uploaded here for all of you to see.

PRESS INVITE

5^th June 2015, 4:00pm

Indian Women’s Press Corp (IWPC), 5, Windsor place, Ashoka Road, Delhi

Deadline must be extended to submit comments on “The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment Bill, 2015)”

The Joint Parliamentary Committee constituted to make recommendations regarding “The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment Bill, 2015)”, has given only a two week notice to make submissions, which we feel is extremely insufficient for many groups and mass organisations to detail threadbare and bring out their comments.

The Land Ordinance has been fiercely opposed and debated in past three months across the country. After consistent pressure and opposition, the NDA government has referred this to the Joint Parliamentary Committee consisting of members of both the houses. The current deadline of June 8^th is grossly insufficient to carry out any meaningful exercise in reaching out to the farmers and workers of this country who have come together across affiliations as ‘Bhumi Adhikar Andolan’ to collectively oppose the Land Ordinance which threatens the livelihood of the majority of Indian citizens.

We feel that it is an urgent priority to hold wider consultations, public meetings and public hearings to discuss the current draft in rural areas, especially where local communities have been affected by past or present experiences of land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement. From Kalinga Nagar, Dhinkia and Bolangir to Narmada, Sompeta, Raigarh, Nilgiris, Madurai, Mundra, Kanhar, Bhatta Parsaul, Jashpur, Dholera, and many others, people resisting illegal land acquisitions will welcome such a move of the Committee and democratic spirit of engagement.

We understand that the Committee wants to complete its deliberations at the earliest; however, a matter of this importance can’t be dealt away with in a hurry. We believe that the 2013 Act, amended after 114 years, and having vetted by two Parliamentary Standing Committees and debated over seven years inside and outside the Parliament should be given more time for deliberation.

Few representatives from the Bhumi Adhikar Andolan will be holding a press conference on 5^th of June 2015 at 4:00pm at IWPC to address the media regarding their concerns. The PC will be addressed by Hannan Mollah (All India Kisan Sabha, Canning Lane), Roma (All India Union of Forest Working People), Bhupinder Singh Rawat (NAPM) and others.

We demand that the Committee give due recognition to our concerns and extend the deadline for submissions until wider public consultations and hearings in affected areas take place, as has been done on previous occasions by the other Committees.

Hannan Mollah, Medha Patkar, Dr. Sunilam, Roma, Sanjeev, Shweta

On Behalf of:

Bhumi Adhikar Andolan

For further details please contact: Sanjeev (9958797409), Krishna Prasad (9560120964) and Shweta (9911528696)

With regards,

Shabnam

World Oceans Day 8 June 2015

Message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Oceans are an essential component of the Earth’s ecosystem, and healthy oceans are critical to sustaining a healthy planet. Two out of every five people live relatively close to a shore, and three out of seven depend on marine and coastal resources to survive. Our oceans regulate the climate and process nutrients through natural cycles while providing a wide range of services, including natural resources, food and jobs that benefit billions of people.

Given how critical oceans are to the health of our planet and the prosperity of people, they are an essential element in our emerging vision for sustainable development, including the new set of sustainable development goals now being prepared to guide the global fight against poverty for the next 15 years.

Climate change poses a great challenge for the health and productivity of the oceans. The science is clear: humans have caused changes to the climate system that are linked to the warming of oceans. Sea-levels are rising, with devastating effects on vulnerable communities, especially people living in small island developing States.

Oceans absorb a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions and are becoming more acidic as a result. Ocean ecosystems are degrading. Corals, which sustain so much of marine life, are vulnerable to bleaching and even death caused by warmer temperatures.

World Oceans Day is a chance to strengthen our resolve to appreciate, protect and restore our oceans and their resources.

This year, governments are seeking to adopt landmark agreements on climate change and ending poverty. Success will demand that they look at the essential role of world’s oceans.

The oceans are vast — but their capacity to withstand human damage is limited. In this potentially pivotal year, we must commit to using the gifts of the oceans peacefully, equitably and sustainably for generations to come.

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Film screenings at the Italian Cultural Centre,

Dear Members/Friends,

Following many requests from our members and friends to continue screenings at the Italian Cultural Centre, we have decided to hold the Special Summer Film Screening on Saturdays twice a month in June and July. We appreciate your love for Italian Films and value your feedback.

Thanks & Regards,

Italian Cultural Centre

SPECIAL SUMMER FILM SCREENING

At Italian Embassy Cultural Centre/New Delhi

ON SATURDAY, 13th JUNE 2015 AT 7 P.M.

Cinema at the Institute: Contemporaneo Italiano

The Film: CI VORREBBE UN MIRACOLO (It’s Gonna Take A Miracle)

Director: Davide Minnella

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 74 mins

Year of production: 2014

Starring: Elena Di Cioccio, Gianluca Sportelli, Alberto Basaluzzo

In Italian, with subtitles in English

Synopsis:

Elena returns to Puglia to attend her uncle’s funeral. It is then that she meets her cousin Gianluca, who slowly but steadily makes her a part of a strange project. Who is poisoning our fish and our waters? Elena nearly manages to reach the bottom of the story, until when a supernatural and miraculous advent negates her entire vision and ideology and upsets all odds. The sea is deprived of fish and is filled with icons of Padre Pio.

Between the depths of a story of miracles and the abysses, Gianluca and Elena go fishing for the truth about the evils infesting the Mediterranean Sea. A half-serious inquiry on pollution and superstition. Will it always be funny?

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Elena torna in Puglia per partecipare a un funerale di un vecchio zio. E’ così che ritrova suo cugino Gianluca che poco a poco l’avviluppa in un progetto balzano. Chi sta avvelenando il nostro pesce e i nostri mari? Elena si fa tirare a fondo nella storia, fino a quando un avvento totalmente soprannaturale e miracoloso sconvolge ogni prevision. Il mare si è svuotato di pesci e si è riempito di icone di Padre Pio.

Tra le profondità di una storia di miracoli e gli abissi marini, Gianluca ed Elena vanno a pesca della verità sui mali che infestano il mediterraneo. Un’inchiesta semiseria tra inquinamento e superstizione. Sarà tutta da ridere?

SPECIAL SUMMER FILM SCREENING

At Italian Embassy Cultural Centre/New Delhi

ON SATURDAY, 27th JUNE 2015 AT 7 P.M.

Cinema at the Institute: Contemporaneo Italiano

The Film: SOGNI DI GLORIA (Daydreaming)

Director: Patrizio Gioffredi (Collettivo John Snellinberg)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 94 mins

Year of production: 2013

Starring: Gabriele Pini, Xiuhong Zhang, Carlo Monni, Giorgio Colangeli, Alessandro Guariento, Miriam Bardini, Marcella Ermini, Riccardo Goretti, Luke Tahiti, Nicolò Belliti,

Luca Spanò, Luca Zacchini, Francesca Sarteanesi, Alice Ye, He Xiao Shuang, Zhao Jueying

In Italian, with subtitles in English

Synopsis:

The movie is made up of two episodes.

Giulio, a thirty-year old worker on redundancy payment, is tired and embittered and his anarchic colleague convinces him to get unbaptized. Giulio’s religious family is outrage when they find out this disgraceful decision.

Giulio, a Chinese student who lives in Italy, makes friends with Maurino, an older card player who lives in Prato. He teaches Giulio the pleasure to play cards, and he teaches some things about life, too. It is the beginning of an unexpected journey.

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Il film è composto da due episodi.

Giulio, un trentenne cassaintegrato, è stanco, amareggiato e viene convinto a sbattezzarsi da un collega anarchico. Lo scandalo serpeggia quando i familiari di Giulio, religiosissimi, vengono a conoscenza delle sue intenzioni.

Giulio, studente cinese che vive in Italia, fa amicizia con Maurino, un vecchio giocatore di carte pratese, che lo instrada al piacere del gioco e gli insegna qualcosa sulla vita. È l’inizio di un percorso inaspettato.

Venue: Tessitori Hall, Italian Cultural Institute, New Delhi

Entry Free: For security reasons please show your valid Photo Identity Card.

Regards,

Italian Embassy Cultural Centre

50- E, Chandragupta Marg (Entry from Nyaya Marg)
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – 110 021
Phone: 0091-11-26871901/03/04Email: iicnewdelhi@esteri.it

www.iicnewdelhi.esteri.it/IIC_Newdelhi

AMISH’S NEW BOOK SCION OF IKSHVAKU

CORDIALLY INVITES YOU FOR

A CHAPTER LAUNCH from AMISH’S NEW BOOK

SCION OF IKSHVAKU

EXCLUSIVELY ON THE KINDLE PLATFORM
&
Enjoy the READING of the chapter
WITH
AMISH & GUL PANAG

TIME: 11:30am to 1:00pm
DATE: THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015
VENUE: THE THEATRE, INDIA HABITAT CENTRE, NEW DELHI (Entry from gate no 3)

Watch the live streaming of the event on Amazon’s youtube channel

RSVP:
SARASWATHI MOHAN
+919899038451
SM@webershandwick.com
DIVIJ KRISHNA
+91 9654776017
DKrishna@webershandwick.com

To be followed by Lunch

Issue 79

Funding Opportunities I Upcoming Events I Spotlight I Reports I News from the web

Dear Mr Naresh Sagar,
Welcome to the May Edition of the UK Science and Innovation Network in India’s Newsletter.

Top Story

Catalysing collaboration between UK and Indian space sectors On 10 March Bangalore played host to a RiffStream# event focusing on developing commercial opportunities between UK and India players in the space sector. It was my first experience of using RiffStream# methodology where the event is designed to be high-energy and interactive ‘experiences’. Having joined the SIN team in India in March this workshop gave me a fantastic insight into a really exciting sector. Working closely with the UK … Read more »

Going to Goa on Business!

This is how my boss announced my recent official visit to my team members! Not surprisingly I got some envious looks…all in good fun of course as prompt came the reply that some were off to Kerala the week after – again on business of course! But I’m sure you’ll hear about that separately. I was in Goa last month with delegates visiting from the South Georgia Future Science Project … Read more »

Funding Opportunities

Want to keep up to date with all the opportunities funded through the UK’s Newton Fund? Follow this page on gov.uk

BBSRC, NERC and partners in Brazil, China and India are delighted to announce a Newton Fund call for Virtual Joint Centres in Agricultural Nitrogen. Application Deadline: 22nd July 2015
Newton Bhabha PhD placements 2015is now open for applications at British Council, India website. Application Deadline: 31st July 2015

For a full list of funding opportunities, please check out our monthly summary.

Upcoming events

S&IN is involved in the 5th International Conference on Additive Manufacturing Technologies is scheduled during 24-25th September 2015 at Nimhans Convention Centre, Bangalore, India.

Professor David Wimpenny (Chief Technologist at Manufacturing Technology Centre, London) is one of the key note speakers at this event which aims to bring together global industry professionals and researchers to share the knowledge and experience to enhance in this technology to achieve quality and productivity in design & development and manufacturing.

For a full list of upcoming events, please visit here.

S&IN India Spotlight

From Neutrons to Node and Space

Like always, the last three months at UK SIN has been quite hectic. In January, I visited the ISIS pulsed Neutron and Muon Source in Harwell, Oxfordshire, a world-leading centre for research in the Physical and Life Sciences, owned by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council. I was also there to witness the signing up of a letter of intent between ISIS and the Indian Nano Mission for collaboration … Read more »

Reports

Each month, we want to help you understand research and innovation in the UK and India better. Where could you visit, what has happened, what’s been published?

Visits and profiles

Planning a visit to India soon? Check out our top tips for a successful trip. Or check out our map of Indian Science & Innovation to plan your itinerary. We’ve also produced a map of the UK if you’re heading in the other direction!

Recent Events

Newton Bhabha Innovation Workshop: Industry Academia Engagement

On 12-13 May 2015, the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), in partnership with the Science and Innovation Network (SIN) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) organised a workshop in New Delhi on ‘industry academia engagement’. The aim of the workshop was to discuss the current challenges of technological development in India, share the UK experience and help inform this programme’s design and implementation. Read more »

Recent S&IN Publications

The UK and India in the Space Sector.
UK-India workshop on Social Media research and launch of the Web Observatory node at IIIT-B
UK-India workshop on wave & tidal energy
Report on ‘Green Chemistry for Sustainable Production of Biofuels’ workshop
UK-India dialogue on advanced manufacturing.
Mapping the Indian Research and Innovation Landscape: The reports can be accessed from the following links:
- Water-Energy-Food Nexus by TERI.
- Sustainable Cities and Rapid Urbanisation by Amaltas India
- Public Health and Well-Being by Amaltas India

News from the web

Appointment of Minister of State for Universities and Science Jo Johnson MP
The Science & Innovation Network and Milan EXPO: the UK is a hive of innovation and creativity!
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt announced the $100m Dementia Discovery Fund at the World Health Organisation’sFirst Ministerial Conference on Global Action Against Dementia.
The end of medicine as we know it? – our focus on Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)- Wilton Park Event
Assisted living: reinventing locks to support vulnerable people
Great Britain has won the bid to base the Head Quarters of the “Square Kilometre Array (SKA)”,in the UK. As the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer described it “We’ve just won a fierce international competition to host the headquarters of the Square Kilometre Array telescope at Manchester University’s Joddrell Bank. If you want to know what a Square Kilometre Array is, it’s simple – it’s the largest science experiment in the history of mankind.”
Social Science should be an integral part of Scientific Innovations An interview with Dr Nafees Meah(RCUK India)
RCUK India hosted ‘Inspiring Change: Impact of UK-India Research Partnership’ an event on 21 May 2015, in New Delhi, to demonstrate how the UK and Indian research ties have delivered impact.
Longitude Prize:This prize fund launched to help solve the problem of global antibiotic resistance will now be assessed by the Prize Advisory Panel over the next 18 months. Assessmentdeadlines will occur every 4 months from now, until the Prize is won or 5 years passes.

SIN India Team News

After almost 4 years in the role, it is time for Head of SIN India Mark Sinclair to move on. “Working and living in India these past four years has been an amazing experience. My family and I will take back very many happy memories from our time here. It has been a pleasure and an honour to work with excellent colleagues and contacts across India, all passionate about science and innovation. There are many things we can all be proud of, including the successful launch of the Newton-Bhabha programme but there is lots more to do! I leave you in the very capable hands of the SIN India team and am sure you will make my successor Sarah Mooney feel welcome when she arrives in July. Thank you to you all for your continued interest in our work.”

Thanks for reading! Best wishes.

Mark, Murtaza, Swati, Rita, Karanpreet, Sunil, Sheryl and Supri,

The UK Science & Innovation Team in India

Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe now to get next month’s edition direct!

In the meantime, stay connected…

For press related queries, please contact : Sakthy Edamaruku , Press and Communications, New Delhi, T: +91 24192473

Email: Sakthy.Edamaruku@fco.gov.uk

Mr Sagar

I share with you that a creative start-up, Pechkas Pictures, has launched a web series “Baked” on Scoopwhoop talkies. The first three episodes of “Baked” Series, co-created by 22-year old Akash Mehta, and his college friend Vishvajoy Mukherjee, 26, can be viewed http://www.scoopwhoop.com.

The “Baked” series has the makings of a runaway success in the world of online videos having recorded over half a million views and each visitor spending over 20 minutes watching “Baked”. This is unique for a production by absolute novices

The venture also points to the trend of young Indians trying out non-traditional careers and following their passion.

Here are the links:
Pechkas Pictures & Scoopwhoop Present

• Teaser

• Trailer
• Episode 1: Where the F*** is my Pizza?
• Episode 2: Trust Me, Just Trust Me
• Episode 3: We Don’t Deliver in 30 Minutes

Akash and Vishvajoy, both in their early 20s with no formal training in film making, writing, direction and other aspects of production, have co-created this from scratch figuring it out as they embarked on this journey a year ago.
The “Baked” series has the makings of a runaway success in the world of online videos–having recorded over half a million views–with an average 20 minutes of viewing per viewer.

Take a look at “Baked” at your leisure. Given below are more details for your conisderation for possible use.

Cordially

Sanjiv Kataria
Strategic Communications and PR Counsel
+91 9810048095

More about Akash Mehta and Vishvajoy Mukherjee and their maiden production

The co-creators of “Baked” this project are Akash Mehta, 22, a Delhi University graduate and his college friend Vishvajoy Mukherjee, 26. Vishvajoy has worked in a film-production company and as a journalist.

The two joined hands in 2014 to set up Pechkas Pictures. The project was privately funded and shot in Oct-Nov 2014. For this Akash and Vishvajoy got the best talent that theatre and comedy in the country has to offer and pooled their creative energies to put together this show.

Vishvajoy and Akash thought of Pechkas Pictures to express their creativity and to present it to global audience. The Internet gave them both the freedom and made the task simple.

The idea was to stay true to the concept and to their style of expression. The duo was confident that the audiences will not only accept “Baked” but will appreciate it as well.
Though this is Pechkas Pictures’ first venture, it was extremely professionally run. Lack of resources and experience was compensated for by hard work and commitment by the entire team. Since the production unit was small each member assumed multiple responsibilities and executed them to the best of their abilities. The team wasn’t entirely made up of amateurs. All technical aspects including the direction, cinematography, sound, editing were handled by professional talent from all over the country. The actors have trained at some of the best drama schools of the world.

After having made the show, Akash and Visvajoy approached ScoopWhoop (content curator web-company) to help make this available to the masses. ScoopWhoop liked the show and offered to join hands on the project by pitching in as a co-producer of the show, thus resulting in the Pechkas Pictures and ScoopWhoop association for Baked.
Right now the first season of baked is airing on YouTube. The first three episodes are out and response has been phenomenal. Akash and Vishvajoy are humbled to see so many people appreciated their work.
By end May 2015, “Baked” had over 5 lakh views on the videos and numbers are growing at an increasing rate.
Central Idea of “Baked”
Instead of taking the more conventional route of going to a TV channel Akash and Vishvajoy, with their first web series Baked, saw limitless potential of finding audiences online. Their ambition was to bring the finesse and production quality of a well-made TV series to an online platform like YouTube.
Fun-in-college Or Making fun of wannbee entrepreneurs?
The seven episode web-series follows the misadventures of three odd-ball University students who decide to start a midnight food delivery service. Each 22-minute episode follows the trio getting themselves in and out of trouble as they navigate through the unfamiliar world of business. At its heart Baked is a buddy comedy series set in college… Akash and Vishvajoy wanted to expand the scope of their world by also making them casual or accidental entrepreneurs. In that way, each episode is divided into two parts – The day, when they’re in college– annoying teachers, bullies, crushes, and so on. Then there is the night – when they’re out on the desolate streets of Delhi meeting very strange and often dubious characters.

The Big Goal Ahead?
Once filming and post-production of the 7 episodes was completed in January 2015, Pechkas Pictures team started to think seriously about how to get millions of views on Baked with absolutely no inbuilt following. There’s just so much content being uploaded every day and the college friends wanted to ensure that Baked didn’t get lost in the clutter. This is where ScoopWhoop, one of the most popular online content curators in India, come in. They have put their weight behind Baked.
The Cast
Most of the cast in the series, 40 of them, is part of the Delhi theatre circuit. Since there were so many different characters the team often requested friends and family to take on acting role in ‘Baked’.

The principal cast of Haris, Oni, Body, and Tara are being played by Pranay Manchanda, Shantanu Anam, Manik Papneja, and Kriti Vij– really talented bunch of people to work with and certainly some of the finest actors in the English theatre circuit in Delhi. Though, for most of the actors working on “Baked” for most it was acting for the camera for the first time. This made the experience even more exciting for the team.

The results so far:: Spreading the word
In just over a week of uploading, “Baked” has had over 500,000 views, and that number is climbing continuously. The viewing points to the instant liking for online entertainment in India. Pechkas founders want to be right in the thick of things when it finally matures. With each new production that they want to push boundaries of what people expect when it comes to web content.

The Challenges of Leadership

The India Leadership Initiative, The Shri Ram Ananta Aspen Leadership School, Ideas India, The CEO Series, The Ananta Aspen Seminar and the Avantha International Fellowship.

I am writing to share with you the details of our next Ananta Aspen Seminar: The Challenges of Leadership scheduled for 30th June to 4th July in Kovalam.

This seminar is unique – an Aspen style readings based dialogue which challenges leaders to look within themselves and think more critically about their leadership roles and the legacy they leave behind. The moderators are trained in Aspen USA and are also Fellows of the Ananta Aspen India Leadership Initiative. More details are available herehttp://anantacentre.in/pdf/seminar-brochure.pdf

The seminar has tremendous transformative power in cultivating the understanding of others’ values, as well as one’s own. It is designed to enable its participants to become better leaders by understanding the goals that motivate us and how our values both coincide and conflict with those of others. This is an exceptional seminar for middle to senior management and especially for those who have been earmarked for bigger roles in the future.

Suggested participants include senior leaders from all walks of life who are looking for a challenging professional development program; successful leaders who want to clarify their core values; visionary leaders who are looking to understand better the tensions inherent in conceptions of the good life and concerned leaders who wish to be challenged to think more deeply and act more justly.

I am writing to request you to share this information with deserving people whom you feel could take advantage of this unique opportunity.

The nomination form is at http://anantacentre.in/pdf/nomination-form.pdf for your convenience.

Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

cordially invites you to the

Panel Discussion

‘Paryavaran aur Hamara Bhavishya’

Mr. Rajiv Bhartari, I.F.S.

Chief Conservator of Forest, Dehradun

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Mishra

Wildlife Trust of India, Raipur

Date : Friday, 5 June 2015

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Seminar Room, First Floor, Library Building

Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

Teen Murti House, New Delhi.

Dear Mr. Sagar

Please click the link below to see my latest op-ed in Times of India of Wednesday, 3rd June titled ‘Barking Up The Wrong Tree’ that argues that today’s economic debate is misguided, it’s job growth not GDP growth that matters.

http://pahleindia.org/display.php

Your feedback will be appreciated.

Best/Warm regards

Rajiv Kumar

Barking up the wrong tree: Today’s economic debate is misguided, it’s job growth not GDP growth that matters

Economics is indeed a strange discipline. Sample this. “A larger fall in imports than in exports contributed substantially to growth in GDP in the fourth quarter of the financial year.” So a fall in both exports and imports contributes to growth as long as net exports are positive!

Baffling it may be, but most economists like myself have accepted this quasi-mystical statement — without blinking an eyelid — as part explanation for GDP growth at a healthy 7.5% during January to March 2015.

Today public and policy attention is being hijacked by numbers spewed out by a statistical establishment that is fast losing its credibility on account of too many revisions of and internal inconsistencies in data. Surely the more important and simpler question is how this growth, at whatever rate, affects employment generation.

I am distressed to report that question is simply lost in ongoing debates on GDP numbers. Employment, unfortunately, still does not seem to figure as a priority for our policy makers. This lack of attention to employment in a country that boasts of the youngest population in the world is simply incomprehensible.

Extensive commentary on the latest GDP growth numbers has been unable to clear prevailing confusion on whether the economy is in its recovery phase or not. Combined with the fact that growth momentum was visibly weaker in the second half of 2014-15 compared to the first six months, it can be reasonably argued that overall economic weakness is persisting — prompting RBI to revise its growth target for 2015-16 downward from 7.8% to 7.6% in the second bimonthly policy statement issued yesterday.

Thus, the economy needs a strong stimulus to be given by a combined dose of fiscal expansion and monetary easing. Thankfully, latest data show that as much as 9.1% of total annual expenditure has been spent in a single month of April 2015.

This demonstrates a welcome resolve to hike public capital expenditure, reflecting an improvement in governance across the board but specially in ministries such as surface transport which accounted for a major chunk of the expenditure in April. Moreover, this has been supplemented by further monetary easing with RBI announcing a 25 basis points cut in the repo rate yesterday. This combined stimulus is most welcome.

The need for sustained stimulus is evident when one looks in some detail at both consumption and investment data. Consumption continues to display continued weakness especially in rural demand. Here again CSO data seems at variance with trends from other sources.

Normally, growth in private final consumption expenditure (PFCE) is closely correlated with growth in corporate income and sales. This is not surprising as both are two sides of the same coin. This correlation has curiously snapped during the last financial year with CSO data showing a rising trend in PFCE, in contrast to corporate sales that have plunged. This is inexplicable. Imports have not covered this supply-demand gap as they have pretty much collapsed.

The investment scene is somewhat better. CMIE data shows new project announcements are rising, projects abandoned are declining and projects under implementation are just beginning to perk up. The major fly in the ointment is the sharply declining rate of growth of credit off-take by corporates from commercial banks, which has plunged to below 4%. Investment, thus, is a mixed picture. It will hopefully improve if public capital expenditure is sustained.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that we get very mixed signals about the state of the Indian economy. Corporate pessimism exists simultaneously with official effervescence which, let us admit, sometimes verges on the irrational.

Real estate suffers from anaemic demand and sluggish growth. Exports have declined for five months continuously and core sector growth remains weak. The best one can say is that there are signs of recovery, which need to be nurtured and reinforced. They certainly do not warrant any complacency.

The ordinary Indian is left numbed by the numbers game. He is expectedly more interested in news on job opportunities. And that unfortunately is not yet positive. Worse, real wages are flat in cities and declining in rural India.

Rising employment opportunities are the only sure guarantor of a better life and higher welfare for ordinary people or Modi’s neo-middle class. Employment signifies inclusion through empowerment and not entitlements. To expand employment as rapidly as possible must surely be this government’s topmost priority.

In this context it is ironical that for a country faced with a very serious demographic challenge, credible official data on employment are still produced by NSSO, which releases its ‘thin’ and ‘thick’ rounds once in two and five years respectively. The annual labour data produced by the labour bureau is, from all accounts, quite worthless.

As pointed out in India Labour Report of the Institute of Human Development, the quality of unemployment does not correspond to ground realities because ‘self-employed’ is used as a residual category to include all those who are unemployed or underemployed. Regular and credible data on employment is a critical policy input. Should Niti Aayog not be charged with producing credible labour market data, if not also a plan for maximizing employment in India?

The Newspapers Editor's Society