Data recap: India most populous country, WPI inflation, and more

cooling down

View Full Image

WPI based inflation fell to a 29-month low of 1.34% in March as global oil prices fell. However, food prices rose for the third month in a row by 5.48% amid concerns that heat waves could lead to further rise in prices. Last year, damage to vegetable and wheat crops due to heat wave had pushed up prices. Milk prices also remained high amid rising fodder prices and demand exceeding production. Besides, inflation in the fuel and power basket declined to 8.96% from 14.82% in February.

highway speed

View Full Image

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is aiming to build 45 km of highways a day in the current financial year, Mint reported citing people in the know. If achieved, this would be the fastest ever pace of highway construction in a year. Data available till February 2023 shows that the Center built 24 km of daily road network in FY23, resulting in 8,064 km of highway construction. In the pre-pandemic year of FY20, over 10,000 km of highways were built at a daily rate of 28.1 km.

apple in india

This is Apple’s first store area in India which opened on Tuesday in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex. Spread across two levels at Jio World Drive mall, the store uses a dedicated solar array and has zero dependence on fossil fuels. In a conversation with Mint, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim Cook said that India could one day become one of Apple’s biggest markets. The company launched its second store in Delhi on Thursday.

business report

View Full Image

Data released by the commerce ministry showed that India’s merchandise exports grew by 6% to reach a record level of $447.4 billion in FY23. However, exports have declined in three of the last four months. In March, India exported goods worth $38.4 billion, down 14% year-on-year. Meanwhile, merchandise imports rose 16.5% year on year to $714.24 billion. Imports from Russia increased by 370% as India bought cheaper crude from the sanctions-hit country.

take off

View Full Image

Data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation showed that domestic air traffic reached a record 13 million passengers in March from the level achieved in February. Air travel demand continues to grow from August 2022, showing signs of rapid post-Covid recovery along with higher air travel penetration. IndiGo remained the market leader in India with a share of 56.8%, while Vistara and Air India had 8.9% and 8.8% market share, respectively.

Onion price

This is the average onion price per quintal in Nashik, a major crop-growing region in Maharashtra, reports Mint. Due to damage of thousands of tonnes of crop due to rain and hailstorm in the said area, onion prices started falling again. Worried farmers are trying to sell their produce to the Agricultural Produce and Livestock Market Committees (APMCs) at the earliest. Due to this, the stock of onion has increased in the markets, due to which the prices have come down.

coal rule

View Full Image

India is expected to add 14.56 GW of capacity for coal-fired power this fiscal year as part of the Centre’s plan to add 27 GW from such projects. 1.89 trillion, Mint reported. Power generation companies run by the central and state governments will execute the projects. As on 31 March, India’s total electricity generation capacity stood at 416 GW, of which more than half was coal power. The Central Electricity Authority expects daily peak power demand to reach 229 GW this summer.

Chart of the week: Youth power

View Full Image

Data from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimated India’s population at 1,428.6 million as of July 1, surpassing China for the first time as the world’s most populous country. India’s high proportion of its working-age population is set to aid economic growth in the coming years.

Follow us on our social media handles #MintCharts.

Updated: April 21, 2023, 01:24 AM IST